All I could do was watch Hope walk away. She wouldn’t answer me if I called her, and I hadn't missed the stricken look on her face. It made it clear that she did not want me near her.

“Fuck,” I muttered to myself when she was out of sight. “Why do I keep fucking things up?”

And this was probably my biggest fuck up yet. All I kept doing was hurting her. I couldn’t blame her for finally getting fed up with my shit.

“I have to do something.”

But what could I do to make up for this? I remembered her muttering to herself, calling me a jerk. It was entirely true. The first thing I thought of when she told me she was pregnant, was how I couldn’t leave anymore because she would need me. It pretty much meant a part of me had held onto the thought of leaving once the conditions of the will were met. I thought about just leaving the ranch and letting her have it all.

Maybe that would be best.

A plan was forming in my mind. I stood up and rushed back to my room. I’d fallen asleep in yesterday’s clothes, though I hadn’t slept that long. I took a quick shower and changed, then picked up my keys and hurried out of the house.

I had a destination in mind, and I could only hope he would be in. I arrived and rushed into the building, heading up to his office from memory. I stopped at the door with a plaque of his name and knocked. It didn’t even occur to me just how early until right then, and I remembered I got up at the crack of dawn. But before I could withdraw, there was a reply.

“Come in.”

I breathed a sigh of relief that the lawyer was an early bird, and opened the door.

“Mr. Winston,” he said, scrambling from his chair to greet me. Then he held up a hand when I opened my mouth to correct him. “Ah, I’m sorry. Curt. What can I do for you this morning?”

“Mr. Smith,” I said with a nod. “I came to talk to you about my grandfather’s will.”

“Please, have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk with a hand.

I moved to sit down gingerly on the edge of the seat. My foot bounced up and down as he went through a few folders he had over his desk before pulling one out and placing it over the papers he already had on his desk. I was feeling antsy, in a hurry to get everything done and over with already.

“I apologize if I’m taking you away from any work,” I said, just to be polite.

“Oh, it’s no trouble. Your grandfather was a client of mine, after all, and the matter of his will isn’t quite over yet. Did you decide you wanted a copy after all?”

I shook my head. “Uh, no. I came to talk about the terms of the will.”

His peered up at me as he looked over the documents he was perusing. Then he put them down and placed his elbows on the table, fingers clasped.

“If you’re here to contest the will, I’m afraid you can't. Everything is air tight; I made sure as Mr. Winston’s lawyer.”

“Not so much to contest, as… I guess, make a few changes.”

I could tell he looked intrigued.

“In what way?”

Words caught in my throat as I contemplated this. My mind was racing as I doubted myself. Like, maybe I needed to talk to Hope about this instead of going around her back. But then I remembered her face from that morning and felt my features draw tight. I may not have meant to do so deliberately, but I hurt her. She was probably better off, and she must have been thinking the same way. Besides, it wasn’t like I could blame her for accusing me of using her for the ranch when I’d done the same the day we got back.

There was only one way things had to go. Hope needed the ranch more than I did—I just needed some cash, and I had money in my bank account after paying myself the bare minimum of what I deserved with all the work I’d done, right on par with the other workers. It would be enough to last me a while, as long as I was careful.

“I wanted to ask,” I croaked, then cleared my throat and tried again. “I want to know if it’s possible to revoke all the terms of the will.”

His bushy eyebrows jumped up, and I had a hilarious thought that they might just decide to live on his forehead. I wasn’t feeling up to laughing, though.

“And by revoking the terms, you mean,” he prompted.

I shrugged. “I mean, the conditions should be withdrawn. I can honestly say I didn’t come back with any hopes of sticking around. I went along with it and married Hope, and that was a mistake. At some point in future, we’ll be having a divorce.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you implying that you wish to be left out of the inheritance?” he asked, eyes intent.

I nodded without hesitation. “And if you can’t anyway, everything should still go to Hope. We met all the conditions. We’re married, and she’s pregnant. In under a year she’s going to have a baby, and both conditions would have been met then, right? Or am I required to live with her in all that time?”

Mr. Smith hummed, brow furrowing slightly as he picked up the document again and went through the papers. He skimmed over them, taking only a moment before his eyes were back on me.

“I have to ask if you’re sure about your decision on this,” he finally said.

I shook my head stubbornly. “First, give me the answer to my question if I leave Hope as she is, will she be getting everything?”

The lawyer sighed and looked down at the table as he clasped his fingers together again, though I knew he was just stalling.

“Technically,” he started slowly. “I’ve already validated your wedding certificate, so the moment Mrs. Winston gives birth, whether the child is yours or not…”

“The child is mine,” I cut in, wincing at what he was insinuating about Hope. I felt something squeeze in my chest when I had the thought.

He met my eyes and gave a sharp nod. “Regardless, the moment she gives birth, the land is, legally, all yours—well, hers, I suppose.”

I breathed out a sigh and closed my eyes for a moment as my shoulders slumped.

“If I may,” Mr. Smith said, and my eyes snapped open. “Are you legally revoking your right to inherit your family’s lands?” he asked, succinct. “As the other beneficiary as stated in the will, everything will, of course, be going to Mrs. Winston. But you do realize that, once you do this, you will no longer be allowed to reclaim it, or any assets from the land, at a future date?”

“I’m aware. Don’t worry about that, though. I won’t be coming back to claim it once I’m gone.” I wouldn’t have any reason to come back, either way.

“Can I ask what you plan to do once you leave?”

I shrugged. “Hope should be able to take care of herself and a child now. I taught her a bit about running the ranch, so that shouldn’t be a problem with her. I want to go back to the city, but it all has to go to her first. I’m going to assume there’s some legal process to this.”

Mr. Smith nodded as he began going through drawers in his desk.

“It’s not long, but I need to prepare a document that states you are no longer a beneficiary of Mr. Winston’s will. I will need you to sign it. There are other processes that need to be in place, but you can let me worry about that.”

I sighed, leaning back into the seat. “Whatever you say. As long as everything gets done and it all goes to her. And how long should it take?”

“I’m afraid it’s not a quick action, so a few days at most.”

I winced. A few days was longer than I’d hoped. Hell, if I could have my way, I would have been on my way before the sun set, but I needed to go through the whole process. I wouldn’t put it past my relatives to try something once they found out I left everything to Hope, and I couldn’t exactly have that.

“Can I ask that you expedite the process as much as possible? I know you probably have other work.” Then I frowned. “And I haven’t even thought about your fees.”

Mr. Smith just smiled. “I was well paid by your grandfather, so rest assured, this won’t cost you a thing. Hurrying would cut down the time by a lot, so I could have everything ready by this afternoon, though I might need to contact you later on. If you could leave me with information where I could find you…. I have your number, but I would like to send the documents to you once I’m done drafting so you can read through it before we move forward.”

I heaved as I pushed myself out of the chair. “I’ll be staying over at the motel. The one down Main Street.”

“I know the one,” he said with a nod.

“Thank you, Mr. Smith,” I said, holding out a hand for him to shake. “I appreciate all this, and I can't thank you enough.”

I walked out of the lawyer’s office, my heart heavy in my chest but my conscience a little clearer. If everything went as it should, I would be out of town by evening.