Page 4 of Any Luck at All

Bad karma? That didn’t bode well.

He set down the glass and continued to read. “I’ll start with my work family first. To Tom Magee, my plant manager, my fishing buddy, and dear friend, I leave my fishing equipment. You won’t be able to tell me any more whoppers, old boy. I’ll be watching over you, keeping you honest.”

The middle-aged man grinned and nodded his acknowledgment.

“To Rita, you were a joy and a treasure. I’ve left you fifteen thousand dollars for not only cleaning my house but watching over me. Now I’ve finally gotten my way and can buy you a decent car.”

Tears ran down Rita’s face and Dottie pulled another crystal from her pocket and put it in the woman’s hand, whispering something into her ear. Idly, Georgie wondered how many crystals she had in there.

“To River,” Mr. Manning continued. “You’ve become like a son to me. To you, I leave my father’s pocket watch. It should go to someone who appreciates the meaning of such things.”

The man in the off-the-rack suit looked stunned at the announcement. His eyes turned glassy and he cleared his throat before he said, “Thank you.”

Dottie reached over and patted his arm.

“And now on to Prescott,” the attorney said.

Georgie noticed that the letter hadn’t yet addressed two of the people at the end of the table—Dottie and the young man with dark hair and brooding eyes. What was the significance of that?

Dread filled her gut.

The attorney dabbed his face again before continuing. “Dear Prescott. We’ve had our differences, son, some of them my doing and some of them yours. I wish I’d spent more time with you when you were a boy, and I wish you’d corrected my mistakes, rather than following my lead when it came to raising your own children.”

Georgie’s gaze shot to Lee, who was already giving her a questioning glance. Did he think she’d spilled the family secret during her visit with her grandfather? Although it wasn’t much of a secret that Prescott Buchanan had devoted far more of his life to his business than his family.

The attorney continued. “You built your own life, and I confess that was partly my doing, but now I want to give your children the chance to make different choices.”

Adalia perked up at that, turning to Georgie with a questioning look, her short blond curls bouncing around her shoulders.

Georgie made a face that suggested she was just as clueless.

Mr. Manning took a deep breath, as if he were a soldier preparing for battle, then enunciated each word carefully. “The brewery, the house, and everything in it, other than what’s already been stated, goes to Prescott’s four children.”

Mass chaos broke out, everyone shouting at once.

“This is outrageous!” Prescott shouted as he got to his feet. “I will fight this!”

Lee jerked his gaze to the attorney. “How could this happen?”

Victoria was already patting Lee’s arm. “Don’t worry. We can fight this.”

Georgie just stared at them in shock. Was Lee such an ass-kisser that he’d give up his inheritance to placate their father?

Adalia sat back in her seat and turned to Georgie. “Fourchildren. Why did he say that? Dad only hasthreechildren.”

Because it turned out Beau Buchananhadsomehow known Prescott’s dirty little secret.

Horror filled Georgie as she turned to face the young man at the end of the table. And she wondered why she hadn’t seen it before. He shared her father’s cheekbones. And dark eyes. His hair was the same dark color her father’s had been. Georgie and her siblings’ coloring had come from their mother.

“Georgie?” Adalia demanded.

“There are four,” Georgie said quietly, unable to take her eyes off her younger brother. While she’d known of him, she’d never seen him. Not even a photo.

“What?” Adalia screeched. “How?”

“Come now, Adalia,” Victoria sneered. “You’re a grown woman. You know how these things work.”

Adalia turned to Georgie. “Youknew?”

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