Truly Madly Yours by Rachel Gibson Page A

both. A reminder of the past when Nick had used her to get back at Henry, and she’d begged him to do it. Even after his death, Henry wasn’t finished punishing her. She was so mortified she wanted to die. She wondered what Nick thought, but she was too afraid to look at him.
    The lawyer finished and glanced up from the will. Silence filled the office, and no one spoke for several long moments, until Gwen voiced the question on everyone’s mind.
    “Is that legal and binding?”
    “Yes,” Max answered.
    “So, I am to receive half of the estate free of conditions, yet in order for Delaney to inherit, she must stay in Truly for one year?”
    “That’s correct.”
    “That’s ridiculous,” Delaney scoffed, trying her best to forget about Nick and concentrate on her own bequest. “This is the 1990s. Henry can’t play God. This can’t be legal.”
    “I assure you it is. In order to inherit your share, you must agree to the conditions expressed in the will.”
    “Forget it.” Delaney stood. Her bags were packed. She wasn’t about to let Henry control her from the grave. “I’ll give my share to Mother.”
    “You can’t. The bequest was conditional. You will receive your share of the estate on the condition you reside in Truly for one year. The estate is held in trust until after the provisionary period. In short, you can’t give your mother what you don’t have. And if you decided to reject the terms of the will, your portion of the estate will revert to Nick, not Gwen.”
    And if Delaney did that, her mother would kill her. But Delaney didn’t care. She wasn’t going to sell her soul to spare her mother. “What if I contest the will?” she asked, becoming desperate.
    “You can’t contest the will simply because you don’t like the provisions. You have to have grounds, such as lack of mental capacity or fraud.”
    “Well, there you go.” Delaney lifted her hands, palms up. “Henry was obviously out of his mind.”
    “I’m afraid the court would hold a different view. The provision has to be proven illegal or against public policy, and it is neither. It may be considered capricious, but it meets the requirements of the law. The fact is, Delaney, your portion of the estate is estimated at just over three million dollars. Henry has made you a very wealthy young woman. All you have to do is live in Truly for one year, and no court is going to consider the condition impossible to perform. You can accept or refuse. It’s that simple.”
    Delaney sat back down, the breath knocked from her lungs. Three million . She’d assumed they were talking about several thousand.
    “If you agree to the terms,” Max continued, “an adequate monthly allowance will be provided for your care and support.”
    “When did Henry make this will?” Gwen wanted to know.
    “Two months ago.”
    Gwen nodded as if it all made perfect sense, but it didn’t. Not to Delaney.
    “Do you have any questions, Nick?” Max asked.
    “Yeah. Does one fuck constitute a sexual relationship?”
    “Oh, my God!” Gwen gasped.
    Delaney clenched her hands into fists and turned her gaze to him. His gray eyes burned with fury, and anger thinned his lips. That was okay with Delaney; she was furious, too. They stared at each other, two combatants spoiling for a fight. “You,” she said, lifting her chin and looking at him as if he were something she needed to scrape off her shoes, “are evil.”
    “And what about oral sex?” Nick asked, keeping his gaze locked on Delaney.
    “Uh ... Nick,” Max spoke into the tension. “I don’t think we—”
    “I think we do,” Nick interrupted. “Henry was obviously concerned about it. So concerned he included it in his will.” He turned his hard gaze to the lawyer. “I think we need to know the rules right up front so there’s no confusion.”
    “ I’m not confused,” Delaney told him.
    “For instance,” Nick continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I’ve never considered a one-night