Letters to Katie (7 page)

Or he was avoiding her on purpose.

Either way, she couldn’t continue without seeing him again. She couldn’t afford the
luxury of waiting for him to make up his mind. Somehow she had to convince him to
reconsider his decision to turn his back on the legacy she’d offered him. He needed
to come back to New York to face his past and accept his future. A future that didn’t
include the Amish—or Laura Stutzman.

She wasn’t sure how she would accomplish that task. But if there was one thing Cora
Easley always got, it was her way.

Cora went outside, where her chauffeur was waiting to open the back door of her Bentley.
She slid inside, pulled her phone out of her purse, and dialed a number. After a few
rings, a male voice answered.

“Cora. Pleasure to hear from you, as always.”

“Kenneth.”

“It’s been a few days since your last call.” Her attorney’s smooth voice wafted through
her ear. “Is everything all right? Have you heard from Sawyer?”

“I need to meet with you right away,” she said.

“Absolutely. I can make room for you on my calendar tomorrow—”

“We must meet today.”

“I’m due in court in two hours. I’m not sure how long I’ll be tied up.”

Cora tapped her knee. “When you’re finished, come to the house. Don’t worry, I will
pay your overtime fee.”

“I’m not worried about that. You’ve always compensated me fairly.”

“Better than your average client.” She sniffed.

“True.” He paused. “Cora, business aside, I’m concerned about you.”

“There is no need.”

“Then why the rush to meet? The last time you were in this much of a hurry was when
you found Sawyer. Did something happen to him?”

“No.”

Another pause. “Has something happened to you?”

“I’ll expect you at my penthouse for supper.” Cora shut off the phone and stilled
her trembling hands as she leaned back in the luxurious leather seat.

Whether her grandson liked it or not, she had to get everything in order. Her affairs
had to be set in stone—before it was too late.

Johnny helped Caleb lift the heavy oak spindle and set it in place between two fence
posts. He took the nail out of his mouth and started hammering. The fence around his
parents’ small horse pasture needed fixing, and Johnny had spent the afternoon helping
out Caleb while their father was working. He should have been working on his own place
and looking for a new job, but Caleb had asked for his help,
and Johnny wouldn’t refuse his younger brother.

“Appreciate you coming out,” Caleb said as Johnny took another nail out of his tool
belt.

“No problem.”

“Hopefully I can return the favor soon at your place. Have you gotten much done?”

“A little.” He wouldn’t admit that he’d spent all his spare time looking for a job.
This past Wednesday was his last day at Bender’s, but he hadn’t told his family. The
excitement of Johanna’s birth had made it easy for him to keep his secret. “When I
get the materials, Caleb, I’ll take all the help you can give me.”

Caleb stopped hammering. “Maybe when you get the farm going I could come work for
you.” He stared at his hammer. “The
gut
Lord knows it’s hard finding a job right now.”

Ain’t that the truth
, Johnny thought. But he didn’t say so out loud. Instead he set his problems aside
to focus on their task. He and Caleb worked on the fence until the sun was directly
overhead, beating its rays down on their backs, then took a break and sat in the shade
of a huge oak tree.

Caleb picked up a blade of grass and stuck it between his teeth. Johnny looked at
him. It wasn’t like his brother to be this quiet. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nix.”

“Thou shalt not lie,” Johnny said in the most serious voice he could muster. “Especially
to thy older, smarter
bruder
.”

“You got the older part right.” Caleb pulled the grass out of his mouth. “Not sure
you can help me with this.”

“Why?”

Caleb glanced at him. “It has to do with a
maedel
. You’re not exactly an expert.”

“Ouch.” Johnny put his hand over his heart. “Way to drive in the knife.”

“Hey, it’s your own fault.”

Johnny let that comment slide. “So which
maedel
are we talking about? Bekah Yoder?”

“Bekah?” Caleb snorted. “Why would you bring her up?”

“You two have always spent a lot of time together.”

“As friends. Only.” He stared out into the field. A light wind blew against the grass,
making it lean sideways. “It’s actually her friend Miriam. She made a big deal yesterday
when I asked her to Sunday’s singing.” He shook his head.

“So she told you
nee
?”

“She said she had to
think
about it. What’s there to think about?”

“Why are you chasing after her anyway? You’re seventeen. Too
yung
for courting.”

Caleb shook his head. “I knew you wouldn’t understand. You ruined any chance you had
with Katherine Yoder.”

Johnny grimaced. His little brother had sprouted in the last two years. The
bu
was not only an inch taller than him now, but he was built like a barrel and had
arms twice his size. “Pretty free with the insults today,
ya
?”

“I’m not insulting you. Just stating the truth. And I’m not too
yung
for courting.” He picked up another blade of grass. “Apparently God doesn’t see fit
to drop a
maedel
in
mei
lap. Because if He did, I wouldn’t let her get away.”

“If you’re referring to me and Katherine, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Oh, that’s right. You never want to talk about her.”

Johnny hopped up. He brushed the grass off his denim pants, not looking at Caleb.
“Let’s just work on the fence,
ya
?”

Caleb nodded, standing. “Whatever you say.”

“I don’t understand.”

Cora peered at her attorney from across her large dining room table. She took a sip
of her water. She hadn’t had wine since Sawyer left a few months ago. For some reason
she no longer had a taste for it. “I believe I’ve made my wishes clear. I want you
to liquidate my assets.”

Kenneth’s jaw dropped as he held his fork in midair, filled with a piece of tender
Alaskan poached salmon. She found that her attorney responded better when rewarded
with delicious food. “Cora, that’s a considerable amount of assets.”

“I realize that.” Cora pierced a green bean with her fork but made no move to eat
it. “I’m well aware of my net worth. I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I want
you to take care of it as soon as possible.”

“I’m assuming you’re referring only to personal assets.” He seemed to relax a bit,
taking another bite of salmon and washing it down with white wine. “Your properties
in the Hamptons, Coral Gables—” He set the glass down on the polished mahogany table.
“I recommend you donate your art collection to the Metropolitan.”

“I’ve
already written them a letter. You’ll find it in the packet of correspondence I will
give you before you leave. Then there are the company assets.”

“What about them?”

“I want you to transfer them to my grandson.”

This time Kenneth put the fork down. “I thought Sawyer wasn’t interested in the company.”

“He’s not.”

“Then why—”

“That’s none of your concern.”

Kenneth pursed his lips. “You want me to put the shares in his name?”

“Yes.
All
of them. I’m resigning from the board. The notification—”

“Is in the packet.” Kenneth wiped his mouth with his napkin and frowned. “What’s going
on, Cora?”

“I already explained it to you.”

“No, you haven’t.” He leaned forward. “I can’t fathom why you would do this. And you
do realize before this transaction is legal Mr. Thompson will have to agree to it.”

“You let me handle my grandson.”

“I assume he knows nothing about this.”

Cora didn’t reply.

“Don’t you think he should? As your grandson and heir—”

“Sawyer’s made his feelings about me and my money very clear.” She reached for her
glass. Her hands shook and she quickly put them in her lap. “But circumstances have
arisen that I believe will cause him to change his mind.”

“What circumstances?”

“I prefer not to divulge those at this time.”

“Cora.” Kenneth leaned forward. “Don’t be hasty. You need to give Sawyer time to get
used to all this. And give yourself some as well. You both just found out about each
other a couple months ago.”

“Time won’t change anything. I know what I’m doing, Kenneth.” She moved to stand.
“If you can’t see to my wishes, I’ll have to find someone else who can.”

Kenneth held up his hand. “No need, Cora. Please. Sit down.”

She lowered herself into her seat, watching as her attorney composed himself. He smiled,
but she could tell it was forced. “Cora, you know I’ll do anything you want. I will
support you in any way.” His smile grew tighter. “If this is what you want, then I’ll
make it happen. As long as I have Sawyer’s cooperation.”

“Which you will. I’ll be in Middlefield next week. When I return I expect you to have
all the paperwork in order.”

“I’ll have my secretary get right on it.”

Relieved, Cora stood again. Suddenly she was exhausted. “See that you take care of
this, Kenneth. Immediately. And now, if you’ll forgive me, you’ll have to show yourself
out.”

Kenneth rose. “Are you all right?”

“A touch of a headache. The papers are on the credenza by the front door. Peruse them
and contact me in the morning with your plan. My flight leaves at nine.” She looked
at him. “You will be well compensated, as always.” Before he replied, she left the
dining room.

On shaky legs she walked into her bedroom. She closed the door and leaned against
it, steadying herself. Was the trembling because of the Parkinson’s or her growing
doubt about the decision she’d just made? She was giving up everything she had worked
for, all she’d accumulated and held important in her life. Although she would still
have a vast fortune, she was willing to turn it all over to Sawyer the minute he agreed
to accept it.

And if he refused?

She wouldn’t allow herself to think about that. This was her last chance. She had
failed in convincing him of the importance of his legacy when they first met. She
couldn’t afford to fail this time.

Kenneth got into the limousine, clutching the leather folder filled with Cora’s personal
papers. He flipped on the overhead light in the backseat and read over the documents.
As he read, his frown deepened. Pulling out his cell phone, he punched in Sawyer’s
number. When he heard the nasal recording stating the number was no longer in service,
he clicked the phone off and dialed his secretary.

“Valerie, I know it’s late. No, I didn’t realize you were on a date. I’m sorry, I
promise I’ll make it up to you. I need you to do something for me.” He looked at the
papers in his lap as his secretary asked him a question. “Yes, Valerie. Something
is definitely wrong.”