Up to Snow Good - Kelly Collins Page 0,55

only guess,” Eaton went on, “she felt I had some hand in her family’s misfortune, which I did not. They have accused me of terrible crimes, of which I am not guilty, and of which there is no proof. I understand that she’s displeased with the circumstances of the agreement. I would be too, but to be frank, the lodge is in terrible financial straits and has a limited future. I’m taking a significant risk, assuming an enormous monetary responsibility, and I’m doing it for the benefit of our own town of Moss Creek. The redevelopment project I always envisioned, which my son meant to appropriate as his own under the sway of his woman friend there, will be built.” Eaton said the words with such disdain and disgust that Max’s own impulse to object was almost too great. He clenched his jaws, gripped Lauren tighter, and sat with the hard bench creaking beneath them.

“My development project would bring millions of dollars into Moss Creek, for generations to come. My son, as much as I admire his ambition, cannot pull it off, and the girl can’t either.”

Pops looked out over his many clients and tenants, people subject to his will and too weak to stand up to his bullying. He was taking a page from Max’s own book, the younger Hunter could see that, and a friendly approach would be just what the old man would need to prevail. Max could not do the opposite and assume his father’s aggressive position. He’d have to beat his father at his game, and that gave him some hope—not much, but some.

“My son needs to be corrected,” he said. “As much as I tried to do it on a personal and private level, it’s come to this. It brings me great sadness that we’re all here having to endure this. It’s Christmastime, after all, but since we do, I think it’s a plain and simple choice. The document is legitimate, there’s no doubt about that. This is the best choice for the lodge and the town. Think about it. Suppose the next time somebody makes a deal with you and then decides it’s not to their liking, is it fair or democratic to use a legal loophole to thwart a person’s clear-cut rights? Is sentiment what passes for the law now? That place is not a National Heritage Site, we all know that. This is just a stalling tactic and a brutally unfair one at that. Not that I don’t congratulate my son on his cunning, but if he can do it to me, somebody else will do it to you. Reverse the situation and imagine yourselves being run off your land by some technicality, some public vote called together on the fly? I tell you now, I would come to the aid of you in such a situation. Eventually, you’ll need me to.”

He turned to point out Max from across the room, eyes fixed on his neighbors, head shifting to share his attention with the city council.

“This is the future of Moss Creek. He’s a charmer, he’s a liar, and he will lead you and this town into decay. Please, heed my warning, preserve our rights, preserve the rule of law in Moss Creek while you still can.”

Pops turned and sat down, the room percolating with a murmur before the mayor turned to Max. “You’re speaking for the lodge?”

Max nodded and turned to Lauren, who tapped his arm and gave him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. His heart pounded, and his mouth turned desert dry. He stood and stepped into the center of the room.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Lauren

Lauren sat quietly as Max stepped to the center of the room and turned to speak on her behalf. He was handsome in a new suit, dapper and professional. He seemed every inch her hero, a man as sophisticated as he was rugged and as slick as he was sweet.

Her stomach turned with nerves as she surveyed the faces of her friends and neighbors, and many people she didn’t recognize.

“My father believes he has a legal point,” Max began, “and he may be right. I’m not a lawyer, and he used devious means to prevent us from getting one. I believe he installed Sam as a spy, and that resulted in embezzled money, which made the debt impossible to pay. I can’t prove that, and the time and resources it would take for me to do so will come to the same result. We’ll lose our