Mending The Billionaire Brother (MacLachlan Brothers Romance Book 3)
Mending the Billionaire Brother
A Clean Scottish Romance Book Three
Bree Livingston
Christina Schrunk
Mending the Billionaire Brother
Copyright © 2018 by Bree Livingston
Edited by Christina Schrunk
https://www.facebook.com/christinaschrunk.editor
Proofread by Krista R. Burdine
https://www.facebook.com/iamgrammaresque
Cover design by Victorine Lieske
http://victorinelieske.com/
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.
Bree Livingston
https://www.breelivingston.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Mending the Billionaire Brother/ Bree Livingston. -- 1st ed.
ISBN:9781687402448
Contents
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Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Sneak Peek! The Best Friend’s Billionaire Brother Chapter 1
Also by Bree Livingston
About the Author
To the triple digit Texas weather, you melt my heart, along with all my other body parts.
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Chapter 1
Taking a deep breath, Sarah paused and set her chin on top of the pitchfork handle. Never in her life had she pictured herself running Sunshine’s Hope Horse Sanctuary and Rehabilitation Facility, her mother’s life work. Helping on the weekends and when her mom needed her, no problem. But in charge of the sanctuary? Never. Until three months ago when her mom had suddenly passed away.
Shortly after her best friend Paige’s wedding in Scotland, Sarah’s stepdad, Gavin, had called with the news—and she’d been gutted. She’d had no idea her mother’s health was failing until she was gone. As soon as she was packed, she was on a plane headed to Florida. Overnight, she’d gone from travel planner to sanctuary owner.
“Shouldn’t you be getting ready to go to the lawyer’s office?” asked Trudy as she stepped into the stall with Sarah.
Trudy was her mom’s best friend. They’d met when Sarah’s mom first opened the place and had bonded over their disgust of people who would neglect and abuse horses .
Sarah shook her head, clearing her thoughts. “Yeah. I just wanted to help a little before I left.”
Trudy smiled. “I appreciate that.” She pulled Sarah into a hug. “Sweetheart, it’s okay to grieve, and you’re free to do that as long as you need.”
Giving in to the embrace, Sarah sighed. “I know, and I’m okay. It’s just…I didn’t think it would take three months for the lawyer to inventory the sanctuary. I just thought it’d be easier, I guess.”
Pulling back, Trudy held Sarah’s gaze. “Well, just remember, more than anything, she wanted you to be happy.”
“I know she did, and I am.”
“Be honest, Sarah. This isn’t what you want to be doing with your life.”
Sarah stepped away from Trudy. “I’m not going to let my mom’s life work be sold off piece by piece. No way. This might not be what I planned to be doing, but that’s okay. I enjoy working here. The horses, the volunteers, the kids who need the therapy.”
Trudy nodded. “But if you’re miserable—”
“I’m not. I promise. Once the will is read, I’ll know what I’m supposed to do.”
“The executor offered to do that right after Lydia passed.”
He had, but what would have been the point? An inventory had to be taken of her assets before anything could be done. Plus, waiting to have the will read made it feel like her mom wasn’t truly gone.
Leaning the pitchfork against the wall, she brushed her hands down her jeans. “I know, but it gave me three months to mourn. Now when I hear mom’s wishes, I’ll be able to act on them while I’m not an emotional mess.”
Trudy lifted an eyebrow.
“Okay, less of an emotional mess.” Sarah paused a beat. “Okay, I’m going to get going. I’m not even changing clothes since I know I’ll be coming back.”
“Gavin won’t appreciate that.” Trudy snickered.
“Precisely why I’m doing it. A little horse manure will make him feel at home.” With that, Sarah walked out of the barn and went to her Jeep. Hopefully, the reading would give Sarah some clarity and guidance. Something she’d desperately needed since her mom died.
The one thing she knew with certainty was that her mom wouldn’t have wanted the sanctuary to be sold off in pieces like Gavin wanted. He’d pressured her to sell from nearly the moment the funeral was over. It had made her all the more determined to keep it going.
Once she was parked at the lawyer’s office, she set her forehead on the wheel, hoping whatever it was her mom wanted would to be something simple. She didn’t have her mother to go to for guidance any longer .
Trudy tried to help, but it wasn’t the same. It had been just Sarah and her mom for so long—until Gavin Michaels had stepped into the picture two years ago. She didn’t think he was a bad man; he just didn’t understand the importance of the sanctuary.
Lifting her head, she got out of the Jeep and went inside the lawyer’s office. It looked every bit like an office that belonged to someone who made six figures a year: expensive wall hangings, plush seats, and that don’t touch anything vibe.
The second she stepped inside, the secretary looked up and smiled. “Sarah Freeman?”
“That’s me.”
“They’re waiting on you. You can go ahead in.”
As Sarah reached the door, the attorney met her there and handed her a folder. “This is the will so you can read along. If you have any questions.”
She stopped abruptly as her gaze landed on Gavin sitting in a high-back leather chair that looked even more expensive than the one in the lobby. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were already here.”
Gavin stood as Sarah approached the chair next to his. “Hello, sweetheart. How are you doing?”
“I don’t know yet. I know she’s gone, but there are days I wake up and have to remind myself that I can’t call her.” What Sarah really wanted to say was that a piece of her was missing and she didn’t know how she’d ever stop feeling that way. Her mom had been her rock.
“Yes, I feel the same way. Like my heart has been ripped out and stomped on.” Gavin embrace
d her and patted her back.
Feeling awkward, Sarah returned the hug. “Yeah, I guess we both need to figure out what to do with ourselves now that she’s gone.”
Gavin leaned back, his overly trimmed large Groucho Marx eyebrows pulled down, nearly forming a unibrow. “Yes, I don’t know what I’ll do without her.”
Mr. Patterson took his seat and motioned for her and Gavin to take theirs. Once seated, the man cleared his throat and looked down at the stack of papers in front of him. “As you may know, Lydia Michaels had recently updated her will.”
Sarah froze, her heart feeling like it had been hit with an arrow. Updated? No, she had no idea her mom had updated the will. Was that why things had taken so long? What could her mom have needed to change?
“According to this, you, Sarah Freeman, her only surviving heir, will receive the entire estate.”
Relief washed over her. The sanctuary would stay open, and she’d get to keep her promise to her mom to keep it going. More than just the promise, it was a piece of what remained of her mom. It was the place that had given the two of them sanctuary when her dad left.
“However,” the lawyer continued, “your mother left strict instructions on how to receive the estate.”
What did that mean? Sarah scrunched up her face. “How?”
Mr. Patterson almost looked pained to read the next section. “You must be married within six months of this reading in order to keep it. If you aren’t married, you will be required to place the estate up for sale, and the proceeds of such sale will be split between you and Mr. Michaels.”
Her stepfather sucked in a sharp breath. “She said she’d updated the will, but I had no idea she put that stipulation in.”
Gavin was surprised? That didn’t begin to cover how she was feeling. Married? In six months? To who? “M…mmm…married?” There was no one in the picture at the moment. Well, there was, only he was in Rosegail Bridge, Scotland, with no desire to move to Pensacola.
The lawyer took a deep breath. “You must be married within six months, or you will have to sell it.”
Sarah felt as if she’d been clubbed over the head. “Is there any way out of it?” Not that she didn’t want to fall in love. She was thirty-two already. She’d attended two weddings since the beginning of the year, and both of them had left her feeling more alone than she ever had. She’d had a couple of serious relationships, but in the end, they hadn’t worked out. She wanted to get married; she just didn’t want to be on a deadline. And she didn’t want the future of the estate riding on it either.
The lawyer shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not.” His voice was as solemn as she felt.
“Do I have to be married a certain amount of time or what?” Maybe she could arrange something for a few months and then annul it .
“You need to be married at least six months, and after that, you are free to do with the estate what you please.”
Her ears were ringing like church bells. “So I have six months to find someone to fall in love with, get married, and stay married at least six months? Am I hearing that right?”
He nodded his head. “Yes, in a nutshell, that’s it.”
Gavin covered her hand with his. “What if she doesn’t want to do all that?”
The lawyer flipped the page. “Well, there is the option to go ahead and sell and split the proceeds.”
“But what about all the horses? The afterschool programs? The special needs students?”
Gavin exhaled slowly. “I know this is hard, but I have a few friends we could speak with about the horses. They would be well taken care of.”
“What about Larry?”
“Larry?” The lawyer asked.
Sarah chewed her lip. “Larry is a large draft horse. He was abused, and there are only a very few people he’ll tolerate. If it weren’t for our sanctuary, he’d be headed for the slaughterhouse. I can’t let that happen. He was my mom’s favorite horse.”
“Darling, I know how much Lydia loved him, but perhaps we could find some large farm where he could live out his days.” Gavin patted her hand.
“No, he needs people. He loves being groomed, petted, and loved on. He’s just…persnickety on who does it. I can’t just turn him out into a field and let him go. It would break his heart.” Kind of like hers was breaking that very moment. Larry felt her mom’s loss too. The first few weeks, he waited at the paddock gate for her. Sarah took him on walks every day, trying to get him to cheer up and start eating like normal again. She’d yet to accomplish that.
The attorney shrugged. “It might not be ideal, but if you don’t want to jump through your mother’s hoops, selling the estate and finding the horses homes would make things less complicated.”
“And all of this marriage stuff has to be done in six months?” She was sure the lawyer thought she was insane to keep repeating it, but news like that bore repeating.
“Well, you have six months to get married, and you have to be married for a total of six months before the property and accounts will be turned over to you.”
Suddenly, she hated the number six. What was her mom thinking?
“Here,” said the attorney and slid a DVD across his desk. “Your mother recorded this and requested that you view it alone.”
Sarah reached a shaky hand out and picked up the disc. “I hope it gives a good explanation for all this marriage junk.”
The lawyer pointed to the folder. “That contains the will in its entirety. You can read through it for more information, but what I’ve told you pretty well sums up what it says. If you do read it and have any questions, feel free to contact my office.”
“Is there anything else?” asked Gavin.
Mr. Patterson shook his head. “No. I believe you knew the estate was being left to Sarah, correct?”
“Yes, Lydia and I spoke about it before she changed the will. I have plenty of money, and I knew how much that sanctuary meant to her and Sarah.”
If Gavin knew that, then why did he suggest selling it? Then again, it’s not like she did a cartwheel when Mr. Patterson said she needed to get married. Maybe he was just trying to help, which she appreciated .
As if reading her thoughts, Gavin said, “The only reason I suggested selling it is because I had no idea about the marriage clause. I just didn’t want see you struggle when I know you’re grieving.”
“My mom never said anything to you about it?” Sarah asked.
He shook his head. “No, dear, nothing. I’m as surprised as you are.”
If she couldn’t figure out the marriage thing, she’d be selling. “What is the estate worth? Do you happen to know?”
Gavin shrugged. “I don’t know yet. I haven’t even thought about what it’s worth since I fell in love with Lydia.”
It didn’t really matter. She’d never actually sell the place anyway .
Her shoulders suddenly felt like they had fifty-pound dumbbells sitting on them. Losing her mom, taking over management of Sunshine, and now marriage. She wasn’t sure how much more she could handle.
Gavin cleared his throat. “That reminds me. You’re coming to the Pensacola Charity Ball this weekend, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.” If she didn’t find someone to marry, it would be the final time she would attend. The last five years, her mother had received an award from the city for her work with horses and children .
Which was why Sarah needed to figure out what to do. Not only did the horses need her, but the kids did too. She couldn’t sell it or allow it to be shut down. There were too many people depending on her.
Chapter 2
Taran MacLachlan wiped his sweaty brow with his sleeve and picked up the ewe he’d just freed. He’d found her tangled in the fence just as the sun came up. This particular ewe had a knack for getting in trouble. If she wasn’t hung up in the fence, she’d find a way to get separated and lost. But she was as sweet as she was trouble, which was why he didn’t mind keeping her around.
Rory and Angus, his
two older brothers, kept pace next to him. Both had recently married, and they were becoming more nuisance than help as of late. He loved them and loved that they wanted to help, but it was their nagging and constant meddling he could do without.
Of course, there was always the option of hiring help, but Taran had taken care of the farm for so long that it was hard to imagine letting someone else tend to it. Only recently had he even looked at the money Angus had set aside for him. The initial sum would have been considered sizeable enough, but with interest, it had grown beyond anything Taran could have fathomed. He’d yet to even use the “B” word.
“How on earth did she get tangled?” Rory asked.
“I dinnae know.” He wished he did know so he could prevent it.
“It could be worse. It could be the fence torn up again,” Angus said and held the shelter door open for Taran .
That was true. Earlier in the year, the neighbor’s daughter had torn down many of their fences and burned down the barn. A developer had offered her father a lot of money if she could get the MacLachlans to sell their land. His new sister-in-law, Paige, had braved the flames to set their horses free. If not for her, they would have lost more than just wood, which was replaceable .
Taran still couldn’t believe a family friend had been the one destroying their farm. “I’m grateful that’s over.”
“I’m grateful that ram is gone. Pop and I are goin’ to check on a possible replacement. This time, we’re gettin’ one nae bent on tearin’ us limb from limb.” Rory was only partially joking. Their previous ram, Old Man, nearly killed Angus. That had been the last straw, and the ram was turned into stew.