Chapter 12

Glenna sank into the warm and fragrant water of the soaker tub letting the steamy heat melt away the aches and pains of her first sexual experience. She’d been surprised at the things she’d learned from Harry’s friend, Gina, this afternoon. She would never have thought Harry himself had not had numerous encounters from the way he’d made her feel last night. Gina, however, had assured her that every single girl in college who tried to get Harry to take them out was turned down with the same line. There was someone very special back home and she was the only girl for him. Gina was convinced he’d also saved himself for her.

If that were true, he certainly didn’t act like an inexperienced lover. He made her body sing better than Josh Turner’s songs. Where the music reached inside to places and caused them to melt, Harry touched her in places she didn’t know could feel that way. Certainly, not for her first time. Her friends were totally wrong about the disappointment and pain she would experience. Harry had spun her body into such pleasure that she honestly couldn’t remember any pain at all.

Today, however, she needed this nice hot soak. She could feel the aches and soreness melt away into the fragrant waters. Enough so, she hoped, she could give Harry the wedding night he deserved. The wedding night she wanted.

There was a soft knock on the bathroom door and Harry poked his head in. “I hate to rush you, Goddess, but we’re going to have guests in about thirty minutes. So, you need to be out and at least into a robe. I don’t think you should get dressed seeing as how the first to arrive is going to let you try on a dress for tonight.”

Her mouth dropped open in shock. “That’s why you wanted my dress size, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“I told you to stop spending so much money, Harry. You must think about the inn expansion and now providing for both of us. I mean, I make decent money at the spa, but I have a mortgage and car payment to make, and that beast you drive has to cost a ton.”

Harry sighed and came in to sit on the edge of the sink. Glenna blushed as his eyes roved over her submerged form, and the desire for her ran rampant behind his eyes. It was like he was devouring her with his eyes, she could feel them as they slid across her skin. “Stop looking at me like that, Harry, or we’re never going to get out of this bathroom.”

Harry laughed, then sighed again. “Look, Glenna, I was going to wait ‘til after we got home to talk about this, but it’s obvious that you aren’t going to relax unless I explain my money situation to you. You know when Grandma Diane died a few years ago, she left everything but a couple of hundred thousand dollars to all us grandkids, right?”

“I’d heard that, yes. She gave you all equal shares and left you the estate.”

Yes, she did, but she also had set up for each of us two trusts way before her death. The first was to pay for schooling, college or any trade school we wanted. That’s how me, Leanne, Sammy, and Mysti got through all our schooling without any student loan debt. Anything left over in our individual trusts then was transferred to our second individual trusts. Those were for wedding needs. We were not allowed to access those funds until we had a proposal, or in mine and Heath’s case, going to make a proposal, or when we turned thirty. I could have cashed mine out on my birthday, but I didn’t do that, not until this morning. I haven’t spent a penny above that trust and honestly, I could buy you six wedding gowns and a cake the size of that tub you’re in, and still not touch the original principle on that trust. I don’t know how much your mortgage is, but I figure even after we pay for the bigger wedding ceremony, I’ll have enough to pay it off early, along with any early payoff penalty without spending it all. That doesn’t include the 2.5 million that was my share of her inheritance or the trust she set up for the upkeep of the Estate. So, stop worrying, and enjoy yourself and the things I’m doing to spoil you. Because, Goddess, I’m not going to stop.” He leaned over the tub and kissed her before heading back to the bedroom. “Now hurry up, the dress shop people should be here any minute.”

Glenna sighed. Everyone in Phantom Horse knew the Gladstones were well-to-do, but no one had suspected they were actually rich. Her husband had not given her a complete total of his worth, but it was more than three million dollars, and each of his siblings and cousins had gotten just as much. Her eyes went wide. She jumped out of the tub and quickly climbed into the shower to wash off. She needed Harry to find them a lawyer before the wedding. They needed a prenup.

*****

Harry stepped out to give Glenna some privacy. He knew if he stayed there for much longer, he was going to climb in that tub with her. His thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone ringing. He looked at the caller id and frowned, it was the Bed and Breakfast. Mrs. Jackson wouldn’t call unless it was an emergency. “What’s wrong?”

“Woah bro, Mrs. Jackson said you were out of town but we need to know what to do about the guy trying to unload a life-size, fiberglass statue of Grandpa Harold and Thor into the drive circle?”

“Are you kidding me?”

“No, he says it was ordered by the owner, Harold Jefferson Gladstone the fourth.”

“Have Mrs. Jackson get the deed out and put him on the phone. Before he offloads that monstrosity.”

“Yep, give me a second.”

Harry listened as his brother and Mrs. Jackson got the deed and went out to the guy with the rig and crane. Then a gruff voice came on the phone. “Who is this?”

“My name is Harold Jefferson Gladstone the fifth, I’m sure you’re being shown the deed to the Gladstone Estate? Do you see who is listed as the owner?”

“Yep.”

“Then I’m telling you, as the owner, I didn’t order a statue and I don’t want it on my property. Return it to the manufacture.”

“I can’t do that. It was paid for in advance. We don’t do returns on special orders like this. What is wrong with you people anyway. I just had a fight with a red-haired chick out in front of the diner about leaving the one there.”

“That would be my father. He owns the diner but he has no say at the Estate. If you can’t return it, then I suggest you take it to his house. The young man whose phone you are using can give you the address and directions.”

“Yeah, works for me. I don’t reckon I’ll have any problems unloading there?”