He bent down toward her. “That’s fine. At least you didn’t have tea in the cups. You could have burned yourself. I can help you get that up.”

She turned to look up at him. “I can do this, Jason. I don’t need your help.”

He met her gaze and would have taken her stinging words to heart if he hadn’t seen the redness of her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering she shook her head and averted her gaze, refusing to look at him any longer. Quickly recovering his composure at seeing her so upset, he was pushed into action and wrapped his arms around her waist and assisted her up off the floor.

He stood facing her and drew in a deep, calming breath before saying, “I want to know what’s wrong, Bella.”

She drew in her own deep breath. “That was my father. He called to gloat.”

Jason frowned. “About what?”

He watched her when she swallowed deeply. “He and his attorney were able to get an injunction against my trust fund and wanted me to know my monthly funds are on hold.”

He heard the tremor in her voice. “But I thought you had three months before your twenty-sixth birthday.”

“I do, but some judge—probably a close friend of Dad’s—felt my parents had grounds to place a hold on my money. They don’t believe I’ll marry before the trust fund’s deadline date.”

She frowned. “I need my money, Jason. I was counting on the income to pay my men as well as to pay for all the work I’ve ordered to be done around here. There were a number of things my grandfather hadn’t taken care of around here that need to be done, like repairing the roof on the barn. My parents are deliberately placing me in a bind and they know it.”

Jason nodded. He had started noticing a number of things Herman had begun overlooking that had needed to be done. He then shook his head. He’d heard of controlling parents but felt hers were ridiculous.

“Certainly there is something your attorney can do.”

She drew in a deep breath. “He sent me a text moments ago and said there’s nothing he can do now that a judge has gotten involved. And even if there were, it would take time and my parents know it. It is time they figure I don’t have, which will work in their favor. True, I got this ranch free and clear but it takes money to keep it operational.”

He shook his head. “And all because you won’t get married?”

“Yes. They believe I was raised and groomed to be the wife of someone like Hugh who already has standing in Savannah’s upper-class society.”

Jason didn’t say anything for a few moments. “Does your trust fund specifically state who you’re to marry?”