Her Montana Cowboy. Jeannie Watt

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       CHAPTER THREE

      GUS HAD HAD no idea what to expect after Thad parked his pride and joy—a ’72 Ford F250 that guzzled gas as if it had a hole in the tank—next to the tractor and made his way to the house. He came in the back door as usual, then stopped dead when he caught sight of the woman sitting at the table, still wearing her coat.

      “Lillie Jean Hardaway?” he asked, as if there might be another woman in the house he didn’t know.

      “Yes.” She got to her feet, squared her shoulders, then crossed the room to hold out a small hand. Thad swallowed, looking as if he was half-afraid to have Lillie Jean touch him. They shook hands, and then Lillie Jean clasped her hands in front of her and Thad stuck his deep in his pockets. For a long moment he stared at her, as if trying to convince himself that she was real.

      “I wouldn’t mind some coffee,” he finally said in a low voice.

      Thad looked like he needed more than coffee, but without waiting for Gus to acknowledge his coffee request, he pulled out a chair and sat, motioning Lillie Jean to sit opposite him. Once she was seated, he said, “How is your grandfather?”

      “He passed away three weeks ago.”

      Thad’s forehead crumpled. “Sorry to hear that.” The comment was perfunctory, but Gus could see that the news impacted his uncle deeply. He set a cup of coffee in front of Thad, then moved back to his vantage point on the other side of the kitchen. He’d give them some space, but he wasn’t leaving his uncle alone with this woman. Not unless he received a direct order.

      “Yes. It was peaceful. He’d been having health issues, but we didn’t expect him to go so soon.” Lillie Jean glanced down, pursed her lips as if gearing herself up for some big announcement. “There was some trouble finding the will. Lawyers’ offices moving.” She waved a hand. “When it did surface...he left me his half of the ranch. I found out about it last week.”

      “I hadn’t heard anything,” Thad said in a low voice. “No one’s been in contact.”

      “They will be.”

      Gus’s back jerked straight as the meaning of the conversation became clear. “Wait a minute. Half of this ranch?”

      “Yeah.” Thad met his gaze, his expression solemn. “Lyle and I started this ranch as partners.”

      Thad had a partner? With the exception of the time he’d spent bull riding, Gus had lived on the ranch since he was fifteen, and he and his uncle had always been close—so why the hell was this the first he’d ever heard about the ranch having dual ownership. “So he’s like what? A silent partner?”

      “I guess you could call it that.” Thad turned back to Lillie Jean, leaving Gus to stare at him. “I have a little money in the ranch account that will be yours, too.” Thad smiled grimly. “The accountant sent Lyle a yearly check. It was never that much, but we only went in the red a couple of times over the past few decades.”

      “Decades.” Gus realized that his mouth had fallen open and quickly shut it. Funny how you could get out of bed one morning and everything was fine and a little more than twenty-four hours later, you find out that the truth as you know it, isn’t the truth at all.

      “How do we know that Lyle Hardaway is really your grandfather?”

      Both Thad and Lillie Jean looked his way, but before either could speak, he said to Thad, “Doesn’t it seem kind of unusual for you to get no word of your partner’s death and then she shows up out of the blue, saying that she’s your new partner?”

      “I have identification.” Lillie Jean spoke coldly.

      “In this day and age, that doesn’t mean a lot.” Maybe he was being rude, but from the moment he’d set eyes on this woman, she’d been secretive. Maybe he’d tended bar for too long, but her story just didn’t smell right. “Why hasn’t Thad heard from the executor?”

      “I told you they just found the will.” She glanced over at Thad. “You’ll get your copy soon. Everything except his car was designated transfer-at-death.”

      “Did you bring a copy?” he asked.

      “I did.”

      “Tell you what,” Thad said to Lillie Jean. “Why don’t you let my nephew and me have a few minutes and then I can take a look at the document?”

      “Sure.” Lillie Jean pushed her chair back and stood, leaving her barely touched coffee sitting on the table. “I’ll take a walk.”

      “It’s cold out there.”

      “I don’t mind.”

      The little dog looked like he minded. When Lillie Jean pulled her coat off the chair, he gave her a startled “Again?” look, but trotted after her when she headed for the mudroom. Gus waited until she stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind her before turning to Thad and saying, “I had no idea you had a partner.” He sounded harsh, but then he was feeling harsh. All the times they’d talked about Gus taking over the operation of the ranch and never a mention of a partner. And now that partner was dead and who knew what his heir was about to do?

      “Not something I talk about.”

      “Obviously, but if I’m the manager of the place, don’t you think it would have been good for me to know there’s someone else involved?”

      “It’s only been on paper.”

      “Kind of more than paper now.” He turned to the window, watched Lillie Jean pace near the trucks, giving them the privacy he needed to process this gut-wrenching turn of events. “What kind of agreement did you and Lyle make?”

      “A thorough one.”

      “Can she sell?”

      “Yeah.” The answer came out on a short definitive note. “If her claim is legitimate, she can sell.”

      Gus let out a breath, pushed his hands over his forehead. Cursed under his breath. So much for the business plan he’d drawn up. And the comfortable feeling of knowing his future.