She’d been stopped in her tracks by flexing muscle and slick flesh. With dark, cropped hair, angular features, and a lean, lanky body, it had been crush at first sight. And he’d barely noticed her as he cleaned out the barn stalls. As she’d scooted into the tack room to catch her breath, she’d vowed to make him notice her—and soon. Little did she realize what a mistake she was making.
“In addition, Sheila, JM left the Prescott ranch land and ranch herds in your trust for Mandy and Tucker, who hold equal shares of the ranch enterprise, which, as you know, is a separate entity from Prescott Rodeo Company. He made provisions for Prescott Rodeo Company to continue to lease from the trust the portion of land it uses for its enterprise at reasonable fees. The will grants half of those rent monies to you as income for as long as you live and the ranch stays in Prescott hands. There are provisions, should the company change hands, for you to continue to receive a stipend from the proceeds of that sale equivalent to the projected rental stream, as if the company continued to lease the land from the trust.”
“JM was always generous,” Sheila said as she dabbed a hankie to her glistening eyes.
During his lifetime, JM had provided for her mother, given she was his only child’s widow and the mother of his grandchildren, but now her mother would have her own income, making her an independent and well-to-do woman. As to the company changing hands, that would never happen as long as Mandy had breath left in her.
Brian laid aside the sheet of paper he’d been reading and turned his attention to the next page.
“Harold, you are bequeathed shares equal to nine percent of Prescott Rodeo Company and, at a minimum, your current salary for the rest of your life, whether you work or not, to be paid out of company funds.”
“I know. JM told me. And of course I’ll be working as long as the young’uns need me to.” He spared a smile with a nod in Sheila’s direction as if the two had already spoken about it.
“Of course we need you, Harold,” Mandy piped up. People were the fabric of the company and, regardless of who was running it, Mandy would let nothing destroy that fabric.
“Tucker, you inherit a twenty percent stake in the rodeo business. JM wants me to note that it could have been more if you’d been willing to help run the company.”
“So he told me,” Tucker said with good-natured resignation. “I’m okay with the way things are.”
Brian raised his gaze and stared at Mandy a moment too long for good news. Her heart sputtered in her chest like an engine choke that couldn’t take hold. JM, it seemed, had spoken to everyone but her about the contents of the new will.
“I guess I should mention that before JM made this will, he also completed a transaction with Mr. Martin here. Ty currently owns twenty percent of Prescott Rodeo Company, bought and paid for under terms advantageous to Prescott, I might add.”
Mandy couldn’t stifle the gasp that left her lips, even as her mother’s hand tightened its hold. It was just as she’d suspected. Ty had wormed his way into her family’s business for reasons that eluded her. Tension pressed in on her chest, making it hard to breathe. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, look in his direction. But she could see his hands, half-fisted, on the table. Large hands. Masculine hands barely weathered by the outdoors but no doubt used to doing dirty work.
“I imagine you all must be wondering what has happened to the other fifty-one percent.” Brian stated the obvious. “Mandy, you will receive twenty percent of the company outright, bringing you equal to Tucker and Ty. But because Mandy is willing to take over the business one day…”
Mandy clenched her teeth and braced for bad news. Brian had used a future tense in talking about her taking over.
“The remaining thirty-one percent will also go to Mandy, from which she will receive the dividend stream…”
Mandy let out a breath of air in relief. She would have controlling interest. And the authority to hire—and fire.
“And Ty Martin will hold the voting rights to those shares.”
And just like that, her empty stomach turned over. She swung her gaze to Ty, whose face was grimmer than she expected for someone who had just been handed the keys to the company. If looks could kill, she meant hers to strike him dead.
“What do you mean, the voting rights are held by Ty?” her mother asked.
“Just what I said, Sheila. JM had this block of stocks issued as a separate class, so Mandy will get the dividend stream, but the voting rights fall to Ty for a period of time.”
Ty leaned forward, his Stetson dipping lower on his brow, shadowing his eyes. Definitely an outlaw. “Mandy, it’s only for a limited time.”
“What do you mean, a limited time? How long?” she snapped as she grappled with the emotions whipping through her. Anger at Ty, frustration with Brian, and betrayal by her grandfather, the man she loved and admired and had tried so hard to please.