Page 2 of Ryder

“I’m Ryder Wilde. I left you a message I would be here this afternoon.”

The man smiles and holds out a hand. “Thomas McAndrews. Nice to meet you.”

I shake his firm grip before sitting across from him when he indicates so with a wave of his other hand. “Has anyone else responded to your letter, Mr. McAndrews?” I ask.

“Please, call me Thomas. Yes. Two others.” He opens the huge file right in front of him and pulls out a paper. “Tiago and Dallas. Both are on their way here.”

I chuckle. Tiago is my brother. I guess I should’ve called him, but he didn’t call me either. Dallas is a cousin. I’ve met him a few times, but it’s been several years.

“I assume my parents are unaware of this letter and that you sent it to everyone in my generation?” I’m perplexed about this entire scheme. It’s odd.

“You’re correct about the letter. Amos instructed me to send it to every grandchild. You’ve all received the same offer. I have no idea if any of Amos’s four sons know of the letter. They didn’t hear it from me.”

“Were they even informed of my grandfather’s passing?”

“No. It was his wish that he be cremated with little fuss and no ceremony and that his grandchildren be informed of his death afterward by way of the letter you received.”

I lean back in the chair, assessing Thomas McAndrews. He seems friendly and…sane. I suspect my grandfather was neither of those things. If he had been, all his children wouldn’t have left home, never to return. “How long did you know my grandfather?”

“All my life. I left Wilde for college and law school, but when I returned and opened this practice forty years ago, Amos hired me to manage his will and named me the executor of his estate.”

I nod slowly. “Why would he leave everything to people he never met?”

Thomas rubs his chin. “Who knows? He was…an eccentric man. I never understood most of his decisions.” He pats the folder in front of him. “I can paint the broad picture for you, but I’ve made copies of this file for any of you who shows up to claim his or her inheritance. It will take you some time to go through it.”

“Please, give me the broad picture.”

“Sugar-coated or cold, hard facts?”

I wince. “Facts, please.”

Thomas nods. “Your grandfather was a very rich man. He inherited a sizable amount of money from his father, who made millions in the early nineteen hundreds in the logging industry. Amos Sr. built the mansion your grandfather lived in all of his life in 1910. Some additions and updates were added over the years.”

I lift both brows. “Is the mansion in good repair?”

Thomas chuckles and leans forward on both elbows. “Ryder, nothing in this town is in good repair because Amos owned every building and every inch of land. He pinched pennies worse than Ebenezer Scrooge.”

I inhale sharply.

“You wanted facts. That’s the truth.”

“He owned all the businesses?”

Thomas nods. “The people of the town rent every single thing. Decades ago, Wilde was a hopping tourist town. The businesses were thriving. People came from all around to shop, hike, dine, or even rent a cabin by the lake. But Amos didn’t like to spend his billions, so things went downhill.”

I cringe. “And you have no idea why he left everything to his grandchildren?”

Thomas shrugs. “When his sons grew up, they all left. As odd as he may have been when your grandmother was still alive, he became a bit of a hermit after she passed, and everyone left. I can only guess he hoped at least one of you would return and carry on the family-owned town.”

“Don’t the citizens hate him?”

Thomas clears his throat. “That’s putting it mildly. Yes.”

I groan. “So, I’m expected to…?”

“The citizens are aware that Amos’s grandchildren will be arriving, and they’re hoping you’ll improve their lives.”

I draw a deep breath, thinking about all the people who stared at me when I jumped down from the truck.

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