Slow Hand (Hot Cowboy Nights, #1)(58)

She nodded.

“I nominate Nicole Marie Powell, of Decatur, Georgia, as the executor without bond or security. My executor shall have the right to administer my estate without unnecessary intervention by the probate court…”

As Wade read through the articles of the will, Nikki wandered the rest of the great room. The television was the old tube-style. Beside it was a rack of VHS tapes. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d even seen a VCR and tapes. She squatted down to the case wondering what he liked to watch. Deliverance and A River Runs Through It held places of honor on the top shelf. Beside these were a number of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movies and then there was another well-worn case—They Call Me Trinity.

She pulled that one loose and almost choked on the vivid memory of eating Jiffy Pop and watching old spaghetti Westerns with him. He’d loved both. So had she. “I didn’t even know him,” Nikki interrupted. “How can this all be mine? Somehow, it just doesn’t seem right.”

“You don’t have to accept the bequest if you don’t want it,” Wade said. “You could always donate it to some worthy charity—maybe even start one of your own.” One corner of his mouth kicked up. “How about a foundation to save the pronghorn antelope?”

“Are they endangered?” She gave him a dubious look.

“No. Not yet, but you could be proactive.”

His levity did the trick. Nikki couldn’t help grinning back. He always seemed to know just what she needed. She loved that about him—how easily he read and understood her. “I admit I feel guilty about the inheritance,” she said. “But I’m not crazy. Of course I want it. I just have to get used to the whole idea.”

“Yeah, you do have a lot to think about. Let me finish up the rest of this with you.”

“How much more is there?” she asked.

“Only another two pages,” he said. “Mostly legal jargon that protects you from liability.”

“Go ahead.” She nodded, only half listening until he got to the end.

“I, Raymond Albert Powell, the Testator, sign my name to this instrument this 5th day of June 2008, and do thereby execute it as my free and voluntary act for the purposes expressed in this Will, and that I am of sound mind and under no constraint or undue influence.” Wade looked up. “It was witnessed and filed by Jack Evans. Everything’s in perfect order, Nikki. Will you be changing your travel plans now?”

“Is this my lawyer asking?”

“No.” He came behind, wrapping his big arms around her. “I checked that hat at the door.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled him. God, it felt so damned good to be wrapped in Wade. She let her head drop back against the warm and solid wall of his chest. She wished the feeling could last forever, but knew it couldn’t. His life was here and hers was two thousand miles away. It was just getting so damn hard to remember that. If wishes were horses, Nikki…

At length, she pulled herself out of his arms. “How long will it take to settle everything?”

“Guess you want the lawyer now instead?” He released her with a sigh. “Although Montana probate law is pretty simple, there’s still a time-sensitive process you need to follow. It begins with posting a death notice in the paper that has to run for three weeks to flush out creditors. Then you have insurance policies to deal with, financial documents to transfer, as well as locating all of his account statements. This includes insurance, bank, brokerage, social security, unpaid bills, and his prior tax returns. You’ll need to find the title to the truck and the deed to the house in order to get those titles transferred. This all has to be done before you can dispose of any assets. There’s a shitload of paperwork.”

“So, how long?” she repeated.

“Given the size of the inheritance, it’ll be several weeks at least, more likely a few months.”

“Months?” She stepped back with a frown. “I can’t do that. I only have until the end of the week. My flight is Friday. I can maybe stay one more day, but if I’m not home by Sunday, my job is at risk.”

“You’re still planning to leave? You really need to rethink that plan. Settling your father’s estate is going to take some time.”

“Can’t I hire you to take care of things for me? That’s what you do, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s what I do—at a considerable cost. I could help you dispose of assets and close out the estate, if that’s what you want, but my time is expensive, Nikki. I’d have to bill you for simple things that you could do yourself for free. I don’t have a choice in that. It’s not my practice.”

“How much are we talking about?”

“The legal fees in settling an estate often run into thousands. So, you see? In the long run, it would be worth it for you to stick around.”

“But I have a job—”

“That you hate.”

“A family—”

“That you hardly speak to.”

“How do you know that?” she asked defensively.

“You’ve been stranded here, for all intents and purposes, and you haven’t called any of them.”

“No. I haven’t,” she confessed. “I have a half sister I’m somewhat close to, but she’s a major screwup, and my mother—well, don’t even get me started there.”