Once and Always (Women of Character) by Grace Brannigan Read Free Book Online

her. "Anna, how are you? It's been so long since I've
seen you."
    "I'm doing okay,
Randal." She was conscious of the heat of Tyler's hand on her elbow as she
rose to her feet and took Randal's extended hand. "How's Marnie? Is she keeping
up on her riding?" Casually, she took a step away from Tyler.
    "Of course, you know how much
my daughter loves horses." Randal smiled. "You should come out to the
house one of these days. I know she'd be glad to see you. She took several blue
ribbons this year."
    "She's always been a talented
rider," Anna said, not committing to a visit. She half-turned toward
Tyler. "I'd like to introduce you to Tyler Stanton. As you know, we're
here to sign the lease agreement."
    Randal turned to Tyler.
"Tyler Stanton," he said. The two men exchanged a look Anna couldn't
decipher, almost a measuring up on both sides. "It's been a long time,
son."
    "You know each other?"
Anna asked.
    Tyler stepped forward and took the
hand the older man extended, and then glanced at her. "Briefly. A long
time ago."
    "I seem to recall you swore
never to be back in front of me again," Randal said musingly.
    "At least not under the same
circumstances as our last meeting, Judge," Tyler came back, a slight smile
now easing across his lips. Anna saw that his color had returned to normal and
she became intensely curious as to what their past association might have been.
    "That's a relief,"
Randal said. "For the record, I'm retired. I'm not a judge anymore."
    Anna watched Tyler's brow go up.
"You'll always be Judge France to me."
    "What a coincidence,"
Anna murmured, not sure how to take this. Had that been the reason Tyler had
looked ill, when he'd realized whose office they were in?
    "Please come inside and take
a seat."
    They followed Randal into his office,
a spacious room with floor-to-ceiling bookcases and a large wooden table with
chairs occupying the center of the room.
    "I have the copy of the
agreement Anna faxed to me," Randal continued. "With the exception of
some minor changes in wording which I've made, I feel it's a well-thought-out
document benefiting both parties." He looked up from the papers and
directed his glance to Tyler. "I assume you've had your lawyer go over
this?"
    Tyler nodded. "Yes."
    He handed each of them a copy.
"Take a look at the minor changes I made on page two. If there's any other
changes either of you would like made, now is the time to let me know."
    "Annie?" Tyler said.
"Didn't you have some questions about this?"
    Anna stared at him, then at the
papers, her mind blank as to her earlier concerns about signing. She looked at
Randal. "To be honest, I was getting a little nervous." She pressed
her palms down on the table surface. "It's not that I have any specific
concerns, it's just this entire lease idea has been moving very fast. I thought
about Martin and how mad he'd be that it came down to this." Anna cleared
her throat. "You know how he felt about the ranch. I feel as if I've
failed."
    Randal nodded in understanding.
"I can understand your worry, Anna," he said. "We both know how
close Martin was to the ranch, but you also know he'd want you to do whatever's
in your best interests. You're an intelligent woman, Anna, and you're used to
being in full control. Now, handing some of that control over to another person
can feel daunting. Let me remind you we did insert that escape clause, which
works for either party if you feel the lease isn't working. You can get out of
it with minimal notice, after the first six months. However, we're still
presuming you're both reasonable people and can work out any concerns the other
might have."
    Some of the tension eased in Anna
and she nodded in agreement.
    "I've also inserted language,
which Tyler's lawyer agreed with, if after ninety days you'd like to reevaluate
the lease, you both have that option." He looked at her across the table.
"Anna, do you have specific questions or concerns not covered?"
    "I just want to make sure the
property is