LEAD ME ON by Julie Ortolon (find a book to read TXT) 📕

and set it on the floor, then dusted any telltale evidence from her mouth. By the time her husband, Oliver Chancellor, entered the kitchen, she was sitting primly in the chair with a smile of pure innocence. “Hi, honey. How was your trip to the post office?”

“It was... a trip.” Chance shook his head, his expression a bit dazed. With his tall, thin build, wire-rimmed glasses, and neat blond hair, he managed to look like a rich banker’s son even when wearing shorts and a golf shirt. When Rory tilted her head back, he bent and kissed her lips, then pulled back with a frown. “Why do you taste salty?”

“Salty?” Rory batted her eyes. “I have no idea.”

Allison saw her brother roll his eyes as she struggled not to laugh. Chance just growled playfully and kissed his wife again, longer this time.

In the midst of that perfect moment, filled with such happiness, fear whispered against the back of Alli’s neck. She shook it away, determined to ignore it. Her sister and Chance were blissfully married and expecting their first child. Their business was going well and picking up daily. She had to quit looking around corners waiting for tragedy to jump out and destroy everything.

Chance straightened with a weary sigh and Rory’s smile faded as she studied his face. “Something’s wrong.”

“ ‘Fraid so.” He looked at all of them. “Apparently John LeRoche isn’t too happy with our refusal to sell Pearl Island back to him. Because now”—Chance held up an envelope—“he’s suing us.”

“What?” Adrian and Rory demanded as Allison’s stomach dropped.

“He’s also suing the Liberty Union National Bank,” Chance went on, referring to the bank his family had founded in the mid-1800s, then sold recently to an East Coast banking chain. “He’s claiming there was some dirty dealing involved in the bank’s decision to foreclose on his loan and seize possession of Pearl Island.”

“But he’s the one who put the property up as collateral, then fell six months behind on his payments,” Rory protested.

“He’s also claiming I personally used prior knowledge to help the three of you buy the property before he had the opportunity to rectify the situation.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Adrian dried his hands, then threw the dish towel on the counter. “You told us yourself that your father tried to give him first right of refusal, but he showed no interest back then. Why the sudden interest now?”

“Who knows?” Chance sighed.

“I think I do.” Allison clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking. “Chance, didn’t you say John LeRoche has had a string of financial setbacks since he lost the house?”

“I’ve heard rumors to that effect,” Chance confirmed. “Apparently it started when he first took out the loan. He used the money for a business venture that failed, and everything he’s touched since has gone sour. Still, it’ll take a lot more than that to topple a fortune the size of LeRoche Enterprises.”

“Even so...” Allison said. “I think he wants the Pearl back.”

“That doesn’t make sense.” Adrian glanced from her to Chance. “If he believes in the Pearl, why didn’t he take steps to keep the house a year ago when the bank started threatening to foreclose?”

“Maybe he didn’t believe in the legend back then,” Allison offered. “But once his luck with making money evaporated, he may have started blaming everything on losing the Pearl. So now he wants her back.”

Chance rubbed his forehead. “If that’s true, we could be in big trouble.”

“Why?” Rory struggled up from her chair. “You’re not guilty of anything. None of us are. Surely an investigation of bank records will show that.”

“It will.” Chance sighed. “But I still have to pay a lawyer to help prove I’m innocent.”

“No, we pay a lawyer. This involves all of us.” Rory glanced to her brother and sister. They both nodded.

“Now hold on,” Chance said. “We need to be practical. The inn can’t afford to fight this, but I can. It’s basically a nuisance lawsuit, and John LeRoche knows it. Which means his goal isn’t to win a settlement. It’s to weaken us financially and run us out of business. If we go bankrupt, we’ll have to sell the house, and he’ll buy it back.”

“Can he do that?” Rory paled.

“He can try,” Chance said. “And let’s face it, the man may be having some money problems, but he still has plenty of resources.” Chance looked at each of them. “If he’s determined to get the Pearl back, this could get nasty.”

“So we should stand back and let you fight it with your own money just because you’re a trust fund baby?” Adrian snorted. “I don’t think so. When you married Rory, you became family. We fight this together.”

Chance held up his hands. “Let’s all be realistic about this. The three of you sank your entire net worth into this venture. You can’t afford to fight a lengthy legal battle.”

“Tough,” Adrian said. “It’s our inn, so it’s our battle.”

“It’s my inn, too,” Chance pointed out. “I bought a full one-fourth partnership before Aurora and I even married.”

“Okay”—Adrian nodded—“then you can pay one-fourth the cost of fighting this bogus lawsuit.”

Chance rolled his eyes. “Allison, Aurora, talk some sense into your brother, will you?”

Allison exchanged a glance with her sister, silently telling her she sided with Adrian. Rory nodded and turned to her husband. “Alli and I vote to fight this as a family.”

“How do y’all do that?” Chance demanded, referring to the way they communicated without words.

“We’re sisters,” Rory said. “If you weren’t an only child, you’d understand.”

Chance shook his head. “I still say let me handle this.”

“Too late.” Rory kissed him soundly on the mouth. “The vote’s been cast. You lose, three to one.”

“But—”

“But nothing.” Rory wrapped both her arms about one of his. “Now if you really want to be useful, come help me clean rooms.”

When they’d gone, Alli looked to her brother, trying to fight the panic. “This doesn’t sound good.”

“No, it doesn’t. And Chance is right. It could get nasty. Even if we let him