Harlequin Special Edition: December 2022 Box Set 1 of 2 by Brenda Harlen

Author:Brenda Harlen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Travis noted that this was apparently not welcome news to Skye. “You’re considering going back to ranching now?” she asked.

“Not exactly. Not full-time.”

She stared at him in confusion. “Then...?”

“I spoke with Griff yesterday while you were at work, about how binding the terms of the will were. He said once we fulfill the marriage contract and inherit the ranch as a married couple, it will be ours, free and clear. And then legally, we can do as we please.”

Travis knew he was taking a lot of license here; but with a baby on the way, everything had changed. And he felt sure that if Walter and Willa were still here, they would understand that. He also knew how Skye longed for a financial safety net. The kind that meant she would never, ever have to worry again. He was resolved to provide that, too.

He moved closer, drinking in the feminine citrusy scent of her hair and skin. “What I’m trying to tell you is that we don’t have to sell Winding Creek, Skye. At least, not the ranch house and cabin and barns and the surrounding one hundred or so acres. We could just sell off the majority of the land and put the cash we would gain from that in trusts—one for you and one for the baby.”

The tension in her shoulders eased slightly. “What about you?”

That was easy. “My share is going to go to you and the baby.”

“That’s not fair to you and not really what Walter and Willa wanted, either.” Her voice grew as troubled as her expression. “They already regretted having to sell off over five hundred acres the last twenty years to continue living on the ranch after they’d retired and stopped running cattle.”

Travis exhaled. “I know each acre they lost was painful to them.” Empathetically, he continued, “Since they had no children and they’d spent all their lives building and expanding this ranch, this land was their legacy.”

“Exactly. They wanted what was left of the property to stay in one piece and go to a loving family with kids, who would bring it back to life...”

Travis nodded. “A loving family like us...who just happen to be having a baby right now.”

He was certain Walter and Willa would prioritize the family they were fast becoming over land.

She threw up her hands in frustration. “And in theory, that’s great, Travis. But in reality, we can’t afford to stay here long-term right now on our own. Us selling the ranch piecemeal wasn’t what Walter and Willa wanted, and we know it. So whether we have the legal right to do it anyway isn’t the point.”

Ouch!

“The ranch isn’t set up now to run cattle and/or horses,” she went on, getting more fired up with every second that passed. “And, most important of all, I’ll be having our baby mere months from now, and I want to take maternity leave for at least six months, which is unpaid. I don’t have enough savings right now to support that.

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