Rachel’s Legacy

Chapter 3-2

The next day, she came over again, very early. We took walks around the city, going into Old Montreal to view the historic structures. We even stopped at Bonsecours Market so Rachel could buy a souvenir. She ended up buying a beautiful hand-blown pitcher that she said her housekeeper would love.

Later that afternoon, I drove her up to the top of Mount Royal to see the city below.

“This is such a beautiful city,” she said. “I think it’s prettier than Paris or Marseilles.”

“I think it looks better after dark. There are so many lights. It’s very beautiful.”

“Then, we’ll have to come back another night,” she looked at me, hopefully.

I nodded and turned back to the car.

We had a light supper at a cute little restaurant near the college. I insisted on paying for that. We finally returned to my condo Sunday evening, after our day of sightseeing.

“I’ve really had fun,” Rachel commented to me as we settled down for another glass of Glenfiddich. “I do love your little place; you’ve made it real homey. You’d probably faint if you saw mine. I have two places in BC: A four-bedroom penthouse-condo in Vancouver and a two hundred and forty thousand-acre ranch further north, just east of Kamano.

“Wait, wait, wait. Did you just say two hundred and forty thousand acres?”

“Yes,” she said thoughtfully, “It might be. I think that’s what I was told. It’s about seventy-five miles north to south and fifty east to west.”

“What do you do with all that land?” I asked.

“Do?” she seemed confused. “I go riding on it and when there’s snow, I go skiing a lot. I have the boys from a nearby town cull out broken branches and fallen trees and cut about two hundred and fifty cords of wood each year. I sell most of it and keep twenty-five cords or so for the house. We have so many fireplaces. There’s one in just about every room.

“I think of the land as a sanctuary for all the animals. There are so many elk, moose, bears, and deer.” Then she looked at me. “A sanctuary for all of them except for the one or two we kill each year for meat.”

“Do you hunt them yourself?” I was amazed.

Rachel shivered. “No, not me. I couldn’t do it, but the man who runs my ranch, Henry, loves to go hunting. There is lots of wildlife there.”

“I can’t imagine that,” I said.

“Yes, I think there are wolves there, too. I know there are a lot of different animals. Wesley is always reprimanding me for not keeping track of what I own. I have to keep reminding him that that’s why I have him.”

“Wesley?”

“Wesley’s my lawyer. He handles everything for me.” She stopped and explained. “He’s also my lover when I’m in Vancouver.”

“I see,” I added because I didn’t know what else to say. It was as innocuous as any other comment.

“Yes, but I almost fired him a few years ago. He wouldn’t stop asking me to marry him. I do love Wesley, but I can’t see myself spending every day and night with him for the rest of my life.”

I sighed. “I thought I was going to spend every day and night with Whitney, but things change.”

“Situations like that are always hard. Are you dating anyone now?”

“No,” I said. “Maybe I’ll meet someone, maybe I won’t. I never go out looking for a partner, but I’m always open to meeting someone new.”

“Do you travel a lot?” she asked me.

“I haven’t in the past few years. I traveled a bit while I was in school, mostly to Great Britain, France, and the US. Then I started working, so I could never get away. Toward the end, Mother needed twenty-four-hour care. I paid a nurse to come in during the days while I was teaching, but I wanted to be with her at night.”

“I wish I had been here to help you.” Rachel frowned.

“That’s all right. We know the circumstances now,” I said thoughtfully. Then I said, “I know you travel extensively.”

She nodded. “When you have a school break, you’ll have to come with me. I have houses or condos all over the globe. Is there anywhere you’ve always wanted to go?”

“I don’t take semester breaks,” I stated. “There’s always some tutoring, contract review, or other work to do.”

“You must be in demand.” She smiled.

“More than I thought I’d be, but less than I really wanted.”

“Then come with me sometime. I’m sure we can find some suitable companions to keep us occupied.”

“I can’t,” I said softly. “Some of us have to work for a living.”

“I’ll pick up the tab for everything. If we go somewhere where I have property, we won’t have to think about a hotel and I have two planes, so we won’t have to worry about airfare.”

“Two?”

She nodded. “A double-engine prop to get to my ranch and around the west coast and a Gulfstream jet to move around the world.”

“Incredible.” I shook my head. “I still have payments on my car and I’ll be paying off the mortgage on this little place for the next six years. It’s not huge but it’s mine.”

“How much do you owe on it?” she asked.

“I still owe fifty-seven thousand.”

“When’s your birthday?” she asked. It seemed she’d gone off on a tangent. I’d learned that she did that a lot.

“August eighth. Why?”

“And you’re forty?”

“Yes.”

“So I’ve missed forty of your birthdays. Well, little sister, if I give you two thousand dollars for each year I missed, you’d have enough to pay it all off?”

“Rachel. I can’t take your money.”

“Why not? I spend more than that on clothes each year.”

“But it was your father’s money, not mine.”

“No, only a third of it was my father’s. The rest is mine. I made it; I can spend it any way I choose.”

“No, Rachel,” I said, “I know money means nothing to you, but I like to pay my own way.”

Rachel studied me for a moment.

“Can I hire you to review my international contracts?”

I thought for a moment. “No,” I said, softly. “You can’t.” Then I chuckled. “Usually, if I don’t want to accept work, I’ll say that I’m too expensive or quote an astronomical price, but I don’t think you’d buy that excuse.”

“You’re hard-headed, aren’t you?”

“So are you.”

We stared at each other.

Then suddenly Rachel broke out laughing and reached to hug me.

“I wish we’d known each other years ago. We would have had a lot of fun.” Then she took a deep breath. “Will you come to British Columbia over Christmas to stay at my ranch?”

I sighed. “I could do that.”

“Good. We finally agree on something.”