Page 21 of Ryder

Tiago cringes. “Why was Amos such a dick? There’s plenty of money in the estate to fix everything.”

“Will it cut into your inheritance?” I ask. I’m not afraid to be bold here. The town needs answers. “Maybe some of your cousins will show up and decide they’d rather take their cut and run—to hell with the town.”

Tiago shakes his head.

So does Ryder. “No. It’s not written that way. According to the will, every grandkid who comes here to live and keep the town running is entitled to a specified amount of money. It’s already set aside. It’s substantial, but the estate is still worth millions even after that. There’s no reason for the town to be suffering.”

I draw in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “So, you’ll help?”

Both men nod before Ryder says, “I can’t imagine any of our cousins would balk at that. There’s no reason to. Whether we spend the money in the estate or not has no bearing on our inheritance. Besides, we don’t know how many of our cousins will show up. It’s a huge commitment. Some of them have lives they may not be willing to walk away from to move to a tiny town in the middle of nowhere for ten years.”

I pick up my fork and stab a strawberry. The relief I feel is tremendous. The town will feel the same when word spreads.

Ryder sets a hand on the back of my chair. “How would we be received if we held a town meeting and let everyone air their grievances?”

I ponder his question. “Initially, they’ll be skeptical. You’ll have to prove your intentions are in their best interests.”

Tiago reaches for another sandwich. “Perhaps ifyoustart the rumor mill, it will help…?”

I nod. “It should.”

Ryder rubs his temples and glances at his brother. I didn’t know the man had a serious side until now. I’m glad. Though I love his banter, it would be exhausting day in and day out if he didn’t stop to deal with reality. “Thomas said Dallas is coming soon. He’s the only one of our cousins who has responded to the letter so far.”

Tiago nods. “I think we should call Brody.”

“Who’s Brody?” I ask.

Ryder’s hand comes to my neck and squeezes. “Another one of our cousins. He owns a construction company. He might not be willing to move here, but perhaps we could get him to come for a few weeks or months to get the infrastructure sorted out and give us some guidance.”

Hope. I have hope.

Chapter9

Ryder

After lunch, I drag Claire from room to room on the first floor. We don’t cover even half of them. We could get lost exploring this monstrosity and do so for days. I’m okay with that. Even though our morning banter has switched to a more serious tone, I find I like this side of our relationship, too.

In the end, Claire helps me make a list of everyone in town she thinks might be willing to get this property cleaned up. Many of them are people who have been employed here in the past and know the mansion inside and out. A lot of them are out of work.

Claire believes McAndrews will sign off on anything we ask for. She also thinks the best thing we can do in the short term to show our good intentions is to employ people. Get money in their pockets. Boost the local economy.

Gretchen is going to serve dinner at six so that Claire can get home at a reasonable hour. She has to work at four in the morning. I already loathe the idea of her leaving.

I’ve never in my life spent this much time with a woman, and certainly not without spending a good chunk of it in bed. I’ve never had my chest tighten at the thought of a woman leaving my house.

On the rare occasions I brought women into my apartment, I spent most of the time hoping they wouldn’t stay too long. I could do the cuddling thing for a while, but I’m not the sort of man who wants to keep the party going past dawn.

I want to keep Claire. I want her to stay all night and never leave. That alone is a sign that she’s it for me.

I’ve given her some space for the last few hours, but I’m done with our space. After we spend some time wandering around in a formal living room, which we both doubt has seen many guests in decades, I take her hand and drag her down the hallway toward the back staircase without a word.

As soon as we’re on the stairs, she hedges. “Ryder…”

I turn around, still holding her hand, and continue up the stairs backward. “What’s wrong?” I ask, feigning ignorance.

“I’m not stupid. Your bedroom is upstairs.”

I shrug. “There are a lot of bedrooms upstairs. I have no idea if I’ve chosen wisely. You should definitely help decide which room we claim for ten years. That’s a long time. I think you and I should get to pick first. We were here first. If my cousins or sister want to move to Wilde, they’ll have to take what’s left.”

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