O'Brien's Lady - By Marsha Doss Page 0,4

every move with his dark, feline eyes.

Ben Mathison, who looked more like a country singer than an attorney, stroked his bushy red mustache thoughtfully and cleared his throat. "Sonny, I'll repeat myself. Your father bequeathed Pinebrook Farm to be divided equally between you and Michael O'Brien."

Sonny's audible gasp filled the room.

"Michael…" She turned to him and her eyes ignited with unspoken accusations.

"I'm as shocked as you," Michael confessed.

"My father must have told you something about this" Sonny challenged, her blue eyes filled with distrust.

"No, he didn't."

"Hold it a minute, you two," Ben cut in. "This document is legal, and it's history right now. You can't make accusations or denials and expect it to go away. You'll both have to abide by the conditions, or forfeit your half of the inheritance.

"What?" Sonny's voice was high-pitched and her face was beginning to lose its color.

"You heard me right. Lose your inheritance.

Let me explain the conditions that go along with this, then you can throw stones at him," Ben indicated with a nod of his red head in the direction of Michael. "But, wait till I'm out of the room." He chuckled lightly and then realized he was the only one in the room who found the remark amusing.

Sonny had been sitting on the edge of her seat, and now she sank back against the cool leather cushion and waited to hear the terms of the agreement. She felt confused, betrayed and trapped and there was nothing she could do to stop it. J.B. Mead had always been a man of direction, but this made absolutely no sense at all. Why would he leave half of his estate to Michael O'Brien? Even though he had lived and worked on the farm for most of his life, in what way did that entitle him to half ownership?

"The main stipulation here, that you, Sonny, stay on the premises for the next six months."

"That's too long, Ben. My boss won't wait forever for me to return to work, you know."

"I'm sure that he would understand if you explained things to him. Now, remember that if any of these conditions aren't met, you will forfeit..,."

"Yes, I see your point. But that doesn't make it any easier," Sonny observed, as her face clouded with uncertainty.

"What happens after six months?" Michael asked.

Ben loosened the dark tie around his heavy neck and looked at Michael with mud-colored eyes. "That's simple enough. Both of you will sign papers to the effect that these conditions were mt, and then you can either continue the partnership or one of you sell out to the other."

"Of course I'll sell," Sonny stated with contempt in her voice.

"Maybe you'll change your mind and decide to stay." The twinkle in Michael's dark eyes only angered her more.

He had walked into this room with nothing more than a stable training job, and now he was going to leave as half-owner of everything. The more Sonny thought about it the more she bristled. She was the one who had lost here today, not Michael O'Brien.

And, judging by the look on his face, he knew it too.

Sonny shook her head insistently. "No, I won't want to stay. If we're being forced into this partnership, then I have no other alternative. When the time period is complete, the order of things will change drastically.

Ben continued to make reference to the paper in front of him as he spoke. "Now, this next condition is addressed to you, Sonny. J.B. realized you had very little knowledge of the business and practical workings of Pinebrook. Therefore, he has stipulated that Michael and Will O'Brien fully indoctrinate you on every aspect of the farm."

Sonny's lips paled with anger. "Ben, my father knew that I had very little interest in the farm. Why would he insist on throwing me into something I hate?"

"I can't answer a question like that," Ben said flatly. "J.B. hired me for legal advise, not personal counseling.

Michael's broad shoulders inched up as he leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. Sonny tried to avoid the dark eyes that watched her every move and she shuddered when she thought of this man as her business partner.

"Working with Sonny will be my pleasure, Ben." Michael's mouth turned up at the ends and the laugh lines around his eyes became more prominent as he watched her.

Sonny felt an uneasiness come over her as she tried to keep her eyes averted and her mind on the business at hand. If only Michael would leave the