Home on the Ranch_The Colorado Cowboy's Triplets by Laura Marie Altom

Author:Laura Marie Altom [Altom, Laura Marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Western, Small Town & Rural, contemporary
ISBN: 9781488035319
Google: MK9sDwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 41724006
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-09-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Baxter cleared his throat. “Interestingly enough, your sister left you the house, with the understanding that she needed you to maintain it for your mother and her daughters. That’s the reason we couldn’t handle this via phone. Too much paperwork for the deed transfer. She and Chase’s life insurance was more than enough to pay off any debts, and the house and acreage has been paid off since your grandparents’ time. All that’s necessary for you to keep up with—aside from maintenance, of course—are the annual taxes. There is a stipulation in place that should they desire, your mother and the girls are allowed to reside here for the entirety of their lives.”

“Of course.” But what about custody? Who’s raising the three tenors?

Baxter assembled a massive stack of papers, feeding them to Jed one at a time to sign. “I’ll send copies. Also, I’ll have the property deed registered in your name. Since your mom will be assuming primary care for the girls, Emily left her the car and financial bulk of the estate, as well as the girls’ college funds.”

Wait, what? Jed hadn’t been named guardian?

He should have been happy about the fact, but oddly enough he felt somehow ripped off. Had Emily not trusted him to care for her girls? Had she not thought him capable of doing a good job? Considering how a few moments earlier, he’d damn near had a heart attack from the fear of becoming his nieces’ legal guardian, he now felt equally disappointed. Which made no sense.

He was losing it.

Correction—maybe he had already lost it?

An hour later, the babies were again screaming, Baxter had left and Jed still sat sullenly at the kitchen table, while Camille prepped bottles.

“What’s with the long face?” she asked. “I thought this was what you wanted? For your mom to get the girls?”

“It was—is. But something about hearing it legally stated... I don’t know how to describe it. It kind of pissed me off.”

“You’re acting crazy.” She set all three bottles on the table, then proceeded to fetch the babies from their swings. “You can’t have it both ways.”

“I know. That’s what I mean.”

“Trust me, once you’re back in sunny California, doing whatever it is that you SEALs do, you’ll be relieved to have this chapter behind you.”

“You’re probably right.”

“Of course I am.” She handed him Sallie, and then Callie.

She took Allie, cradling her, fitting her pinkie into the infant’s palm. “Have you ever really looked at them? Their tiny perfection. These fingers...” she said in a soft, singsongy tone. “The itty-bitty nails. It won’t be too long till your grandma’s going to be a full-time manicurist, once you and your sisters discover nail polish.”

“Why do you think she did it?”

“Huh?” Camille looked up from her inspection of his niece.

“Why didn’t Emily trust me to care for her girls?”

“Are you listening to yourself?”

“I mean it. I fully expected Baxter to name me guardian and I was steeling myself for it. But when he didn’t?” He scowled. “I’m not used to losing.

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