“That's up to you, entirely up to you.”
“I'm not coming back to you, Marvin. I've got the right to live my own life without interference from you. Understand that right now.”
“My dear girl, if it were at all possible I'd just as soon never see you or that…child again. But unfortunately, you made an impression on some of my friends and business associates and they have inquired about you. I simply cannot let you and my…son disappear. People will think I've cast you off. So I've come to take you back to Cincinnati.”
“I'm not going!”
“Very well, stay. I'll take the boy.”
“He's not your boy, dammit!” Her poise completely abandoned her, and she heard herself shouting.
“Control yourself. Your lack of breeding is showing.”
Gloria drew in a deep, pained breath. “Don't tell me about breeding, you fatheaded stuffed shirt! I've got more breeding in my little finger than you've got in your whole body.”
“Gloria, you really are a stupid girl; beautiful, but stupid.” Marvin raised his brows, and his mocking eyes surveyed her face.
“You're not taking Peter! You don't even like him!”
“No, I don't. But that's beside the point. You and Peter are coming back with me. We are going to remarry and you will conduct yourself in such a manner as to not cast a blemish on the Masterson name.”
“I will not marry you again!” she hissed, glaring into his cold gray eyes.
Marvin reached into the inside pocket of his overcoat and drew out a long white envelope. He opened it and unfolded a legal document.
“The court has given me custody of the boy for six months out of the year.” There was a triumphant gleam in his eyes as he watched her face turn ashen. “Come back with me, take your place as Mrs. Marvin Masterson, or I take him now.”
“When we got the divorce you didn't want custody. Why are you doing this?”
“If you had not run off like a silly girl, it wouldn't have been necessary.”
“I don't understand you. I don't understand you at all. Why do you want us there?”
“My dear girl, I plan to run for governor, and the image I wish to project is of a devoted family man who carefully guards the welfare of his young wife and child.”
“Peter and I despise you!”
His eyes narrowed with anger. “Do you think that matters to me? You carry the Masterson name.”
Something in his eyes caused a feeling of panic to sweep over her. Her heart pounded, and she felt a compelling urgency to turn and run. She felt as if she were floating through space, and tried to get her scattered thoughts together. There had to be something she could do—if only she had time to think! She breathed deeply and tried to stem the tears of rage that were stinging her eyelids. Vaguely she heard the back door slam.
“Mom! Mom! Look what I got. Look what Jack—” Peter's happy shout stopped abruptly when he saw Marvin.
A fierce pain pierced Gloria's heart when she saw the look of terror on the face of her small son. She knelt down beside him. “What do you have here? A kitten! Oh, Peter—it's beautiful!”
Peter moved close to her and peered over her shoulder at the man who stared at him so coldly.
“Where are your manners, boy? Get rid of that animal and step up here and shake hands as you've been taught to do. I've come to take you home. What you need is a good school where you'll not be coddled and allowed to run wild.”
Peter's stricken eyes sought Gloria's. “I'm afraid we have no choice,” she said softly, and hugged him.
Peter looked up at Marvin, then back to Gloria. His face crumbled and he burst into tears. The kitten became frightened and jumped out of his arms. Peter struggled to leave Gloria's embrace and she let him go.
“Jack! Jack!” he cried between sobs, and ran out of the office.
Gloria felt sick. Poor little fellow, poor little boy; he'd been so happy here. She could hear the low murmur of Jack's voice as he talked to the boy.
“Well—are you coming or not? The sooner I get out of this backwater and back to civilization, the better.” Marvin folded the paper and put it back into the envelope.
“Now?”
“Now. I'll wait in the car. Be out in ten minutes.” “What's going on here, Gloria?” Jack came into the room and stood at the end of the counter. Peter's arms were locked tightly about his neck, and his small legs were around his waist.
Gloria's eyes flew to Marvin, and the contempt she saw on his face as he looked at Jack only ignited her anger into full-fledged rage.
“Marvin Masterson, my ex-husband, has come to take me and Peter back to Cincinnati. His image as the devoted patriarch of the Masterson dynasty, which, by the way, includes servants, ex-wives, and adopted children, slipped when Peter and I left. He can't afford to have his friends think he's anything but a loving family man.” She shouted the last few words, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
“You're divorced, aren't you? He can't make you do anything you don't want to do,” Jack said calmly.
“Oh, but he can! He's got a court order that gives him custody of Peter for six months out of the year. I can't let Peter go alone with him,” she wailed.
“I'll wait in the car.” Marvin carefully placed his hat on his head and pulled on his gloves.
“Stay here!” Jack spoke so sharply that Marvin turned to stare at him as if he couldn't quite believe this bearded, long-haired, leather-coated yokel would have the nerve to speak to him. “Take the boy,” Jack said gently, and handed Peter over to Gloria. “I want to take a look at that court order.”
Peter wrapped his arms about Gloria and buried his face in her neck. The agony that pierced her heart was unbearable; she longed to be out from under the sneering gaze of the man she had married when she was so young and so naive.
“I want to see the court order,” Jack repeated, and held out his hand.
Marvin's cold gray eyes flicked from Jack to Gloria and back again. Disapproval etched lines between his carefully arched brows. The grim line of his jaw and his tightly pressed lips told her that he was burning with anger.
“My advice to you is—stay out of things that don't concern you.” With the faintest suggestion of a sardonic sneer he turned to go out the door.
“You're beginning to annoy me. Give me the court order!” Jack put a hand on Marvin's shoulder and spun him around. He slammed him against the wall and held him there with his forearm jammed against his Adam's apple. “Give it to me or I'll break both of your goddamn legs!”
“Get your hands off me, you ruffian. I'll call my driver.”
“Do that, you bastard! I'll mop up the floor with both of you.”
Gloria's heart was thudding like a jackhammer in her breast. She had no doubt that Jack would do exactly what he said he'd do. Oh, God! If he beat up Marvin, it would only make matters worse.
“Jack, don't!” The words left her mouth in a whisper.
“Now, listen, you arrogant son of a bitch, I don't intend to mess around with you. I mean to see that court order before you leave here. Give it to me, or I'll take it.” Jack punctuated his words by slamming Marvin's head back against the wall.
“Ah…ah…all right.” Marvin reached into his pocket for the envelope.
Jack snatched it out of his hand. “Stay right there,” he snarled when Marvin started to move away from him.
Marvin straightened his hat and threw Gloria a furious glance. “You'll hear from my attorney,” he threatened.
Jack ignored the warning and thumbed through the papers, scanning each sheet. When he came to the last page he studied it thoroughly. A moment of dead silence passed slowly. He looked Marvin in the eye as he folded the papers. Suddenly he slapped him across the face with them.
“You stupid bastard!” His voice boomed angrily. “What kind of a bluff are you trying to pull on this woman? These papers are not even notarized. All you've got here is a legal form with a signature. Now, if you don't want me to beat the holy hell out of you, get out of
here and don't come back.”
“A mere technicality that I will remedy immediately. I'm not without influence in this state, as you'll soon discover.” Marvin stuffed the papers in his pocket. “I'll be back with my attorney and the sheriff.”
“Fine. If it's a fight for the boy you're wanting, I think we can give it to you.”
Marvin opened his mouth as if to say something, but he changed his mind, and slowly pulled on his gloves instead. His face was unreadable as he turned and went out the door.
Jack stood at the door and watched him leave. Not a word was spoken until the long black car moved out of the drive and onto the highway. He turned to look at Gloria. Peter's arms were still locked about her neck.
“The papers are probably phony. Don't worry about it,” he said lightly.
She shook her head. “No one has ever talked to him like that. He'll be back.”
“Good. I hope he will, and I'll finish what I started.”
“Oh, Jack! You shouldn't have interfered. He's very powerful. He won't rest until he's put you in jail!”
“Is…he gone?” Peter looked fearfully over his shoulder.
“Yup, he's gone. Come here, Bronco Billy. You're getting too big for your mother to hold.”
“Do we have to go with…him?”
“Naw—who'd take care of Cisco and the cat?” Jack lifted him from Gloria's arms and set him on the floor. “You'd better find that cat before Cisco does. It'll take a while for them to get acquainted.”
“You sent him away, didn't you, Jack? You didn't let him take us, did you?” Peter's eyes shone brightly through his tears. “Mom! Jack woulda hit him. I'll hit him, too, when I grow up.”
“Hold on, Bronco. We'll have to talk about this hittin' business sometime.”
“It's goin' to be all right, isn't it, Mom?” Peter looked up at her hopefully.
Gloria clamped her lips together and willed the tears to stay behind her eyelids. She nodded and tried to smile, silently saying, I hope so, but don't count on it.
“Sure it's goin' to be all right, Bronco. Now scoot and find that cat before he and Cisco tangle.” Jack gave him a little push toward the door.
CHAPTER NINE
THE CLOCK ON the shelf struck the quarter hour. The sound wafted into the small eternity of silence that followed Peter's happy shout at finding the kitten. Gloria had turned her back to Jack, not wanting him to see the tear-filled eyes she was dabbing with the balled tissue. When she felt his hands on her shoulders, she stiffened. She was deep in the pit of despair.
“Don't!”
“Look at me, Glory.”
“You've really done it, now, Mr. Smart Guy. He'll come back with the sheriff and take Peter. Why couldn't you just stay out of it?” she added bitterly.
“It didn't occur to me that you'd give up without a fight.”
She whirled. Her eyes blazed into his. “Fight? You don't fight a man as powerful as Marvin Masterson, especially if you're a peon like me! You run. If he catches up with you, you wait your chance and run again!” Rage, and a blinding headache, were making her sick to her stomach. “That's exactly what I'm going to do, and you'd better do the same or you'll find yourself in jail!” She brushed past him and headed for the room she shared with Peter.
Safely behind the closed door the tight reins she had held on her emotions broke, her face crumbled, and she burst into tears. Still crying, she jerked open the dresser drawers and stuffed her clothes and Peter's into suitcases. When they were filled, she piled some things in the middle of a bedsheet and tied the corners together. She flung on her coat and pulled a stocking cap down over her ears. She didn't care that her face was tear streaked, or that her hair was hanging in strings about her face. All that mattered was to get away as fast as possible, and maybe, just maybe, Marvin wouldn't find her, and would give up and go back to Ohio.
Gloria threw open the door and ran straight into Jack. He put out his hands to steady her. “Ready? I was just coming to get you.”
“Get your hands off me, you…bushman!” she snapped. “I don't need any help from you.”
“Yes, you do. I'm all that's standing between you and that cold fish that's using Peter to get you back.” His grip on her arms tightened.
She pushed at his chest. “Let me go! I don't want you to touch me ever again. I hate it!”
“You didn't hate it the other night.”
Shame and anger seared through her. How could he be so vile as to remind her? Desperately and recklessly she tried to defend herself, but the words that fell from her lips came out in a torrent of lies and accusations that were uncharacteristic of her, words that she didn't really mean at all.
“You must admit there's quite a difference between you and Marvin. After him, I wanted to see what it was like to have a real man! Can you blame me for taking advantage of your offer?”
“Shut up!” he snarled. His eyes darkened as his fingers hardened like steel bands about her arms. His face was like a stone statue, hard and bitter. Gloria was sure he was going to shake her. But instead his hands slipped around her throat and his mouth came down on hers savagely, relentlessly, prying her lips apart. His hands beneath her chin held her head immobile, and his mouth burned, delved, bruised.
He lifted his head, and she gasped for breath. Her heart was hammering so hard that her ears were ringing. She couldn't think. She couldn't speak. He stared down at her, and she shook her head in silent protest.
“Be my Glory of the other night,” he whispered. She heard the words as if they were coming from a distance. She stood stock still, waiting for the dizziness to pass.
“No….”
“You know there's something wonderful between us,” he murmured. “I stayed away from you for a whole week to find out if what I felt for you was real and lasting. It is!” His mouth closed over hers as he kissed her gently. Her mouth trembled. “You see how it is with us?”
“No. I don't see that at all.” She tried to twist away from him.
“Yes, you do. You're fighting it. You've totally disrupted my life and you're not going to scamper out of it like a pup with your tail between your legs until I'm sure it's what we both want.”
“You have nothing to say about what I do! Now, bug off! You're nothing to me, and…I despise everything about you…especially that beard!”
His bright-green eyes mocked her. “You're a liar, Glory, Glory,” he drawled softly. “Not a word of what you've said is true, and you know it. You're hurt and miserable and frightened. I can understand that. But pretending that you hate me is juvenile.”
She wanted so badly to hit him that her fists curled into tight balls. Only the fact that Peter was coming into the room stopped her.
“Mom! Mom! Are you coming? I got Cisco and the kitty in the car.” Gloria felt the blast of cool air from the open door. “Jack said I could name the kitty, Mom. Jack said I ought to call her Lucy.”
Jack's hands fell from her arms. “We're coming, Bronco Billy. Get back in the car.” He stepped around Gloria and picked up the suitcases. “Is this all you're taking?”
“Yes. But I can manage by myself.”
“I don't doubt that for a minute, but this time you're not going to. Leave it, I'll get it,” he said when she attempted to intercept him. She could tell that he was angry, but his voice remained calm. He nudged her in the back to force her out the door ahead of him.
Janet was in the office. She looked anxiously at Gloria, and then followed her to the back door.
“Jack explained why you're leaving. That bastard! That no-good bum! Don't worry about the motel. Gary and I will be here.”
“Tell Aunt Ethel I'll get in touch with her as soon as I can. Hey!” she yelled at Jack. “Don't put my things in that car.”
“It's not a car, Mom. Jack said it's a Jeep. He said it can go through snow.” Peter's eyes danced with excitement as he climbed into the back of the vehicle.
Gloria fumed. Jack said! Jack said!
Jack lowered t
he back door of the Jeep and set the suitcases inside. He passed her without a glance and went back to the motel for the bundle. Gloria had the suitcases on the ground and was trying to get Peter out of the truck when Jack returned. Silently, and calmly, he put the suitcases back in, wedged the bundle between them, and slammed the door.
“Get in.”
“No. I'm taking my own car. Peter, get out of—” Jack swung her up in his arms and sat her on the seat. “Now, wait just a doggone minute,” she sputtered. “Who do you think—”
Peter shrieked with laughter. “Mom! Jack picked you up like he does me. Jack's stronger than anybody, Mom.”
Jack grinned at her, slid in beside her, crowding her over to the passenger's side, and slammed the door. Before Gloria could find the door handle, the engine roared to life. He shifted the gears and backed the Jeep up so fast that Peter toppled over on the bundle, Cisco barked, and the frightened cat jumped over the seat and into Gloria's lap. They careened out onto the highway, Gloria grabbing the dash to keep from falling against Jack. She glanced at his face. His thick black hair was going in all directions, his eyes were mere slits, and his dark brows were drawn together. He looks as fierce as a medieval warrior; all he needs is a suit of armor and a lance, she thought.
“Where are you taking us?” she demanded. When he ignored her she shouted the question, angrily, forgetting about Peter. “I said, where are you taking us?”
“To Hangtown.”
If Jack had suddenly sprouted horns Gloria couldn't have been more shocked. For seconds she couldn't speak. Her heart fell right down through her stomach to her toes. It hadn't occurred to her that he would take them there!
“No way! We're going to Great Falls. I'll get a job—”
“Do you want him to find you?”
“You know I don't!”
“Can you think of a better place? The sheriff won't come out there; Hangtown is in another county. By the time he goes to Great Falls and gets a warrant, I'll have my lawyer in Chicago breathing down his neck.”
“Your what?”
“Even bums like me have the right to legal counsel.” He grinned at her.
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