Page 17 of The Mountain Man's Mail-Order Wife
“Wait! What did you want to know about Riley?”
“Anything. Everything. Something doesn’t feel right. About her situation. Warren didn’t even get out of the car to help Riley with her things?—”
“Her things?”
“Yeah.” I blow out a breath and give up on keeping the reason for Riley’s arrival from him. “I met her on a website for people looking for a partner.”
“A dating site?”
“No. A life partner. Doesn’t matter, that’s not what’s important.”
“I think it’s the most important. Since when do you want a partner?” There’s shock and disbelief in his voice.
“A few months. We can talk about that later. The thing is, Riley didn’t put her information on the site. We’re both pretty sure Warren did. He evicted her from her aunt’s house because now that she’s dead, he owns it.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“Of course he does. Now his mother is dead, he inherits it.”
“He can’t. His mother didn’t own that house.”
“Then who does?”
“Riley.”
“What?”
“Riley owns the house. It was left to her, along with a large trust fund by her parents.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure as I can be. I can give a few people a call to check, but if the Riley you’re talking about is the one I’m thinking of, and how many Rileys living with their great aunt Bethany can there be in Winter Lake? Riley Rose was the sole heir to a large estate that included the house in Winter Lake.”
“So this Warren guy has no right to kick her out of the house?”
“Not if we’re talking about the same person.”
My gaze bounces to the back of the cabin. “He put all her stuff in trash bags and dropped her and them off like they were trash.”
“Sounds like you need to put your skills to work outside of your job.”
“I’ve never done that. I’m not supposed to do that.”
“A lot of what you need to look for should be public knowledge.”
“Hmm…maybe.”
I’m cursing myself for not digging deeper into Riley when I first found her profile on Get Hitched. Then again, what would have happened to her if I hadn’t sent that first message? Warren could have made a deal with anyone. She could be trapped with some sicko, made to marry him, and have no way of getting out of the situation.
“I can hear your brain spinning. Or is it the wind? Get inside before the snow starts. We’ll talk more in a few days.”
“Okay, see you then.”
“Be safe.”
“You too.”
Lowering the phone, I end the call and wonder whether I should tell Riley what I’ve learned or wait until I find out more. She deserves to know the house is hers. And unless her aunt and Warren have spent all her money, she’s got resources to do whatever she wants.
