Page 5 of Operation Wolf: Hunter
Daniel Nash.So, that was his name. I felt an unexpected lump form in my throat at the loss of a man I never knew, and I rolled my eyes.Oh, who are you kidding? You never tried to seek out any family before. Get your shit together.
“How did he die?” I had to clear my throat to get the words out.
“He broke his neck in a tumble down the stairs,” the lawyer told me. “Terrible thing.” He paused. “I’m relieved you remember him. I wasn’t sure you would, being a distant relation.”
“I’ve never met him.” I leaned back in my chair with a sigh, ignoring Drew’s inquisitive stare. “I just vaguely recall my father mentioning an Uncle Daniel when I was younger.”
“I see. Well, unfortunately, Mr. Nash did not have a wife or children, and while he did will a few of his things to various members of the community, he left the bulk of his estate to be passed on to his next of kin. I’ll need you to come down for the will reading on Tuesday, as well as help to execute his funeral arrangements.”
Jesus.
“But I don’t want an estate,” I protested, a headache building between my eyes. “I’m not looking for any kind of inheritance or anything.”
“Nevertheless, you’re the only heir, and someone needs to take care of the funeral arrangements, so the townspeople can have some closure,” the lawyer said firmly. “Unless you’d rather leave this responsibility to a total stranger?”
“No, of course not.” I bit back a retort at the lawyer’s pointed question, knowing he was right. I might not have known my uncle, but he was family, and I would want my next of kin to take care of my arrangements if I passed away without an heir. “Let me get my schedule cleared, and I’ll come down.”
I hung up the phone and then turned to Drew, who was waiting expectantly for an explanation, not even putting up a pretense of working anymore.
“So, I’m clearing your schedule?” Drew asked, raising a brow. “You do realize that you have a fashion shoot booked with Yves Saint Laurent next week?”
“Yeah, well, they’re either going to have to reschedule or find someone else,” I said, shoving to my feet. “I’m going to be gone for at least a week.” I stalked out of the office, so I could break down my equipment and get everything in order. I had a Texas funeral to attend, and I’d never been late for anything in my damn life.
