Page 17 of Promise Me a Forever Texas Love

“Don’t Poppy me.” She turned to Cadee. Cadee had always been a little scared of the youngest Hennessy. Probably because she’d witnessed more than her fair share of Poppy’s tantrums. It looked like she was going to witness another. “What the hell is your problem, Cadee? I never took you for a gold digger, but that’s exactly what you are since you didn’t think it was necessary to tell my brother he had a kid until money was involved. Now you want it all? That’s such bull⁠—”

“That’s enough, Poppy!”

Cadee didn’t know who was more shocked by Huck’s outburst, she or Poppy. Huck adored his little sister and had never gotten after her that Cadee could remember.

“Camden is Huck’s?” Billy stared at her.

Huck released a frustrated sigh. “Way to go, Pops.”

“Billy is our lawyer,” Jaxon said. “He needs to know the truth and he’s not going to repeat anything.”

Billy nodded. “Of course not. Client confidentiality and all.”

Poppy snorted and Cadee wanted to. Billy gossiped with the best of them. Client confidentiality be damned.

“But this certainly complicates things,” Billy said. “Unless we can come to some kind of agreement that works for everyone.”

There was a long pause before Huck spoke.

“Cadee can have my share of the inheritance.”

Cadee was more than a little surprised and she couldn’t help turning to see if there was a teasing sparkle in his eyes. But he wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at Billy. There was nothing teasing about his solemn features.

“That’s bullshit!” Poppy glared at her. “The Stocktons aren’t hurting for money. They own one of the biggest ranches in the area.” A ranch that was mortgaged to the hilt. But Cadee didn’t say that. She just sat there and let Poppy continue. “And I’m not giving up any of my money to a kid who’s probably as spoiled rotten as the rest of the Stocktons.”

“Then you’re willing to wait for years for your share?” Billy asked. “Because that could be how long it takes to run things through the court system.”

“Poppy doesn’t need to share any of her inheritance,” Huck said. “Neither do the rest of you. Camden is my . . .” His gaze connected with Cadee for a brief second. She hated how breathless it made her. “Responsibility. Therefore, I’m the only one who needs to give up my share. How much is that, Billy?”

Billy glanced at the papers in front of him. “Excluding the share of Honky Tonk Heaven and the house, around two hundred fifty thousand.”

If Billy had sprouted hair on the top of his bald head, Cadee wouldn’t have been more surprised.

“Dollars?”

Billy’s bushy eyebrows lifted. “You didn’t know how much money Rosie had?”

She slowly shook her head. “No. She never mentioned how much was in her estate. I thought it was just the house and Honky Tonk Heaven.” She glanced around at the Hennessys. “And just so you know, I don’t want your family home.”

“So all you wanted was the dancehall?” Poppy laughed. “Funny, but I didn’t take the Stocktons for bar owners.”

“I planned to sell it.”

“We’re not selling the dancehall,” Huck said. “Jaxon and Tully want to run it. But you can have my share of the profits . . . once we’ve paid back the loans Tully took out for renovations.”

Cadee was too overwhelmed to do more than stare at him. He stared back, his doubloon eyes giving nothing away.

“So what do you think, Cadee?” Billy asked, pulling her attention away from Huck. “You want to settle for two hundred and fifty thousand and a share of Honky Tonk Heaven’s profits or take it to court and, more than likely, wait a year or more to get anything? That’s if you can prove to a judge that the Hennessys didn’t meet Rosie’s criteria and opened Honky Tonk Heaven too late. That might be hard to do since it was technically opened for Jaxon and Tully’s wedding.”

Her lawyer had told her that they had a fifty-fifty chance of winning. She had been willing to take the chance, but now she didn’t have to. And she could get the money right away instead of waiting a year or more. Since one more drought or cattle disease could force them into bankruptcy, she quickly made her decision.

“I’ll need everything in writing and my lawyer will need to look it over before I sign,” she said.

“I can have the paperwork drawn up and sent to your lawyer by tomorrow.” Billy smiled and clapped his hands together, his diamonds flashing in the sunlight coming in through the window. “See. Hennessys and Stocktons can get along.”

CHAPTER SIX

Huck was sitting at the kitchen island, trying to recover from another sleepless night when Poppy stumbled into the kitchen with Dawson and Magnolia’s dog, Wilbur, hobbling behind her on his three legs. Poppy was babysitting the dog while Dawson and Magnolia were in California. She doted on the shepherd-mixed brute, allowing him to sleep with her and feeding him bacon every morning.