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  Amelia studied Alec. He had a good sense of humor. That was important in a man. And he wasn’t thrown by her snarkiness. She’d never admit it, but it felt good to lean on someone, and especially good to lean on Alec. He seemed to like her breasts, something What’s-His-Name had obviously thought were lacking.

  “You’re out of shape, honey. We’re going to have to do something about that.”

  Amelia laughed. “Well, there is one more phobia I forgot to mention. I’m afraid of exercise.”

  Alec dragged Amelia the rest of the way down the mountain. “There are all types of exercise, honey. Like the workout we just got at the cemetery. I think I’m going to put you on a regimen. In fact, I’m going to map out a fitness program that starts and ends in my bedroom.”

  Minutes later, when they reached the cabin, Amelia bent down, hands on her knees, and tried to catch her breath.

  “This mountain is insane.”

  “I prefer to think of it as majestic,” Alec said. “I’m going to make a mountain girl out of you yet.”

  “I’m only going to be here until I sell the property,” Amelia cautioned.

  “I have a feeling we’re going to run into some serious roadblocks.” Alec grabbed her hands and pulled her through the front door. He went into the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water. He handed one to Amelia.

  “Because I have a lousy lawyer?” Amelia smiled.

  “No, because the pace is slow in Confrontation. I’m going to show you what I mean in a few minutes.”

  “Not to lose the romantic mood, but I know you’re concerned about finding your Uncle Bundy. Where do you think he is?”

  Alec’s mood turned sullen. “He’s hightailed it out of here, done his usual disappearing act. I don’t know when he’s coming back or where his hidey hole is, but I’m going to do some investigating while he’s gone and get to the bottom of this, and I will confront him when he returns.”

  Amelia noticed that the rifle was back in its place near the fireplace mantel.

  “Shouldn’t you get the law involved? I think going after him yourself could be dangerous.”

  “The law isn’t going to do anything to Uncle Bundy. How do you think he’s avoided prosecution for this long? He’s related to everyone in the county police department. They’re protecting him.”

  Alec took a drink of water. “Amelia, I want to learn as much as I can about my…about Moss Hathaway. Will you help me?”

  “Of course.”

  She caught a twinkle in Alec’s eyes.

  “But first, I think we need to start your personal training course. Why don’t we take this discussion into the bedroom?”

  Amelia started toward Alec’s mother’s room.

  He pulled her back. “My bedroom. You’re moving in with me.”

  “You’re pretty bossy, aren’t you?”

  “You have no idea.” Alec pulled her up against him and kissed her long and hard before he frog-walked her into his bedroom, slamming the door with his foot. Lifting her up, he placed her on his bed. He moved on top of her, kissed her lips, and began nuzzling her neck.

  “When does my lesson begin?” Amelia asked.

  “Right now, sweetheart. Pay attention.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Now follow my lead,” Alec instructed. “Whatever I say, don’t disagree with me.”

  Amelia shrugged. “Okay, we’ll play it your way.”

  They walked up the path to a cottage across the gravel road that ran next to the Rushing cabin. Goldilocks and the three bears lived in a cottage, for goodness’ sake. Alec knocked on the door, which was promptly opened by a woman who flashed a welcoming smile.

  “Aunt Brenna, I’d like you to meet Amelia Rushing, the girl I told you about, Katherine Rushing’s granddaughter. Do you remember Katherine Rushing? She used to own, I mean, she owns the cabin.”

  Amelia shook hands with Alec’s aunt. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Aunt Brenna was one of the triplets, Alec’s Mom’s sister, the neighbor to the south of her grandmother’s property. The triplets had been identical, but Alec had said his mother had been the real beauty of the family. It must be strange to look into his mother’s face every day when his mother was no longer on this earth. From the portrait of Necey hanging in the cabin, Amelia knew what this woman must have looked like in her prime, but now, even thirty years later, Alec’s aunt was still an attractive woman. Her clothes, though clean, were not the latest style, nor was her hair, and why would she need to dress up in Confrontation? There was absolutely nothing going on in this town, if you could even call it that. But being around Brenna made Amelia feel overdressed. Her business suit was all wrong for this place.

  “Of course I remember her. Alec, your new girl’s a beauty. I heard you was courtin’ her.”

  Amelia looked at Alec inquisitively. His girl? I mean, they had slept together, more than once now, but his girl? Maybe, in Confrontation, courting had a different meaning.

  Alec didn’t deny it. She bit her tongue and kept her promise not to disagree with him.

  And how had Brenna heard about her? News certainly traveled fast in Confrontation. Probably Marie Antoinette had mentioned it. She hadn’t really met anyone else in the town.

  “Now what can I do for you?”

  “Amelia is here to sell the Rushing cabin, but before she can do that she needs to get an easement to cross your land to the part of the property that borders yours.”

  Brenna got a wistful look on her face and addressed Amelia. “You know, I asked your grandparents many years ago if they could grant us an easement to my one-acre tract between the Rushing property and the public road in exchange for our easement, and your grandfather wouldn’t allow it.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me,” Amelia answered. “Grandpa was pretty stubborn, and he might not have understood the implications of his actions. He probably thought granting an easement would have somehow compromised his property. But he was also very generous. He let the whole town use the spring on his property for their water supply, and he let your family inhabit the cabin for thirty years without compensation.”

  Brenna nodded. “You sure your girl’s not a lawyer, Alec? She uses a lot of fancy words. But this problem could have been solved all those years ago if we could have swapped easements.”

  “Aunt Brenna, the past is the past. We have an opportunity to set things right. Amelia’s grandfather has passed on, and now her grandmother wants to sell the property. You can help make that happen. I walked the location of the easement, and everything seems to be in order. When I write up the sale, I’ll include your easement in the agreement, in case you ever want to sell your land.”

  “I ain’t never going to sell this land, Alec.”

  “I know you won’t, Aunt Brenna, but I also know you want to do the right thing.”

  Brenna crossed her arms and stared at Amelia.

  “Well, I trust you, Alec, and since she’s going to be in the family and all…”

  Amelia turned to Alec and opened her mouth to protest, but he signaled her to be quiet.

  “Do you want to sell this property or don’t you?” he whispered urgently.

  Amelia pursed her lips and nodded her head.

  “Well, okay, then, boy, you can write up your paperwork, her easement for my easement. But I’m warning you, there are two more owners between the Rushing property and the public road. The other owners aren’t going to be so easy to deal with. When’s the weddin’?”

  Amelia’s jaw dropped, and Alec grabbed her and planted a kiss on her lips to keep her from speaking. “My bride-to-be and I haven’t settled on a date yet, Aunt Brenna, but you’ll be the first to know when we do. Amelia, let’s go. We have an appointment on the other side of the mountain, with an adjacent property owner.”

  “Th-thank you, Brenna.”

  “You can call me Aunt Brenna, seeing as you’re going to be family.”

  “Bye, Aunt Brenna,” Alec said, steering Amelia a
way, back toward the cabin. Then Alec turned again to his aunt. “Oh, and I’ll be back to fix your plumbing problem later today, and I’ll send over one of the cousins to mow your lawn since I’ll be tied up with Miss Rushing for a while.”

  Amelia blushed, imagining herself tied up in bed with Alec Brady.

  “Thank you. And if you could bring those groceries I asked you to pick up, I sure would appreciate it. And your Aunt Barbara would like you to stop by to check out a leak in her house.”

  “Of course. By the way, do you know when Uncle Bundy is coming back?”

  Aunt Brenna rolled her eyes. “That ne’er-do-well brother of mine can stay away forever. He’s a troublemaker and worse.”

  “You let me know when he gets back. I’ve got to talk to him.”

  “I’m sure the whole mountain will be buzzing when he gets back. Everything is quiet when he’s gone, and then it kicks up like a hornet’s nest when he returns.”

  Alec waved.

  Amelia waited until they were out of earshot of Aunt Brenna. “Do you take care of all of your relatives?”

  “The ones who can’t take care of themselves.”

  “I assume you provide free legal services for your entire family.”

  Alec’s sheepish grin gave him away.

  Amelia nodded. “Then how do you make any money?”

  “Money isn’t the most important thing in life.”

  “I disagree. If you don’t have any money, it’s pretty darn important.” She thought of her rapidly dwindling bank account and how, if she didn’t make this sale, she would have to dip into the parental well, something she’d promised herself she’d never do again. If she had money, she could put a down payment on a house or buy an apartment instead of living with her parents. How irresponsible did that make her? Then there was the matter of the broken engagement and all the expenses her parents had incurred when she’d canceled the wedding. She needed to move forward financially and emotionally.

  Alec, on the other hand, had taken on the entire Brady clan as his personal responsibility. He was uber dependable. He was a nurturer. By all accounts, he was quite an amazing guy. He had probably been an Eagle Scout, if they had Eagle Scouts in Confrontation. But he also took liberties with the truth.

  “You lied to your aunt,” Amelia accused. “You practically have us married off. Don’t I get a say in this?”

  “I didn’t lie. I intend to marry you. I was just a little premature.”

  Amelia fumed. “I feel like I’m back in the Stone Age, where the women were just clubbed over the head and dragged off to the caveman’s lair.”

  “You wanted to sell your property, and this was the only way my aunt was going to grant you that easement. And, about the matter of the engagement, my mind is made up. We got Aunt Brenna to say yes, and now all I have to do is get you to do the same.”

  “Alec Brady, you’re impossible. A few days ago I didn’t even know you, and now you’re planning our wedding?”

  “I know what I want. And I don’t see as I had much choice. The pickings are pretty slim around here, unless I want to marry one of my cousins.”

  “So you pick the first girl who happens along?”

  “The first amazingly beautiful girl,” Alec corrected.

  “You know this is crazy.”

  “I know I’m crazy about you.” Alec opened the passenger door of his Volvo XC-90 and handed Amelia into the SUV.

  The crazy thing was that she half hoped he was serious. But, like he said, it was just a ploy to help sell the land.

  “Our next stop is the widow who lives on the other side of the mountain. She probably has the easiest access to your property, according to the mapping system. Her husband always wanted to buy your grandmother’s property. Combining the two properties would make a pretty package, and it was his dream to own the top of a mountain. But he passed away while logging on the property, and I don’t know the widow’s heart in the matter. But if she bought your grandmother’s property, her land would be more valuable, so I’m proposing she grant you an easement and then buy your property. If you don’t get her approval, any future contract you make for the purchase will be terminated, since the property cannot be sold or even listed by a realtor because it’s landlocked. And if she doesn’t agree to grant or sell you an easement, the property has little or no value. So you may have to offer her money to purchase an easement that would provide access to her property via the road she owns. This easement will facilitate the sale. If she balks, you could offer to sell her the tract at a discounted rate from the tax-appraised value in consideration of the right-of-way/easement issue. If all else fails, you could approach her widow to widow, from your grandmother’s perspective.”

  “You have it all figured out, don’t you?”

  “Not at all. Even if this works out, we have to deal with the next adjacent property owner, and he’s mean as a buzzard. His property butts up against Uncle Bunnell’s land, and he’s fiercely protective of it. Your property has access to Brady Cove Road, which is a private road and would require agreement from the owners of that road. So whatever we negotiate with Mrs. Jenkins can’t be finalized until we deal with the third property owner. But let me present the offer to her, and you can chime in where you want.”

  “But if we sold the property, where would you live?”

  Alec shrugged. “I’d find a place up around here somewhere.”

  “You’re determined to stay here?”

  “It’s my home, Amelia.”

  Amelia didn’t like the idea of putting Alec out of the only home he’d ever known. But she had come here to sell her grandmother’s property. She couldn’t let her personal feelings stand in the way.

  They arrived at the widow’s house. It was a large, modern-looking house, very picturesque, with a jaw-dropping view. Alec knocked on the door, and when the owner came out, Alec made the introductions.

  “Mrs. Jenkins, I’d like you to meet Miss Amelia Rushing. She is Katherine Rushing’s granddaughter, and since her husband passed, Mrs. Rushing is interested in selling the property.”

  “Come in and have some lemonade and fresh-baked cookies,” Mrs. Jenkins offered. “I don’t get many visitors up this way, and since my husband died, well, it’s pretty lonely.”

  Alec and Amelia followed her into the house. She seated them at a beautiful oak table, poured them each a glass of fresh lemonade, and brought out a platter of peanut butter cookies. It was apparent Mrs. Jenkins had money. Her home was spectacular and beautifully furnished.

  Mrs. Jenkins sat down across from them.

  “Alec, I was sorry to hear about your mother.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins. I sure do miss her a lot.”

  “I miss my husband terribly. We had so many plans. He retired, and then he didn’t live out the year. Now, why is it you’ve come to see me?”

  Alec outlined the situation and the alternatives.

  “So even if you’re not interested in permanently owning the property, you could purchase it and repackage part or all of it to sell together with a small portion of your existing parcels to the left and north of the Rushing property, to configure a tract that has access to the county-maintained road,” Alec concluded. “I expect you could market the repackaged property at a price significantly greater than the price for which we would be selling the Rushing tract to you.”

  “Mack sure would have jumped at the chance to buy the Rushing property. That was his dream. I know we talked about it. Just this morning I tried to walk up to the top of the mountain. I can see why my husband wanted to buy that property. The roughed-in road is very overgrown, and with the downed trees, I couldn’t get all the way up there, but I am interested in purchasing the tract, if we can agree on a price. Today was the first day it has been nice enough to get up there. Mack always expressed an interest in buying the point. I think that is where he wanted to put our house. Thank goodness that didn’t happen, because the road maintenance is already expensive enough. My husban
d did say he would have problems accessing the lower portion of the property due to the terrain.”

  “We would be willing to compensate you for that,” Alec pointed out.

  “I don’t need the money, but I would like Mack to have his dream, to own the entire mountaintop. I feel close to him up there. I think he would have liked that. What do I have to do to purchase the property?” Mrs. Jenkins named a price, a much lower price than Amelia had expected, depending on a final clear title search.

  “My grandmother will agree to your offer price, with the condition that you pay for one hundred percent of the closing costs and fees.”

  “That’s acceptable. I do not intend to do a survey, since this will just be added to my tract. With my husband gone, I have no intent to do anything with it.”

  Alec shook Mrs. Jenkins’ hand. “We would be selling the property as is, with no warranty as to access. But if that’s agreeable to you, then you can have your attorney prepare the necessary contract/documents for Mrs. Rushing’s signature. I’ll draw up the papers that verify you will be granting the easement and purchasing the Rushing acreage and bring them back to execute the documents.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “That was an impressive presentation,” Amelia said.

  “Thank you, but our next stop is going to be the real test. It may be a deal breaker. I’ve talked to Mr. Rhinegold, and he is trying to sell his property, too, and expects to have it on the market by the end of next month. He would prefer that the buyer of his property make the decision about whether or not to grant the easement.”

  “I can’t wait until the end of next month. I’ve got to get back to Florida.”

  “You may not have a choice. Mr. Rhinegold feels that being at the end of the road gives his property significant value. Like many sellers venturing into this market, he probably overvalues his property. So I fear, but I don’t know, that the dollar signs dancing in his head are large enough that he doesn’t want to risk the big payout by giving an easement, even for the $3,500 you’re willing to offer. My gut feeling is, at this point, you can’t offer enough to make it reasonable for you and interesting for him.