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Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.
– Peg Bracken
After Jordyn had said her own goodbyes to the couple, she headed for the barn and found Chad already busy at work in the tack room.
“I have some news,” she said.
He continued cleaning a bridle without looking up. “So do I. Go ahead.”
“Judd is definitely in on it.”
She watched the brim of his hat slowly rise as he met her gaze.
“How do you know?”
“He told me Bell was dead. He showed me the bulldozer as proof.” She smiled and gave him a compliment. “Nice touch.”
He met the statement with a blank stare. “So the bandana guy is working for Judd, and Judd is working for the McClatchy Group.”
“What?” Jordyn thought back to where she’d heard the name. “The McClatchy Group is the corporation that wants to buy the ranch.”
“That figures.” Chad shoved his hat off his brow a little. “I did some research last night, called some friends who still live in the area. They said the McClatchy Group bought the Bowden and Carlton ranches over the past three years.”
“The Carlton Ranch borders us to the South.”
“And the Bowden Ranch borders you to the North. Painted Sky is right in the middle and it’s the only one of the three that has frontage on the river.”
“If someone wants it, why don’t they just make a legitimate offer?”
“Probably because they know its value is much higher than what they’re able to pay. Plus, they must have assumed that your mother is vulnerable. She’s got her hands full and she’s getting older. They probably figured if they could just pile things up right at the most stressful time of the year, she’d throw her hands up and sell.”
“What a terrible thing to do...and at Christmas no less.” Jordyn put her hands on her hips. “How do we prove that and get rid of him?”
“I’ve been trying to figure that out.”
“Well, you have Ricky, the bandana guy on tape. All we have to do is link the two of them.”
“I may have already done that.” Chad looked up.
“How?”
He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I was going over some paperwork, and thought it was a little strange that Judd would volunteer to go pick up one of the guests at the airport.”
Jordyn cocked her head and looked at him with confused eyes. “Ricky?”
He nodded. “That made me even more suspicious, so I had a good friend of mine do some digging.”
“Is that legal?””
“He’s a private investigator. Everything he found is public information.”
“And?”
“Believe it or not, the last known employer of both men was the McClatchy Group—and neither one has an end date.”
“So you’re saying, they still work for them?”
“That’s what the paper trail suggests.”
“Let’s go look at Mom’s contract with Judd. The information you found should provide a sound reason for dismissal.”
They started walking toward the house, but Jordyn pulled Chad to a stop when they got to the porch. “I want to thank you again, Chad. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here.”
He stared at her a moment as if trying to figure out what to say. “That’s what friends are for, right?” He turned and kept on walking.
Jordyn wasn’t sure if she should be glad he considered her a friend again...or disappointed they weren’t more than that. Yes, ten years had passed, but she felt as comfortable with him now as she had the day she’d left. She trusted him. She admired him. And she respected him more than any man she’d ever met other than her father.
She wished he could forgive her, forget the rift between them, and at least try to go back to the way it was.
By the time he pushed open the door, Jordyn came to her senses and realized there were more important things to take care of than a broken relationship. Her mother happened to be walking by and stopped as they entered.
“What are you two up to?” Her worried gaze darted back and forth between them, as if trying to determine if they brought good news or bad.
“We think we might have an answer to your dilemma,” Jordyn said.
“You told Chad?”
“Some of it. He guessed the rest.”
“We’d like to see the contract you have with Judd, Mrs. Dunaway.” Chad had his hat in his hand, and was wiping his feet before entering.
Mrs. Dunaway started walking toward the office. “You’re welcome to look at it, but I already told Jordyn, it’s ironclad. My lawyer told me I needed justification to let him go.”
“What if he already works for someone else? Would that be justification?”
Mrs. Dunaway stopped walking and turned around. “What are you talking about?”
“He’s employed by the McClatchy Group.”
“But that’s who I got the letter from.” Mrs. Dunaway appeared both confused and angry.
“That’s a bit of a conflict of interest, don’t you think?”
“Yes, I’d say so.” Mrs. Dunaway entered the office and sat down at the desk. She opened a drawer and pulled out a folder. “Here it is, but my attorney told me that firing him because I don’t like the job he’s doing is not adequate cause under Montana law.”
“He was probably right about that,” Chad said. “Montana is the only state that protects employees to this extent.”
“Yes, that’s what the lawyer told me,” Mrs. Dunaway said. “Something about the Montana Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act.”
“Right. But if we can now prove that he is actually employed by someone who is trying to purchase your ranch, I think that will fall under a lawful termination.”
“What about Ricky?” Jordyn reminded Chad that it wasn’t just Judd they had to worry about.
“Who’s Ricky?” Mrs. Dunaway asked.
“He’s one of the guests. But he’s here under false pretenses, too.” Jordyn didn’t go into the fact that he’d almost killed a horse in order to convince her to sell.”
“I think we should call the police,” Chad said. “And then I’m going to go have a talk with both Ricky and Judd.”
“No. I’m not sure you should do that.” Mrs. Dunaway shook her head. “Judd will put up a fight. I know he will. It’s Christmas Eve. I don’t want to cause a scene. It will look terrible.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to them in such a way that they’ll be happy to quietly pack their bags and get out of here without being in handcuffs.
“You’re going to just let them go?” Jordyn asked.
“I didn’t say that.” Chad spoke with a slight smile on his face, but he didn’t expound upon what he meant.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you two here.” Mrs. Dunaway threw her arms around both of them. “I’m so lucky to have you both here.”
Chad returned the hug with one arm, and wrapped the other one around Jordyn, causing a lump to rise in her throat. Jordyn felt pretty lucky herself at that moment to be holding onto the two people she loved most in the world. Not only that, but it was Christmas Eve and she was home. A sense of bottomless peace and contentment seized her making Jordyn feel blissfully happy and fully alive.
When Mrs. Dunaway finally pulled away, she wiped a tear from her cheek. “But how are you going to get them to leave without causing a scene?”
“Don’t worry Mrs. Dunaway,” Chad said, turning toward the door. “I have a plan.”
