Hot and Bothered (20 page)

“Don’t be a fool, Judith,” he said when everyone was quiet. “Give over your voting rights—”

“No.” She said it firmly. She wished Paul were there, but in an ironic way it was better. She had to stand alone with her own family business.

She waited out the shouting by counting sheep jumping over fences in her head. Finally her uncle abused the walnut table again.

“Edna did this for spite,” he said. “Just to torment all of us. She was sick of Michael fawning all over her, trying to wheedle out her shares … where is that boy anyway?… and she left them to the absolute worst person she could.”

Judith didn’t bristle at the condemnation, finding it not worth the trouble. More important, she didn’t care what her uncle thought of her. She knew in her heart of hearts she was doing the right thing.

When the vote was taken, she was the only one to vote against the sale.

“I’m sorry, Judith,” her mother said, patting her hand.

Judith shrugged. “I voted my conscience, and did what I thought was best. I don’t feel bad the vote went the other way.”

“You’re a Collier,” her father said. “Stick to your way, no matter what.”

She smiled. “Actually, I’d like to be a Murphy … if Paul will have me.”

“Now, wait a minute,” her father began.

Judith rose from the table. “No, Dad. I’ve never felt more sure about something in my life. And it’s about time I start living it.”

She left the room while the meeting was still going on. Paul stood right outside the doors, staring down a security guard and a secretary.

“They wouldn’t let me back in,” he complained.

“Why didn’t you kick the door down?” she asked.

“I thought about it. How’s it going in there?”

“The vote’s done and the sale’s approved. I was the only one who voted against it.”

“I wish I had been there for you,” he said, holding out his arms.

She walked into his embrace. He hugged her tightly.

“I’m glad you weren’t,” she admitted. “I did this on my own. That’s very important to me.”

“I’m sorry the voting went against you.”

“I voted what I think is right, so I feel good.” She took a deep breath. “In fact, I feel so good that I think we should get married—”

“What!”

She gazed at him steadily. “I said I think we should get married. Now.”

“My past—”

“Doesn’t matter to me at all,” she said firmly. “Does mine for you?”

“No, of course not. You know how simply I live,” he said, gazing steadily back. “I’ve seen how you lived here. The wealth. You don’t want for anything. Are you sure you want to give all this up?”

“You wouldn’t ask that if you’d been in that meeting.” She laughed, then said, “I’ve never been happier than at the cove. With you. Even when we were fighting, I was more alive than ever before.” She smiled, even though her heart was beginning to freeze at his lack of answer. “I love you, Paul, but I will understand if you don’t want to get married—”

“No.” He kissed her, melding her body to his. “I think I’m ready to be alive again too. Marry me, Judith.”

She hugged him tightly, so happy that she thought she would burst. “Didn’t I just say so?”

“Come on,” he said, finally breaking the embrace. “We’ve got cops to see and bad guys to catch before the wedding.”

“Okay.” They walked away from the conference room. “When we get home,” she said, “I’d really like to learn the construction business. I
liked working on the houses. It felt good. And obviously our neighbors need help …”

Paul grinned. “Look out, Sunset Cove.”

“And I need more scuba lessons.”

He laughed. “After we see the police, why don’t we go back up north to see my parents before we go home?”

“I don’t know if I’m ready for that,” she said, abruptly feeling inadequate again.

“They’ll love you. And if they don’t, I will.”

She smiled. “Promise?”

“Absolutely.”

“Bring on the parents, then.”

They’d better love her, she thought, because she loved their son dearly.

The visit was a success, but Paul had never had any doubts. His mother fell in love with Judith and his father nodded his approval every few minutes.

“Whew!” Judith slumped in the passenger seat when they finally pulled out of his parents’ driveway in Pasadena. “Your parents are wonderful, but I’m glad the audition’s over.”

“You were a hit. How about if we go to lunch in a real restaurant? You’re probably as sick as I am of all that fast-food takeout when we were in the motel.”

“You think we can?” she asked, smiling.

“We’ll risk it.”

They finished their lunch in a trendy restaurant just as he’d timed it. Schools were letting out. Whatever pleasure he had felt about his idea, the waning afternoon nearly killed it. Yet seeing Judith with her mother and father had made him recognize that a child’s perspective could be vastly different from a parent’s. Still, he wondered if he was doing the right thing as he directed his truck along a residential street. At last he spotted what he wanted. His heart thumped at the sassy bob of a black ponytail. He stopped the truck.

“What’s here?” Judith asked.

“Amanda.” He pointed to the little girl walking on the opposite sidewalk. “There.”

Judith’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Paul.”

He drove by, past his daughter.

“Paul! Aren’t you stopping?”

“I can’t,” he said brokenly. “I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.” Judith reached over and pulled the steering wheel toward the curb. Paul was forced to stop the car. “You know you want to talk to her.”

“I—I don’t know what to do. Even to say.”

“Get out of the car and say hello.” She pushed at him, getting him moving off the driver’s seat. “Don’t worry about me. Take as long as you need. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

Paul shut the car door behind him and forced himself to take a breath. His legs finally began to
walk, and he crossed the street on a slant to catch up with his daughter.

“Amanda,” he called out. “Mandy.”

She turned. Incredibly, with her large, dark eyes and her prominent cheekbones, she looked exactly like a miniature of his mother. She had grown so much since he’d left that she now had the coltishness of the first stages of adolescence. He could barely see the roly-poly six-year-old he remembered. He wanted to grab her up and smother her with kisses. He couldn’t move.

Amanda stared at him, her eyes growing wide. She clearly recognized him.

“I … I wanted to see you, to say hello,” he said finally.

She was wary, unsure, although she said, “You look just like the picture at
Abuelita
’s.”

Paul smiled. His mother had been teaching his daughter Spanish. “That picture was taken a long time ago.”

“Why did you go away?”

Children and their ability to cut to the chase, he thought. He had to answer honestly and accept her reaction, whatever it might be. “You were being hurt by all the things people were calling me. Do you remember?”

“Yes.”

“I thought it was best to leave you alone so you wouldn’t be hurt anymore. I stayed away for that reason too. Because I love you, I couldn’t allow you to be hurt because of me. I never want
to hurt you, Amanda. Never.” He paused. “I … would you be hurt if I came to see you again? Or if you maybe came to visit me?”

She smiled, then ran to him. Paul caught her up and buried his face in her hair. Her thin arms wrapped around his neck in a death grip. Her heavy book bag clunked against his leg. He didn’t care.

“Are you coming to my Communion?” she whispered.

“Oh, yes.” Hell, yes, he thought. Just let someone try to keep him away.

“
Abuelita
said you would, even if she had to drag you there by your ear. She says you live in Mexico now. Will I come visit you in Mexico?”

“Your grandmother’s been telling you a lot of things.” He glanced up at the houses. “Is your mother home?”

“Yes.”

“She’s probably wondering where you are.” He set Amanda down and took her hand. “I’ll walk you to the house. We’ll talk to her about my coming to visit and your coming to visit me.”

“Will you come home to live?”

He hesitated, wondering how to explain the divorce, and decided the truth was best. “No. Your mother and I weren’t very good at being married to each other. In fact, the only good thing we did was make you. I can stay only a few minutes today, honey. See that truck there?” His daughter nodded. “That’s my truck. The lady in
it was in trouble and I had to help her out of it. She’s very special. She wanted very much for me to see you.”

“She did?”

Paul nodded. “I thought I was doing the right thing for you by staying away, but she convinced me I was wrong, that maybe I was hurting you more by not coming to see you. I’m sorry.”

Amanda patted his hand. “Don’t worry, Daddy. You’re here now.”

Paul wanted to laugh and cry at his daughter’s matter-of-factness. When he told Judith later, in the truck, Judith did laugh and cry.

“She didn’t.”

“Oh, yes. Exactly like a managing female. I loved it.”

“I’m so glad you did this, Paul. So glad.”

He pulled her to him and kissed her. “So am I. I don’t think I’ve ever been so glad in my life that you are a nag of the first water.”

“A
determined
nag of the first water. And don’t you forget it.”

“I won’t,” he promised. She could nag him all she wanted, he thought happily.

For the rest of his life.

The child shrieked with joy and fear as she went flying through the air to land in the water with a huge splash. She came up laughing, her eyes sparkling with delight.

Paul grinned at his daughter. “Look out, baby, here comes Miguel!”

Amanda swam out of the way, and he tossed Miguel into the ocean. The boy came up talking, he and Amanda having become great friends from her very first visit.

“Do you suppose Amanda and he someday …?” Judith’s voice trailed off as she speculated in silence.

Paul looked at her in terror. “Are you crazy! He’s his father all over again!”

“Well, we’ll just keep the boy away from cars. Oh!” She patted her rounded belly. “This one is
not content with just swimming. I think he wants you to toss him too.”

“Tell him to get in line.” Paul lifted the next kid and tossed him into the ocean.

Life had been renewing itself over the last few years, he thought. Ever since Judith had arrived. She, even more than he, had seemed to find her true self here. She was becoming a master carpenter, probably living as far from her former life as a human could get. She never would have known if she hadn’t run away. Run away to reality, he liked to say sometimes.

The police had caught her cousin Michael soon after that fateful board meeting, and he had sung like a bird. The man in the black Mercedes was a “collector.” Michael had run up very big gambling debts with very bad people, and he had been expecting to inherit from Edna. Some questions had arisen on whether he had even “helped” her along to her death, although the police could prove nothing. Ironically, the family withheld his payment from the sale, putting him in further trouble with his betting friends. Michael had gone into hiding once he had gotten out of jail. No one had heard from him since then.

Even more ironically, Judith’s parents reported that the family had come to regret the sale of Collier Chocolates, having become bored with the leisure life. Most had taken their earnings
and gone into other businesses. Judith had been right in the one stockholder vote in her life.

Paul smiled at her.

“What?” she asked, handing him another child.

“Just thinking. And didn’t I tell you before not to lift anything?”

“I won’t break. Besides, we’re in the water, so the kids weigh almost nothing.”

Amanda came over to them, putting her arm around Judith’s neck. She and Judith had become close. As if to put action to his thought, Judith reached up and pressed her hands over Amanda’s arms while kissing the child on the cheek.

Paul was grateful not only to have his daughter back in his life, but to have both his women getting along so well. He leaned over and kissed both of them. Amanda smiled happily. Judith smiled knowingly.

“Women,” he muttered.

He loved it.

Welcome to Loveswept!

Kick off the summer with these sultry Loveswept reads. We’re starting June off with two fantastic e-originals …

… And ending the month with
HER BETROTHED’S DILEMMA
, a special original historical short story from Loveswept author Megan Frampton.

We also have some wonderful classics for you to enjoy:

Temptation runs rampant in Linda Cajio’s
DOUBLE DEALING
, #1
New York Times
bestselling author Iris Johansen tells an engrossing story about a man who promises a forever love in
FOREVER DREAM
, and Sandra Chastain enthralls with her three searing romances,
SINNER AND SAINT
,
SHOWDOWN AT LIZARD ROCK
, and
SCARLET LADY
.

If you love romance … then you’re ready to be
Loveswept
!