Ghost Canyon (The John Decker Supernatural Thriller Series Book 7) Anthony Strong (popular romance novels .TXT) 📖

ghost town that had been in their family for generations. He was a thorn in her side. A constant prickle that refused to go away. That she owned the other two-thirds of the property was a bone of contention that would never resolve itself until the old man was in his grave. Not that she wished him dead. She merely wanted the curmudgeonly senior to share her vision for what could become a profitable business and restore the family fortunes.

Tieg, who liked Carlton about as much as Robyn did, slipped off to the back of the building, pausing once to look back at his owner, then disappearing into the small office behind the stairs where his bed was located.

Carlton shook his head in disdain. “I bet they’re not coming. They probably found something better to do.”

“They’re coming. Why wouldn’t they? I made the arrangements weeks ago.” But even as she said the words, Robyn felt a pang of anxiety. What if they had forgotten the appointment? If she couldn’t get the mine inspected to make sure it was safe, she wouldn’t be able to take people down there. That would remove a much-needed income stream, especially since she’d already shelled out the money to have the entrance blasted open again.

“I don’t know why you want to play around with that dirty old mine, anyway.” Carlton let out a derisive snort. “It’s a foolhardy venture, if you ask me.”

“No one’s asking you.” Robyn turned away and glanced back through the open door. The long and dusty canyon road into town was still empty.

“Like you didn’t ask me about doing up this place,” Carlton said, sweeping his arms around the old hotel’s lobby. “Who the hell’s going to want to stay in a rickety old bordello, anyway?”

“Lots of people.” Robyn had gone through this with her great-uncle before and had no desire to relitigate old arguments. “We’re less than an hour’s drive from Las Vegas. You should know. You’ve been living up here and selling unofficial tours for years.”

“There’s a big difference between letting folks who drive out from the Strip wander around for ten bucks a pop and pretend they’re cowboys for a few hours and trying to get people to give up their glamorous hotels and fancy restaurants to stay in a falling down old wooden box that saw its heyday in the 1870s.”

“Well, I disagree.” Robyn was getting antsy. If the geologists would hurry and arrive, she could end this conversation. “Unusual wedding venues are big business these days, and we need somewhere for the guests to stay if we want to turn this into a true destination.”

“That’s another thing. You’re ruining the integrity of the town with that ridiculous wedding chapel you want to build. Not to mention the camping area. That’s all we need, a bunch of hulking RVs driven by yahoos cruising in and tearing it up.”

“How in blazes am I ruining the integrity of the town? I’m burning with curiosity. Please, tell me?” Robyn felt the familiar surge of frustration that bubbled up whenever she dealt with Carlton. “Before I got here, this place was practically falling into the ground. You weren’t doing any maintenance on the buildings and you didn’t even have liability insurance. All it would’ve taken was one person to slip and fall or cut themselves on one of the rusty relics of cars and machinery you have lying around here, and we’d have lost the place to a lawsuit.”

“That wouldn’t happen. People aren’t stupid.”

“You don’t know that. One careless mishap and we’d lose everything.”

“Good riddance. If it were up to me, I’d have sold the town when that developer was buying up all the land hereabouts for their fancy-ass planned community.”

“Which never got built because we’re too far out. It wouldn’t be profitable.”

“Just like this old place will never be profitable, no matter how many fancy ads you take out in wedding magazines and tourist guides. We can’t compete with Vegas.”

“We don’t need to. We’re unique. That counts for something. Besides, it isn’t up to you. I’m the majority owner of this town and the land it sits on. I’m not selling out to some developer for a fraction of what it’s worth so they can capitalize on it and make all the money. No thanks.” Robyn shook her head. “And even if they made us a fair offer—which they never would—I still wouldn’t sell. Those people are nothing but opportunist snakes.”

“Snakes or not, they had cash, and we don’t.”

“I have money. How you think I’m doing all this stuff?”

“By cashing out your retirement account, selling your home in Chicago, and getting into a mountain of debt with the bank, that’s how.”

“That’s my choice. I haven’t asked you to chip in even though you’ll be taking a third of the profits.”

“And I’m not going to chip in. If I had a dime, I’d be out of here tomorrow. I’ve had enough of this dust bowl.”

“Then why don’t you go? Just sell me your share of the town and make yourself a life somewhere else. It’s that simple.” But Robyn knew he wouldn’t sell his interest, at least not to her. If he couldn’t convince her to hand the place over to some developer for pennies on the dollar, then he would stay. And not because he thought the wedding venue was going to be a roaring success he could participate in, but because the decades-old feud with his brothers, which would never end since one of them was already dead, had left him so bitter that he’d rather stay and sabotage his own family than be reasonable and sell her his share. It didn’t help that Carlton’s brother, who had died the previous spring, had bequeathed his share to her. The fact that her own grandfather had gifted her his third of the town, thus making her majority owner, only poured fuel on Carlton’s anger. He was, in short, a bitter old man with nothing better to do than make her