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Authors: Stacy Gail
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histories, their families. It’s personal.”
“That’s the risk you run if you want to live in a small town. And it has its compensations.” Their food arrived, hot and steaming and carrying the tempting scents of garlic, tomatoes, cilantro and peppers. “The community has rallied around Carlos as best they can. I doubt you would see that kind of reaction in a big city like, say, Houston.”
In the process of reaching for her fork, Payton lifted a brow at his choice of cities. “How did Mr. Xavier get into this mess in the first place?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out now. Carlos bought five hundred acres of what appeared to be prime grazing land south of Bitterthorn. He had the idea he could make the land pay for itself by leasing out the grazing rights to area ranchers.”
“Sounds normal.” Payton nodded as she dug into the enchiladas bursting with melted cheese. “Horace Weems did that with the lot that backed up to my parents’ backyard. I remember my dad saying old man Weems made a mint off of that land without lifting a finger.”
“Leasing grazing land is usually profitable for everyone involved, but something went wrong with this deal. The land Carlos bought wasn’t nearly as fertile as he’d been told. It’s so alkaline that rocks grow better there than any kind of plant life.”
“Didn’t Mr. Xavier look it over for himself?”
“He’s an old man, Payton, and he’s used to trusting what his friends and neighbors tell him.”
“Who sold him this bill of goods?”
An attractive frown furled Wiley’s brow. “It was a commercial real estate agency based in Dallas that brokered the deal. Farmer’s Bank backed him with the ARM loan.”
“I see.” Remembering a wizened old man from a decade ago, she shook her head. “I can’t bear the thought of that proud old man losing everything. Didn’t anyone try and talk him out of such a risky proposition?”
“Like who? Most of the time Carlos won’t even talk to me. He personifies the term patriarch , in the finest Old World tradition. He answers to no one.”
“What about the people who gave him the loan?”
“Farmer’s Bank can’t be held responsible for a bad business move one of their customers make, Payton,” he said, reaching for the sugar dispenser to dump a small mountain of the white stuff into his iced tea. “I have an appointment with one of the loan officers later this week to discuss the case, a man by the name of Prentice Fields.”
Payton pursed her lips. “Prentice Fields. I don’t think I know that name.”
“He moved to town four or five years ago. Apparently he was a real big shot in the Dallas—Fort Worth banking community, but he wanted the slower pace of small-town life. So he moved to Bitterthorn.”
“I’m surprised Mr. Xavier trusted an outsider.”
“Fields simply okayed a loan, Payton. And just because his bank foreclosed on Carlos, that doesn’t mean he’s the bad guy here. From what I’ve seen, he seems to be genuinely distressed over the Xavier foreclosure. The whole town is.”
“The whole town and me. I’m glad he’s hired you to deal with this.”
“I haven’t been hired exactly.” He lifted a wry brow at her quick glance. “Like I said, the community’s rallied around the Xavier family. I’m just doing some digging on their behalf.”
“That’s sweet of you.” Her face softened with a smile while something in her chest warmed at his generosity. “Have you found anything?”
“While the land deal itself seems unfair due to the apparent misrepresentation of the property, from a legal standpoint it’s on the up and up.”
“Then that’s it. Carlos doesn’t have a chance.”
“Maybe, maybe not. In this economy, plenty of foreclosures have been overturned due to technicalities or worse, because mortgage lenders weren’t following federal law. I’m just making sure none of that happened here.” A smear of sour cream brushed her lower lip as she took
“That’s the risk you run if you want to live in a small town. And it has its compensations.” Their food arrived, hot and steaming and carrying the tempting scents of garlic, tomatoes, cilantro and peppers. “The community has rallied around Carlos as best they can. I doubt you would see that kind of reaction in a big city like, say, Houston.”
In the process of reaching for her fork, Payton lifted a brow at his choice of cities. “How did Mr. Xavier get into this mess in the first place?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out now. Carlos bought five hundred acres of what appeared to be prime grazing land south of Bitterthorn. He had the idea he could make the land pay for itself by leasing out the grazing rights to area ranchers.”
“Sounds normal.” Payton nodded as she dug into the enchiladas bursting with melted cheese. “Horace Weems did that with the lot that backed up to my parents’ backyard. I remember my dad saying old man Weems made a mint off of that land without lifting a finger.”
“Leasing grazing land is usually profitable for everyone involved, but something went wrong with this deal. The land Carlos bought wasn’t nearly as fertile as he’d been told. It’s so alkaline that rocks grow better there than any kind of plant life.”
“Didn’t Mr. Xavier look it over for himself?”
“He’s an old man, Payton, and he’s used to trusting what his friends and neighbors tell him.”
“Who sold him this bill of goods?”
An attractive frown furled Wiley’s brow. “It was a commercial real estate agency based in Dallas that brokered the deal. Farmer’s Bank backed him with the ARM loan.”
“I see.” Remembering a wizened old man from a decade ago, she shook her head. “I can’t bear the thought of that proud old man losing everything. Didn’t anyone try and talk him out of such a risky proposition?”
“Like who? Most of the time Carlos won’t even talk to me. He personifies the term patriarch , in the finest Old World tradition. He answers to no one.”
“What about the people who gave him the loan?”
“Farmer’s Bank can’t be held responsible for a bad business move one of their customers make, Payton,” he said, reaching for the sugar dispenser to dump a small mountain of the white stuff into his iced tea. “I have an appointment with one of the loan officers later this week to discuss the case, a man by the name of Prentice Fields.”
Payton pursed her lips. “Prentice Fields. I don’t think I know that name.”
“He moved to town four or five years ago. Apparently he was a real big shot in the Dallas—Fort Worth banking community, but he wanted the slower pace of small-town life. So he moved to Bitterthorn.”
“I’m surprised Mr. Xavier trusted an outsider.”
“Fields simply okayed a loan, Payton. And just because his bank foreclosed on Carlos, that doesn’t mean he’s the bad guy here. From what I’ve seen, he seems to be genuinely distressed over the Xavier foreclosure. The whole town is.”
“The whole town and me. I’m glad he’s hired you to deal with this.”
“I haven’t been hired exactly.” He lifted a wry brow at her quick glance. “Like I said, the community’s rallied around the Xavier family. I’m just doing some digging on their behalf.”
“That’s sweet of you.” Her face softened with a smile while something in her chest warmed at his generosity. “Have you found anything?”
“While the land deal itself seems unfair due to the apparent misrepresentation of the property, from a legal standpoint it’s on the up and up.”
“Then that’s it. Carlos doesn’t have a chance.”
“Maybe, maybe not. In this economy, plenty of foreclosures have been overturned due to technicalities or worse, because mortgage lenders weren’t following federal law. I’m just making sure none of that happened here.” A smear of sour cream brushed her lower lip as she took
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