Claimed by a Cowboy

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 to talk privately,” Robert suggested. Beneath his suit jacket, his shirt clung to him in damp patches. Beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and he eyed the doorway like a hostage evaluating his chance for escape.

Lorelei sighed. “I’m sure you can understand that it’s been a difficult day for all of us. Maybe we could talk next week, after I’ve had a chance to read through this folder you gave me?”

“Yes, ma’am. Absolutely,” he said as he stood. “Call me anytime.”

“Thank you. There’s coffee and lemonade and lots of delicious-looking cakes downstairs. You should try some before you go.”

Nodding, he clutched his briefcase close and disappeared down the hall.

Ava shook her head. “Five bucks says he clears the staircase and bolts out the front door in under thirty seconds.”

Lorelei chuckled, and the other woman leaned forward to pat her cheek.

“There’s the smile that reminds me of your mom,” Ava said approvingly.

“I don’t look anything like her,” Lorelei said, too practical to pretend otherwise, even on a day like today, when she might take comfort in thinking she did.

“Maybe not, but Wanda was all about looking at a person’s spirit, not just their face. I’d like to think some of her spirit lives on in you.”

Lorelei expelled a puff of air. At least Ava wasn’t planning to have tea with her mother’s ghost. “You were pretty evasive the other day when I tried to ask you about Sam. Was that because you didn’t know how to tell me about Mom’s will?”

Ava raised an eyebrow. “The only specific question I remember you asking was if they were romantically involved, which I believe I answered.”

“Fair enough. I’ll try to be more specific this time. Who is he and why is he here?”

“Sam was working on a nearby ranch during a real dry summer, helping with the horses, and a fire broke out. They got all the animals safely out of the barn, but we hadn’t had any rain in months and the fire spread. Once it was put out, he and about half a dozen others needed places to stay. Some of the local hotel owners offered up free rooms, and Sam ended up here. But he wasn’t comfortable taking one of the rooms without paying, so he did some work around the inn for your mom. He comes and goes from Fredericksburg, helping with various trail rides and taking different jobs throughout the region. They got to be close. I think Wanda looked on him like the son she never had.”

That hurt enough to knock the breath out of Lorelei. Her mother had left her most valued possession to a man who was “like a son” instead of to the daughter she’d actually had?

Ava tilted her head sympathetically. “Oh, honey. Your mother loved you. She was so proud of you.”

“Yeah. I hear that a lot,” Lorelei said. What had Sam said when he’d found her sorting through her mother’s pictures? That Wanda had looked for opportunities to brag about her?