Besides, judging from the grim, determined set of Luke’s jaw, he would not have allowed it.
“Come on, darlin’. Let’s go show ’em who’s in charge of our lives.”
“I was thinking maybe I’d slip away and take a nap,” Jessie said wistfully.
“Resting up before the big battle,” Luke noted. “A good idea.”
“You could do the same,” she suggested daringly, casting a sly look up at him. If the way his jaw was working was any indication, he did not mistake the seductive intent of the invitation.
“Darlin’, believe me, that would be a declaration of war,” he advised her.
Jessie was up for it. And Luke, she knew with every fiber of her being, was tempted. She winked at him. “One of these days you’re going to take me up on it,” she taunted him.
“Not in this lifetime,” he said emphatically.
Jessie just grinned. She had a feeling deep inside that he was wrong. He was going to cave in far sooner than he thought. She could hardly wait.
13
With Jessie resting in her suite, Luke paced up and down in his own, trying to cool off before confronting his father with what he’d discovered. Walking into a room and hurling accusations after months of separation would hardly get their relationship back on track. Still, he couldn’t help wondering if Harlan made a habit of investigating any woman with whom any of his sons were involved. If that were the case, Jordan and Cody would probably send him into bankruptcy. Luke took a sort of grim pleasure in the prospect. He’d often wondered if his father would ever have to pay the price for his attempted control of his sons.
When he finally considered his temper calm and his approach reasonable, he bounded down the stairs two at a time and headed straight for Harlan’s office.
He found his father seated behind a massive desk piled high with files and spread sheets. Wearing a pair of reading glasses, he was squinting at a computer screen, a sour expression on his once-rugged face. Except for the glasses and perhaps a new wrinkle or two, the scene of his father engrossed in work was so familiar that it made Luke’s heart ache.
The glasses and the faint signs of aging, though, reminded him of just how long he’d been away. It wasn’t just since Erik’s death, but all the years since he’d declared his independence from Harlan’s manipulations and moved to his own ranch. He wondered how many other subtle changes there had been since he’d gone.
Harlan glanced up at Luke’s entrance. “So, there you are,” he said.
His pleasure at seeing Luke was betrayed by his eyes, even though his tone was neutral. He almost sounded uncertain, Luke thought with surprise. It was a far cry from the usual arrogance. He couldn’t help welcoming the change.
“About time,” Harlan grumbled, his tone more in character. “I wondered where the hell you’d disappeared to. Your mother didn’t even know you’d arrived. Wouldn’t have known it myself except one of the trucks was missing.”
“I had an errand in town. Jessie came along and we had lunch,” he added with his usual touch of defiance. Even after all this time, it was a knee-jerk reaction, he realized with a sense of chagrin. If his father commented on the weather, Luke found some reason to counter his claim.
His father nodded, ignoring the testiness. “Fresh air probably did her good. She looked a mite peaked to me last night.”
“She just had a baby,” Luke reminded him.
His father’s expression finally shifted to permit a small hint of approval. “Cute little thing, isn’t she?” he said with a note of pride. “Looks like an Adams.”
“I was thinking she looked like Jessie,” Luke countered, just to be contrary...again.
Harlan shrugged, not rising to the bait. “Who can tell at that age?” he admitted. “You boys all looked exactly alike when you were born.” His expression turned thoughtful. “Not a one of you turned out the same, though, in looks or personality. I never could make sense of how that happened.”
“We all got your stubborn streak, though,” Luke reminded him.
Harlan chuckled at that. “I like to blame that particular trait on your mama. Makes her crazy.”
“I can imagine.”
Harlan settled back in his chair and studied Luke intently. “You look tired. Why’d you really come home, son? You have something on your mind?”
“I just thought it was about time for a visit,” Luke replied noncommittally.
“Your mother’s going to be mighty glad to see you.”
Luke doubted it. Mary Adams was too caught up in her own social whirl and in her husband to pay much mind to the comings and goings of her sons. He was more interested in his father’s reaction. They had never parted without some sort of petty squabble, probably just the clash of two strong wills. Since Erik’s death the tension had been greater than ever.
“And you?” he asked, watching his father’s expression closely.
His father seemed taken aback by the question. “That goes without saying,” he said at once. “This is your home, boy. Always will be.”
Luke sighed, relieved yet still incapable of fully believing the easy answer. “I wasn’t so sure you felt that way after the way Erik died,” he said cautiously. “It’s understandable that you might blame me for what happened.”
“Is that what’s kept you away from here?”
Luke shrugged. “Part of it.”
“Well, you were wrong. Your brother died because he was a reckless fool,” his father snapped angrily, “not because of anything you did.”
Luke was startled by the depth of emotion. He suspected there was a heavy measure of guilt behind the anger, but hell would freeze over before Harlan would admit to it. Still, the reaction worked to his advantage. With his father’s usual control snapped, it seemed like the perfect moment to get an honest answer from him.
“I wonder how he would have felt if he’d known you had Jessie investigated,” Luke inquired casually, his gaze pinned to his father’s face. “It might have given him the gumption to go after
