Once we’d all had our fill and cleaned up the dishes, Wade finally cleared his throat as he moved over to the counter and retrieved a folder from the stack we’d seenwhen we first came in. “Alright,” he said. “I told East earlier that I had some things to talk to you about.”
Lila straightened up, her eyes flicking from Wade to me. I reached out and took her hand, intertwining our fingers.
Wade opened the folder and pulled out a few sheets of paper — copies of deeds, from what I could tell, and a rough map of the area. “We’ve been going through your grandmother’s financials, property history, and Milton Merrick’s. The state finished its audit this morning. Turns out, the bastard wasn’t just behind on visits with his parole officer — he was trying to angle himself into a piece of property he didn’t own.”
Lila frowned and leaned in.
“There’s a piece of land just north of the old service road. It’s a good size—right around thirty acres. Got water rights, road access. All the good stuff.” Kipp had angled up onto the bar and looked over Wade’s shoulders at the map.
“Yeah,” he said, leaning forward. “I know where it is. It’s a good area out there. Nobody’s used that land in years.”
“Exactly,” Wade said. “Except it wasn’tnobody’s. It belonged to Nora Merrick.”
Silence fell over the table. Lila blinked. “My grandmother?”
Wade slid one of the papers toward her, elbowing Kipp out of the way. “That’s right. Nora inherited it from her father. It was never developed, just a single tract roughly thirty acres wide. She paid the taxes faithfully up until her death. After that… well, the paperwork got messy. It wasn’t something you knew about, so you didn’t file for the deed. Milton’s name was never on it, but he figured he could claim it since he’s her son. The thing is — Nora’s will clearly names you as her heir. The state attorney confirmed that her will is legitimate. Milton has no claim. You do. That land belongs to you, Lila.”
She just stared at the document, color draining from her cheeks. “I didn’t even know it existed.”
“Most people wouldn’t,” Wade said gently. “There’s a lot of property in Wildwood Meadows that doesn’t change hands often. He must’ve realized you didn’t know about it and thought he could scare you into leaving — then file a retroactive claim before the county could process the transfer. The transfer documents required a death certificate, which Milton requested, but was sent to your house instead. I think he probably panicked, and things started escalating.”
Chloe’s hand flew to her chest. “He set that fire hoping to drive her out?”
I realized my whole family was listening in, which wasn’t surprising.
Wade’s jaw tightened. “That’s our working theory. He had someone scout the property lines. We found maps and survey notes in his truck. If you’d abandoned the cottage or moved out of the county permanently, he might’ve gotten away with it. As for Derek—” he flipped another page, “turns out that was a coincidence. Derek was working the same ridge for a local grower, and they crossed paths. Milton fed him stories about easy money,and Derek jumped in to help. Two scumbags with aligned motives.”
Lila’s voice was small. “So it wasn’t even about me. Not really. It was about this piece of property that they wanted.”
I turned to her, cupping the back of her neck. “Hey. Don’t do that.” Tears started to fill her eyes, and I could guess how she felt.
She and I had talked about her father and how he had left. Lila had blamed herself for over a decade, wondering if it was her fault. It took her until adulthood to finally let go of that burden. Now that he was back in the picture, she was second-guessing herself all over again. The idea that he was just there for the money—I wasn’t sure if that made things worse or better.
“You’re the best there is. He had nothing to do with that. It’s his loss that all he’s interested in is a quick buck,” I said.
She swallowed hard, nodding. “What happens now?”
Wade exhaled. “The land’s yours to claim officially. You’ll need to sign a few documents, and the county clerk will record the transfer. I already contacted a surveyor to obtain a clean map for you. It’s good property — a mix of timber and open field. Could be worth something if you ever decide to develop or lease it.”
Sage let out a low whistle. “From almost losing everything to inheriting more. Guess that’s what they call karma. What about Milton and Derek? They’re getting charged, right?”
“Yeah, they’re getting charged. Arson charges willstick for Milton. We found all the material at the place he was squatting that matches what was used at the cottage. That, along with what he said when we picked him up, is more than enough. We also got him on falsifying documents and breaking and entering. He copped to that,” Wade gave me an apologetic look. “He’s not very bright. He basically confessed to everything. And he violated parole. We have Derek as an accessory. He sent the note. We won’t charge him with much, but he’ll probably get a few years. Rhodes got him on some charges that should stick.”
“They’re going to jail. That’s good enough. I just wanted them out of my life and locked up. Thank you, Wade.” Lila gave my brother a relieved smile. She’d been bracing for bad news, and this was hardly that. I doubted she was thinking she’d be getting more property, but I’d be happy to help her develop it if she wanted.
Maggie reached across the table, resting her hand over Lila’s. “Honey, your grandmother would be proud. She fought hard for what she had, and she’d want you to keep it.”
Lila smiled faintly, though her eyes looked wet. “She loved this town. I think she’d like knowing I’m still here.”
Kipp leaned back, rubbing his jaw. “You planning to keep it or sell it?”
Lila glanced at me, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll talk to East about it. We could go out there and see what it looks like. Maybe it’s got potential for… something.”
“You got it.” I squeezed her hand. “Whatever you want.”
“You could do a book club retreat spot. People would lose their minds for that.” Sage said immediately.
“Easy.” I laughed softly, shaking my head. Sometimes my family got ahead of themselves. Poor Lila was looking a little shellshocked.
