“Here. I’ll do it.”
Luke’s warm hands brushed hers away and before he tugged on the metal tab, he took a moment to kiss the nape of her neck.
“You smell great,” he murmured. “Too bad we’re on a time table here, or I’d yank this dress off, toss you on the bed, and ravish you.”
“Could you hold that thought until later?” she teased.
“You bet. Then I’ll be holding something else.” He nipped the lobe of her ear, then pulled the zipper into place.
“We have to leave in ten minutes,” Courtney called from the hall.
“We’ll be ready,” Luke answered. “Come on in and let us see you.”
While Julia, Courtney, and Beth did the salon thing that morning, Luke had taken Andy to breakfast. Julia never stopped being amazed at how the twins had bonded with Luke so easily after such a disastrous beginning. Their wedding took place two months after what she’d taken to calling “the disaster weekend.” They were married quietly at the house, with only the children, Claire, Brad, and Miranda in attendance. Miranda prepared a feast for them in celebration. And somehow the family structure developed from such a fragile beginning.
Not without its hurdles, however.
A week after their “disaster,” on Saturday morning, they were finishing a family breakfast with everyone there including Andy and Beth when Rod Maguire showed up at their door unannounced. Andy happened to be the one who opened the door for him, and from her seat at the kitchen table Julia saw his body tighten with anger.
“We’re busy,” he said.
“I came to see your mother, so just get out of my way and let me take care of business.”
He rudely pushed Andy aside and strode into the kitchen. But Andy was beside him in a second.
“If you came to expose what you think is some big secret, we know everything.” His voice sounded so deep and mature Julia wanted to cry.
“You think so?” Rod’s voice had its usual nasty edge she’d gotten used to. “Including the fact she’s a whore and your so-called sister is a bastard?”
Courtney’s face turned chalk white, but Beth reached over and took her hand, smiling encouragement at her.
Luke rose from his chair, his face dark with rage, and stood so close to Maguire the other man was forced to take a step back.
“Here’s a couple of things for you, asshole. One. Do not ever speak of this woman or our child in this manner again. And I mean never.” He held up two fingers. “Two. Do not ever, and I mean, never, come to this house again under any circumstances. Or approach any member of this family.”
“You can’t stop me,” Maguire sneered. “I’ll ruin you. I’ll go to Alan Wilson, who by the way belongs to the same clubs I do and serves on a lot of boards with me. I’ll tell him what a mistake he made hiring you. Who do you think he’ll listen to? And I’ll urge him to pass the word along in the industry. By the time I’m finished, you won’t be able to get a job selling T-shirts at the county fair.” He looked at Julia. “Wait until everyone in this town knows the sordid details of what you did. None of you will be able to hold up your heads again.”
“Three.” Luke reached into his pants pocket, pulled out his money clip, and extracted a business card he’d stuck in there. He held out the card to Maguire. “This is my attorney. Eugene Walsh. I believe you’re familiar with him. He assures me he has more clout than anyone else I can retain. He said he’d be delighted to face off with you in court over a suit for libel or slander, whichever method you choose.”
Before Luke could say anything else Julia, rose from her chair. “Luke and I have both talked to Alan Wilson, Rod. He has the whole story. You might be interested to know he doesn’t have nearly as high an opinion of you that you seem to have of yourself. And that story? It’s old news. Perhaps I should tell everyone why you’re so dedicated to Charles’s memory. That would make a nice story, too.”
Rod’s face paled even as an ugly expression gripped his features. “You’d better keep your mouth shut, bitch.”
Beside her she sensed Luke’s seething rage and she put a hand on his arm. “As should you. You’ve done enough damage to me and to my family. You can’t bully us anymore. So do us all a favor and get the hell out of our lives.”
Luke tucked the business card in Rod’s pocket. “Oh, and by the way. My attorney will be calling you about the trusts you’re managing for this family. Looking out for our interests, so to speak.”
“I see. You think you’ve fallen into a pot of gold and you plan to protect it.”
“That’s enough.” Julia snapped out the words. “Luke doesn’t need my money, or the funds left to the children. But they deserve it and I won’t let you screw them out of it.”
Luke clamped his hand on the other man’s elbow. “And now, I believe you were just leaving.”
Julia was half laughing, half crying when he closed the door. “I should have had a camera to take a picture of his face.”
“He’s a bully,” Luke said. “I know why you didn’t fight back when the kids were younger, but it’s time to get the monkey off our backs.”
Courtney was still pale and shaking. Luke pulled her up from the chair and wrapped his arms around her. “It’s okay, kitten. All taken care of. Nobody—and nothing—is going to hurt you. I promise you that.”
There were still legal strings entangling them. Julia wanted the fund her money came from liquidated and distributed among the three
