Читать книгу True Love Ranch - Elizabeth Harbison - Страница 12

Chapter Three

“Wait a minute,” Darcy interrupted. “The ranch is going to the two of us? Joe and me? That has to be a mistake.”

“It doesn’t sound right to me, either,” Joe said, exchanging a quick glance with Darcy. “This is Mr. Beckett’s granddaughter. I was just a friend. An employee, in fact. Are you sure you’ve read that correctly?”

The lawyer looked at them both through hooded eyes. “I don’t make mistakes.”

Darcy privately thought the mistake might be that a share in the ranch had been left to her at all.

The lawyer continued as though he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell. “The property has been left to both of you, with some conditions attached.”

“Conditions?” Darcy echoed.

He gave a curt nod. “Now, these papers are duplicates for each of you to sign. They say only that you agree to sharing the ranch fifty-fifty—”

“What if we don’t?” Darcy asked.

Silence expanded and filled the room.

Darcy tried to ignore Joe’s burning gaze on her. “I’m just wondering. I mean, this is absurd. What—how—when did my grandfather draw up this will?”

The lawyer looked at his papers and read the date.

“The day after I got married,” Darcy said, more to herself than to anyone else in the room. “I don’t understand. Why did he do this?”

“Ms. Beckett, I have no explanations for why your grandfather bequeathed his estate as he did. I can only tell you that this is what he intended, and that you have no legal grounds for objection. I might just add that this is an extremely valuable property, and owning half of it is considerably better than owning none at all.”

“I realize that, of course,” Darcy said hurriedly. “I’m not complaining—”

The lawyer tapped his pen on the desk. “I’d like to continue now, so you two can sign the papers and take ownership—”

“Did he say anything that might explain this decision?” Darcy asked.

“He did not. May I continue?”

She nodded weakly. Once upon a time, this would have been a dream come true. She and Joe had talked about having a place just like this for themselves someday. They’d talked of getting married, she remembered bitterly. Of having a home, children, a life together.

It had taken Darcy a very long time to get over that dream. How ironic that part of it should be coming true now.

“If you could both just sign here,” the lawyer said, laying two sheets of paper on the desk and holding out pens for Darcy and Joe.

Darcy suddenly realized that Joe hadn’t moved since hearing the news.

“What’s the matter, Joe?” she asked wryly. “This can’t be such a surprise to you. After all, you’ve been here, with him, for quite some time now.”

He shook his head. “Darcy, this is as much of a shock to me as it is to you. I have other plans. I was getting ready to leave Colorado.”

“Meaning you don’t want half this place?”

“Meaning I’m not at all sure how this fits in.” He looked into her eyes, searchingly. “I suppose you’ll be contesting the will?”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “To change the terms?”

“You mean to cut you out.” When he didn’t answer, she went on. “Honestly, Joe, I’m grateful that my grandfather left me anything. If he wanted you to have half of this place, or the proceeds from half, who am I to say that’s wrong? My personal feelings about you are irrelevant.”

He eyed her silently for a few moments, then seemed lost in his thoughts again.

“We do need to get those signatures,” the lawyer prompted them impatiently.

As she took a pen, Darcy was very aware of Joe’s lean physique beside her, but she didn’t risk a glance at him.

“We’d like to read this over before signing,” Joe said.

Following his lead, Darcy read the document then lifted her gaze to Joe’s.

“I don’t have a problem signing it,” Joe said.

“Me, neither.”

They signed.

As Edward Connor was about to hand over the keys, Hank Cox cleared his throat and said quietly, “Did you have them sign the other part?”

“Ah, yes,” the lawyer said. “The addendum. I was about to get to that.” He reached into another pocket of his case and took out two single sheets.

“What’s this?” Joe asked, taking one.

“These are the conditions I referred to earlier.”

Joe looked the document over. Then, with a dramatic frown, he asked, “Is this necessary?”

“What?” Darcy reached for the paper with a sinking heart. “Is what necessary?”

The lawyer’s grave nod reminded Darcy of the nod Wilton Hammersmith had given her four years ago after telling Darcy her husband had gone to South America with the remainder of her trust fund.

“Those are the terms Mr. Beckett laid out,” Edward Connor stated.

“What terms?” Darcy asked, frantically scanning the paper, then looking at the attorney. “What is this?”

Edward Connor took a breath and gave just the smallest shrug before saying, “This is a simple addendum stating that you will both live on the property, and agree not to sell any part of the stated property—either to each other or to another party—for a period of two months from this date.”

“I can’t stay for two months!” Darcy and Joe said simultaneously, then glanced at each other.

“Where are you going?” Joe asked, looking surprised.

“I’m going to California. There’s a job waiting for me there.”

He raised his eyebrows. “So you weren’t planning on staying here at all?”

She tried to give a laugh, but it came out as a quick rush of air. “Absolutely not.”

“That’s typical, always hopping from place to place.”

“I have no intention of ‘hopping from place to place’ anymore. I’m settling down in California, and with any luck at all I’ll never leave again.” She frowned. “Anyway, you’ve been here for ten years, why can’t you stay?”

“I’ve got to get to Oklahoma. I’ve also got a job waiting.” .

Darcy turned to the lawyer. “Neither one of us can stay.” .

He lifted his shoulders slightly. “I’m afraid those are the terms.”

“When was that addendum drawn up?” Darcy asked.

The lawyer looked at the paper and slid his glasses down his nose to read it. “September the nineteenth,” he answered.

“Hmm.”

“That date significant to you?” Joe asked.

Her stomach knotted. September the nineteenth was her birthday. Did Joe remember that? Did he remember how they’d planned to marry on that day ten years ago? Was he testing her, to gauge her reaction?

She doubted it. He probably didn’t remember things nearly as keenly as she did. If he had any idea of the pain those memories could still inflict...well, obviously he didn’t have any idea. He didn’t care the way she did. Obviously he never had. So the irony of the date would undoubtedly be lost on him.

She met his eyes evenly. “It was the day after my divorce became final,” she said dully.

“Hmm,” murmured Joe.

“First the True Love and now this...this forcing you and me to be together after everything that happened.” Darcy took a slow breath, considering. “I’m starting to wonder if my grandfather had a well-hidden romantic side, or if he was just a controlling old curmudgeon.”

“Is it impossible to imagine he might have had other reasons?” Joe asked. “Like maybe he cared about us both and couldn’t decide what else to do?”

She leveled her gaze on Joe again. “It’s no secret that my family isn’t exactly what you’d call close.”

He nodded. “I always thought that was a shame.”

“It suits us,” she answered. “We don’t like to be encumbered with familial responsibilities.”

He nodded again but said nothing. Darcy thought she saw pity in his eyes. He knew too much about her, even that her mother had run off with a polo player when Darcy was ten, and that they’d never heard from her again, except for the odd impersonal Christmas card. Darcy had told that story to Joe ages ago in a moment of weakness, but she could see he was thinking about it now and, worse, feeling sorry for her.

Oh, who was she kidding? Darcy was the one feeling sorry. Sorry that the man who had meant so much to her as a child was dead, and that there was no way she could pull back the years that had been wasted. She’d tried to contact him, certainly, but maybe she could have tried harder. Maybe she should have tried longer. Maybe, maybe, maybe....

“Are you in agreement with the terms?” the lawyer asked sharply. “I do have another appointment to make.”

Joe looked at Darcy and cocked his head. “Do you think you can put your job off for a couple of months?” He paused. “I think I can.”

She sighed. “I can too.” She looked at the lawyer. “I guess we’ll give it a try.”

With a nod, the lawyer made some scribbles on the papers in front of him.

“It’s going to be worth it,” Joe said.

Worth it or not, I’m not ready to give it up, Darcy thought. But she didn’t voice it. Instead she said, “I want to take a look around.”

She glanced at her watch so that Joe wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes. “Excuse me.”

She had barely reached the hall when she felt Joe’s hand on her arm. “Darcy, what’s the matter?”

She took a quick swipe at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Nothing. I’m just tired.”

He cocked his head. “Really.”

“I’m fine.” She gave a quick sniff. “I told you, I have allergies.”

“I think you’re upset that Ken left part of this place to me.”

“That’s not true! I’m not—”

“Come on, who wouldn’t be?”

The melancholy left her and she was once again riled at Joe. “You always think you can read my mind.”

“I usually can.”

“It’s been years since you’ve even had the chance to guess. How could you possibly know what I’m thinking?”

He remained irritatingly calm. “Because what you’re thinking is usually written all over you face, for anyone with eyes to see.”

“Then maybe it’s time you think about getting some glasses, because you’re wrong.”

“I am?”

“Completely. You really want to know what I think?”

“Yeah.”

“I think there’s no way this could work. I don’t see how we can live here together. Maybe we should consult another lawyer, maybe find out if there’s some loophole that would enable one of us to live somewhere else.” She looked at him and added quickly, “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not trying to get your half for myself. It’s right that Grandfather should have left you something. I just wish he’d done it a little less awkwardly.”

Joe gave a nod but said nothing.

“Anyway, if I get another lawyer—”

Joe stopped her. “If you get another lawyer involved, that’s going to cost money and time that I don’t think either one of us can spare.”

“But, Joe—” she shook her head “—we can’t seriously entertain the idea of living here together.”

“We have to.” His voice softened fractionally, but she heard the anxiety in it. “This is an amazing opportunity, at least for me.”

“I need it, too,” Darcy said softly.

He hesitated for a moment. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time to monkey with long-shot loopholes. Two months isn’t that long.”

“I don’t know...”

He eyed her with suspicion. “What are you so worried about? You think your virtue is at risk with me?”

But she wondered if she could resist him, if it ever came to that. At close quarters, he still turned her insides to melted butter. And living together on the ranch, they’d be in close quarters much of the time. “I’m not worried about anything. I just don’t think we’re ideally suited as roommates—”

“Listen.” This time his voice had a definite edge to it. “You’re going to have to get used to this—and fast. So here’s what I propose. We stay on for the two months and fix the place up as inexpensively as possible—that’s going to mean getting a little dirt under those manicured fingernails of yours—then we sell it at the end of the term. We’ll split the profit fifty-fifty, less expenses. Do you agree?”

“I—I—”

“You’re not very good with commitment, are you?”

“I do.” Her head was swimming. She stood and walked a small circle in front of her chair. “I mean, I am. I mean, I do agree to the deal, and I am good with commitment. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“It is now,” he said easily. “We’ll have to draw up a contract, of course.”

“A contract?”

“You’d prefer a handshake, I suppose.”

“You’d prefer blood, I suppose.”

“Let’s stick with a contract.”

“And what, exactly, will it say?”

“It will say that we will both stay on for two months to meet the terms of your grandfather’s addendum, so that you don’t leave and mess everything up for me. Then, at the end of the term, we sell the ranch and go our separate ways. For good.”

It took a moment for the answer to make it to her lips. “Fine.”

He extended his hand. “Then we’re agreed?”

She hesitated for a moment, then took his hand. “Agreed.” She felt as if an electric current were traveling from his flesh to hers, and wondered if he felt it, too.

He seemed to hold her hand an extra moment before letting go. “Good.”

Darcy took a long breath, hoping he wouldn’t see how his touch had affected her. “I’m going out now.”

He held her gaze. “I’ll go back in and have Connor draw up a contract for the two of us. Okay?” He turned and walked back to the library.

“Don’t go too far,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “I’ll need you to sign before you change your mind.”

As soon as the crisp November air hit her skin, Darcy felt better. She breathed deeply, inhaling the wintery scent of burning wood and cold air. The sky had turned steel gray overhead, threatening rain, but she didn’t care. She took long aimless strides, willing her heartbeat to return to normal.