Claimed by a Cowboy. Tanya Michaels
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Название: Claimed by a Cowboy
Автор: Tanya Michaels
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
isbn: 9781408978139
isbn:
“Thank you, Mrs. Hirsch. We’ll start with you, with a message from Wanda.” He shuffled his papers some more, stopping a moment later and clearing his throat. “‘To my friend Ava, thank you for always being there. I can’t express my gratitude for your support over the years. You are such a special, generous soul that even Oberon likes you.’”
Stiffening in her chair, Ava muttered, “The hell he does.”
Robert ignored the aside and kept reading. “‘I even thought of asking you to be his guardian once I’ve passed, but ultimately decided that he should stay with the inn. After all, it’s his home.’”
Stay with the inn? Lorelei managed not to grimace. How was she going to make that a condition of sale? Beautiful, well-kept bed-and-breakfast…plus, one evil-tempered feline with possible Satanic affiliations. Her attention divided, Lorelei listened absently as Robert detailed the personal possessions Wanda had wanted her best friend to have. Among the keepsakes were an antique tea set, a fluted stoneware pie plate, a silver pig charm bracelet and Wanda’s dragonfly wind chimes. It was difficult to imagine standing downstairs in the kitchen and not hearing their music tinkling through the window.
Not that she would be standing in the B-and-B kitchen after this trip, she reminded herself. It was right that Ava should take the chimes. They should go to someone who’d known how much Wanda loved them. She’d believed they brought a bit of good luck each time they rang.
Robert turned to Lorelei, his expression apologetic. “You’re listed next, Miss Keller. Do you…need a moment? Before we continue?”
And drag out what had already been one of the longest, most difficult days of her life? “No. Let’s keep this moving along,” she suggested, her voice tense.
Her tone must have been sharper than intended because Robert flinched. For his sake, she hoped he never saw the inside of a courtroom because opposing counsel would eat him alive. Poor man looked afraid of his own shadow.
“First, there’s the matter of your parents’ ashes. Wanda Keller asked that her remains and her late husbands’ be eventually combined and sprinkled somewhere in the Hill Country, as this was their home. The exact place is to be determined by you, but I can assist you in matters of state law and regulations.” He withdrew a thick folder from his briefcase and handed it to Lorelei. “Inside that is a specific itemization and financial statements, but, to summarize, ‘I leave my strong, independent daughter, Lorelei, my remaining personal effects, all belongings not specifically tied to the decoration and running of the bed-and-breakfast. I hope she will use my things and remember her mother, who loved her. I also leave her the balance of my checking and savings accounts. To Samuel…’”
Lorelei blinked, confused. She hadn’t been aware that Stork had already moved on to the next person. A number of questions churned in her mind. Was the deed to the inn one of the things listed in the hefty folder she’d been given? She tried to process what her mother had meant by “not tied to the bed-and-breakfast.” Did that mean the décor in the themed rooms and equipment like the bread machine and coffeemaker were to be sold along with the B and B?
Robert coughed and start again. “‘T-to Samuel Travis, I leave all the money in my business account, which he will need to manage the inn as I am leaving him the Haunted Hill Country Bed-and-Breakfast.’”
Chapter Five
Even though Sam had been warned this was a possibility, he could not believe what the lawyer had just said. And he wasn’t the only one.
“What?” Lorelei’s body tensed, muscles bunched, as if she was going to leap from her seat. Instead she leaned forward, pinning Robert with her gaze. “That can’t be right. I think we need a…” She looked blank for second. “A second opinion! I’m dating an attorney back in Philly.”
She was? Sam frowned. He couldn’t recall Wanda mentioning a boyfriend. Although Sam steered clear of romantic entanglement, if he ever did get into a relationship, he’d for damn sure be there for her if she experienced something as devastating as the loss of a parent. Where exactly was Lorelei’s legal eagle this weekend?
Sounding more in control of her emotions, Lorelei continued, “I’m sure Rick would be happy to—”
“Are you saying that you want to contest the will?” Robert blanched. “The court doesn’t entertain those cases lightly. It requires citing specific grounds that—”
“Why don’t we all stop and take a deep breath?” Ava interjected nervously. “Robert, calm down. I don’t think Lorelei plans to run out and file a suit. She’s just surprised, is all. Give her a minute to adjust.”
“That might take more than a ‘minute,’” Lorelei muttered. “But thank you, Ava.” She was in the process of relaxing back into her chair when she froze, eyes widening. “Ava, you don’t seem all that surprised. Did you know about this? That Mom left the B and B to him?”
Sam’s jaw clenched at her tone. “Excuse me?” He hadn’t asked for Wanda to do this! He didn’t deserve to be discussed with the same kind of loathing historically reserved for rattlesnakes and horse thieves.
“Well, I’m sorry,” Lorelei grumbled, clearly not sorry at all. Her gaze was as sharp as a bowie knife. “But you can’t just turn over an established business to someone because you…what? Liked the color of his aura? How did you get her to do this?”
“What do you mean ‘get her’ to do it?” he growled. As if he were some con artist who looked for opportunities to swindle kind-hearted ladies out of their property?
Lorelei looked momentarily abashed. “I just don’t understand. I’m her only living family.”
Sam saw red. Even though he consciously tried not to dwell on the past, he could still hear his mother’s oh-so-sincere tone when she’d dropped him off with his uncle. Just because I won’t be here every day doesn’t mean we aren’t still family. I’ll be back for you, Sammy. He had no patience for people who were related only when it was convenient.
“Do you think family is just genetics?” he challenged Lorelei. “Because it meant a lot more than that to Wanda. You say you’re confused—well, so am I. And what I want to know is, just where the hell have you been for the past two years?”
With that, he got up and stormed out, so ticked off that he temporarily forgot he didn’t even want the inn.
THERE WAS A SHOCKED silence following Sam’s departure. No one was more shocked than Lorelei. She kept trying to reconcile the righteously indignant man who’d just given her an earful with the taciturn cowboy she’d first met. I think I liked him better when he was monosyllabic and uncooperative.
She turned to Ava and Robert, Sam’s parting shot still ringing in her ears. “It hasn’t been two whole years,” she said. Immediately, she was annoyed both by the sudden need to justify her actions and how lame her attempt had been.
Ava was far too gracious to roll her eyes. “We know, dear. Sam’s just…”
“Just what?” Lorelei demanded in frustration. “I don’t even understand who he was to Mom.”
“Maybe I should give you ladies a chance СКАЧАТЬ