Texas Forever (The Tylers of Texas 6)

“No. She just told him Erin was unavailable and took his number.”

“So he didn’t say what his business was about?”

“Only that it was urgent, and private. I’ve got his number. I’ll text it to you. If Erin’s feeling up to it later, she may want to call him, or have you do it.”

“I’ll let her know. And thanks.” Luke ended the call and checked to make sure he’d received the text. Should he wait to tell Erin? If the lawyer was with the bank, and was handling the probable foreclosure on the ranch, she didn’t need more bad news. But Erin was a big girl, Luke reminded himself. She could make up her own mind.

When he saw her again, in her new room, she was sitting up in bed with her breakfast on a tray. Dressed in a clean hospital gown, she was picking at her food, looking as if somebody had died.

“How are you doing?” He kissed her forehead below the bandage. “Feeling any better?”

“Hurting less. They gave me some pills for the headache pain. It’s just—” She blinked back tears. “I can’t imagine my life anywhere but the Rimrock,” she said. “But I’m going to lose it to the bank. I’ve done everything I can, and I can’t do more, especially not from here. I’ve just got to accept it. But what will I do, Luke? Where will I go?”

You can marry me and let me take care of you. Luke knew better than to say the words. Erin loved him, but this was no time for a proposal. The ranch was everything to her, the land, the people, and the animals. She was mourning the loss as if it were a death—and she’d seen far too much death lately.

Because there was no point in waiting, Luke told her about the lawyer’s phone call. “Let

’s hope it’s not more bad news,” he said.

“Why not? Most of the other news has been bad. What else could go wrong? Maybe somebody wants to sue me. Would you call him for me, Luke? If he’s in town, see if he could come this afternoon. Whatever he wants, we might as well get it over with.”

* * *

The lawyer had agreed to come at two o’clock. In the interim, Erin had napped while Luke bought some jeans, a shirt, and some underclothes at a nearby mall and used the private shower in her room to clean up. When the lawyer, an elfin, white-haired man in a tailored suit, walked in precisely on the hour, they were waiting for him.

Luke offered him a chair. He sat on the edge, stiffly formal, with his briefcase on his lap. “I heard about your terrible accident, Miss Tyler,” he said. “I hope that you’ll feel a bit better after you hear what I’ve come to tell you.”

Better? Luke and Erin exchanged glances. Could it be that this wasn’t bad news after all?

“My firm, White, Anderson, and Carruthers, represents the estate of the late Jasper Platt. Mr. Platt executed a will with us several years prior to his death.”

Jasper! Something tightened around Erin’s heart like an invisible hug when she thought of how much she’d loved the old man.

“I apologize for the delay. It’s taken us some time to update Mr. Platt’s financial records, but I believe you’ll find everything in order. As you’re probably aware, Mr. Platt had no descendants, and no living family except a niece. Is that correct, as you understand it?”

“Yes,” Erin said. “The Rimrock was family to him. He was one of us.”

“So I gather.” The lawyer opened his briefcase, slipped out a paper, and put on his wire-framed glasses. “Mr. Platt left a twenty-thousand-dollar bequest to his niece, who has already accepted that amount. The rest of his assets were willed to the Rimrock Ranch for as long as the land remains in the hands of the Tylers and their descendants.”

Erin could hear her heart pounding. Jasper hadn’t been a wealthy man. His only possessions of any worth had been his truck, his guns, and his ATV. But if he’d left the ranch a few thousand dollars, how kind he’d been to think of them.

The lawyer’s eyes narrowed. “As you know, Mr. Platt was a man of few needs and simple tastes. But the Tylers paid him a fair wage as the foreman of the Rimrock. Almost every paycheck he earned, he invested over the years. His bequest to the Rimrock is in the amount of four hundred eighty-three thousand dollars and sixty-two cents.”

Erin felt a moment of light-headedness. Then the tears came, flowing like rain down her cheeks. Oh, Jasper—we loved you so much. You were not of our blood, but you were our father, our grandfather, our dearest friend. And now, again you’ve saved us!

Luke reached for her hand and held it tight as the lawyer continued. “I’ll leave you with a copy of the will. All that remains is for you to tell me how you want the funds distributed.”

“If you can wait until I’m out of the hospital,” Erin said, “I’d like to open up a special account for the money. Then you can do an electronic transfer. Is that possible?”

The little man smiled. “Entirely possible, my dear. I may be an old fossil, but this is the twenty-first century. Just let me know when you have the account and we’ll make the transfer.” He handed Erin a photocopy of the will, with his card attached, shook both their hands, and walked out.

* * *

Erin collapsed in Luke’s arms and sobbed—healing tears for her mother, her father, Jasper, and the ranch that would stay in their family—hopefully forever. Luke held her gently, taking care not to hurt her broken ribs. Erin had her miracle, and she was his.

As they broke apart and he kissed her tear-streaked face, a deep rumble quivered in the air. A drop of wetness spattered the outside window, then another and another.

Luke walked to the window and raised the blinds to give them a view of black clouds roiling across the sky. “I’ll be damned,” he said. “It’s raining.”