Page 4 of Ropers Can’t Tie Knots (Kissing Ridge Cowboys #3)

three

Gabe

I only meant to lie down for a quick nap, but when I wake up, night has fallen.

I clearly needed the rest, but when my stomach growls, I remember Hunter’s dinner invitation and hope he saved me some. I wasn’t expecting him to be so…puzzling. But after laughing and trading barbs before his admission that he didn’t want me here, he softened right in front of me.

Like he knew he was rude simply because he could be, and maybe reconsidered his actions.

I certainly don’t mind giving people second chances, and I can’t fault him for being honest. But if we’re to live under the same roof together, even for a few months, we might snap at each other more often than I’d like.

After changing into a T-shirt and lounge pants, I creep down the stairs towards the kitchen.

There’s still a light on in the dining room, and Hunter sits at the table—shirtless.

A glass of amber liquid close by, he punches numbers into an old adding machine, missing the paper roll, before taking a sip from his glass.

Something about the scene makes me pause and wonder how many layers there are to this man, because I wasn’t expecting to find him using an adding machine and sipping what I hope is whiskey .

He notices me then and after swallowing, he says, “You were asleep when dinner was ready. There’s a plate in the fridge for you if you’re hungry.”

Hunter shuffles through a pile of papers and clips them together after scribbling a note on top.

“I only meant to take a nap. Thank you. I’m starving.”

He nods and gets back to his task, jabbing at numbers with a chewed-up pencil, and I make my way to the kitchen.

When I open the fridge, I find a dinner plate covered in tinfoil, and it reminds me of my sister.

A sharp pang of loss hits me, and I shake it off as I peel off the foil to find a grilled chicken breast, broccoli, and mashed potatoes.

Nothing fancy by any means, but it’s food cooked in a home and not takeout. After sliding the plate in the microwave, I find a glass in the cupboard and pour a glass of water, before guessing the cutlery drawer right on the first try.

While the microwave works its magic, I look around the well-loved kitchen. It’s spotless without a single thing out of place. A small table sits snug in one corner with a single chair, and I find it odd that there’s only one.

The microwave sounds and I carefully remove the plate. With the plate in my hand, I turn to the single chair first, but change course after a few steps instead. His earlier invite was to join him for dinner, so that’s what I’m doing. I’m just late.

He raises an eyebrow when I sit but says nothing, and I wonder if he always eats at the table in the kitchen by himself.

“Is it okay for me to eat here? I just thought you might want company, and I’ve been eating alone for years, so another person would be great. ”

Hunter puffs a breath, but he doesn’t tell me to leave. I cut into the chicken, and I’m pleasantly surprised to find it stuffed with cheese and more broccoli.

“It’s stuffed! This is so good.” I say around a mouthful, and this time a ghost of a smile plays on his lips.

“It’s just chicken, but thank you.”

Hunter sips his drink as I eat, and he says nothing else.

He just watches me, and it doesn’t even feel creepy.

Part of me wants to make a show of it and discover a way to make eating cheese-stuffed chicken erotic just to see if he’d still turn me down, but there’s a vibe here, and it’s not a flirty one.

Something has changed since I arrived.

“Can I ask what you’re working on? Looks like you’re behind on your taxes or something.”

Hunter takes a sip again, his deep brown eyes giving nothing away.

My gaze slides to his naked chest. He’s toned, the evidence of manual labour etched into his upper body distinctly differently than muscles born in a gym.

His complexion is either on the darker side naturally, or he spends a lot of time out in the sun with his shirt off.

Which is a thought I shouldn’t entertain right now while I cough around a mouthful of food.

“Do you need help?” His concern is unexpected as he rises to come closer. I sputter and take a drink while motioning I’m fine, and Hunter returns to his seat. After a moment, his attention returns to the papers in front of him. Scribbling a note on one pile, clipping them and moving to the next.

“What kind of lawyer are you, anyway?”

“A good one. ”

Hunter raises his gaze to mine, and I grin. “It’s true.”

“Okay, Gabe.” Hunter leans back in his chair, tapping his chewed-up pencil on the table. “What kind of law are you good at? Is that better?”

Placing my cutlery on my plate, I lean back in the chair to study the man. My gaze then slides to the piles of papers and the adding machine before going back to Hunter. Ah, there it is. Whatever these papers are about is something legal. Maybe he’s in financial trouble.

“If you need to ask me something as a lawyer, it remains confidential if that helps.”

He exhales slowly and places the pencil on the table. A single finger plays with the rim of his glass.

“I’m not very good at asking for help.” He says quietly. “But Jackson told me I could trust you and that maybe…maybe we could make a deal.”

I don’t know Hunter well, but I know Jackson since he’s my best friend’s boyfriend. Jackson is a man of his word and a wonderful soul. If he’s urged Hunter to ask me for help, it’s only logical for me to assume I can trust Hunter that way, too.

“I’d be willing to do that if you tell me what you need help with.”

Far too much time passes as he sits in silence. His gaze remains on the mess of paper in front of him. For one flash of a moment, my legs coil to burst out of my chair and hug him. Thankfully, I don’t act on it, but the need to want to comfort him remains, even though I don’t know why.

Finally, he nods and reaches for a manila envelope sitting nearby.

“I’m not very smart about legal stuff. My grandfather’s will is complicated.

He left two trusts. One deals with the property here and the livestock.

I just got that one sorted.” He gestures to the piles of paper on the table.

“This is fallout from that. But the second trust for the residual estate…I don’t understand it, and the lawyer here wouldn’t help. ”

“Why wouldn’t a lawyer help you?”

With another heavy sigh, he leans back. “He doesn’t like gays.”

Hunter delivers that bit like he’s used to saying it, and while it’s still common to encounter, it enrages me all the same.

“Sounds like this town needs a lawyer like me who doesn’t have any prejudice, then.”

Hunter finally passes me the envelope. “If you could help me figure out how or if I can even access the residual, you don’t need to pay me any rent.”

“That’s a generous offer, Hunter, but figuring out a will doesn’t cost two months’ rent.”

“I won’t allow you to do it for free, Gabe.”

His stern tone makes that clear, and I appreciate that, but I can’t in good conscience take his deal for a task that will probably only take a few hours.

“How about this? Let me look it over to get a feel for how much work is involved. If I feel two months’ rent is fair, I’ll accept or…I’ll counter with something else.”

I’m not ashamed to admit I let the words hang as my gaze raked over him there in his own dining room. He already knows I’m interested, and I’m curious if he’d sell himself out or not. Is it a bit sleazy? Of course, but I kind of want to know how he’ll answer.

“You don’t give up, do you?”

“Not usually. I’m trying to respect your space and not make you feel uncomfortable in your own home, but you cooked me dinner, and you’re sitting here without a shirt. A guy has to shoot his shot, and make it known I’m open to other forms of payment.”

Hunter stands and walks to my end of the table with his now-empty glass.

I smell it now, peach-flavoured whiskey, and that seems like a perfect fit for him.

“I won’t enter into a deal for sex, Gabe.

” He leans in, lips close to my ear. “When I have sex with you, it won’t be out of obligation, but because I want to. ”

“Noted.” Also noted, he said when …not if . That’s a victory for me. Not that I would ever make a deal for sex, but Hunter at least admitted he’s attracted to me.

He takes my plate and nods towards the envelope. “I’ll clean up and let you have a look. Take as much time as you need. I never gave you the house tour earlier because I thought you’d be down before supper, but the living room is comfortable.”

Without another word, he leaves for the kitchen, and I head towards the sunken living room off the dining room.

An overstuffed chair sits under an old Tiffany light with a view out the large picture window.

I imagine Hunter here with his whiskey after a long day, and I hope he doesn’t mind me taking what must be his favourite seat.

The document he handed me has some heft, and immediately from the first page, I conclude two things. First, the lawyer who did the will is an asshole out to make money before protecting a man’s legacy and two…Hunter’s grandfather was loaded.

He’s right, though. There are loads of unnecessary stipulations here, and I’m just skimming the first trust.

“Hunter? Do you have a notepad and a pen I could borrow?”

He enters the living room and lifts the lid on the ottoman next to me. “You should find what you need in there. ”

“Do you want a second opinion on the first trust, or skip that?”

“If you need to read it to understand the second one, I’m not sure.”

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.

“Yes. If you want me to ask a friend for another opinion, I can, but most of the wording in this will is all garbage. I suspect it was drafted that way on purpose to hope you didn’t figure it out. Maybe even give up on it.”

He grabs the edge of a serving cabinet and, still shirtless, I notice all the muscles in his back tense as he hangs his head.

“Thank you, Gabe. If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone for a while.”

“Of course. I’ll just grab a glass of water and head to my room.”

He’s still like that when I head upstairs, and while I wish I could comfort him, I feel like it’s the wrong thing to do right now. Maybe another day he’d be open for it, but right now, Hunter Burke has a lot to process .

And I wish I could help.

Instead, I close my bedroom door softly and hope tomorrow is a better day for both of us.