Free Whisper In The Dark (The McKinnon Legends-- The American Men Book One) by Ranay James Page B

valid point. Kyle’s decision was just one Brandenburg choice of many going all the way back to Thaddeus for which she was now fielding the consequences.
    Lyles softened. “My dear, even if you did repay the debt, running a spread the size of the Golden Circle is hard and expensive work. You are a financial wizard, Katherine. You of all people understand the dangers of being undercapitalized. One slip and the ranch will be on the block at a fraction of its value. Take the money. It is the best thing for everyone.”
    She leaned back in the chair. She had George to consider. He was her responsibility now, and he needed dependable health care. He deserved to live out his days in comfort or at least free of worry. With the money she would get from the sale and her ability to invest, they could live comfortably the rest of their lives. They could live anywhere. She could buy a much smaller track of land if they wanted to have the country lifestyle. They could move closer to the city to give them more conveniences. It had taken the ambulance over thirty minutes to reach the ranch. If George or she got hurt, it could mean the difference between life and death.
    “The money would allow me to start over. If George wanted to stay on the ranch, he would be taken care of properly. I believe Robert on that count.”
    “And you should. Regardless of what you may think of him, he is a good and decent man.”
    “May I counter?”
    “Well, yes of course. As with any legal agreement it is your option to counter, but why would you? It is more than fair.” He did not understand why she would not take the money and run.
    “May I borrow your pen?” she asked holding out her hand.
    The look on her face spoke volumes to Lyles. She, just like Thaddeus, was a gambler.
     
    “Well, I’ll be damned,” Robert said softly while sitting behind his burled desk in his company's office suites in a downtown Dallas highrise. As he read the counter offer on letterhead from Lyles, Petty, Coker, and Yarbrough, he leaned back in his executive chair and propped his feet on the corner of his desk.
    She had requested thirty days in which to pay the balance and asked another instrument be drafted. Lyles had taken the liberty to do just that. The letter was accompanied by the terms of the new agreement.
    Her counter should have surprised him. Yet, it didn’t, even with all she stood to lose. She was taking a huge gamble, but so was he if he accepted her terms. Robert read through the documents. Then he looked at the hand written note attached, laughing at the salutation.
    Captain Blood,
    Consider my offer. What do you have to lose except taking the responsibility of an old man?
    If we do not find a treasure, you get the ranch. I will walk away, without a fight, but only as long as you agree to take care of George. I’m trusting you on his account.
    If we find treasure you get all of it, but George comes with it. I will not be able to care for him properly with the inadequate returns the ranch is currently producing.
    My only other stipulation is that whatever the treasure , large or small, turns out to be you will accept it as payment in full for the note. I get to keep the ranch free and clear. Now, it is you who have one hour to decide to walk the plank or not.
    Kate-The Pirate
     
    He had to hand it to her; she had brass. Fair market value for the Golden Circle was somewhere in the neighborhood of eight or nine million dollars. If he chose to develop the land, he could make double, easily, even triple given the housing boom of the current market place. She stood to loose a lot if the legend proved to be true and they did find Thaddeus’s fortune. In today’s dollars eight million would be a drop in the bucket to the fortune Thaddeus possessed at the time of his death. Quickly doing the math he whistled through his teeth. If Thaddeus kept his currency in the form of gold, it could easily translate into thirty to forty million dollars. No wonder Dallas