Sadie was apparently financially responsible for all of her sister's medical bills.
As much as Zach didn't condone lying and dishonesty, factoring Beddingfield's huge fortune into Sadie's crippling financial situation didn't add up to a woman spying on him on a whim. He wanted more information before he confronted her about the little bombshell he'd discovered at the B and B after she left.
Feeling restless, as thoughts about Sadie often made him, Zach stood up. He prowled around the empty area for several minutes before coming to a stop in front of a long bank of windows overlooking busy traffic on the streets below. Coming to the office at the end of the day, he'd known he would wait for an extended period of time. Probably until after Timberlake's last client left.
But he'd see Zach-the man about to take the place of his, and his firm's, biggest client.
Zach heard a rumble down the hallway, the sound of a raised voice behind a closed door. He glanced over at the receptionist, who looked uneasily toward the glass wall behind her. When she noticed him watching, she flashed a strained smile and pretended to get back to work.
The rumble increased, and Zach realized other voices had joined the fray. One of the lawyers must have a very unhappy client. Just as a door in the back hallway opened, the receptionist's phone rang. She answered with a clipped, "Yes, sir." Then she immediately hung up and redialed. "We need assistance on floor four near the conference room, please," she said in a slightly raised voice.
The commotion in the hallway got louder. Zach wasn't sure what was happening but decided to offer his assistance regardless until security could arrive. Just as he reached the receptionist's desk, a man's voice rang out.
"I will get you for this. You will never work in this city again, you hear me! Not only will you not see a dime from me, but I'll see to it that you'll never find a way to support that dying brat, either."
The sound of men's voices protesting and the shuffling of dress shoes carried through to the reception area. One was louder than the rest. "Mr. Beddingfield, stop right now. There's nothing to be gained by this behavior."
"There's nothing to be gained by me being a Goody Two-shoes, either. This bitch just cut me off from my inheritance. She's gonna pay."
The elevator dinged as the doors opened, heralding the arrival of two security guards. But the raucous group in the hallway now appeared around the corner, plainly visible through the glass wall behind the receptionist.
Zach saw Sadie jump backward just as a male hand grabbed for her. A sharp cry rang out. The men around her dropped their polite facades. Yelling commenced as they tried to force Victor Beddingfield back. The security guards waded into the fray, quickly subduing the man Zach now knew was his half brother. He watched as they cuffed the tall man, whose blond good looks made him Zach's polar opposite.
As did his spoiled attitude.
A stocky, gray-haired man guided Sadie back with an arm around her shoulders. For the first time in a month he glimpsed her wealth of auburn hair and full features through the wavy glass. He couldn't make out her expression with precision, except to tell that her lips were pulled into a frown. By the time he looked back at Victor, the security guards were leading him back down the hallway.
A few low words were exchanged with the other two gentlemen, then one broke away and followed the guards. After a few minutes, the gray-haired man led Sadie around the opposite side of the glass wall and over to the elevator bank.
They never even glanced in Zach's direction.
"Thank you again, Ms. Adams, for coming in to give your deposition. I'm very, very sorry for the commotion. I have no idea how Mr. Beddingfield found out you would be here today."
Sadie shook her head, but Zach could see that her hand remained clasped over the front of her throat. Her arms were pressed close against her torso. "No, it's not your fault. I just hope I've done what I can to make sure y'all know the truth about Zachary Gatlin."
An electric pulse set Zach on edge as he heard his name on her lips. He knew it shouldn't affect him-or rather, he shouldn't let it affect him. But he was a man who'd been in love, after all.
He stood quietly as the two finished their conversation. The lawyer, whom Zach now knew to be Timberlake, delivered her carefully into the elevator, as if worried about any lasting effects from the confrontation. Only as she faced the reception area once more did she glance beyond where the lawyer stood.
Her eyes widened in surprise just as the doors slid closed.
Seventeen
"Will she?"
"Pardon me?" The lawyer's confused look confirmed Zach had spoken out loud, even though he hadn't intended to.
"Will Sadie be able to support her sister? Or will Beddingfield be able to keep her from getting work?"
The confusion cleared. "Oh, no. He won't be able to poison future employers against her-I drafted your father's reference letter for Ms. Adams myself. Plus, she has a good reputation with the people who have visited his home over the years. She'll be fine, professionally."
Zach sensed something more. "But?"
"I'm afraid I don't know of a job in her field that will pay enough to take care of the medical bills."
Zach knew about that all too well.
Timberlake leaned forward, his expression earnest. After their conversations over the phone, Zach had found him to be someone he felt pretty comfortable with. The man's motives seemed straightforward.
"I wouldn't normally say this," he started, "but I know you've met Sadie personally. The deposition she gave is proof of that."
"Was it now?"
"The contents will be made public in court, but yes, she was very clear about your values, your family and the respect you have from your business associates. She explained in detail her efforts and inability to find any complaints against you or any criminal activity."
Zach hadn't realized that she would be so thorough in her report.
The lawyer went on. "I wonder if you know what a gift that is?"
Zach raised his brows in question.
"She didn't have to do that. She could easily have lied. If she had, she'd have been set for life."
What? "I don't understand."
"She confided to me, when she first came in, that Victor Beddingfield had offered her a quarter of the inheritance if she could find anything that would disqualify you. That money would have more than paid for her sister's treatments. Sadie would never have had to work again."
That was the truth. From everything he'd seen, a quarter of the inheritance, even after exorbitant estate taxes, would still be a fortune. A fortune Sadie desperately needed.
"But she never spoke against me?"
Timberlake shook his head. "Not a word." His gaze met Zach's directly. "Look, I'm not telling you this because I expect anything. I'm going to connect Sadie with some organizations that might be able to help her with her sister's treatments from here on out. But once you have that debt, it often can't be wiped away...at least not in any way that Sadie would accept."
The lawyer smiled sadly. "I could tell from the way she spoke that Sadie is not neutral in your case." He raised his hands. "I don't know what happened, and I don't care. But I think she should at least get credit for trying to do the right thing-in the end."
Could he do the same? Zach wasn't sure. He wanted to, and Lord knew he and Sadie had one more major hurdle to cross before their future was decided. He would never be able to leave the mother of his child behind completely. And he wasn't enough of an asshole to cut her out of their lives, even if that had been his first instinct.
Everyone made bad decisions when they were angry.
"There's something else," the lawyer said. The curiosity in his eyes making Zach just a little nervous.
"Yes?"
"Sadie has asked me to contact a family named Blackstone, and see that the pictures she took in Black Hills were copyrighted to them to do with as they wish."
Holy hell.
"She also provided the name of a publisher who was interested in the story."
Why? Zach thought back to that pregnancy test and tried to imagine how she must have felt when she took it. She could have been elated...could have imagined all of her problems were fixed with the luck of the draw. After all, one DNA test and he would be legally liable for at least child support. With the inheritance he had coming, she could probably have jockeyed for a lot more than that. But if that were so, why would she have subjected herself to Beddingfield and having to give her deposition alone? Given up the rights to pictures that he knew meant more to her than the money?