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“Nope. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” he said, sliding one arm around her waist and drawing her close for a kiss.
“Ready for bed?” he asked.
Lou helped him undress, gently removing his shirt and then replacing the sling for the night. He slid between the sheets naked, and she crawled in with him, fitting her head against his neck. They fell asleep instantly, his breath blowing against her nose and hers tickling the hair on his chest.
****
Brody and Lou slept late the next morning and, after she helped him shower and dress, they shared a box of Lucky Charms in silence. She stood quickly when she heard tires crunch in the driveway and ran out onto the porch. Sarah jumped from the truck and flung herself in her mother’s arms, talking animatedly about the trip she had just taken. Lou hugged Jeb and Sadie and then John took Sarah to play so Brody and Lou could fill them in on what happened.
They sat quietly discussing the past few days at the kitchen table when they heard a short, crisp knock on the door. Lou opened the door to find a small, wiry little man wearing thick glasses. He extended his hand to Lou and said, “Nice to meet you. I have an appointment with Dr. Wester today.”
She stepped aside and let him walk past her into the room. Brody rose from the table and extended his good hand to shake with the small man. “We have an appointment to read your mother’s will today, sir,” he gently reminded Brody.
Brody turned and introduced him to the group as “my mother’s attorney.”
“Let’s go to the study where we can have some privacy, shall we?” Brody said, walking toward the hallway.
The small man stuttered, “Actually, Dr. Wester, I need to assemble a group of people. I need to
see Jeb, Sadie, John, Sarah, Lou, and you, all together.” He walked over to the kitchen table and laid his briefcase down, flipping the locks. He removed a file full of papers and looked expectantly at the group. “Is young John in residence?” he asked hesitantly.
Lou went to the door and called John and Sarah inside. When everyone was assembled at the kitchen table, the attorney started to speak.
“Dr. Wester, your mother left explicit instructions on how her estate is to be divided. It is quite a large estate. Your mother has invested heavily in the past years and those investments have always paid off.” He took a deep breath. “To Dr. Wester, she has left the home and the grounds on which the home sits. This includes the contents of the home on the date of her death and the all possessions herein. To each person seated at this table, Margaret Wester has bequeathed an equal sum of $500,000 per person. That includes the child.”
Lou took a deep breath and looked over to see tears rolling down Sadie’s cheeks. Jeb reached over and took Sadie’s hand.
“The business known as Western Skies is now jointly owned by each of you. Jeb and Sadie receive twenty-five percent, which they will share. Brody, Lou, and John each receive twenty-five percent as well. If any one person does not want to be a part of Western Skies, they can sell their share to the other three. They cannot sell outside of this group. Dr. Wester, you living at Western Skies is not mandatory. Your mother made specific instructions as to this fact.”
Brody nodded tightly.
“The business is currently valued at ten million dollars. Much of this is tied up in racing stock. But enough is liquid that it can provide generous salaries for all who participate in the running of the business.”
The attorney closed the file. “There are other clauses and bequests to various charities and paperwork that need to be completed, but they can be done at a later date. This takes care of the biggest portion of the will. We will be in touch in the coming weeks and finalize all the details.” The man slid the file back into his briefcase, flipped the locks and walked out the door as quickly as he had arrived.
Everyone at the table sat quietly for minutes on end. Finally, Lou spoke, though it broke her heart to do so. “At least your mother made no conditions about you having to live here,” she said.
He raised his head and looked at her. “I hate to have my choices taken away. If she had done that, I would have walked away from it all.” He smiled softly. “She knew me so well.” He took a breath. “She also knew each of you and put the business in perfect hands. I look forward to working with you all.”
Jeb and Sadie left the table to go and soak up the information while John did the same. Lou turned to Brody and steeled herself. “What’s your plan?”
He shrugged. “I have to go home. I have things to do there.”
She wilted. He reached over and bumped her chin with his index finger, forcing her to look at him. “But I won’t be a stranger. That’s for sure.” He kissed her swiftly and got up, walking toward the study.
He sat down behind the desk and picked up the phone. He pulled his credit card out of his wallet and laid it on the desk in front of him. As Lou listened at the doorway, he made flight reservations to go home that night. She walked down the hallway, not stopping to listen to the rest of his phone calls. He spent the afternoon packing and left his bags by the back door.
Lou avoided him for the rest of the day, unable to bear the thought of him leaving. I could tell him about the baby, and maybe he would want to stay. But if I take his choices away, he’ll hate me. Better to let him figure it out on his own.
Lou decided it would be less painful to leave home for a while than to face the fact he was leaving. She whispered to Sadie that she would be home soon, and she and Sarah went to the park. Better to be oblivious than deal with the pain.
****
Brody paced back and forth through the kitchen.
“What’s got you so worked up?” John asked.
“I have a flight in a few minutes and Lou’s not back yet,” he snarled.
