Stone Cold Charade (A Stone Family Novel) Read Free Page A

So Max took over running the company. It
wasn’t so bad, just a pain in the backside when what he really wanted to be
doing was fishing.
    That’s when Max decided to relocate the family
to Wilkinson. Upon their parent’s death, his granddaughters were dubbed “The
Stone Heiresses” by the press. Richard and Sandra, despite their short lives,
amassed a sizeable fortune. Maximillion Enterprise was placed in trust, to be
managed by Max, until the girls were old enough to take over control. Max’s
dilemma was that not even one of the girls seemed to want to step in and take
over the reins of running the entire company.
    “No man should outlive their own child Frank.
It’s just not natural,” Max said his voice gruff in the night. Shaking his head
as if coming out of a dream, Max answered Frank’s earlier question, as though
he hadn’t just gone off on a tangent.
    “The plan is fool proof! I didn’t just have an epiphany
all of a sudden you horse’s behind! I’ve been workin’ on this for the last
fifteen years. I just need to nudge or wrangle, the girls into takin’ over now
that they’re all grown up.”
    “They know the company inside and out. I just
have to convince each of ’em to take over a section of the business completely.
Each one can handle a different part of it. Except they will need someone to
lean on, someone responsible, reliable, honest, and most importantly, not
married! My plan is simple really. I just need to marry off the lot of them.”
    “It’s not that I don’t think the girls can
manage the company on their own, Frank, it’s just that they’re not men. The
challenge with this well-laid plan is findin’ the precise man for the right
position. That’s where you come in Frank.” He pointed his bony finger at Frank
to emphasize his point.
    “I don’t like this Max. You can’t just snap
your fingers and find someone that the girls will fall in love with! It’s not
that easy! Besides, how did I get roped into this again?” Frank accused, all
the while feeling as if the imaginary rope around his neck was getting tighter
still.
    “Just shut up and listen will ya? Do what I tell
ya. I pay yer salary don’t I?” Max reminded him.
    “If the girls find out, you are toast, old man!
They will never forgive you for this one,” Frank warned. “I still need to know,
Max. Have you made up your mind yet? Who is the first casualty?” Frank
questioned getting to his feet.
    “Alex.” rumbled Max.
    “And I suppose you have a man picked out?”
Frank asked skeptically all the while praying the file wouldn’t hold the name
he suspected it would.
    “Of course, you cow patty, or I wouldn’t have
hauled you down here! Now, take the blasted file.” Max flung a three-inch thick
file folder at him. Frank caught it one-handed, barely. “Look it over, read the
thing, then high-tail it to the ranch in Texas and wait for my call.”
    Max stood up. “And, for God’s sake, don’t let
Emma find out! You know how she is about her babies. I find my butt on the
couch, and you find yourself fired! Got it?” Max waited for Frank to comment.
    Yeah, like that will ever happen. One can hope
that he would finally put me out of my misery and fire me. Not saying a word, he
shook his head and headed for his sedan.
    As he reached his dusty rental, he opened the
file. Reading the name inside, he let his head hit the back of the headrest and
closed his eyes in dread. Pulling out his bottle of antacids, and shaking it,
Frank groaned aloud. It was empty. So much for trying to stop his ulcer, Frank thought back to what his doctor had told him, “Lay off the stress.”
    “Yeah. Right!” When Emma found out, he was
dead.
    When I kick the bucket, I just pray the good
nuns at the orphanage I left everything to pray for my soul. Maybe I need to up
the annuity again, just to be safe? If I have to share the hereafter with Max … then I will need
every prayer I can get, because I’ll be in Hell after this one. Oh