"You don't get it, Russell. You work to make billions, but I take care of animals because I love it. There's a big difference. That's why I wanted to have a safe place for animals to live." Emily glanced over towards the mountains.
"I have papers for you back at the motel. They were delivered to the office manager, but I haven't had the time to pick them up. We'll get the sale taken care of today and have all this property put back in your name."
"You were serious about doing that?"
"Of course I was. I wouldn't lie to you." You just don't know who I am, and you never will.
"I don't have rent to pay anymore after moving out of my apartment, so I might have enough in savings to get my truck out of impound, but that's about it. I definitely don't have enough money to buy this land, especially since your brother bought it for five million."
"Emily, you received five million from the sale. I don't want you giving it back."
"Well I kind of ripped it up..."
"It's fine, I can easily replace it. We can deposit the money into your account while we pick up the paperwork."
"If you're giving me the property back, then that money isn't mine."
"Consider it some compensation for all the problems my brother caused. I won't be happy unless you take the money. I'd be even more happy if you'd let me add to that amount and pay for all your bills and expenses."
Emily looked deep into his eyes. They looked kind, gentle, and sincere. This is exactly how they manipulate people. "Thank you for everything you've done. But I'm not willing to trust you farther than I can throw you."
Chapter 8
Parker was quickly unpacking the boxes. He had to be done with this woman and get the hell away from her.
"Easy with those, Russell." Emily was proud of herself for calling a spade a spade. She knew she pissed him off. Good!
"Go in the house, Emily."
"Don't tell me what to do..."
"We're done talking. I can't even tolerate your voice anymore. Do you bitch at everyone you meet?" Parker watched her stomp off. When he finished unpacking, not even caring if anything was in the right place, he hollered for her from the front door.
"Let's go!"
Emily slowly walked downstairs, taking her sweet time. As Parker held the door open for her, he was tempted to hit her with it. "Could you move any slower?"
Emily ignored the comment and then sauntered over to the passenger door of the SUV. Parker opened the door and sighed while he helped her inside. He wasn't looking forward to being trapped in a vehicle with her.
He got the papers from the front office and brought them over to Emily.
"Here, sign on the highlighted areas."
Emily began to read each page, word for word. Parker stood there tapping his foot.
"It's all legal, Emily. Just sign the lines so we can give you back your property. Parker wrote out a company check for twenty million and signed his name. See? It's all legal." The only legible part of his signature was his last name.
"I'm not taking twenty million. I don't want a dime from you."
Parker clenched his jaw, and she tore up the check. "I'll be right back." He went inside his motel room and called information. When he was through with a couple of phone calls, he went back outside.
"We're going to an appointment."
"What kind of appointment, Russell? I have my own doctors."
Parker ignored the question and went over the speed limit until he reached the parking lot of Tender Care. He got out, walked around the truck, and opened the passenger door.
"Why are we here? I can find my own help."
Parker ignored her again, walked to the entrance, and held the door open. Once again, Emily took her time.
"Hello, I'm Russell Davis, and this is Emily Carson. I wanted to set up twenty-four hour assistance for her. I'll pay the bill."
After a long interview process to identify what Emily would need, Parker began to feel some relief.
"She'll need someone for this evening. I'll be leaving town as soon as possible."
"Good!" Emily said loudly.
Parker glared at her. "The earlier, the better." He looked at Emily and smiled.
"I can have someone out there at seven this evening. That's the earliest."
Parker arranged for the bill to be sent to Davis Enterprises, then held the door open again.
"So you're just going to leave me at that house?"
"No, but I'll find a way to stay far away from you. If you want to go get a bite to eat on the way we can. I'm sure there's a restaurant that can give you a good rawhide to help sharpen your fangs."
"You're such a smug asshole, you know that?"
Their meal was quiet. Neither trusted themselves to speak to the other in public. When they were settled back inside the SUV, Parker got out his phone.
"Rhonda, I need a flight out of here."
"Russell has the jet, my dear. He should be back tomorrow."
"I'm not staying here another day. Book me a flight out of Springfield. Call me back with the info."
"Pissy?" Rhonda laughed.
"Rhonda..."
"Okay! I'll call you in a bit."
Parker heard her laughing when she hung up. Why are women crazy? "Hopefully I'll be out of your hair in a few hours, Emily."
"Just get me back to the house. It's getting ready to really storm."
"A little bit of rain isn't going to make you melt. You are void of anything sweet, so I wouldn't worry about that if I were you."
"This isn't funny. I hate storms." Emily didn't even come back with something flip, which shocked Parker.
"Why are you afraid of a storm? You have a roof over your head and someone to stay here with you. Hopefully when I get to New York, it'll be nice."
"Russell, look at the clouds. This isn't good."
"Emily, it's a storm. Get over it."
"No, Russell, look at the clouds, I'm being serious." Emily's eyes were like saucers.
Parker saw the fear on her face. "I'll get you in the house, fix you something warm to drink, and turn on the television. Just ignore the thunder and lightning."
"Try to drive faster, Russell. I really mean it. We need to take cover."
"You're really scared, aren't you?" Parker would have rather she be mean and not tug at his heart strings. He hated to see a woman in distress.
"I was in a tornado and had to hide in a drainage ditch. What I saw...I thought I was going to die. The storms out here can be horrid."
"Okay, I'll hurry and get you settled in the house." Parker definitely noticed the black clouds and their movement. He accelerated, trying to get ahead of the storm. He wasn't very successful. The wind was strong; the rain was falling like a river. He pulled in the driveway and then ran around to open the door for Emily.