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And I think I need her even more. The thought of her leaving is too horrible to consider. I wouldn’t be the same man if she were to surrender and let herself be pushed around in such a fatalistic way.
I speed over to Dalton’s house, which isn’t a long trip anyway since I’m on his property. The cabin Claire is staying in isn’t within sight, but I’m grateful I don’t need to be any further apart from Claire.
Dalton must have seen me pulling in because he’s there at the door when I reach it. He opens it wider, and I don’t have to ask him how he’s taking this blown-up mess of an afternoon.
His lips are pressed in a furious tight line, and he stands so stiffly, I wonder if he’s bottling in a shout like I was.
I know this man well enough to be aware of how livid he is right now, but I also understand he’s a man of few words. Words I need from him about what the hell went down.
“She just left.” He scowls over my shoulder as though darkening the whole drive with his glare. “I just kicked my aunt out. She thought she could argue with me, but I refuse to put up with that.”
I nod, glad he removed the pest before I came.
Aubrey waits behind him, wide-eyed and worried. “I can’t believe she would speak to you like that!” She shakes her head, clearly stunned by this bullshit. “I’m going to call Lauren. We’ll…My gosh. The dress. We’ll go sit with Claire together.”
She leaves the room after a quick kiss from Dalton, and I follow him into the kitchen. He paces, unable to sit, but I drop into a chair and track him.
“What the hell is going on?” I demand. Straight to the point.
He mentioned a little bit before, but I’m impatient to hear all the damn details now.
“Why does Claire not have access to the money that is rightfully hers?”
He hangs his head and grips the back of a chair, ceasing the pacing. “I’ve been looking into it. Caleb, too. It took a while to get her to open up about it, but once she did, we were on it.”
I don’t doubt it. Both of them are good men who look after their own. I’ve come to see Claire as mine, though, and I’ll be damned if I can’t help her, too.
“Claire was left an inheritance by her father, and she’s been living on that since she is his heir. I didn’t realize she was only seeing the money in terms of allowances that Adelaide permitted, but that money was left to her by my uncle.”
“What’s the catch?”
“Adelaide.” He deadpans. “She’s remarried and divorced several times, but she’s smart about it all. She has excellent lawyers, and with their help, she was able to change the terms of the estate to show that Claire wouldn’t have access to it unless she married.”
“Married to anyone?” I ask. The vapid woman’s declaration rings in my ears. She said it as I entered Claire’s cabin, and I can’t get the words out of my mind. Who said anything about love? You will marry the man I arrange for you, and that is final.
She can’t be right. Arranged marriages are illegal, aren’t they?
“No.” Dalton shakes his head. “I don’t think so, no.”
I exhale a huge breath of relief.
“I think Adelaide realizes that Claire will always push back. That she’ll argue about marrying everyone she thrusts in her face, and so long as Claire remains unmarried, Adelaide will have total control of the estate.”
And here I thought I couldn’t hate that woman any more.
“She’s using it as a way to further the rift between them just so she can maintain her hold on the money she married into.”
The front door opens, and I turn to see Caleb rushing in. He looks from Dalton to me. His expression is grim. “Lauren just told me what happened. She and Aubrey are going to take Claire to Vail for the weekend to try to calm her down.”
I sigh and nod. “That’s a good move. She’s very upset.”
“That woman…” He glowers and looks between us again. “Can I do anything? Can I help?” He runs his hand through his hair and exhales a long, hard breath. “I’ve had my legal team assisting yours,” he tells Dalton. “But is there anything else I can do?”
I understand his eagerness to help. It’s all I can focus on, fixing this. Claire won’t be alone, not with me in her corner, nor with these two couples and even Marian.
I’ll be damned if Claire goes to New York, and I’ll be double damned if Adelaide ruins another fraction of her life.
Dalton shakes his head. “My hands are tied. I can’t do much other than stand up for Claire and tell my aunt to get the hell out of here.”
