“Challenge the will?” Jace said.
“By arguing that you should have inherited it in the first place.”
“My father didn’t recognize me in the will. He left the property solely to my brother Sheldon.”
“Where is Sheldon?”
Jace shrugged. “He’s in North Carolina.”
“Have you had any contact with him in the past two years?”
“Only just recently, but we were never really friends even though we were half brothers.”
Doug leaned back in his chair and whistled. “This whole business could bankrupt you and in the end you might still lose.” He paused, letting Jace take it all in. Then he asked. “What do you want to do?”
Jace stared at the papers, the red underlining reminding him of the bloodline he expected to secure for Ari. When he looked up, Doug was staring intently at him.
“Let me think about it for a few days. I’ll get back to you.”
Jace left the lawyer’s office then. He tucked the contract in his pocket, but didn’t go to the truck and start for the Kendall. He walked. He needed time to think about things. He was growing closer and closer to Kelly. She’d taken him and his son in when they showed up out of the blue, and she gave him a job. In essence, she provided him with the insurance Ari needed and a place for him to grow and thrive. Now Jace was going behind her back and trying to take away what she’d worked so hard for.
But it should have been his. Or at least partly his. He should have the right to pass it on to his son. How had things gotten so out of control? Jace needed to talk to Sheldon. Jace had to make some decisions about Ari, about their future. If he decided to fight for the Kendall, it would be expensive and take a lot of time. During the process, he’d need somewhere else to stay. He’d have to uproot Ari again and the child was just getting used to being with Kelly and the horses. Ari loved the horses. Removing him would hurt.
If he didn’t pursue the Kendall, they still needed someplace to live. They couldn’t go on staying at the Kendall and having Kelly support them. Turning around, Jace returned to the truck and headed for the farm. He’d begun to think of it as home, but the Kendall had never been his home. As much as he wanted it to be. As much as he wanted all the love due a son and a brother, he never got it and he would never be able to give it to his own son.
They were going to have to make other arrangements. Being at the Kendall had been a mistake. Getting to know Kelly had been a mistake, too.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE MAIN HOUSE WAS empty when Jace returned. There were no smells coming from the kitchen. No sounds of movement anywhere. Shrugging out of his jacket, he hung it on the coat tree and called, “Ari?” No answer. “Kelly?” No answer.
After a moment, he went to her office. The room was neat, but empty. He looked out of the window at the horse barn. There was no sign of them anywhere. The kitchen looked as if they’d just up and left. The coffeemaker was off, but it had a timer that would turn it off after an hour, so they could have been gone that long or longer. The remnants of breakfast, however, still lay on the table. Discarded eggs and toast had dried on the plate. Coffee in the cups was cold. Even Ari’s bowl of cereal was soggy and abandoned.
“What happened?” he muttered, fear invading his heart.
Then he heard car doors and people talking loudly. Quickly, he headed for the front door. Ari was the first to see him.
“Dad,” he called. “Kelly’s hurt.”
Jace was down the steps before his son had finished speaking. He ran to Mira and Drew’s truck. Kelly was in the backseat. Mira was driving. Jace yanked the door open and looked at her.
“She’s all right,” Ari said, standing next to him. “We went to the hospital.”
“I’m fine,” Kelly told them.
“She’s not fine,” Mira warned, also standing next to him. “She fell off the horse and it kicked her.”
Jace’s eyes opened wide. “They’re very gentle horses,” he said. “I would never bring unsettled horses here unless we were ready for them.”
“Let’s just get her inside,” Mira said. “We’ll explain there.”
Jace reached for Kelly, lifting the pale redhead into his arms. He carried her into the house and upstairs to her room, Mira and Ari on his heels.
“How did this happen?” Jace asked, after Kelly was in bed and Mira had pulled the covers over her.
“Later,” she whispered.
“Kelly?” Ari stood beside her and spoke in a low voice. “Are you gonna be okay?”
Kelly gave him a weak smile. “Yes,” she said. “I’ll be good as new in the morning.” She was drowsy, her eyelids closing heavily.