Free Suited to be a Cowboy by Lorraine Nelson Page A

he’d
cheat Aaron. What do I do now?”
    “For starters, I’d fire his ass and have the books
audited. I’d offer to do it, but I’m going to be busy here. Want me to
recommend someone? I have contacts in Kentucky.”
    “Yes, please. What else?”
    “You need to hire a lawyer and cancel his access to
everything you own, including Aaron’s trust fund.”
    Her face brightened. “I do have a lawyer. He was Gramps’
lawyer and he’ll look out for our best interests. I’ll give him a call.”
    She reached for the phone and promptly burst into tears.
    Ah, heck! He
hated when a woman cried. He hauled her up against him in a comforting hug. “You’ll
get through this. There’s no shame in trusting your spouse, but it’s time to do
some investigating. You’re stronger and smarter than he is, now prove it.”
    She pulled away and looked up at him. He was so tempted to
kiss her and get that pressing need off his mind. Could it make matters any
worse? She needed comforting and he was there. Ah, hell. He lowered his head, a smidgeon at a time, giving her
plenty of chances to pull away. She didn’t. His lips touched hers, softly,
briefly, testing the move. When she kissed him back, he couldn’t believe the
passion she ignited. Tightening his hold, he brought her closer so she could
feel the effect she was having on him—and with just a kiss. That move sealed
his fate.
    She stepped back, breaking his hold, and dried her tears.
When she spoke, her words came out slow and succinct. “Thank you. I needed
that, I think.”
    “My pleasure,” he said, shifting his position to avoid
embarrassment.
    “If Marcus has been siphoning funds from Aaron’s educational
trust, I’m going to nail his hide to the wall.”
    Jimmy smiled, glad to see her spunk returning. “That’s the
spirit.”
    “No one makes a fool of Melissa Dehavilland and gets away
with it! Now, let’s make those calls.”
    “I’d start with the lawyer. Tell him of your suspicions and
see what he advises.”
    “Good plan.” Melissa consulted her little back book, picked
up the phone, and dialed. “Mr. Danby, please.” She spoke for a few minutes,
leaving her name and number, and then replaced the receiver. “He’s with a
client. I’ll have to wait for him to call back.”
    Jimmy nodded. “So let’s go through the rest of these papers.”
    “Okay.”
    “That’s it,” Jimmy announced quite a while later. “Unless
you have another stack hiding around here somewhere.”
    “Nope. Want me to talk to Brian about these other
receipts?”
    He shook his head. “I’ll need to stretch my legs and check
on Sherry, so I can hunt him down then.”
    “How about another coffee?” She rose.
    He smiled and nodded absently, already immersed in entering
data from the stack of papers before him. “I wouldn’t say no.”
    She left for the kitchen and he was still sorting papers
when she returned.
    “Hey, I thought you’d forgotten my coffee.”
    “No, just a minor skirmish with Aaron. Sometimes it’s a
fight to get him away from those video games. I sent him outside. Besides, I
made a fresh pot.” She set his coffee within easy reach and sat down in the
chair facing the desk.
    He took a sip. “Mmm, good. Melissa, I don’t see the sales
slips for those horses you were transporting when we met. Any idea where they
are?”
    “Ugh! They’re probably still in my briefcase. Just a sec.”
She picked up the case from across the room, placing it on a side table. She
withdrew two large manila envelopes and passed them to him. “This one contains receipts
for the expenses I incurred during the trip, and this one holds the bills of
sale for forty-seven horses.”
    Jimmy pulled out the bills of sale. Attached to each were
certified cashier’s checks for the full amount. Stunned, he looked at his
employer. “You didn’t make the deposit? Melissa, you have a small fortune here.
Why didn’t you make the deposit in Kentucky?”
    “Couldn’t. I forgot the