Page 17 of Her Christmas Lumberjack

Only when he finally looks up do I see the worst expression of all written on every line of his face. The one I’ve been dreading.

Hurt.

8

NOLAN

I stareat my grandfather’s will, my brain swirling with confusion. I’ve never seen this one before. It’s dated 2004, the year he died, and demands that everything be left to Ralph Thorne, my dad’s older brother.

What the hell is this?

And why does Aurora have it?

I look at her, my confusion deepening when I see the guilt on her face, tears shining in her eyes.

“Aurora, what is this?”

She lets out a sob. “I’m so sorry.”

Wordlessly, I reach for her bag, still laying on the floor. It’s stuffed full of documents about the farm—plans, drawings, photographs, old family letters.

“Where did you get all this?” I ask, shaking my head like it will help to order my thoughts. “Why do you have it?”

“I haven’t been honest with you, Nolan. I never meant for you to find out this way.” She takes a shaky step toward me. “I-I’m not really a journalist. I don’t work for the Crave County Gazette.”

There’s a buzzing noise growing in my ears as she talks. It feels like I’ve walked into a weird dream that I can’t find my way out of.

“Aurora, what are you talking about?”

She sniffs, wiping her eyes. “I work for a lawyer called Liz Hamilton. She sent me here to gather information for our client.”

I stare at her for a long time, unable to speak. Suddenly, it all makes sense. The guilty looks. All her questions about the farm’s history.

“Who’s your client?” I ask, even though I already have a pretty good idea.

“Samuel Thorne.”

The sound of my cousin’s name makes my fists clench. Samuel Thorne is the biggest conman in Crave County, always trying to make a quick buck, not caring who he hurts in the process. He’s a fucking disgrace to the family. And now he thinks he can come after my farm?

“Let me get this straight,” I say, my throat burning. “You’re here to see if my cousin has a claim on this land?”

Aurora nods, her voice shaky with emotion. “K-kind of, yes. Liz is the one who will build the case, but she sent me to do some background research. Samuel b-believes the land legally belonged to his dad, Ralph.”

Seeing her cry is like a punch to the gut. Rudolph is sniffing at her legs, whimpering, but I can’t bring myself to comfort her. I feel like the ground has opened up beneath me, and I’m tumbling down, down, down…

“He doesn’t have a claim,” I say fiercely, trying to keep my breathing under control. “He’s a damn con artist. Always has been.” Then, before Aurora can reply, I storm down the hallway and into my bedroom, yanking the closet doors open. Tucked in the back is a safe full of my dad’s most important documents.I open it and find what I’m looking for immediately, carrying it back into the living room.

“This is my grandpa’s will,” I say, holding it out to her. “It leaves everything to my dad, Abe.” She takes it, scanning it as I continue. “Grandpa cut Ralph out of the will on purpose. He was a drunk and a gambler. He’d have sold the farm in an instant and bet every dime on horses and whiskey.”

Aurora bites her lip, eyes sad as she hands the will back to me. “This is dated 2002. The will Samuel presented is from 2004, which would make this one invalid.”

Blood drains from my body. The buzzing noise is louder than ever.

“You’re saying you think he really does have a claim?”

“I don’t know. I’m just a paralegal, not a lawyer, but…it’s possible.” She presses her lips together, her face pale. “I’m so sorry, Nolan. I’ve been looking for something that will disprove his claim, but I c-can’t find anything.” She takes a deep, quivering breath. “You can fight this. Liz is a good lawyer, but you can hire a better one. And I’ll help you. I’ll do everything I can.”

The thought of Samuel getting his hands on this land makes me see red. Everything my dad worked for. All gone. The farm, my home, my brother’s home…fuck, he’d probably rip it all up and sell the land off to developers. Turn it into a damn strip mall or something.

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