Wild Action

“I’m afraid I have some bad news,” Brown continued. “I only learned about it this morning, when Roger called me.”

“I see. And I assume it involves Ms. Dumont?”

“Yes, it does. It seems your Uncle Gus had Roger prepare a new will a year or so ago. A more recent one, I mean, than the one in my files. I’ve had a look at it, and there’s no doubt it’s valid. And under its terms, Gus’s estate is to be divided between you and Carly.”

Nick willed Brown to grin and say he was joking. Instead, Harris cleared his throat and said, “Bill, perhaps you’d better make clear precisely what the will states.”

“Yes, of course. I was just getting to that. Nick, the division isn’t fifty-fifty. Your uncle left forty-nine percent of his estate to you and fifty-one percent to Carly.”

Nick could feel himself starting to grow numb.

“I’m sorry this is coming as a shock to you,” Carly said quietly. “But until last night, I didn’t know about it myself.”

“You see,” Harris explained, “my practice is in Port Perry, which is the closest town to your uncle’s property. That’s how we knew each other. And when Gus had me draw up the will, he said he didn’t want Carly to know she was a beneficiary while he was alive.”

“But he died on July second,” Nick managed, his voice sounding more than a little strangled. “That was more than two weeks ago.”

“Yes. I only learned about his death last night, though. I’d been out of town.”

“And I’d called Bill right away, because he’s the company lawyer,” Carly put in. “Gus’s only lawyer, as far as I knew.”

“As far as I knew, too,” Brown said. “Which is why I didn’t hesitate about contacting Nick,” he added, glancing at Harris and looking darned put out that Gus had gotten himself a second lawyer.

“Any of us would have contacted the beneficiary right away,” Harris told him. “In any event,” he continued, focusing on Nick, “as soon as I got home and learned Gus had died, I advised Carly of the existence of the new will.”

“I tried to reach you this morning, Nick, after Roger phoned me,” Brown said. “But you must have already been on your way to Toronto.”

Their explanation complete, the other three sat watching him while he sat trying to think straight. But he couldn’t think past the fact that fifty-one percent of the estate belonged to Carly Dumont. And a controlling interest would give her the right to call the shots.

He looked at Brown. “You said this other will is definitely valid?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Then why didn’t Gus tell you about it?”

“There’s no law that says he had to. Or maybe he meant to and forgot. He tended to be absentminded.”

“But definitely of sound mind,” Harris said quickly. “No doubt about that. He was sharp as a tack, right Carly? And he seemed in good health, too.”

She nodded. “He was just fine on July first. We went to a Canada Day party and he was dancing up a storm. But…”

Pausing, she wiped away a tear. “I don’t know whether it was too much sun or all the exertion or what, but he wasn’t feeling well before he went to bed. And in the morning…When I tried to wake him, he was gone.”

“A heart attack in his sleep,” Brown elaborated.

“You tried to wake him?” Nick said. “You mean you lived with him?”

“Uh-huh. For twelve years.”

Nick gazed at her, wondering if his parents had known that Gus was into cradle robbing along with all his other sins. Then he forced his thoughts back to the problem at hand and tried to convince himself this wasn’t a total calamity.

After all, it was only half of his inheritance that had vanished overnight, whereas Gus’s new will might have left everything to Carly. Besides, with any luck, his forty-nine percent would be more than he needed.

Glancing at her again, he forced a smile.

When she tentatively smiled back, it made him feel a little better. She seemed like a reasonable woman, so how hard could it be to work things out?

Carly felt herself starting to breathe more easily. She was still up to her ears in problems, of course, but at least Nick Montgomery wasn’t turning out to be an additional one.

On the way here, she’d let her imagination run rampant, picturing him as an enormous dragon who’d kill her by breathing fireballs when he heard he was only getting part of the estate.

In reality, he was a good-looking man—with a very nice smile and rugged features that made his appearance decidedly masculine. And even though he was clearly upset, she couldn’t see any homicidal impulses dancing in his gray eyes.

“Let’s lay our cards on the table,” he said, leaning forward in his chair and meeting her gaze. “I have absolutely no interest in the fashion industry, so the best thing all around would be for you to buy me out.”

She glanced at Roger. When he seemed as puzzled as she was, she looked at Nick once more. “The fashion industry?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t know a fashion trend from a snowplow, so—”

“Wait. You mean you’ve been thinking that Wild Action’s in the fashion business?”

“Ahh…You’re saying it’s not?”

“Nick?” Bill said before she could answer. “There are so many movies shot in Toronto that it’s known as Hollywood North. It masquerades as New York, Chicago, Detroit, you name it.”

“It’s cheaper to film here because of our low dollar,” Roger added.

“At any rate,” Bill continued, “Wild Action is an animal talent agency that supplies animal actors.”

Carly watched Nick digest that information, feeling distinctly sorry for him. His expression said he’d just as soon have inherited half a leper colony.

“Do you know much about animals?” she asked when nobody else broke the silence.

“I see a lot of the neighbor’s cat,” he muttered.

She glanced at the scratch on his hand. It made her suspect he and the cat weren’t the best of friends.

“Actually, when I was a kid I used to spend part of the summers on a ranch,” he went on. “So I know something about horses and cattle. That’s really it, though. But I guess it doesn’t matter what kind of business it is. Your buying me out is still the simplest way of settling things.”

“Yes…it would be. If I had any money.”

“Well, there must be money in the company, so if we—”

“No, I’m afraid there’s not,” she interrupted, hoping the fact wouldn’t reflect too badly on Gus. There probably should have been a lot more money than there was, but he’d always said money was for spending.

“But if it’s profitable…” Nick said. “I don’t have that wrong, too, do I? I was told it was.”

“And it is. It’s just not very profitable. We have a lot of expenses.”