Truly Madly Yours (5 page)

She and Lisa followed him out the door and into the black night. She hoped her mother was already in bed asleep. “Damn it’s cold,” she muttered, the mountain chill seeping into her pores. Crossing her arms over her breasts, she practically ran down the sidewalk to keep up with Nick’s long strides. She wasn’t used to summer nights in the mountains of Idaho anymore. In Phoenix temperatures dipped to ninety-four—not fifty-four—and she couldn’t wait to get back.

“It’s not that cold,” Lisa argued as they passed Delaney’s yellow Miata parked by the curb. “You’ve turned into a wimp.”

“You’re a bigger wimp than I am. You always were. Remember when you fell off the monkey bars in sixth grade and cried for three hours?”

“I hurt my tailbone.”

They stopped by Nick’s black Jeep. “It didn’t hurt that much,” she said. “You were just a big wimp.”

“At least I didn’t cry like a baby when I had to dissect a frog in high school.”

“I got frog guts in my hair,” Delaney defended. “Anyone would cry if frog guts flew in their hair.”

“Jesus, Joseph, and Mary.” Nick sighed like a weary priest and opened the car passenger door. “What did I do to deserve this?”

Lisa pushed the seat forward. “Something sinful I’m sure,” she said and climbed into the back.

Nick laughed and flipped the backrest into place for Delaney. Like a perfect gentleman, he held the door for her. She knew she was drunk, her judgment impaired, but maybe he had changed. She looked at him cast in shadows, only the lower half of his face illuminated by a street lamp. She knew he could charm the pants off anyone when he wanted, and there had been a few times in her life when he’d been uncharacteristically nice to her. Like the time in fourth grade when she’d come out of the market with a plenty pack of Trident and discovered a flat tire on her bicycle. Nick had insisted on pushing it all the way home. He’d shared his candy with her, and she’d given him some of her gum. Maybe he’d actually changed and
turned
into a nice guy. “Thank you for the ride home, Nick.” Or better yet, maybe he’d forgotten about the single worst night of her life. Maybe he’d forgotten that she’d thrown herself at him.

“Any time.” A smile curved his sensuous mouth and he handed the purse to her. “Wild thing.”

Now all she had to do was listen to the will and, of course, tell her mother she was leaving. Gwen would do her best to make Delaney feel guilty, and Delaney wasn’t looking forward to the confrontation.

She left the room and headed downstairs to Henry’s office to hear the reading of his will. She’d dressed for comfort in a sleeveless T-shirt dress made of soft blue cotton, and she’d shoved her feet into a pair of platform slides that she could kick off easily during the long drive ahead of her.

At the entrance to the office, a long-time friend of Henry’s, Frank Stuart, greeted her as if he were a doorman at the Ritz-Carlton. “Good morning, Miss Shaw,” he said as she walked into the room. Max Harrison, Henry’s estate lawyer, sat behind the heavy desk and looked up as Delaney entered. She shook his hand and spoke to him briefly before taking a seat beside her mother in the front row.

“Who isn’t here?” she asked, referring to the remaining empty chair next to hers.

“Nick.” Gwen sighed as she fingered the three strands of her pearl necklace. “Although I can’t imagine why Henry would provide for him in his will. He’d tried to reach out many times in the past few years, but Nick threw every attempt back in his father’s face.”

So Henry had attempted a reconciliation. She wasn’t really surprised. She’d always assumed since Henry had failed to produce a legitimate heir with Gwen, he’d eventually turn his attention to the son he’d always ignored.

Less than a minute later, Nick walked into the room, managing to look almost respectable in a pair of charcoal corduroys and a ribbed silk polo the same color as his eyes. Unlike the funeral, he’d dressed for the occasion. His hair was pulled back, and he’d left his earring at home. His gaze moved over the room, then he took the chair next to Delaney. She glanced up at him out of the corner of her eye, but he stared straight ahead, feet apart, his hands resting on his thighs. The clean scent of his aftershave teased her nose. She hadn’t spoken to him since he’d called her “wild thing” the night before. She’d ignored him all the way to her mother’s house, feeling the same humiliation she thought she’d overcome years ago. She had no intention of speaking to the jerk now.

“Thank you all for coming,” Max greeted, drawing Delaney’s attention. “In order to save time, I would ask that you hold all questions until I am finished.” He cleared his throat, squared the documents in front of him, and began in his smooth lawyer’s voice, “ ‘I, Henry Shaw, now of Truly, resident of Valley County, State of Idaho, do make and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all Wills and Codicils I have made before this.

“ ‘Article I: I nominate and appoint my trusted friend Frank Stuart as Executor of this Will. I request that no Executor or successor in such capacity shall be required to furnish any sureties on his official bond...’ ”

Delaney looked at a point behind Max’s head and listened with half an ear as he read the part of the will that outlined the duty of the executor. She didn’t care about executor duties. Her mind was filled with more important concerns, like her mother seated on one side and Nick on the other. The two disliked each other intensely. They always had, and the tension that filled the room was almost tangible.

Nick’s shoulder brushed Delaney’s as he placed his elbows on the arms of his chair. His shirt grazed her bare skin, then was gone. Delaney forced herself to remain perfectly still, as if the touch hadn’t happened, as if she hadn’t felt the smooth texture of his sleeve on her skin.

Max proceeded to the section of the will that provided for Henry’s long-time employees and his brothers at the Moose Lodge. Then he paused and Delaney returned her gaze to him. She watched him carefully set one page aside before he continued. “ ‘Article III: (A) I give and bequeath half of my tangible property and half of my estate not otherwise disposed of hereunder, together with any unexpired insurance policies thereon, to my wife, Gwen Shaw. Gwen was an excellent wife, and I loved her deeply.

“ ‘(B) To my daughter, Delaney Shaw, I give and bequeath the remainder of my tangible property and the remainder of my estate not otherwise disposed of hereunder on the condition that she reside strictly within the city limits of Truly, Idaho, and may not leave, for a period of one year so that she may look after her mother. The subsequent year to begin upon notification of this Will. If Delaney refuses to comply with the terms of this Will, the property referred to in this Article III (B) shall pass to my son, Nick Allegrezza.’ ”

“What does all that mean?” Delaney interrupted. Her mother’s sudden grasp on her arm was the only thing keeping her from jumping to her feet.

Max glanced at her, then returned his gaze to the document on the desk before him. “ ‘(C) I give to my son, Nick Allegrezza, the properties known as Angel Beach and Silver Creek, to do with as he wishes, provided that he refrain from entering into a sexual relationship with Delaney Shaw for one year. If Nick refuses, or goes against my wishes in regard to this stipulation, then the above property shall revert to Delaney Shaw.’ ”

Delaney sat rigid in her chair, feeling as if she’d been zapped with a stun gun. Heat flushed her face and her heart felt like it had stopped. Max’s voice continued for several more moments, but Delaney was too confused to listen. It was all too much to take in at one time, and she didn’t really understand most of what had been read. Except the last part forbidding Nick to “enter into a sexual relationship” with her. That part had been a slap directed at them both. A reminder of the past when Nick had used her to get back at Henry, and she’d begged him to do it. Even after his death, Henry wasn’t finished punishing her. She was so mortified she wanted to die. She wondered what Nick thought, but she was too afraid to look at him.

The lawyer finished and glanced up from the will. Silence filled the office, and no one spoke for several long moments, until Gwen voiced the question on everyone’s mind.

“Is that legal and binding?”

“Yes,” Max answered.

“So, I am to receive half of the estate free of conditions, yet in order for Delaney to inherit, she must stay in Truly for one year?”

“That’s correct.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Delaney scoffed, trying her best to forget about Nick and concentrate on her own bequest. “This is the 1990s. Henry can’t play God. This can’t be legal.”

“I assure you it is. In order to inherit your share, you must agree to the conditions expressed in the will.”

“Forget it.” Delaney stood. Her bags were packed. She wasn’t about to let Henry control her from the grave. “I’ll give my share to Mother.”

“You can’t. The bequest was conditional. You will receive your share of the estate on the condition you reside in Truly for one year. The estate is held in trust until after the provisionary period. In short, you can’t give your mother what you don’t have. And if you decided to reject the terms of the will, your portion of the estate will revert to Nick, not Gwen.”

And if Delaney did that, her mother would kill her. But Delaney didn’t care. She wasn’t going to sell her soul to spare her mother. “What if I contest the will?” she asked, becoming desperate.

“You can’t contest the will simply because you don’t like the provisions. You have to have grounds, such as lack of mental capacity or fraud.”

“Well, there you go.” Delaney lifted her hands, palms up. “Henry was obviously out of his mind.”

“I’m afraid the court would hold a different view. The provision has to be proven illegal or against public policy, and it is neither. It may be considered capricious, but it meets the requirements of the law. The fact is, Delaney, your portion of the estate is estimated at just over three million dollars. Henry has made you a very wealthy young woman. All you have to do is live in Truly for one year, and no court is going to consider the condition impossible to perform. You can accept or refuse. It’s that simple.”

Delaney sat back down, the breath knocked from her lungs.
Three million
. She’d assumed they were talking about several
thousand.

“If you agree to the terms,” Max continued, “an adequate monthly allowance will be provided for your care and support.”

“When did Henry make this will?” Gwen wanted to know.

“Two months ago.”

Gwen nodded as if it all made perfect sense, but it didn’t. Not to Delaney.

“Do you have any questions, Nick?” Max asked.

“Yeah. Does one fuck constitute a sexual relationship?”

“Oh, my God!” Gwen gasped.

Delaney clenched her hands into fists and turned her gaze to him. His gray eyes burned with fury, and anger thinned his lips. That was okay with Delaney; she was furious, too. They stared at each other, two combatants spoiling for a fight. “You,” she said, lifting her chin and looking at him as if he were something she needed to scrape off her shoes, “are evil.”

“And what about oral sex?” Nick asked, keeping his gaze locked on Delaney.

“Uh ... Nick,” Max spoke into the tension. “I don’t think we—”

“I think we do,” Nick interrupted. “Henry was obviously concerned about it. So concerned he included it in his will.” He turned his hard gaze to the lawyer. “I think we need to know the rules right up front so there’s no confusion.”

“
I’m
not confused,” Delaney told him.

“For instance,” Nick continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I’ve never considered a one-night stand a relationship. Just two naked bodies rubbing up against each other, getting all sweaty, and having a good time. In the morning you wake up alone. No promises you never intend to keep. No commitment. No looking at each other over breakfast. Just sex.”

Max cleared his throat. “I believe Henry’s intent was no sexual contact at all.”

“How’s anyone going to know?”

Delaney glared at him. “Easy. I wouldn’t have sex with you to save my life.”

He looked at her and lifted a skeptical brow.

“Well,” Max interjected, “as executor, it is Frank Stuart’s duty to see that the terms are enforced.”

Nick turned his attention to the executor, who stood at the back of the room. “Are you going to spy on me, Frank? Peek in my windows?”

“No, Nick. I’ll take your word that you’ll agree to the conditions of the will.”

“I don’t know, Frank,” he said and turned his gaze to Delaney once again. His eyes lingered on her mouth before sliding down her throat to her breast. “She’s pretty hot. What if I just can’t control myself?”

“Stop it right now!” Gwen stood and pointed at Nick. “If Henry were here, you wouldn’t behave this way. If Henry were here, you’d have more respect.”

He looked at Gwen as he rose to his feet. “If Henry were here, I’d kick his ass for him.”

“He was your father!”

“He was nothing more than a sperm donor,” he scoffed, then he moved to the door and delivered one last parting shot before he left. “Too bad for all of us he was a one-shot wonder,” he said, leaving the room filled with stunned silence.

“Leave it to Nick to make everything unpleasant,” Gwen said after they heard the front door close. “Henry tried to make amends, but Nick rejected him every time. I think it’s because he’s always been jealous of Delaney. His behavior here today proves it, don’t you think?”

Delaney’s head began to pound. “I don’t know.” She raised her palms to the sides of her face. “I’ve never known why Nick does the things he does.” Nick had always been a mystery to her, even when they were kids. He’d always been unpredictable, and she’d never pretended to understand why he behaved the way he did. One day he acted like he could hardly tolerate her presence in the same town, then the very next day he might say something nice to her, or make the boys at her school stop teasing her. And just when she would start to think he was nice, he’d blindside her, leaving her stunned and gasping. Like today, and like the time he’d hit her between the eyes with a snowball. She’d been in the third grade, standing in front of the school, waiting for her mother to pick her up. She remembered standing to one side, watching Nick and a group of his friends build a snow fort by the flagpole. She remembered how his thick black hair and olive skin had been such a sharp contrast against all that white. He’d worn a navy wool sweater with leather patches on the shoulders, and his cheeks had turned red from the cold. She’d smiled at him, and he’d thrown a snowball at her and practically knocked her unconscious. She’d had to go to school with two black eyes, which eventually turned green and yellow before fading completely.