One Snowy Night (Sweet Home, Alaska #1) - Patience Griffin Page 0,121

didn’t work. And why should we? Victoria thought. Uncle Monty had the means and allowed them to enjoy life without bounds.

On the screen Uncle Monty was wearing a stern expression she’d never seen before. “You both need to change. This is your notice: I’ve put your trust funds on hold.”

“You’ve what?” McKenna complained to the screen. “I have a climbing trip at the Grand Canyon all planned.”

“Go home and pack,” Uncle Monty said. “You’ll need clothing for four seasons but especially for cold weather. No Dallas winter for you girls this year. You’re headed for Alaska.”

“Well, that’s not so bad,” McKenna said, smiling. “There’s plenty of outdoor activities there.”

Victoria frowned at her sister. “Sure, Alaska is great for you. But what am I supposed to do?”

Uncle Monty continued, looking increasingly grim. “I really hate to do this to you girls, but I’m going to split you up. One in the city, one in the wilderness.”

“Sounds good to me,” McKenna said cheerfully.

This time Victoria glared at her. “I don’t think Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau is the size of Dallas. They probably don’t have a single Galleria among them.”

“And here’s the hardest part,” Uncle Monty said. “I’ve tied all this to your trust funds, credit cards, and inheritance. If you complete your respective stays, the money will be yours. Terrence has your assignments.”

The lawyer passed a folder to each of them. Victoria flipped hers open but couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “One year on a homestead in the middle of nowhere?”

“He can’t put me in a bank in Anchorage and expect me to survive,” McKenna said at the same time.

Monty was talking again. “You’ve both heard me speak about my time as a young man living in Alaska near the small town of Sweet Home. Well, I’ve spoken with Piney at the Hungry Bear Grocery-Diner and she’s found some gentlemen to help you adjust to Alaska.”

But Victoria wasn’t really listening at this point. “Why is he doing this to us?” she asked Terrence. “The Spring Gala is next week and I have responsibilities. I’m on the hospitality committee!”

Uncle Monty was waving. “I’ll see you both in a year.” The screen went blank.

“This is a disaster,” Victoria grumbled.

“He can’t split us up, Tori,” McKenna said fiercely.

McKenna had always watched out for Victoria, as she was the younger and weaker of the two. The word everyone used to describe her was fragile. Just like their mother, who had died during an asthma attack, Victoria had weak lungs, too.

She looked back at the screen, but it was blank; their uncle was gone.

As if choreographed, she and McKenna pulled out their phones at the same time.

“It won’t do any good,” Terrence said, pointing to their cells. “Monty is on a trip around the world for the next year. You are welcome to email him, but he’ll only have limited access.”

“He can’t do this to us!” Victoria wanted to scream. “He can’t make us go to Alaska!”

“True,” Terrence said. “Neither of you has to accept your assignment.”

“Really?” McKenna said.

“Yes. You can stay here. Get jobs and pay your own way in the world.”

He didn’t say the rest, but Victoria could read his expression. Pay your own way, just like the rest of us.

Terrence continued. “All assets are frozen except a modest allowance for incidentals, nothing like the unlimited access to cash and credit you had before.”

“What about Tori’s medication? Her inhaler?” McKenna looked as worried as she always did where Victoria’s breathing issues were concerned.

“Of course,” Terrence said, giving Victoria a pitying glance. “I’ll have all of her prescriptions mailed to Sweet Home.”

McKenna didn’t look satisfied.

“Fine,” Victoria said, tired of always being the sickly one. “We’ll do it.”

“We will?” McKenna said. “We’ll stay here and get jobs? Do it on our own without the trust fund? Okay, but I don’t think your master’s degree in ancient literature and mine in parks and recreation are going to pay enough to feed us, let alone make rent on the condo.”

“No, silly. We’re going to accept the challenge and go to Alaska. Uncle wants us to get out of our comfort zones, and we will.”

McKenna shook her head. “Alaska is a good fit for me but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you. Remember when I dragged you to Thailand? You didn’t exactly love roughing it.”

Victoria was determined to prove her uncle—and that snooty Terrence—wrong. “Come on, sis. We can do this. A year will go by quickly,” she added comfortingly, but she didn’t believe it. The