He sighs once more. “Well, it looks like he put a lien out for the western part of the property about twenty years ago. I assume that when the recession hit, he was doing anything to keep the ranch afloat.
The problem is it makes that part of the property more vulnerable,” he explains as I lean my head back.
Jesus Christ, what else did you do behind my back, Uncle Sam?
My jaw clenches. “So what does it mean if it is vulnerable?” I ask, even though a part of me has an idea. I just hoped I’d be wrong.
“Well, buying pressure is a big thing, so for example, with your uncle’s passing, if there are any litigations in place in his will involving that piece of the land, it’s null and voided,” he explains, and I close my eyes, dread settling over me.
Basically, I still retain ownership of that land, but if Sloane decided, on the off chance, she wants to sell that piece before the six months, she could do so without my permission.
We’re already a couple of months in, and this could be her out, but it’d be at the cost of me losing a significant portion of my family’s land. This is the worst-case scenario. Is it possible I could buy her out before someone else does?
“Let me make a call, and I’ll call back if I have any questions. Thanks for letting me know,” I tell him, hanging up the phone and immediately dialing Monty’s number. If I can trigger the buyout before this, then maybe I can still save my ranch.
“This is Monty,” he answers, and I roll my eyes.
“Monty, it’s Gage Hollis. I got a question for you,” I tell him, going over what Francis told me about the lien and what that means for that piece of land. He doesn’t cut me off, but instead returns to his copy of the will.
“Well, according to the will, he laid out that the two of you need to cohabitate for six months until it triggers a buyout. Whether she triggers the buyout with someone else is a completely different situation,” he explains, and I slam my fist on the desk.
“So you’re saying if some bigwig suit comes up to her and strikes a deal for that piece of land before the six months, she can legally sell, but if I provided an offer to buy her out before the six months, it would be voided?” I ask, and he’s silent for a moment before sighing.
“Unfortunately, yes. Your uncle was clear in his will, Gage. He will not allow you nor Miss Carter to buy one another out. Now, the lien is something I was unaware of, but that doesn’t change the conditions placed on the two of you involving each other,” he explains further, which by this point, if I could grip my phone any tighter, I’m certain I’d have broken it.
Why is my uncle doing this to me? What the hell did I do to deserve this kind of crap? He was a pain when he was alive, but in a different way.
He was a pain because he cared. In some weird way, he used his nagging to teach and help me become the rancher I am today, but I’m seeing now just how sneaky he truly was.
He kept all of this from me and left me to clean up his damn mess.
To make matters worse, he brought this woman into the mix. As irritated as Sloane makes me, it was obvious she didn’t know anything about this place, the history, or even who my uncle was. She was thrust into a situation, just like I was, but still found a way to work around the problem.
And if she knew about this lien, who is to say she won’t take advantage of it, allowing her to have her out? Maybe it’s for the best anyway. She can finally leave the ranch, and we never have to see each other again.
I sigh deeply, texting Francis back, requesting information on where I can find the lien information. Uncle Sam had so much to go through, so the last thing I want to do is sift through it all if I don’t have to.
Once I have the information I need, I can figure out the rest. If telling Sloane will make it easier for us both, then maybe that’s what needs to be done. And every minute I don’t tell her, I’m choosing control over honesty.
I don’t have to wait long for him to get back to me, and I begin to sift through my original copies of the paperwork.Once I locate the lien information, I’m able to see just how significant the lien is.
It’s a good portion of the land, but it’s the western patch down the hill where Sloane stated she found an old water main station. I haven’t bothered checking that out to confirm it, but again, she’d have no reason to lie about it.
I rub my chin and sigh deeply. That’s a lot of pasture to lose, and at some point, expansion was in mind, but it’d be difficult to do without those additional acres.
What do I do?
Do I give it to Sloane and give her the out, and cut my losses? Or do I stick this out and hopefully buy her out when the six months are up? I have a lot to think about, but it won’t be figured out tonight.
I close up the office and step out after turning off the light.
As soon as I walk out of the barn and close it up, the orange hue from the fire pit bathes the otherwise dark ranch. The stars stare brightly down below along with the moon, but it’s the orange hue that makes the stillness of the ranch truly shine.
A lone person sits beside it, wrapped in a knitted throw. I stand by the barn doors out of distance, staring at the woman who has consumed my every moment, awake andasleep. I wish I knew what I could do or say to make this all disappear, but honestly, after everything I did yesterday, I wouldn’t blame her for selling to the first buyer.
I’d deserve it. Every bit of it.
When did I become this man?
