Page 10 of Ropers Can't Tie Knots
He rubs a hand to his neck and clears his throat. “There’s a summary page in there if it helps from the guy who helped me.”
“Okay. I’ll do what I can.”
Ignoring the summary, I fish around to find a notepad and pen and start reading. After returning to the start and reviewing the first trust, I agree with the lawyer’s summary. Including the suspicion that it was an intentional oversight to keep Hunter from accessing it.
It’s a legal fucking document and stated clearly he had access to funds for property upkeep. My bet is that’s what he’s got spread all over the dining room table. At least he kept records.
Yawning, I check the time and notice it’s almost ten 10 PM. I’d like to know what this will take to sort before I head to bed. I get back to the second trust with a renewed focus. It’s just as complicated as the first, with far too many clauses that don’t need to be there or make much sense. A lawyer who gets paid by the hour and loves to make it look like he knows a lot by being extra wordy without cause is clear.
I hate guys like that. Don’t be purposely vague. Get to the point.
But slogging through, I weed out all the conditions that make sense for Hunter to access this and sit back with a hand in my hair. This is…odd.
“Hunter? Are you free?”
A chair scrapes back in the dining room, and he walks over.
“Did you already sort it out?” He’s hopeful, and a small smile graces his face. I’m not sure how long it will stay there, though.
Motioning to the couch for him to sit, I nod. “I think so.”
He huffs a surprised laugh. “Seriously? I paid the last guy three grand to work out the first one, and it took him months to get back to me.”
“Well, he probably had other cases and didn’t make yours a priority, but to be fair, the first one was more complicated, and I agree with what he said. So no worries there.”
Hunter closes his eyes and sighs. “Thank god. You don’t know how stressful that was.”
A nervous laugh escapes my lips, and his eyes snap open.
“Okay, so…um, this residual trust isn’t all that complicated. In fact, I had to read it twice to make sure I got it right because…”
It’s like a Band-Aid, right? I should just blurt it out and not try to sugarcoat it. Hunter is a man of action and not games. He’s blunt and honest.
“Gabe, just tell me. Did he leave it to his favourite horse, and I already sold it or something?”
“You’re his only surviving family member, correct?”
“Yes.”
“The residual of his estate, all his wealth that isn’t used to manage this property, is left to…” I flip to the page and read directly from the document. “‘The residual of my estate shall be bequeathed to my sole heir in its entirety. As my partner in the rodeo stock breeding, he shall inherit the sum of my wealth.’”
“So he left it all to me? Holy shit.”
“There’s a catch.” Inhaling a breath, I continue to read. “‘My wealth shall be distributed to my sole heir in increments when milestones of the nuptials are reached.’”
Hunter blinks. “What?”
“It lists dates that sums will be released to you, Hunter. He doesn’t name you by name, which is odd, but he at least named you as his business partner for the rodeo stock. There wasn’t a third name, was there?”
Hunter shakes his head. “No. Just the two of us. But…nuptials?”
Flipping the page, I find the passage and read it. “‘Failure for my heir to sustain a marriage for the full duration will result in forfeiting any remaining sum to Broken Rainbow charity.’”
Hunter remains completely still. He doesn’t even blink, and I wonder if this is what it’s like in the eye of a tornado. Pure calm before chaos.
“He wants me to get married and if I don’t, he’ll leave the money to a fucking anti-queer charity!?” He launches off the coach and strides to the end of the room. “Are you absolutely sure, Gabe?”
Hunter’s voice is barely a whisper with his back to me, but I hear him. To the depth of my soul, I feel what that question doesn’t ask.
