Where There's a Will

by Brenda Sinclair

  “Consider it a gift. I missed your birthday last month.” Willow smiled and winked at her.

  “You’re impossible, Willow Harrison.” She shook her head. “But I love you too much to argue with you.”

  “Wise decision. And by wearing them, you’ve saved me the bother of wrapping them up.” Sheila stood beaming at her customers while Willow counted out the cash to pay for the purchase.

  A moment later, Leonard drove the Circle H carriage to the store and they called their goodbyes to Sheila and stepped outside.

  “The men loaded the wagon and headed back to the ranch with the supplies and two of our new ranch hands. The other fellow is coming by horse tomorrow. Are you ready to return also?” Leonard called from the bench seat, grasping the reins in his hands.

  “We certainly are,” Mrs. Griffith said, nimbly clambering into the carriage. “I’ve got men waiting for a meal at home. No time to dawdle in town.”

  Adam strode down the sidewalk and offered Willow his hand. “Let me help you up.”

  “Thank you.” She offered him a broad smile, hoping he’d received more news from Milestone. She’d promised to write but she’d been so busy since arriving she’d forgotten to send the letter that she’d composed during the journey to Cactus Plains. She would add a few lines tonight and mail it tomorrow. She hadn’t any notion how long it would take a letter to arrive in Milestone, but hopefully before she herself returned. “Did you hear from your father again?”

  “Nothing more.” Adam settled on the seat beside her.

  Willow met his eyes. He’d become so much more to her than an employer. While Leonard had been preoccupied with coming to terms with everything they’d learned, her brother hadn’t given her much attention. But Adam had been concerned about her from the first disturbing news that Daniel learned from the elderly Mrs. Sanders. Willow was so thankful for Adam’s friendship, hoping someday it might become more.

  Adam heaved a sigh. “I’ll send another telegraph to Pa after we talk with your father’s lawyer tomorrow.”

  “You’ve arranged a meeting with him?”

  “No. Daniel suggested we simply make an appearance in his office and see what he has to say or himself.”

  Willow nodded. “That makes sense, because goodness only knows what more we’ll learn.” She hoped her nerves would take it.

  “After Mrs. Sanders’s revelations, nothing would surprise me.”

  Willow couldn’t disagree. She reached for Adam’s hand and he wrapped her in his arms. She hadn’t felt so discombobulated in her life, and she couldn’t imagine facing so many disturbing discoveries without this wonderful man at her side.

  Chapter 24

  Next morning shortly after nine o’clock, Willow and Adam sat in the waiting area of Braymore Law Office in Cactus Plains, anticipating being joined by the others in a few minutes. Willow shifted on the uncomfortable chair and forced back a yawn. She hadn’t slept well, worrying about the meeting with her father’s lawyer. She recalled the fellow—a dark-haired man with unruly brown hair, intense black eyes and a serious expression—meeting with her father at the Circle H when she was twelve or thirteen. The two men had spent several minutes in the ranch study presumably completing their business together, and then the man abruptly exited their home without a word to anyone and left the ranch. Either the man had been in a rush or was simply rude. She couldn’t recall ever seeing the attorney again until he appeared at the ranch to read her father’s will after his passing.

  Soon, Daniel, Sawyer and Leonard stepped into the building and nodded a greeting.

  “Good morning.” Daniel removed his bowler and strode across the room to where a middle-aged woman sat behind a small wooden desk. She wore a dark brown suit with her hair styled in a severe bun.

  She peeked over her small, round spectacles. “May I help you?” she inquired with a purse-lipped expression.

  “I’m here with these other folks and we’d like to speak with Mr. Braymore.”

  Willow hoped Daniel’s decision to simply appear at the lawyer’s office without warning proved the correct action. Considering the serious miscarriage of justice he suspected had occurred, Daniel wanted to prevent the man’s quick and quiet exit from town to avoid the interrogation he had coming. Surely, no one had tipped off Braymore to their likely intentions. Of course, anything was possible in a small town like Cactus Plains.

  “So the other members of your party informed me.” She straightened in her chair. “As I told them… Mr. Braymore hasn’t arrived yet this morning.”

  “We’ll wait,” Daniel said, cheerfully. “Don’t worry about offering us coffee, we’ve just finished our breakfasts.”

  The woman’s mouth dropped open and she muttered something under her breath.

  Daniel returned to the others. “Take a seat, everyone. We’ll wait for Mr. Braymore.”

  The woman glared at Daniel and then her gaze roamed over the rest of them in turn. If looks could kill. Willow wondered if this Mr. Braymore would give his poor assistant a dressing down once he discovered the woman had permitted them to wait for him. Essentially, ambushing him in the process. Hopefully, her position as his secretary wouldn’t be in jeopardy. Considering the bare ring finger on her left hand, signifying she was either unmarried or a widow, the woman probably required the position to support herself.

  A moment later, the front door opened and a tall gentleman in a fashionable suit, white shirt and tie strode inside. Willow recognized him immediately. He removed a watch from his vest pocket and glanced at the time before moving his gaze to his secretary. “Am I late for an appointment, Miss Charles?”

  The woman leapt to her feet. “Good morning, sir. These people… simply showed up at nine o’clock deman… requesting a meeting with you.”

  “Well, give me a moment to settle in and I’ll see them in my office,” he announced smiling directly at Willow.

  Willow glanced at Adam. His expression told her he didn’t appreciate the lecherous smile she’d received from the man. Daniel touched Adam’s arm and shook his head ever so slightly. Adam glared daggers at the attorney but held his tongue.

  Five minutes later, Miss Charles escorted them into the attorney’s office.

  “Take a seat, please.” With a grandiose wave of his hand, Mr. Braymore offered them a seat on the six ladderback chairs circling the front of his enormous mahogany desk. “Miss Charles, please be seated also, and take notes on this meeting for me.” He smiled at the woman who seated herself on the chair at the end near the window, holding a pencil to her notepad in preparation to record what would transpire.

  “Good morning, everyone. I recognized you, Leonard Harrison, and Miss Willow.” Mr. Braymore seated himself on the leather chair behind his desk and stared at Daniel, Sawyer and Adam in turn. “Gentlemen, you have me at a disadvantage. Please introduce yourselves.”

  Daniel presented his badge. “I’m Agent Daniel McLennon with the Pinkerton Detective Agency out of Chicago. The gentleman to my left is retired agent, Sawyer Manning. The other fellow is my brother, Adam McLennon from Milestone, Montana.”

  Miss Charles furiously wrote everyone’s name and other information provided in her notebook as Daniel spoke.

  “My goodness, to what do I owe a visit from Pinkertons?” the attorney blurted, shifting in his chair.

  “Pinkerton. I’m retired,” Sawyer clarified.

  “Yes, of course.” Mr. Braymore leaned back in his seat. “How might I be of assistance?”

  “We would like to review Mr. Hartley Harrison’s will,” Daniel began.

  “With our full permission,” Leonard added.

  Willow nodded in agreement.

  Mr. Braymore tapped his desk with the fingers on one hand. “Well, the matter of Mr. Harrison’s estate was settled close to a year ago.” He shook his head. “I imagine the will is filed away in our closed files somewhere in the storage room. It might take some time to—”

  “We’ll wait,” Willow blurted. “We need
to read the will in its entirety. Something we weren’t permitted at the time you visited the Circle H after Father’s passing.”

  “I… I read the will to you myself,” Mr. Braymore blustered. “Are… are you suggesting—”

  “We’re not suggesting anything. We’re simply requesting a rereading and review of the will,” Daniel chimed in. “That shouldn’t be a problem, should it?”

  “Unless, of course, you have something to hide...” Leonard left the thought hanging.

  “Not at all!” Braymore exclaimed. “Why would I be hiding anything? The will couldn’t have been more straightforward.”

  “Really?” Sawyer tipped his head. “I would imagine the estate of a wealthy ranch owner like Hartley Harrison would be quite complicated. With the matter of the Circle H Ranch, the land, buildings, animals. The house. Any other assets. Investments. Why I would expect settling an estate of that size would be quite the undertaking.”

  “Mr. Harrison’s wishes were quite clear, spelled out in detail in his will,” Braymore exploded. “There couldn’t have been more precise directions, easily followed and executed in a timely manner.”

  “Excellent.” Leonard slapped his knee. “Then fetching that file and allowing us to read our father’s will shouldn’t be a problem at all.”

  Braymore’s face paled. Had he unknowingly propelled himself into a corner with his loquacious pronouncement? Forced himself to produce the legal document for their perusal?

  “Would you like me to fetch Mr. Harrison’s file, sir?” Miss Charles offered.

  Mr. Braymore leapt out of his chair. “I… I’ll go look for it myself.” He headed for the door. “Excuse me for a few minutes, please.”

  Miss Charles leaned back in her chair. “Would anyone like a cup of coffee while we wait?” She gazed at everyone seated beside her.

  “No, thank you,” Leonard and Adam replied in unison.

  “None for me, thank you,” Willow added.

  The others shook their heads.

  Daniel rose from his chair. “Miss Charles, might I bother you for directions to the… the facilities?” he whispered the last part.

  The secretary blushed. “Return to the main entrance and down the hallway on the left.”

  “Thank you. I’ll be right back.” Daniel turned his back to the secretary and winked at Sawyer and the others.

  “Tell me, Miss Charles…” Sawyer leaned forward in his chair. “Have you worked with Mr. Braymore for some time?”

  “Almost ten years,” she replied proudly. “He’s a wonderful man and I enjoy the work immensely.”

  Willow leaned back in her chair, wondering what Daniel was up to. She doubted his bladder was the cause for his abrupt departure.

  Adam grimaced and touched his left lower limb. “Leg cramp. I should try to walk it off,” he muttered and followed his brother, hobbling in an exaggerated manner, out of the room.

  Willow smiled behind her hand. The McLennon brothers were definitely up to something. “Miss Charles, tell me… where did you attend school? I would imagine landing a position in a law firm would require some education beyond basic schooling.”

  “Oh, yes,” the secretary exclaimed, turning her attention to the other woman in the room.

  As the woman prattled on about secretarial training, Willow prayed Adam and Daniel discovered something of use. She’d bet her new shoes Mr. Braymore was hiding something. If anyone could solve this inheritance mystery, it would be the McLennon brothers.

  Chapter 25

  Adam tiptoed down the long hallway leading to the back of the building. He leaned forward and whispered, “What do you think Braymore is up to?”

  Daniel whipped around, fist raised, and glared at his brother. “Don’t ever sneak up on a Pinkerton. Even if he is your brother. Unless you want to find yourself out cold on the floor.” He dropped his arm to his side.

  Adam grimaced. “Sorry. Wasn’t thinking.”

  “What are you doing following me?”

  “Thought you might require a witness.”

  “To what?” Daniel continued whispering.

  “Throttling this lying fool? He’s hiding something.”

  “I agree. But I’m perfectly capable of handling this myself.”

  Adam nodded. “I don’t doubt that for a minute. Thought I’d lend a hand anyway.”

  Daniel stood in the doorway of what appeared to be a storage room and Adam peeked inside. Braymore had marched to the back and Adam heard the attorney muttering to himself while he rummaged through files in a metal file cabinet. Daniel grabbed Adam’s arm and pointed to a stack of boxes in the corner. Adam nodded and backed out of the room, catching on to Daniel’s intentions to sift through the files the moment Braymore left the room.

  Adam silently hurried back to the lawyer’s office, hoping Daniel would find something important. “That’s better. Dad-blamed leg cramps are a nuisance,” he muttered, seating himself again.

  A moment later, Braymore strode into the room. “Here we go, folks. I found it.” He returned to his chair. “Let me read—"

  “No, thank you. I’ll read it myself, if you don’t mind.” Leonard reached for the file.

  Braymore’s gaze covered the row of visitors. “Where is the Pinkerton?” he demanded.

  Adam leaned forward. “He’s having a bit of an issue with his…bowels,” he whispered. “I dare say something he ate at the hotel hasn’t agreed with him.”

  “He’s using the facilities.” Miss Charles blushed.

  Willow followed suit, turning away from them and gazing out the window. Adam prayed she wouldn’t burst into laughter and ruin the ruse. She’d suspect there wasn’t a darn thing ailing Daniel’s constitution.

  “If he doesn’t return in a few minutes, I’ll go check on him,” Leonard offered.

  “An unfortunate business indeed,” Braymore conceded. “Well, we won’t wait then. Here you are, Leonard. Read it aloud for everyone’s benefit if you prefer,” he suggested, removing the will from the file and handing it over. He leaned back in his chair, a smug expression on his face.

  “I’ll read over your shoulder,” Willow suggested, stepping behind her brother.

  “Excellent idea,” Adam agreed and stood beside Willow. He squeezed her hand in a show of support and then settled his hand on her back.

  Sawyer leapt off his chair. “I’ll take a gander at it also.” He stepped up beside Willow and stood at her other side.

  The trio read while Leonard turned the pages, everyone covering the document’s wording at the same time. Adam felt Willow tense as he read the part where Clarence Pearson was granted ownership of the Circle H Ranch, in its entirety, including access to all ranch accounts at the First National Bank in Cactus Plains. No doubt, she’d read the hurtful bequest at the same time as he had. Adam glanced at Leonard; the man’s hands were fisted at his sides. To all appearances, the will looked as straightforward and concise as the lawyer had claimed. Adam couldn’t detect any irregularities. Of course, he wasn’t a lawyer. But he’d negotiated and reviewed contracts for the Double M. Over the years, he’d become familiar with legal documents, especially a lot of the mumbo-jumbo wording the lawyers utilized.

  Leonard turned the final page revealing the signatures and Willow gasped. Adam tightened his grip on her hand and she met his eyes. He shook his head slightly and mouthed the words ‘don’t say anything’. Her face paled and she pursed her lips. She nodded and slumped onto her chair.

  Adam met Leonard’s eyes. Willow must have spotted an irregularity with the signatures, but Adam didn’t want to tip off the lawyer to their discovery. Leonard glanced at Willow and then looked at Adam again. Leonard glanced heavenward and then nodded. Adam almost heaved an audible sigh but caught himself.

  “Does everything appear in order?” Braymore demanded.

  Sawyer glanced at Adam. The retired Pinkerton couldn’t have missed the interaction between Adam, Leonard and Willow. “I believe so,” Sawyer offered, returning to his seat an
d retrieving his bowler.

  Leonard leaned forward in his chair, shaking his head. “I don’t believe this,” he muttered.

  A gasp escaped Willow’s lips.

  Adam glanced at her but she didn’t meet his eyes.

  A moment later, Leonard stood and flipped the pages into order again. “Perhaps we’ve wasted your time and for that I apologize. Nonetheless, I would like to take Father’s will with us.”

  Braymore shook his head. “Oh, I couldn’t permit that. But I could have Miss Charles prepare a second copy for you. Minus the signatures, of course.”

  “That would be acceptable.” Willow leapt to her feet while Leonard handed the document to Miss Charles and stepped behind his chair.

  Sawyer moved toward the lawyer. “Could we return tomorrow and pick up the paperwork then?”

  Braymore met Miss Charles’s eyes and she nodded. “We’ll have the document copied by then.” He stood and extended his hand.

  “Thank you.” Sawyer shook hands with the man.

  Adam stuck out his hand as well, completing the formalities.

  “My goodness, poor Daniel,” Willow lamented, moving slowly toward the door.

  Leonard touched her arm. “I’ll go check on him, sis.”

  “No need.” Daniel appeared in the doorway. “I’m back now.”

  “Nasty business that,” Braymore sympathized.

  “You really must be more careful what you eat,” Adam blurted with a wink, hoping his brother caught on to the excuse offered to explain his absence.

  “Will do. Just wish I could pinpoint the culprit so there isn’t a repeat,” Daniel muttered, touching his middle and playing along with their tale.

  “I would try nettle tea,” Miss Charles offered. “My grandmother’s remedy. Should set you right in no time.”

  Daniel settled his bowler on his head and touched the brim. “Thank you, ma’am. I’ll do that.”

  He followed Sawyer out of the office. Adam hooked Willow’s hand around his elbow, and they followed them with Leonard bringing up the rear.