Page 18 of A Vineyard for Two
‘We’ve all changed. She came back, didn’t she?’
‘She didn’t come back for me.’
‘Man, it doesn’t matter what she came back for. She’s here now. Don’t let that opportunity go to waste.’
‘That ship sailed a long time ago, Leo. You know that.’
‘Not from where I’m standing. You’ve been pining over her for years. Girls have been trying to get into your bed ever since she left. I haven’t seen you get involved with anyone seriously since Harper. One-night stands don’t count and from the rumours swirling around, you haven’t had too many of those either.’
‘Thanks for the pep talk. I’ll talk to her, eventually.’
‘Want to grab a drink at the tavern tonight? I hear there’s a band playing.’
‘Sounds good.’ Brookes said. Getting out was a good idea. That way he didn’t have to think about Harper half the night, although he was pretty sure she would consume his mind regardless of where he was.
ELEVEN
Crazy, impossible and illogical — it was the only way Harper could think of it. There was no way that her and Brookes could co-own a vineyard. They couldn’t even sit in the same room together without getting into an argument. How in the world were they supposed to own a property and run a business? Hugh had to have made a mistake, or maybe the executors had misinterpreted his intentions. There was only one way to find out.
Getting an appointment at the local solicitor’s office wasn’t difficult. After a morning wandering between the vines, Harper ran a quick search online and found the number of a local solicitor and made an appointment for that afternoon.
‘How solidified are Wills?’ Harper asked as she took a seat in the chair opposite the dark oak desk that overpowered the small office space.
‘Ms McGregor, are you asking whether it’s legal to object to an inheritance?’ the solicitor asked.
As crazy as that sounded, that was exactly what she was asking.
He continued, ‘It’s not as simple as walking away. A Will is a legal document, Ms McGregor. There are procedures to go through to ensure that you will not be held liable for the gift.’
‘Okay, what’s the procedure?’
The solicitor sighed. ‘Have you given this sufficient thought, Ms McGregor? As a solicitor, it is my duty to advise of the repercussions,’ he said, putting his hands together and interlocking his fingers. ‘You can sign a legal document that you legally reject the inheritance. The executor will then pass it on to the next beneficiary.’
‘Ok,’ she said. ‘So in that case, everything will go to Brookes.’
The silence from the solicitor bothered her.
‘No.’
‘What do you mean, no?’
‘The Will stipulates that Mathers Vineyard is to go to the both of you, not to one of you. Otherwise, it passes on to the next beneficiary.’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Mr Mathers gave explicit instructions in his Will. Your aunt went to great lengths as executor to ensure that there would be nothing in that Will that could be contested before giving you the news. But the instruction was clear, the property goes to you and Mr Taylor, or it goes to neither of you.’
So, in other words, she had no choice but to keep the property. There was no way that she could take this away from Brookes. He would never forgive her. It wouldn’t be fair. ‘What about if I were to sign it over to him?’
‘There would be significant tax and transfer duty implications.’
‘Even if no money exchanged hands?’
‘Yes.’
‘How much?’
‘I can only guess at this stage, but I imagine they would be quite significant. Property prices have increased in recent years. The inn, vineyard and cellar door are worth quite a bit. We’re talking tens of thousands of dollars in tax on a property of this magnitude. But once again, Ms McGregor, the Will is clear in its intentions. Signing over the property to Mr Taylor is not an option, at least not in the first two years.’