His tenure at the land development company had left him well-off but with a bitter taste in his mouth. It would take him some time to set up a rival company. Prescott could hold the key to that, or at least the ranch could. If he could get agreement from the family to develop that property, he’d make a name for himself. Because if the rodeo company sold, there’d be little reason beyond sentiment to hold on to the ranch. Selling the ranch could make the Prescott family not just well-off, but wealthy. And Ty even wealthier.
Not that he wasn’t looking forward to managing the rodeo company for a period. He needed a break given the corporate politics he’d been embroiled in the past few months, which had almost broken him. And then had come JM’s death.
He was counting on hard physical labor to get him mentally back on track. Different work from lawyering and negotiating land deals. Work that involved his hands as well as his head.
“And Ty, there’s a bonus in this for you as well,” Brian added, spearing Ty’s attention. “But there is another option, along with conditions, for the both of you to consider.”
“If it means I can run this company sooner, I’ll do anything. Anything,” Mandy said with a determination that almost made Ty laugh. As nicely as she filled out a pair of jeans, and it was very nice indeed, Mandy Prescott was a handful. While he was looking forward to being involved in the business, managing Mandy was not likely to be one of the highlights, considering she thought he was the devil incarnate. Unless, of course, they could come to some mutually beneficial terms that involved the bedroom. That would certainly turn the dynamics favorable.
He enjoyed a challenge, particularly when the effort was worth it. And he had no doubt with Mandy the effort would be well worth it. The hardest decision he had ever made with regard to a woman was when he’d walked away from Mandy ten years ago.
He could still see the hurt in her eyes, the tear that had traveled down her cheek, as he’d denied every instinct and told her no.
It had been the right decision. But it hadn’t been an easy one.
Brian stroked his chin. “Well, Mandy, that statement will surely be tested.”
“What does grandfather’s will say?”
Mandy looked ready to jump right out of her seat.
“Just remember, I’m only the messenger.” Brian looked back at the paper in his hand. “The will states that if you agree to marry Ty Martin and he agrees to marry you…”
Ty felt like he’d been hit with a stun gun as Mandy surged out of her chair.
“Marry? What is this? Some cruel joke?” She whirled around and faced Ty, accusation in her eyes.
Ty was thinking the exact same thing. He held up his hands in surrender. “Believe me, I’m just as shocked as you are.”
Brian signaled for Mandy to sit down. “Just hear me out. I know neither of you are interested, but I have to read it out nonetheless.”
Mandy thudded back down in her chair. She was one peeved female, and Ty couldn’t blame her. What was JM thinking? Marry Mandy? She hated him, and while he did have plans to change that, it wasn’t in exchange for a wedding ring.
As Brian read out the legal language that specified the terms, Ty could feel the pressure on his ribs increase like one of Prescott’s two-thousand-pound bulls had just sat on his chest. When Brian finished, he looked up.
“Ostensibly, what it means,” Brian explained, “is that, assuming you married, cohabitated, and stayed married for at least six months, thirty-one percent of the company represented by the remaining shares would be split so that, Mandy, you would get sixteen percent additional with voting rights, and, Ty, you would get fifteen percent with voting rights. This would make Mandy the majority stockholder, though neither of you would have the controlling interest individually. Being married, however, your combined stock holdings would result in a controlling interest.”
“Hah, he must of been out of his mind,” Mandy said, crossing her arms under those nice breasts of hers, her foot jiggling like it was preparing for lift off.
Ty had to agree with her assessment, even though JM must have drawn up that provision right after he’d asked Ty to buy into the business, serve as Mandy’s mentor, and determine what was best for the family’s financial future. JM had not seemed the least bit addled. Physically weak from the rapid advance of cancer and the treatments, but still mentally sharp.
Brian shook his head. “No, he was not. I won’t go into everything, but among other precautions, legal and otherwise, your grandfather had a preeminent psychiatrist attest to the soundness of his mental state.”
Mandy shook her head as if she could make the provision disappear. Ty sunk back in his chair and stretched out his legs. No cause for alarm. This woman wanted nothing to do with marrying him, even if he did manage to get her into his bed. Right now that prospect wasn’t looking too good.
Still, it hadn’t taken but a second for his mind to leap from marriage to having sex with Mandy, especially given she looked damn attractive all fired up. Images of taking her to bed, running his fingers through that hair, and finishing what they’d started ten years ago crowded his mind, making his groin pound. He gave a mental shake in hopes of getting rid of those images.