| |
Tina
Tina wasn’t particularly hungry, but she was teetering on the edge of control and didn’t want Doc to witness a full-blown breakdown. Moments after he left, the floodgates opened, and the tears came.
She was so angry. A trip to Sumneyville First National Bank, a dozen phone calls, and some rudimentary online sleuthing had confirmed that Rick hadn’t been exaggerating. Obermacher Farms was indeed on the brink of financial collapse.
They were going to lose everything. The farm. The crops. The houses. The equipment. And for what? Because they’d had to get greedy? Because making an honest living hadn’t been enough?
The whole mess sickened her. Worse, it looked as if there was nothing she could do. It had gone too far.
The feeling of helplessness was overwhelming, and she gave herself over to the racking sobs. She wasn’t used to feeling so powerless. There were only a few times in her life when she had, and each of those had involved the death of someone she loved. For everything else, there had always been options, other avenues to pursue, a way out.
But not this time.
After several minutes, Tina took a deep breath, got shakily to her feet, and went into the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face until some of the puffiness abated and the ugly red splotches faded.
“No matter how bad it is, you have to pull yourself together and deal with it,” Tina said to her reflection, recalling the words Lottie had said to her at the funeral home at her grandfather’s viewing. “You’re an Obermacher, and Obermachers are made of strong stuff. We endure because sometimes, that’s all we can do.”
The words gave her some small comfort, as did the knowledge that for tonight at least, she wouldn’t have to endure alone.
That was something else she wasn’t accustomed to—the feeling that she could lean on someone even if it was only for a little while. Someone who didn’t make her feel weak simply for feeling bad.
Perhaps it was wrong of her to put so much faith in Doc, especially in these early stages of their relationship. Ceding control and exposing vulnerabilities were things she’d learned not to do. Not at home. Not in college. Not in business. There were always those lurking in the shadows, looking for weaknesses and opportunities to take advantage.
But Doc, he wasn’t like that. All he wanted was ... well, Tina wasn’t quite sure what he wanted, but she knew it wasn’t her land or her patents or her business, and that was a great start.
Tina heard the trailer door open and close a moment before Doc called out his return. “Tina?”
“In here. I’ll be out in a sec.” She patted her face, pleased to see that she looked slightly better than she had when she came in, and stepped out.
“Are you okay?” The look of concern in his eyes was like a balm to her ragged soul.
“Not yet, but I will be. What do you have there?”
He started removing items from the bag and laid them out on the table. “Broccoli cheese soup and some sandwich fixings. I wasn’t sure if you preferred turkey or ham, so I—”
Tina cut him off, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss.
He returned the kiss with equal fervor and then asked, “What was that for?”
“For being you,” she said simply.
Over soup and sandwiches, she gave him a condensed version of what had happened. She hadn’t planned on telling him everything, especially not about the guns, but once she started talking, she couldn’t seem to stop.
“I was so angry after I got back from the bank. I went to the office and found Gunther and Kiefer there, discussing offers with Rick. I got even angrier when Gunther started shoving papers in my face and told me I needed to sign them. Like I would ever trust him after this! I told him I wasn’t signing anything until I had a lawyer look over it and that it sure as hell wasn’t going to be anyone from Sumneyville. Gunther didn’t like that at all, which made me think he was trying to slide something else shady through. Rick would sign anything if Gunther told him to. He’d never take the time to read through the fine print, and neither would Kief.”
Doc listened quietly and patiently while she got everything off her chest. It was only after she’d talked for an hour that she realized he didn’t seem shocked by any of it.
“Did you know about any of this?” she asked suddenly.
In the few heartbeats it took for him to answer, her blood turned cold, and a shiver ran the length of her spine.
“Did you?” she pressed.
“I’m not shocked because this isn’t the first time Renninger’s name has come up in connection with sketchy business practices,” he said slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.
Tina’s brows pulled together. She couldn’t help feeling that what he wasn’t saying was every bit as important as what he was. It didn’t take long to connect the dots. “He handled Handelmann’s accounts, didn’t he?”
Doc nodded.
The pieces began falling into place. Tina hadn’t understood how Kate had been shunned by her family and certain members of the community after she did so much for them. In an unexpected plot twist, Kate’s younger sister had gotten pregnant and ended up marrying Luther—Kate’s ex—shortly after Kate moved to Sanctuary.
Tina had believed there had to be more to the story than simply the fact that Kate had taken up with one of the Sanctuary guys. Now, she knew there was. Kate had probably discovered—or at least suspected—that Luther was up to no good, and no one had listened, just as Rick and Gunther and Kiefer had refused to listen to Tina whenever she raised concerns about Luther handling the Obermacher Farms’ accounts.
Which might also explain why Kate hadn’t said anything publicly. If she had bad-mouthed Luther, everyone would have believed it was just sour grapes.
But why wouldn’t Kate have said anything to Tina during their coffee time? Maybe she assumed that Tina wouldn’t believe her either. Or that because Luther and Gunther were such good friends, Luther wouldn’t screw them like he’d screwed Kate’s family.
Or maybe Kate had said something. Kate had been asking Tina about The Mill and seemed relieved when Tina told her she’d created her own business entity, separate from Obermacher Farms and handled by a professional accounting firm outside of Sumneyville. At the time, Tina hadn’t thought much of it other than a shared mutual dislike of Luther.
“Enough,” Doc said, carrying the bowls and plates to the sink. “You look beat. What do you say we call it a night?”
“I am tired,” she admitted.
“I can take the couch,” he offered.
“Doc, the only reason I’m here is because of you. If I wanted to sleep alone, I would’ve gone to a hotel.”
His lips quirked. “Well, in that case ...”
Tina was only slightly disappointed when Doc slipped into bed, wearing pajama bottoms. As much as she’d enjoyed their sexy times thus far, what she really wanted was just to be held. Doc seemed to understand that, which proved once again how amazing he was.
She snuggled against him, instantly feeling calmer.
“Doc?”
“Hmm?”
“Thanks.”
He kissed her forehead. “My pleasure.”
* * *
Despite Doc’s presence, Tina didn’t sleep well. She tossed and turned and woke throughout the night, but she was certain she wouldn’t have gotten any sleep had she remained alone and in her cottage. At least when she was tucked up against Doc, listening to his strong, steady heartbeat with his arm wrapped protectively around her, she was able to stay the panic and think semi-rationally.
When the call of nature became impossible to resist, Tina attempted to slip out of bed. Doc was having none of it.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he grumbled sleepily.
“To the bathroom. Got a problem with that?”
“Not as long as you come right back.”
She made no promises. After doing what she needed to do, Tina checked on Doc and found him fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb him, she crept quietly toward the front of the trailer, closing the partition behind her. Dawn was nigh, and her body was programmed to rise with it. Besides, her mind was too active, her thoughts too scattered to sleep.
First and foremost, she needed to find a good lawyer, preferably one who didn’t know her brothers and practiced outside of Sumneyville. If she was going to sign away her share in the farm, she wanted to make one hundred percent certain they were getting the best deal they could.
The next thing she had to do was face her crew, though chances were, they already knew. News—especially bad news—traveled quickly, and it probably wouldn’t come as a complete surprise. Those murmurings she’d overheard now made a lot more sense.
That morning in the orchards seemed like a lifetime ago. She wondered how long this had been going on and why she hadn’t been aware of any of it.
Regardless, she needed to talk to them. Once she knew what to tell them, that was.
Doc emerged from the bedroom, naked from the waist up and looking incredibly sexy. His hair was sleep-tousled and his jaw dusted in dark golden shadow, but his eyes were vibrant and alert.
“You didn’t come back,” he said accusingly.
She shifted slightly, crossing her arms to hide the sudden pebbling of her nipples.
“I can’t help it. I’m an early riser.”