Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 418(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
“Lellie,” I added, feeling my face heat.
Connie glanced between the two of us before murmuring. “What a lovely name.” She told me the total of the order and waited while I pulled out my wallet. I hesitated for a moment, remembering belatedly that Silas had mentioned something about the Mercantile preferring card payments over cash for security reasons. I pulled out my credit card and handed it over.
Tully looked like he was going to say something but then clamped his mouth closed. We took our purchases outside and loaded them and the baby in the rental car before heading to the park a few blocks over.
Before I could exit the vehicle, Tully turned to face me. “You don’t have to worry about money. Katie left money to cover Lellie’s expenses.”
I blinked at him. “Worry about money?”
He looked even more uncomfortable than he was making me feel. “I saw you hesitate back there when you heard how much the total was. I was going to offer to cover it, but I didn’t want to make a big deal in front of the cashier. I know this is a small town, and people talk. But I can pay you back from Lellie’s—”
“I got it,” I said with an incredulous laugh. The very idea of him thinking I couldn’t afford to pay for the diapers was ludicrous.
I could understand why he might think that, of course. In Tully’s eyes, I was a ranch hand living over a barn. The reality was I was a billionaire who had the kind of money that sometimes made me want to vomit. But my wealth, and that of the other guys in the brotherhood, was a closely guarded secret. And Tully Bowman was the last person I would ever tell about it.
“I didn’t mean to insult you,” he said. His cheeks had flushed deep red with discomfort. “I just wanted to let you know, since we haven’t had a chance to talk about the details yet…”
“I have a job, you know,” I said, opening the car door. “I believe I mentioned it earlier.” What I didn’t mention was the fact that Way didn’t actually pay me. It was more like we had a partnership, sharing the profits of our breeding program equally.
He sighed and opened his door. We worked together to get Lellie and her stuff out of the vehicle before making our way to a bench beside a small collection of toddler climbing structures. Several other kids were playing with attentive parents or minders nearby.
I wasn’t sure of the etiquette of this kind of situation. After glancing at the other adults and kids, I turned to Tully. “Do we just… release her into the wild?”
He bit his lip as if fighting a grin. “Yes. And then we watch to make sure she doesn’t get eaten by bears or coyotes.”
I nodded and took a seat on the edge of the bench, leaning forward to be ready for any rescue needed. A little boy with several cowlicks sticking up around his head looked particularly prone to misbehavior, so I kept an eagle eye on him as Lellie began toddling toward the structure.
“She’ll be fine,” Tully said softly as he took the bench next to me.
“Mpfh.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes while Lellie navigated her way around the large plastic turtle, patting it and testing it with one knee before finally climbing onto it next to another little girl.
“Can I speak about Katie’s will?”
His question was spoken in the same soft tone. No one was sitting close enough to be able to eavesdrop, and I was ready to get this conversation over with.
I took a breath and prepared myself. “Yes.”
SEVEN
TULLY
I watched Dev carefully as I explained Katie’s wishes.
“She left full custody of Lellie to you. All of her financial assets were left in trust to Lellie, and as Lellie’s guardian, you will be the trustee. That means if you keep her, you can use whatever money you need from those funds for her expenses.” I took a breath. “Lellie also has her own trust that predates Katie’s death. Between the two trusts, there is… quite a bit of money.”
Dev refused to take his eyes off Lellie as she explored the large climbing shapes. He didn’t speak for a few minutes. “Why didn’t Katie leave her to someone else?”
Good question.
“I’m not sure. I mean… I can tell you that she wasn’t particularly close to her parents. They had some… ideological differences.”
He huffed out a breath. “I’m very clear on why she wouldn’t want them to raise her. I just thought… a friend, maybe.”
Again, he didn’t look at me while he spoke. His attention was completely fixed on his daughter, and his entire body was coiled as if to spring up and bolt toward her at any moment.
Memories of his muscular body tried worming their way to the front of my brain, but I refused them. It was hard enough keeping my distance from the man as it was. The minute I replayed our night together two years ago, I would be in serious trouble. Lellie, I reminded myself. You’re here for Lellie.