by Day Leclaire
“Okay, I’ll do what I can.”
Ten
Thirty-six hours later, Rosalyn checked herself out of the hospital. Her doctors weren’t happy, particularly when they learned that Joc wouldn’t be picking her up. But then, how could he when she’d neglected to call him? Since both she and the baby were fully recovered, they reluctantly agreed to discharge her.
Exiting through the front doors, she took a deep breath. She might be inhaling city air rather than air sweetened with the grass and flowers and ripening grains of home, but at least it was better than a hospital room scented with the harsh odor of bleach and illness. Now she just had to decide where to go next.
Joc’s place was out. She needed time to deal with all that had happened between them before confronting him again. She could return to Longhorn—it was hers for a few days more at least. But did she want to go back there? Before she could decide what her next move would be, a sleek black car drove into the entry circle and pulled to a stop in front of her.
The passenger door swung open and a woman called out to her. “Ms. Oakley…Rosalyn? I arranged with your housekeeper, Claire, to pick you up.”
Rosalyn blinked in surprise, cautiously approaching the car. “I’m sorry. Do I know you?”
“Indirectly, my dear. I’m Meredith Hollister. I think we need to talk.”
Rosalyn made a snap decision and slid into the car, studying Meredith with interest. The woman appeared to be in her forties, despite the fact that basic math put her somewhere in her fifties. She was also every bit as striking as her daughter, although their appearances couldn’t be more disparate. Where MacKenzie shared her half brother’s height, and eye-catching, dark looks, Meredith was a small, sleek package with a cap of streaked blond curls and a lovely, fine-boned face.
“How did you know I was being discharged at this moment?” Rosalyn asked, genuinely curious. “Joc didn’t even know.”
Meredith dismissed that with a wave of her mani cured hand. To Rosalyn’s surprise her fingernails were simple, polished ovals. Practical rather than flashy. “I bribed one of your nurses to give me the heads-up. Then I called your housekeeper and offered to take you where you needed to go.”
“I’m not sure what we have to talk about.” Rosalyn snapped her seat belt in place, wincing at the protest of still-tender muscles. “But I appreciate the ride.”
“I thought we could talk about Joc.”
The comment was so unexpected Rosalyn didn’t know what to say. “You want to talk to me about Joc?” she offered hesitantly. “That can’t be good.”
Meredith shot her a sparkling look, one filled with good humor. “Why would you think that? I admire Joc immensely.” She pulled away from the hospital. “Where can I take you?”
“I guess I’ll settle for home. Unfortunately it won’t be mine for much longer,” Rosalyn answered, hoping she didn’t sound too pathetic.
“Ah. You’re referring to MacKenzie. My daughter doesn’t play fair.”
That provoked a spurt of temper. “She bribed one of my hands to tear up my mortgage payments. Since she held the loan on my place, it allowed her to foreclose on it. So, you’re right. She doesn’t play fair.”
“She wants her home back. She thought Joc would trade.”
“I don’t hold that against her. I understand all about roots. What I object to is how she went about getting her way, and that she used me to get at Joc.”
Meredith frowned in concern. “You’re getting worked up about it. That can’t be healthy. Why don’t you put your seat back and rest? I expect the drive to take a while.”
“I’m not really tired—”
“You left the hospital before they wanted to release you. Consider the health of your baby, if nothing else.”
Every last protest vanished beneath the logic of that one statement. When it came to pushing buttons, this woman was good. Grumbling beneath her breath, Rosalyn reclined the seat and closed her eyes. She didn’t actually nod off. Instead she lay in that dreamy world somewhere between consciousness and sleep. It wasn’t until the car slowed that she sat up again. They turned onto a long, sweeping driveway, one that was all-too familiar. Rosalyn stared in dismay as they approached Joc’s mansion.
“What are you doing? I didn’t want to come here.”
“Didn’t you? Oops. My mistake. I thought you said you wanted to go home.”
“This isn’t my home.”
“Huh. I thought it was.” Meredith pulled to a stop at the base of the broad, shallow staircase that led to Joc’s massive front entryway. “Would you mind if I offer you some advice?”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” Rosalyn answered truthfully.
“I understand. But I think I will, anyway.” Fine lines spiked outward from the older woman’s mouth and eyes, lines that spoke of an old, bitter pain. “I’ve learned the hard way that when we lose the things that are most important to us, we can become angry and cynical. Or we can find a way to take what we have left and make the best of it. You’re facing that choice now. Joc loves you, you know.”
“That’s not true—”
Meredith cut her off. “It is true, just as it’s true that you love him. You have a choice, Rosalyn. You can either put the past behind you and create a new life with the man you love, or you can use what’s happened as an excuse to shut yourself off from happiness. When I was faced with a similar dilemma, I made the wrong choice. So has most of my family.” She held Rosalyn with a gaze both pleading and commanding. “Don’t do that to Joc. He deserves better.”
Rosalyn stared in disbelief. “How can you defend him? He’s taken everything from you.”
“You’re wrong. Boss did, not Joc.” Her chin firmed and she nodded as though in response to some private decision. “Do me a favor, won’t you? Tell Joc I’m re leasing him from his promise. He’ll know what I mean.”
Rosalyn remained where she was for several long minutes, before releasing her breath in a sigh. “You’re going to sit here until I get out, aren’t you?”
“’Fraid so.” She wiggled her fingers in the direction of the front door. “Off you go, my dear. And don’t forget to give Joc my message.”
Rosalyn thrust open the door and exited into a blanket of stifling humidity. Without a backward look, she trotted up the steps and entered Joc’s home. She walked into blessed coolness, her advent startling one of the maids who greeted her with a smile of delight.
“Ms. Rosalyn, welcome home.”
“Thanks, Lynn. Do you know where Joc is?”
“In his study.”
Rosalyn’s stomach knotted. She didn’t want to confront Joc again, not after how they’d last parted. But she didn’t have any choice. Meredith had seen to that. The door to the study was closed and she paused outside, her fist raised to knock. Meredith’s words continued to haunt her, and her arm fell to her side as she took a moment to gather up her self-control.
Meredith was right. She did have a decision to make before she saw Joc again. She could hate him for refusing MacKenzie’s offer, could spend the rest of her life resenting what had happened. Or she could accept responsibility for her part in the disaster and move on. If she’d kept her bank accounts reconciled she might have realized in time that her mortgage checks weren’t being cashed and put an end to MacKenzie’s scheme before it had a chance to get off the ground.
More to the point, Joc had no obligation to use his assets to save Longhorn. A hard realization struck. Good Lord! If he had bailed her out, he’d own the property, not her. And he’d be within his rights to build the complex he wanted, rather than keep her ranch intact. Why hadn’t that occurred to her before? Perhaps it had been the knock to her head or the medications she’d been given. Whatever the cause, she hadn’t been thinking straight.
She pressed a hand to her abdomen. Boss had caused so much strife and turmoil, putting his own selfish desires before his wife and children, not to mention Joc’s mother. It would be such an easy path for her to take, as well,
a path of bitterness and emotional dearth. Or she could trust Joc, trust that he’d do everything within his power to care for her and their child. And maybe in time, Meredith’s claim that Joc loved her might come true.
Closing her eyes, Rosalyn made her peace with the past and with all she’d lost. From now on, she’d focus on the future and on the life she wanted to create for her child. It was time to provide a new legacy for the next generation. From this point forward, she’d put down new roots. She straightened and knocked on the heavy oak.
“I told you I didn’t want to be interrupted!”
She thrust open the door. “Too bad, Arnaud. I’m here and you’re going to have to deal with me.”
“Red!” He shot to his feet, his drink sloshing over the rim of his tumbler. “Are you all right? The baby?”
“Mother and baby are both fine, thanks.”
She studied him, secretly shocked by his condition. Though it had only been days since she’d last seen him, he looked as though he hadn’t slept in a month. Deep lines bracketed his mouth. But it was his eyes that held her, eyes that were bottomless wells of pain.
“I was told you wouldn’t be released until tomorrow.” He circled the desk. He started to reach for her, his arms dropping to his sides at the last instant, as though he were afraid to touch her. “Why didn’t you call me? I would have come and picked you up.”
“I didn’t want to see you.”
He stiffened at that. “Then why are you here?”
“Not out of choice, at least not at first. Meredith drove me out here.”
His face darkened. “How did she know to pick you up?”
“Apparently bribery and deception run in the Hollister family. Meredith paid one of the nurses to alert her when I left the hospital.” She stepped past him and wandered deeper into the study, before spinning to face him once again. “She had a message for you, by the way.”
Every scrap of expression vanished from his face.
“What message?”
Interesting reaction. She studied him more closely. “She said she releases you from your promise. You’re supposed to know what that means.”
“That’s all she told you?”
“Yes.” She’d wasted enough time on the Hollisters. “Could we talk? I mean, really talk.”
“I think that would be a good idea.”
Rosalyn lifted an eyebrow. “Mind if I go first?”
He visibly steeled himself. “Go ahead.”
With luck he’d understand where she was going with her request. Only one question remained…how he’d react to it. “I’d like to renegotiate our agreement, the one regarding the baby and our marriage.”
She’d intrigued him, though he still remained wary. “Which particular clause?”
“The one that determines where we live.”
A muscle leaped in his jaw and his gaze intensified, filled with desperate hope. “I think I’d be open to a change in venue. Where do you have in mind?”
“Wherever you’re willing to put down roots. Wherever we can put those roots down together,” she said simply. “If you’re willing, that is.”
He came for her then, catching her close. “Warn me if I hurt you.”
She shut her eyes and leaned into him. “I’ve discovered that I can handle a little hurt. I bounce back fast.”
“Are you sure, Red? Really sure?”
Her head jerked up and she regarded him with unflinching certainty. “Absolutely. It doesn’t matter if MacKenzie owns Longhorn now. It’s dirt, remember? Nothing more than acres of dirt.”
He stilled against her and his breath escaped in a long sigh. “I seem to remember saying those words to you when we were on Deseos.” A hint of regret drifted across his face. “They were wrong then and they’re wrong now.”
She pulled back. “What do you mean?”
“I mean I plan to fix it.”
She shook her head. “No, you don’t need to do that. It doesn’t matter where we live.” Didn’t he get it? She took his hand in hers and placed it low on her abdomen. “Nothing matters except us and our child. We’re Texans. They don’t grow them any tougher. We can plant our roots anywhere.”
“And we will. We’ll plant them on Oakley land.”
Rosalyn stared in disbelief. “MacKenzie changed her mind?”
“She will.”
He swung her into his arms, and with the utmost caution, carried her to the leather couch on the far side of his study. “I don’t dare take you upstairs,” he said with clear regret. “I’m not sure I could keep my hands off you and you need time to heal.”
“Fortunately for us both, I’m a fast healer.”
As though unable to help himself he kissed her, his mouth brushing hers with the lightest of touches. It wasn’t enough—nowhere near enough. She lifted her mouth for another. With a husky groan he kissed her again, sealing her mouth with his. He delved gently inward, slow and careful and infinitely tender.
“More,” she demanded the minute he lifted his head.
“Your bruises…”
“You can kiss them better.” She shot him a humorous glance. “It’ll be good practice for when the baby’s born.”
He didn’t need any further prompting. He settled back against the cushions and with exquisite sensitivity, helped her stretch out on top of him. “Are you all right?”
“Perfect.”
The next several minutes passed in a delicious haze.
Her enjoyment of being in his arms again overrode any discomfort she might have experienced from her injuries. His kisses were sweeter than any that had come before, telling her without words all that lay within his heart. Every touch felt soft and slow and keenly aware of how they might impact her injuries. Desire rose like a tide, threatening to spiral out of control. Suddenly he pulled back.
“No more,” he insisted, the breath heaving from his lungs. “Not until your doctor gives us the okay.”
Realizing that she didn’t have a hope of changing his mind, she raised her head and regarded him with undisguised curiosity. “Explain it to me, Joc. Why will MacKenzie sell Longhorn to you? What’s changed over the past few days?”
“Meredith happened.”
“The promise?” At his nod, she asked, “What promise did you make to her?”
“That I’d never tell anyone why she sold her home to me. And that I’d never sell it without her permission.”
“I don’t understand,” she said in bewilderment.
“Meredith approached me not long after I made my first million—maybe a decade ago. She begged me to buy the property.”
She stared, dumbfounded. “Why would she do that?”
“Because she was on the verge of bankruptcy. Between Boss’s legal fees and the taxes and fines that resulted from his illegal activities, there was nothing left.”
The pieces started to fall into place. “MacKenzie doesn’t know any of this, does she?”
Joc shook his head. “No. Nor do her brothers. Meredith didn’t want them to know. Pride, I suspect. She split the money among them and claimed it was their inheritance from their father.”
“Why did she want you to hold on to the property?”
“I think she has mixed feelings about it. Part of her hates the place because of Boss. Part of her is torn because the homestead has been in Hollister hands for so many years. She felt that as long as I held on to it, she had time to come to terms with her feelings and to decide what she wanted done with it.”
Rosalyn blinked in surprise. “I don’t get it. Why would you let her make that decision?”
“It was part of our agreement. Since I didn’t care what happened to the place, the stipulation didn’t bother me. The one thing Meredith has remained adamant about is not passing the homestead on to her children. She didn’t want them continuing a legacy that brought them nothing but pain.”
“Which is why she didn’t want you selling it to MacKenzie, even a decade later.” Rosalyn frowned. “Why did she w
ant it after all this time?”
“MacKenzie found out a year ago that I—or rather, one of my corporations—owns the property. She can’t stand it and has been after me ever since to sell out to her.”
Rosalyn needed to put another issue to rest. “Are you positive you don’t want it for yourself?”
Bone-deep anger burned in his eyes. “I’ve never set foot on Boss’s land and I never will.”
“What do you think Meredith will do with it?”
“We’ve discussed turning it into a camp for children suffering from life-threatening diseases, or perhaps a rehabilitation center for troubled teens.”
“Are you going to tell MacKenzie the truth?”
He nodded. “I’ll arrange a meeting with her and Meredith and see if she won’t come on board with her mother’s plans. I have a feeling she will, and that once she understands why I refused to sell it to her, she’ll allow me to purchase Longhorn.” His mouth twisted. “Knowing her, it’ll be for a hefty price.”
“Why, Joc?” she asked softly. “Why would you do that for your mother’s nemesis?”
“Because she saved my life.”
Rosalyn lifted onto one elbow. “What?”
“It was during that time when I was trying to change my life around. When I put an end to my more questionable business enterprises—”
“That’s a tactful way of putting it.”
“I thought so.” His smile held a hint of pain. “There wasn’t any money coming in once I parted ways with Mick and the others. And I still had the responsibility for Ana.”
The penny dropped. “Harvard. Meredith paid for you to go to Harvard, didn’t she?”
He shook his head. “Money was tight for her, too. No, she didn’t pay for it. But she found people who could. At Meredith’s urging, they took a chance on me. They supported me while I got my education and during the years I was getting my business off the ground.”
“For which they’ve since been richly rewarded,” Rosalyn guessed shrewdly.
He shrugged. “I’ve been in a position to help a few of them,” he admitted. “Meredith also arranged for references from people who had an in at Harvard. And she arranged for housing, housing that enabled me to keep Ana with me during those early years.”
