Austin met Sonya at the front of the truck and took her hand. He paused before walking up the path. “You know I’ll get you a ring and do the whole down-on-one-knee proposal you deserve, right?”
“I liked the spontaneous, from-the-heart proposal, but I look forward to you on bended knee.” Her flirtatious smile lit up his heart.
“I’ll be on my knees in front of you later tonight.”
Her eyes darkened with desire. “Let’s go.” She tugged his hand to pull him back to the truck. Kidding, she came right back to him and kissed him.
He’d like nothing better than to take that spark in her eyes and turn it into a fire with them wrapped around each other all night, but he had unfinished business.
They walked to the porch and stood together, fingers linked. He knocked and waited for his father to answer the door. Sonya squeezed his hand to let him know she was right there beside him.
They both took a breath when the door creaked open and his father stood before them scowling. “What do you want?”
“Five minutes of your time.” The less-than-warm welcome didn’t faze him.
“Why would you bring her here?”
That tone and dismissive attitude pissed him off. “Get used to her. She’s going to be your daughter-in-law whether you like it or not.”
Kelly stood behind and to the left of his father. She gasped and locked eyes with Austin. Though they’d talked about getting married, he’d never actually asked her. Now he knew why. He didn’t love her the way he loved Sonya.
He’d let Kelly walk away.
He’d asked Sonya to marry him because he couldn’t live without her.
His father turned and pinned Kelly with a sharp glare. Kelly recovered quickly, placing her hand on her stomach and mumbling out, “Congratulations.”
“It’s one bad decision after the next.” The disapproving glare had become his father’s default when it came to Austin.
He didn’t need his father’s approval or even false well-wishes.
Asking Sonya to marry him had been the best decision Austin ever made. He’d never been this happy in his life.
And he wouldn’t let his father ruin it.
Sonya hadn’t done anything wrong or hurtful.
His father couldn’t say the same.
Walter stepped aside and let them in. Austin didn’t let go of Sonya. He led her to his father’s office and let her take the seat in front of Walter’s desk. He preferred to stand for this.
Walter went around the desk, sat, and leaned back like he had nothing to worry about and all the time in the world. “What’s this about?”
“All your dirty deeds,” Austin replied.
“That’s her forte, I’m sure.” His father challenged Sonya with one raised eyebrow.
Sonya didn’t give the comeback Walter deserved. Instead she settled back, looking bored.
Kelly took the seat beside Sonya. “Walter, stop. She’s not like that and you know it.”
His dad didn’t like being challenged by anyone, but especially the woman in his life. “This is family business. Wait upstairs for me.”
Kelly sat back, linked her fingers over her belly, and settled in much like Sonya had done. “I’m your fiancée.” She moved her fingers, playing with her ring. “I think that makes me family enough. I’ll stay.”
Walter eyed Sonya’s fingers entwined with Austin’s. “You can’t even afford to buy her a ring.”
“I’ll make sure she gets everything her heart desires.”
The eye roll annoyed Austin even more. “You’re living off your best friend’s girlfriend’s ill-gotten money.”
“I own the mineral rights on your property. My money paid for that land. Who’s living off who?”
Everything about his father took on an air of intensity that filled the room. “So that’s what this is about. You think you’re owed something. Well, I’m not giving you a dime. I built the company. I dug every gem out of the ground.”
“And all of them belong to me.” Austin took a breath and tried to keep things civil. “I’ve turned over all the proof I’ve gathered from the bank statements, deeds, and mineral rights records to my lawyer, who will take them before a judge first thing tomorrow morning.”
Thankfully, Roxy knew a sympathetic judge willing to hear his case immediately. The last thing he wanted to do was give his father a chance to . . . God knows what he’d do now that Austin had the upper hand.
Walter leaned over the desk. “You’re coming after me and everything I worked for?”
“I’m taking back what’s mine, so I can provide for me and my family.”
His father grinned, but not in a nice way, and shook his head. “Family? So that’s why you’re marrying her.”
One side of Sonya’s mouth drew back. “I’m not pregnant.”
“I’m marrying her because I love her and want to build a life with her, and yes, our children when we’re lucky enough to have them.” Austin focused on Kelly. “He only wanted the child so he could try to bypass me, but the documents are clear. Every single sapphire he pulled out of the ground, all the money he got from them, it’s mine.”
“Yours?” Walter slammed his hand down on the desk. “You didn’t put your blood and sweat into building that company. You weren’t there when nothing came out of the ground and the money ran out. You didn’t sacrifice and worry how you were going to get by.”
“No. But I can relate to having nothing and wishing you had the money to change your life. The difference is, you stole it and lied about it.”
Walter pointed at him. “I used that money to give you a good life, and this is how you thank me for putting a roof over your head, educating you, and caring for you all these years. You want your hundred and fifty grand, fine, I’ll give it to you, but you’re not taking everything I earned. Blue Mining is mine. It’s my legacy.”
“What good is a legacy when you have no one to leave it to?” Austin shot back.
“I do. Kelly is pregnant with my baby.” His father’s predatory and triumphant smile didn’t convey an ounce of joy that he was to be a father again. Instead, it showed how much his father wanted to win at any cost. Even a child he didn’t know how to love and wanted to use as a means to an end.
Kelly gasped. “How did you know?”
“We’ve been working on this for months. You think I don’t know your schedule. You’re late, sweetheart, which leads me to the obvious conclusion.”
The endearment sounded anything but sweet. It came out as an accusation Austin didn’t quite get.
“I don’t know why you’ve kept it to yourself. Doesn’t matter. That baby is mine and he’ll inherit the Hubbard fortune.” His dad pinned him with a disgusted glare. “You were always more your mother’s son than mine. You want the Jones legacy. Keep your land, build your ranch, and leave me and mine the hell alone.”
Sonya reached over and placed her hand on Kelly’s arm. “Congratulations. Austin told me how much you wanted to be a mother.”
Kelly’s face drained of all color. “Thank you. Yes. I can’t wait to hold my baby in my arms.”
The way she said “my baby” wasn’t lost on Austin or his father.
“Our child will want for nothing.”
“The baby changes nothing,” Austin reminded his father, though he didn’t seem to want to hear it. “The mineral rights are mine. They only get split if my mother had another child, not you. The only thing you have to leave Kelly’s baby”—that pissed his father off—“is the land Granddad originally gave you and Mom. The land you bought with my money will come back to me when the judge sees things my way. Who knows, maybe my sister or brother will want to be a rancher. This place made a good profit when I was running it. You keep it going, he or she will have a good honest life.”
His father shifted to the edge of his seat. “You are out of your mind if you think I’m not going to do everything in my power to stop you.”
“You can try, but you put the mineral rights in my name. You bought the land with my money. Legally, I can claim it all. But I’m willing to make you a deal. We’ll split the business seventy-thirty. In favor of me, but your share is more than you would have gotten by simply running the business. It’s a generous deal. You should take it.”
“You can shove it up your ass if you think I’ll take anything less than the whole damn thing. I am willing to pay you a million dollars to go away before this gets ugly.”
“You’ve already had your thug follow Sonya everywhere she goes and knock her around.” He squeezed her hand to remind himself she was really okay.
“I had nothing to do with that.” More lies. His father didn’t know how to do anything else anymore.
“Right. We know the guy works for you. You’ve called her names and threatened her and me numerous times. This has gotten ugly enough. Bow out gracefully. Don’t force me to be like you and take it all away just because I can.”
“You were always weak. Just like you coming here to warn me what’s in store. You won’t beat me because you don’t have what it takes. You want something, you take it. That’s how people succeed in this life. That’s how I took everything from you and how I’ll hold on to it.”
Austin shook his head and found that the only emotion he had left for his father was pity. “Maybe one day you’ll figure out winning isn’t everything. Not when you’re alone with your regrets that you spent more time stepping on people than being a friend, husband, and a father.” Austin turned to Kelly. “Get out while you can.”
His father slammed his hand down on the desk. “Get out! Take that bitch with you. Don’t ever step foot on my land again.”
“Tomorrow I’ll be saying the same thing to you about the Blue Mining land.” Austin pulled Sonya up out of the chair and walked out of his father’s office and his childhood home for what felt like the last time.
He held the truck door open for Sonya and waited for her to climb in. She sat and placed her hand on his chest as he stared back at the house. “I’m sorry, Austin. It can’t be easy to fight your father and love and hate him at the same time.”
“He made his choice, which made the choice for me. I hoped he’d take the deal and let it go, but I knew better.”
“He’s going to do something, you know that, right?”
Austin met her gaze. “Let him try. It’s in the hands of my lawyer and a judge. It may get messy, but in the end he can’t change what will happen. It’ll all come to me. And if he’s not careful, he’ll end up in jail.”