by Susan Fox
After last night, it was probably just as well. She didn’t have the strength to deal with too many incidents like that one. She still longed for him to kiss her again, to touch her that aggressively, but those very longings seemed perverse in the light of how much he disliked her.
Rio turned from him then and hurried upstairs to finish getting her things together.
Rio stood just inside the door of the den, as far out of the way as possible as Ramona and Tracy got settled on the sofa. Kane was standing in front of the massive bookcase that took up an entire wall, leaning back against it with his arms crossed over his wide chest.
The lawyer sat at the desk. In front of him was Sam Langtry’s will and four copies laid out in a row along the front edge of the desk. He’d set a white envelope on top of each of the four copies. Though Rio couldn’t read the words printed on the envelopes from where she stood, the lawyer had indicated there was an envelope addressed to each of them.
Rio tried not to fidget as the lawyer began reading the document. The solemnity of the occasion—the sheer formality of the legal phrases combined with the enormity of Sam Langtry’s fortune—filled her with dread. As she listened to everything Sam had built and owned detailed and disbursed, the growing suspicion that Sam’s affection for her might have prompted him to leave her something significant made her feel sick.
The first inheritance that meant anything was Ramona’s. The clause the lawyer read reminded them all of the prenuptial agreement Sam and Ramona had signed. The fact that Sam had ruthlessly adhered to its limits was soon apparent. Ramona’s gasp sounded abnormally loud in the quiet room, but the lawyer continued to read.
Tracy, however, fared spectacularly compared to her mother. From the sound of it, she’d never have to concern herself with money again.
Kane was next, inheriting the lion’s share of everything Sam had owned. Aside from his several businesses and the various ranches Sam held title to in Texas, Langtry was the very last holding mentioned. The fact that Kane was due to inherit only half of Langtry gave the clue to what was coming.
As soon as Rio heard the words, “‘I leave to my foster daughter, Rhea René Cory, known to all as Rio Cory…’” a wave of dizziness passed so forcefully over her that she felt faint.
“‘…The sum of five million dollars…half interest in Langtry Ranch…Must remain a full and equal partner for a minimum of one year…After which time, she is free to do with her share of Langtry as she pleases, and she is entitled to all proceeds and profits thereof…Should she refuse to accept this inheritance, or refuse to adhere to the minimum time requirement of ownership set forth here, her half interest in Langtry Ranch will pass instead to the Texas chapter of Friends for Equal Rights for Animals.’”
Rio sagged back against the wall, too stunned at the enormous bequest—and its bizarre consequence— to listen to the rest of what the lawyer read. When the lawyer finished, Rio glanced toward Kane, her heart falling at his stony expression. The blue gaze he turned her way glittered with an unholy mixture of anger and bitter humor.
“Friends for Equal Rights for Animals, huh?” Kane looked away from her and addressed the lawyer. “And I suppose that particular clause is ironclad.”
It wasn’t a question, but the lawyer nodded his head. Ramona was suddenly on her feet, shoving her way up the line of copies on the desk until she found the one with the envelope bearing her name. She snatched up both will and envelope, then marched from the room, her eyes fiery with hatred as they fixed on Rio those last seconds.
Tracy sat on the sofa, a dazed look on her face. The lawyer came around the desk and picked up a copy of the will with the envelope addressed to Tracy and handed it to her. He swiftly scooped up both Kane’s and Rio’s, stepping across to the door to hand Rio hers before he took Kane’s to him.
Rio stared down at the envelope with her name on it in Sam’s handwriting. She glanced up, her eyes going directly to Kane. Kane’s face was more sober and stern than she’d ever seen it, and she felt her heart break a little. What had Sam done?
Too restless to remain in the room, Rio turned and quickly left, rushing upstairs to the privacy of the bedroom that would remain hers for the next year.
Rio,
Since I don’t know exactly how long I have left, I thought it best to put a few things in a letter to you, just in case I don’t have the time or opportunity to say them at the end.
First off, one of the highlights of my life was when you came to live with us at the main house. You’ve been everything a man could want in a daughter: you’re beautiful, smart, and you’ve got a gentle, loving heart. Your love and devotion to me, particularly these last years as my health was waning, is a source of comfort and great pride to me. As you are a source of comfort and great pride.
I’m sorry as I can be that you’re hurting now, and that I’m the cause. It’s not possible for me to spare you grief. It is possible for me to do what I can to be certain you always have a home and plenty in the way of material things. That’s why I left you what I did. Giving you half of Langtry is the thing I most wanted to do for you at the end. I hope that when the year is up, you will retain your share of the ranch. It gives me great peace and satisfaction to know that you will be living on Langtry and that you will raise your children there.
You and Kane will likely have some troubles in the beginning, but I know the two of you will work things out. You’re both smart people of good character and common sense, so, if nothing else, remember how much I loved you both and try a little harder to settle your differences. Somehow, I’ll know when you do.
I’ve left a book for you—Plant and Animal Species of the World. It’s not what the book is, but what it contains. Your beautiful mother once gave me a bouquet of flowers for my table that she’d grown herself. I pressed them in that book and kept them all these years. You’ll find a few other keepsakes in those pages that will remind you of her. Forgive me for keeping them to myself all this time, but there never seemed to be a time when I wanted to part with them. They belong to you now.
Remember that I love you, my precious daughter. God bless you. May you have a good, long, healthy life and find more love and happiness than a body has a right to.
Love, Sam
The letter made her cry. Rio lay on her bed in the silence of her room, in shock about what Sam had left her, and confused by further evidence of his deep affection for her mother.
She stayed in her room a long time, rereading Sam’s letter, searching her memories of Sam and her mother as she tried to make sense of it all. Finally, she put the letter in the lacquered box she’d already packed. Since it was almost time for lunch, she stepped into her bath and splashed her face with cool water.
She hadn’t expected to still be here for lunch. Normally, this was a workday, and she would have put in six hours of outside work by this time. Now that she wasn’t leaving, it would seem even more a privilege to be able to come to the cool of the big house and eat in the quiet of the dining room.
The idea that for the next year she would be an equal partner with Kane in all this was staggering. The fact that she felt like a thief ensured that she would give back his family heritage on the very day the year was up.
Kane’s and Ramona’s reactions to the reading of the will made her apprehensive about going down for lunch. Only the reminder that she’d have to face them sometime made her start downstairs.
When Rio walked into the dining room, Kane and Tracy were sitting at the table. Tracy glanced at her, then away, but Kane’s gaze followed her all the way to the table. Rio sat down at her usual spot and waited in painful suspense for Ardis to finish bringing in their food.
The silence between the three of them was daunting. At least Ramona didn’t put in an appearance. Tracy finished her lunch, then excused herself to drive to town. Since this was the first meal in days that Rio had managed to eat most of, she did her best to clear her plate by the time Kane finished eating.
Kane leaned b
ack in his chair, his hard eyes wandering over her face as he sipped his coffee. Rio brushed her lips with her napkin, unsure how to diffuse the anger she sensed in him.
She set the napkin aside and met his blue gaze directly. “There are some things I’d like to talk about,” she said quietly.
Kane’s mouth slanted. “Same here. Where do we start?” The hint of sarcasm in his voice put her even more on edge.
“I can’t keep the money or the half share of Langtry,” she began. “I’ll find a lawyer and start whatever legal action is needed to have it all transferred back to you—” Kane was shaking his head before she finished, so she asked, “Why not, then?”
“Because of the damned clause about that animal rights group,” he said grimly.
“I know the clause makes it difficult, but I thought if I got a lawyer to draw up a private agreement to return it to you when the year is up, you’d know that I don’t intend to keep it.”
Kane’s frown deepened. “Why would you do that?”
“Langtry is rightfully yours. The money shouldn’t have gone to me, either. I know Sam meant well—”
Kane cut her off with a terse, “Scared of me?”
“Why would I be?” she asked, careful to hide her surprise at his perception.
“Because you’re afraid it’s going to be a year-long bronc-busting session between us if you don’t.” As if disgusted, he tossed his napkin to the table and stood up.
Rio got to her feet, too. “Will it be?”
Kane glared over at her, taking in the worry that ran so deep she couldn’t quite conceal it from him. But then, he doubted she’d ever been able to conceal much from him. He’d always seen things in the beautiful blue of her eyes. The cruel rhyme made a lightning pass through his mind.
Suddenly what he saw was the fear of a lonely, tormented child who’d never valued riches or a fine home as much as she’d valued love and acceptance. There was no doubt in his mind that Rio Cory could give up a multimillion dollar inheritance without batting an eyelash if she thought it could buy even a token truce between them.
The whole idea made him angry. It also gave his heart a solid kick.
“We’ll just have to see,” he grumbled. He saw the quick drop of her gaze and sensed her dismay. His voice went lower. “You’re free to go anywhere you want, do anything you want. If you want to turn down the inheritance before the year is up, go ahead. It would be the perfect revenge for you.”
Rio’s shocked gaze sped up to his and he went on. “I’m not about to promise you a year of peace and sweetness when we both know we’re probably in for a choice piece of hell.” He couldn’t keep his gaze from making a slow, meaningful sweep of her very feminine body. “Stay or go, Rio. It’s your choice. But don’t stay thinking the two of us will ever be anything more to each other than we’ve ever been.”
Rio couldn’t say exactly why it hurt so much for Kane to remind her that her feelings for him were as futile as ever. Perhaps it was because he disliked her so much that he felt he had to pound the message home at every opportunity.
And perhaps he was right. Perhaps she was a fool who needed to be rebuffed and rejected until what she felt for him was crushed and killed. A great tide of exhaustion swept her. Why had Sam done this?
Rio somehow kept her voice steady as she pushed her chair up to the table. “I’d rather you ran Langtry. I can fill in when you need me to, as usual.”
Kane was shaking his head again. “The will states that you have to stay on as a full and equal partner. Until we find out from the lawyer exactly what that means—”
“And who will guess that I’m not?”
“If you’re staying, you’re going to do exactly as the will requires. If you aren’t, you might as well turn it all down now and get the hell off Langtry.”
Rio felt her face flush. “Fine, but I don’t want to live at the main house. The empty cottage by the pecan grove will do.”
“Like hell it will,” he groused. “You’ll live in this house, just like you’ve always done, or you can haul your backside down the highway.”
Rio was suddenly too furious to speak. Kane had never seemed more brutally domineering than he was at that moment. A secret part of her placed a high value on that dominance, but another part of her burned with the unfamiliar fire of pure rebellion.
Too upset to stay, she turned and stalked from the room.
The next several days were wearing. Rio asked Kane about the book Sam had left her. He didn’t recall a book with that title, but he told her he’d keep an eye out for it. They were so busy making up for the time they’d lost to the funeral that it was soon evident that he’d forgotten about it. Rio searched the den herself, but there were no books with the title Sam had given her, not even in one of the cabinets.
Ramona and Tracy stayed on at the ranch, their presence adding to the friction between Rio and Kane. Rio didn’t move out of the main house, and they were both forced to endure the discomfort of being nearly inseparable as Kane filled her in on more of the ranch’s paperwork, legalities and tax information than she’d ever needed to know before.
He also outlined his short-range and long-range plans for Langtry, then told her gruffly that she had the right to either cooperate with those plans or to suggest others—for at least the next year. Rio had no intention of changing a thing. When she’d told him so, his angry glare had baffled her.
After a few days of having her outside work drastically curtailed, Rio grew restless. She and Kane were in the den one morning. He was showing her the new software he’d bought for their computer, when her gaze once again wandered toward the huge picture window that looked out on a section of the lawn and the ranch buildings beyond the wide driveway.
“Damn it, if you don’t pay attention, we aren’t going to get through this before nightfall.” Kane reached past her, and punched the key he’d just told her to push. His temper had been hair-trigger all morning, sending Rio’s downcast emotions into a fresh slide. She’d had trouble concentrating the past week—much to her frustration and to Kane’s. She needed to be outside in the fresh air doing something physical to clear her head and lift her spirits, but Kane had been dogged on the subject of teaching her everything he thought she needed to know.
She had tolerated his near tyranny because she understood he might be worried about fulfilling the requirements of Sam’s will. But he was wearing her down, and their close proximity to each other did nothing to help ease the painful tension between the two of them.
“I need to get out of the house for a while,” she said as she rolled the desk chair back and got to her feet.
“You need to master this program,” he grumbled.
Rio shook her head. “Later. I want to work that colt before it gets too hot.”
“We’ve got people to take care of that colt. You’re the only one who can take care of this,” he said as he tossed the software manual to the corner of the desk.
“I need a break, Kane.”
His brusque, “Take it, then,” made her feel as if she didn’t deserve it.
The soft knock on the open door of the den distracted them. Tracy stood shyly in the doorway dressed in a chic silk shirt and designer jeans.
Kane glanced over at her, the stern set of his rugged features softening as he smiled at his stepsister. “Did you decide to take me up on that offer?”
Tracy’s fair cheeks colored delicately. “If you have time now,” she said shyly, then cast a quick glance toward Rio. “And if I’m not interrupting something important.”
“Nothing that can’t wait,” Rio offered pleasantly. She’d been trying to break the ice with Tracy for days in an attempt at friendliness. She started around the desk for the door to leave the other two in private, but Tracy behaved toward Rio as she had all week, virtually ignoring her.
Though it was a relief to make a quick escape, Rio couldn’t miss the gentle, affectionate look on Kane’s face or the pink-cheeked glow on Tracy’s. Her low spirits
sunk further as something that felt a whole lot like jealousy pricked her heart.
Kane gradually let up on her, allowing and even encouraging her to work outside as she preferred. He made a series of small business trips that took him away from the ranch for a day at a time, but he was usually home by evening. Rio was grateful he wasn’t gone long, particularly since Ramona and Tracy were still around. She couldn’t remember a time that their visit had lasted longer than a week, so their continued presence made her uneasy.
Meanwhile, her energy seemed to have deserted her. Since she’d been an early riser all her life, she was baffled by the sudden difficulty she had getting up in the morning. Fatigue made her drag around most of the day, but at night, sleep was long in coming. Her appetite didn’t improve, and she couldn’t seem to concentrate. Weariness and frustration made her irritable.
She missed Sam terribly. The grief she felt ebbed into a melancholy that seemed to sap what was left of her energy. The morning she overslept, she awoke more groggy and exhausted than ever. It was almost ten o’clock before she got dressed and hurried down the lane to the stables, her stomach twisting with horror and guilt at starting the day so late. She was halfway to the stable when she met Kane.
“I was just coming to get you.” The impatience she sensed in him made her feel worse.
“I’m sorry. I must not have set my alarm clock.” She couldn’t maintain contact with the probing look he was giving her.
“It doesn’t look like the extra sleep did much for you,” he said bluntly.
The truth was, it hadn’t. She still felt tired enough to sleep the day away, but she was too ashamed of this sudden weakness to admit it to Kane. “Gee, thanks,” she murmured, then started around him. Kane caught her arm and stopped her.