she’d always put it off.
Maybe that had been a big mistake.
“I’m afraid somebody’s stolen my identity and emptied my account,” Kari said.
“I suppose that’s possible, but in this case, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because it was someone with your last name who transferred the funds.”
“My name? What are you talking about?”
“His name is Stuart Worthington.”
Chapter 4
K ari froze. Her father? Her father had emptied her bank account?
“Wait a minute,” Kari said. “I never authorized my father to move that money.”
“No authorization was necessary, ma’am. Stuart Worthington is a signer on the account.”
For a moment, Kari was confused. She hadn’t authorized that, either.
Then she remembered. It was an old bank account, the first one she’d opened as a teenager. At the time, her father had insisted on being a signer. She’d never taken his name off it. And now he’d cleaned it out. But why ?
There are consequences, Kari. For everything you do—good and bad—there are consequences.
In a blinding rush, she saw what he’d done. If he made sure she was broke, she’d be forced to return to Houston, where he’d use his overbearing influence to try to get her to marry Greg. She knew her father was demanding and domineering and just a little bit underhanded, but she never imagined he’d do something like this.
She hung up the phone, her mind spinning. What was she supposed to do now?
“Kari?” Gus said. “Is something wrong?”
“Uh…no. It’s just going to be a little while before they complete the transaction. I hope that’s not a problem.”
“No. No problem at all.” Gus smiled. “Just let me know.”
Kari sat down in the parlor and opened her wallet, at which time she discovered she had exactly $162.54 to her name. That probably didn’t even come close to what she needed to get her car fixed. It would barely pay for the one night she’d stayed at Animal House that she already owed, which meant her plan to stay in Rainbow Valley until she decided what to do next had just been shot to hell.
“Well, look at that,” Nina said, standing at the cash register and flipping through an Excel spreadsheet. “Two more cases of Sex Kitten out the door.” She pushed a strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear and looked at Marc innocently. “Who would ever have thought it?”
“Damned stupid name for a wine,” he muttered.
“Most of our names are damned stupid,” his sister said. “But you can’t argue with the bottom line.” She tossed the spreadsheet aside. “So you got Angela settled in the dorm?”
“Yep.”
“What’s her roommate like?”
“If Ozzy Osbourne and Courtney Love had a kid…there you go.”
Nina smiled. “So she’s a little alternative? Tattoos? Piercings?”
“Yes and yes.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve met some pretty normal kids who look like that.”
“Not around here, you haven’t.”
He went to the back room to retrieve a case of wine, while Nina rang up a customer buying an electric corkscrew. Sales had been good lately, and with the festival coming up soon after harvest, they were on track to have a record year. By the time he turned the management of this business over to Daniel, he was determined that it be in the best condition in its history.
“Oh. I almost forgot,” Nina said, when Marc came back and the customer was out the door. “Tell me about the bride you undressed last night.”
Marc nearly dropped the two bottles of wine he held. “Where the hell did you hear about that?”
“From Gus. He dropped in for a minute this morning.”
Marc was going to kill Gus. One bullet. And then he was going to turn himself in, confess, and spend the rest of his life in a five-by-eight-foot cell in Huntsville knowing he’d done the world a favor.
He shoved the two bottles of wine onto a rack. “She had an accident on Highway 28 last night. She walked to the house and asked for help. I took her to
Maybe that had been a big mistake.
“I’m afraid somebody’s stolen my identity and emptied my account,” Kari said.
“I suppose that’s possible, but in this case, I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because it was someone with your last name who transferred the funds.”
“My name? What are you talking about?”
“His name is Stuart Worthington.”
Chapter 4
K ari froze. Her father? Her father had emptied her bank account?
“Wait a minute,” Kari said. “I never authorized my father to move that money.”
“No authorization was necessary, ma’am. Stuart Worthington is a signer on the account.”
For a moment, Kari was confused. She hadn’t authorized that, either.
Then she remembered. It was an old bank account, the first one she’d opened as a teenager. At the time, her father had insisted on being a signer. She’d never taken his name off it. And now he’d cleaned it out. But why ?
There are consequences, Kari. For everything you do—good and bad—there are consequences.
In a blinding rush, she saw what he’d done. If he made sure she was broke, she’d be forced to return to Houston, where he’d use his overbearing influence to try to get her to marry Greg. She knew her father was demanding and domineering and just a little bit underhanded, but she never imagined he’d do something like this.
She hung up the phone, her mind spinning. What was she supposed to do now?
“Kari?” Gus said. “Is something wrong?”
“Uh…no. It’s just going to be a little while before they complete the transaction. I hope that’s not a problem.”
“No. No problem at all.” Gus smiled. “Just let me know.”
Kari sat down in the parlor and opened her wallet, at which time she discovered she had exactly $162.54 to her name. That probably didn’t even come close to what she needed to get her car fixed. It would barely pay for the one night she’d stayed at Animal House that she already owed, which meant her plan to stay in Rainbow Valley until she decided what to do next had just been shot to hell.
“Well, look at that,” Nina said, standing at the cash register and flipping through an Excel spreadsheet. “Two more cases of Sex Kitten out the door.” She pushed a strand of her long, dark hair behind her ear and looked at Marc innocently. “Who would ever have thought it?”
“Damned stupid name for a wine,” he muttered.
“Most of our names are damned stupid,” his sister said. “But you can’t argue with the bottom line.” She tossed the spreadsheet aside. “So you got Angela settled in the dorm?”
“Yep.”
“What’s her roommate like?”
“If Ozzy Osbourne and Courtney Love had a kid…there you go.”
Nina smiled. “So she’s a little alternative? Tattoos? Piercings?”
“Yes and yes.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve met some pretty normal kids who look like that.”
“Not around here, you haven’t.”
He went to the back room to retrieve a case of wine, while Nina rang up a customer buying an electric corkscrew. Sales had been good lately, and with the festival coming up soon after harvest, they were on track to have a record year. By the time he turned the management of this business over to Daniel, he was determined that it be in the best condition in its history.
“Oh. I almost forgot,” Nina said, when Marc came back and the customer was out the door. “Tell me about the bride you undressed last night.”
Marc nearly dropped the two bottles of wine he held. “Where the hell did you hear about that?”
“From Gus. He dropped in for a minute this morning.”
Marc was going to kill Gus. One bullet. And then he was going to turn himself in, confess, and spend the rest of his life in a five-by-eight-foot cell in Huntsville knowing he’d done the world a favor.
He shoved the two bottles of wine onto a rack. “She had an accident on Highway 28 last night. She walked to the house and asked for help. I took her to
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