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At least he hadn’t thrown her out. Yet. If only he would listen to her, believe her, then maybe, just maybe, she could save the only thing in the world that mattered to her.
“It’s cold out here.”
She turned at the sound of his voice, hugged her coat tighter when he stepped closer. Too close. “Lucas, I need to speak with you.”
He took hold of her hand, held firm when she attempted to pull away. “Does it hurt?”
“Hurt?” she repeated mindlessly. His fingers were long, callused, warm over her own.
He turned her palm up, circled the rough pad of his thumb over the sensitive, smooth flesh. “You cut yourself today. On the broken cup.”
“A scratch, that’s all.” Every nerve in her palm and up her arm came alive at Lucas’s touch. Unable to stop herself, she trembled.
“You’re freezing. Come inside.”
She shook her head, pulled her hand away. “This won’t take long. I just have to—”
“Julianna.” He frowned darkly. “Unless you’re planning to throw yourself off this balcony in a supreme sacrifice for your father, get inside now.”
She almost laughed at the absurdity of his statement, but under the circumstances, thought it best to simply do as he asked. No, she corrected, brushing past him into the living area of the suite. As he’d demanded.
She jumped when he moved behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Just taking your coat.” He tightened his hold, then added, “For now.”
Bristling, she held on to her coat. “I’m not staying.”
“Oh, but you are.” His hands stayed on her shoulders. “I insist.”
She knew it would be useless to argue, that he would probably only enjoy it if she did. She let him take her coat, then stepped away. The wonderful scent of oregano and basil filled the room, but her stomach only clenched at the smell of food. “Your dinner will get cold”
“Shall I order you something?” He tossed her coat over a barstool. “The food is excellent here. Especially the shrimp Alfredo and the chicken Madeira.”
She wondered how he would know that. He’d only been here since this afternoon. Long enough to turn her world upside down and inside out. “No, thank you. I have to get back.”
“When I say, Julianna. Now sit.” He gestured to the chair across from his plate. “You might not be hungry, but I’m starving. Chianti?”
Even as she shook her head, he poured her a glass of wine and pressed it into her hands. “Sit.”
Powerless to stop the humiliation, she took the chair at the farthest end of the glass dining room table. It would do no good to tell him that her father had been raging and half drunk when she’d left, that if he discovered she was gone, he’d only be more furious. And if he’d found out she’d come here...
She didn’t want to think about it. She’d deal with that later.
Lucas lifted the metal dome covering a china plate, releasing a cloud of fragrant steam. Steak, baked potato, herbed vegetables. “Sure you won’t have a bite? Filet, medium rare.”
“You surprise me, Lucas,” she said without thinking. “I would have thought raw was more to your taste.”
He raised a brow, smiled slowly. “Well, well, Miss Hadley. There is still a little fight in you. But you didn’t come here to irritate me, did you? So why don’t you tell me why you did come here?”
Dammit. How could she be so stupid? The last thing she wanted to do was irritate him. Along with her pride, she took a swallow of wine. They both burned all the way down. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I... it’s the land. The five acres and house by the creek.”
“What about it?” He cut into his steak, hefted a good bite into his mouth.
“That property is mine.” She struggled to keep the desperation out of her voice. “It was my grandparents‘, then my mother’s. She left it to me after she died last year.”
“I already told you. Your father’s name was on the title, not yours. Along with the Double H, he signed it over as collateral to First Financial.”
“But he can’t do that.” This time it was impossible to keep the emotion out of her words. “It’s mine, Lucas. You can’t just take it.”
“Why can’t I?” He reached for his own wine, kept his eyes on hers as he lifted the glass. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“It’s useless to you. The roof leaks, the paint is nonexistent, the plumbing and electricity need repair.”
“Exactly why I plan to tear it down.”
“No.” She felt the blood drain from her face. “Let me buy it back from you.”
He leaned back in his chair, studied her carefully. “I know every intimate detail of the Hadley finances. You don’t have a checking or savings account in your own name, no credit cards. You do own a six-yearold sedan. Are you planning on selling that as collateral?”
“I’ll get the money.” Embarrassed that he knew so much about her dependency on her father, and because she thought she might explode if she sat any longer, she stood and moved to the bar, keeping her back to him as she struggled to compose herself.
“Why is it so important to you?” he asked.
Could she give him that kind of ammunition? Tell him that the house was the only loving memory she had, the only tangible proof of something that had been good in her life? Would he laugh at her, throw it back in her face? He must hate her as much as her father. His revenge would be complete, wouldn’t it, if he destroyed not only Mason Hadley, but his daughter, as well.
What did it matter if he laughed? she thought. If he threw it back at her? She had nothing to lose. He couldn’t do anything worse to her than take her house away.
She stared at her own reflection in the mirror over the bar, hated the despair she saw in her own eyes. “My father and mother lived in a small house in town after they were married. My grandparents owned all the Double H land then, and they lived in the house by the creek. My father was always gone on business, but my mother and I used to visit my grandparents almost every day. We’d work in the garden, plant flowers in the front yard, vegetables in the back.” She ran a finger over the rim of the crystal wine glass still in her hand. “I used to fish in the creek with my grandfather. My grandmother baked bread and chocolate chip cookies.”
She couldn’t bear to look at Lucas. Knew that if she did, if she saw disdain there, she’d crumble for certain. She’d started this, and she would finish. “My grandparents had both died by the time I was eight. My mother inherited all the Double H land, along with the ranch my grandfather started and a great deal of money, but the house and five acres was put in trust for me. My father was so busy spending my grandparents’ money building his new house, he let mine deteriorate.”
“Why didn’t your mother keep it up?” Lucas asked dryly.
“She tried, but my father had control of the money then. They argued about it often.” It seemed useless to point out that any argument with her father was futile. “After her car accident when I was thirteen, my mother was never the same. She never went out anymore, had very little interaction with anyone. I tried to keep my grandparents’ house up myself, but it was impossible.”
Her father had made sure of that. He’d hated her grandparents’ house as much as she’d hated the cold mansion he’d built. Up until his investments had turned sour the past two years, her father had been the richest man in Wolf River. He’d had power and prestige. He’d made certain that no one would hire her, and no one would work on her house if they wanted to stay in business.
“Nothing’s impossible if you want it bad enough, Julianna.”
She started at his whispered comment She hadn’t realized he’d moved so close behind her. And still, she couldn’t turn and face him, couldn’t stand to see the pity or disgust in his eyes.
“Name your price, Lucas. I’ll get the money.”
“Where will you get the money?” He touched one finger to the back of her neck, made a lazy circle. “A rich boyfriend, maybe? I know there’ve been no husbands, but certainly there have been lovers, men appreciative of your... charms.”
His touch burned through the cotton knit of her sweater. Her knees turned soft; she had to concentrate to keep each breath steady and even. “How much?”
His finger skimmed her neck, gently up, then down again. “Why have there been no husbands, I wonder? Too attached to leave Daddy?”
She stiffened, whirled to face him. Immediately realized what a mistake she’d made with him standing so close. Their bodies touched, front to front, and he made no move to back off.
“So there is heat under that cold exterior,” he said thoughtfully, keeping his dark gaze on her. “And there is something you care about.”
How could he not know? she thought frantically. How could he be so blind? Her heart pounded in her chest, in her head. “Dammit, name your price.”
“All right.” He brought his hand to her face, softly ran his knuckle over her cheek. “The price is you. I want you to marry me.”
Three
His words shocked him as much as they had obviously shocked her. He watched her face turn ashen, felt her body go still against his. For a long moment it even seemed as though she’d stopped breathing.
“What did you say?” she whispered.
He could simply laugh now, tell her he’d gotten the response from her he’d been looking for. sheer terror. That he’d wanted to rattle her perfect composure, shake up her cool self-control.
Instead, he smiled and tucked a loose strand of silken blond hair behind her ear. She winced at his touch, as if he’d scorched her.
“You want something from me.” He let his finger skim her earlobe, then move down her neck. “Maybe I want something from you, too.”
Color flushed her pale cheeks. “You don’t have to marry me for that.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not talking about sex.” He leaned in closer. “Though, if we did marry, I would certainly expect that. In fact—” he watched her eyelids flutter as he brought his lips close to her ear “—I would insist on it.”
“You’ve ruined my father.” Her voice shook. “Isn’t that enough?”
“Mason Hadley manipulated paperwork to steal my father’s ranch, shot him, then had him falsely sent to prison where he died. Tell me what’s enough. How much will it take before that wrong is made right?”
Her eyes opened wide now in understanding. “And you’d use me to complete your revenge? Saddle yourself with a woman who would only remind you of that pain every day?”
“It’s your father who will be reminded every day,” he said harshly. “I’ll have his land and his daughter. And a man would hardly consider himself saddled to a woman with your looks, sweetheart. In fact, you could be quite an asset.”
He watched her close her eyes tightly, as if she were trying to shut out the horror of it all. He should feel extreme satisfaction at her obvious distaste of marriage to him, but he felt a cold rage instead. He could almost hear her thoughts. How dare the lowly half-breed propose marriage to a woman of her stature. How appalling. He could still hear her words to him this afternoon when he’d bent to help her pick up the broken coffee cup in her father’s office. Keep away from me, Lucas.
Remembering those words, he leaned in even closer to her. “It might not be awful,” he said huskily. “Women say I know how to please. I bet I could even please you.”
He brushed his lips over hers—barely a whisper of a touch—felt and heard her soft intake of breath. He lingered there a moment, surprised that she didn’t jerk away, that she didn’t raise her hand to slap his face. Even more surprised at the shudder he felt move through her body. Was it repulsion, he wondered, or desire? Either way, his own body responded instantly. He curled his hands around her arms, brought her up against him, a mixture of anger and longing raging through him. He could take her right here, right now. She’d let him, he was certain of that
Thunder shook the windows, and Julianna’s eyes opened wide. He saw the confusion there, the fear and something else, something he couldn’t name. A second crack of thunder brought him back to reality, and he released her.
She fell back against the bar, steadied herself as she drew in a long, slow breath. “I still don’t understand, Lucas. You wouldn’t have to marry me. You could just...I mean, I could...”
“Be my mistress?” he finished for her.
She nodded. “I would think that would be more convenient for you.”
“Let’s just call this a long-term investment. One that includes children.”
“Children?” she gasped. “You want me to have a child with you?”
He struggled to control his anger over the shocked tone in her voice. “I want a family, and their mother will be my wife, not my mistress. Though I see-no reason not to have both.” He smiled tightly, cupped her chin in his hand. “But make no mistake, Julianna. You will not be given that privilege. You will be mine, and mine alone.”
“And love, Lucas?” she asked, her voice barely audible. “What about love?”
He laughed dryly, shook his head. “Love is a fairy tale, sweetheart. We won’t be riding into any sunsets or spouting happily-ever-afters. You’ll take care of our home, raise our children—if there are any—and you’ll have your house.”
Her breathing quickened; he could see her mind racing. “But your business,” she argued, “you work in Dallas.”
“As soon as you’re settled here, I’ll spend most of my time there. I’m sure you won’t object to that.” He traced the delicate line of her jaw. “But don’t worry, I’ll be back to check up on you, just so you don’t get too lonely. So what’s your answer?”
What was her answer?
Dare she let him see that he’d just offered her more than she could have ever dreamed? Marriage, her grandparents’ house. Children. Dear God. Her chest tightened with the thought.
She’d never truly considered marriage or children while her mother was alive. Caring for her had been full-time, and Julianna had known that if she’d left, her father would have sent her mother to a home. Some place where no one would care about her or love her.
But during that time when she’d been looking after her mother, she’d never loved any of the men she’d occasionally gone out with.
Not like she’d loved Lucas.
What a laugh that would be for him, to know that she loved him. She’d only been nine when she’d watched him stand up to her father, watched him bravely keep his head high, even as he was taken off to the County Home for Boys. She’d always respected his honesty, admired his courage. He’d never given a damn what anyone thought, except maybe Nick Santos and Ian Shawnessy, his best friends. His only friends. Which was still two more than she’d ever had. She’d watched them together from afar, always envied their friendship.
She’d been a coward her entire life, had always been afraid to stand up for herself. Would she be afraid now, afraid to say yes, when that was what she really wanted?
But making her happy was certainly not part of Lucas’s revenge. She couldn’t let him know how much she wanted this, how much she wanted to be his wife, the mother of his children, even without love. To have her house and children, that would be happiness enough for her.
She breathed deeply, held his dark gaze. “Will you put it in writing, that the house will be mine after we marry?”
“As long as you accept my conditions, the house will be in both our names.” He touched her cheek, though gently this time. “And there’ll be no divorce, Julianna. Don’t even think about it. Till death do us part.”
Outside, the storm continued to rage. And here, inside, with Lucas, her heart pounding, her knees shaking, Julianna drew strength from a place deep within her that she’d never even known existed.
“All right, Lucas,” she said, her voice steady and clear. “I’ll marry you.”
Three days later, at four in the afternoon, Lucas stood shoulder to shoulder with Julianna in the Wolf River courthouse. Nick Santos, who’d arrived on his motorcycle only an hour earlier in a ground-trembling display of shiny chrome and black leather, stood to Lucas’s right. Judge Martin Winters, the white-haired, bushy-browed justice of the peace, frowned darkly through the entire ceremony, his hostility aimed directly at Lucas.
Lucas kept his gaze firmly on the judge, repeating back to him the vows of marriage. What the hell did the old man think? Lucas wondered irritably. That Julianna would be starved or beaten? He hadn’t put a gun to her head. She was here of her own free will, had willingly agreed to all the medical tests and signed the marriage license.
He glanced at her now, watched as her trembling lips echoed the words that would bind her to him forever. Her hand was like ice when he slipped a ring on her finger. When she stumbled over “love and honor,” Judge Winters scowled, then sighed and proclaimed them man and wife with an enthusiasm that equaled a jailer slamming the cell door on a prisoner.
Her face was as white as her simple suit, her hair swept up and pinned primly in a French roll. Small diamond studs sparkled at her earlobes. He’d expected her to wear black, but then, he’d never really believed she would show up at all.
Julianna Hadley was now Julianna Blackhawk.
He turned to kiss her, ignoring the sniffle from Mrs. Talbot, the matronly court secretary who’d been Julianna’s witness. He vaguely remembered the woman, recalled her hair had been brown twenty years ago, not gray. She’d been kind to him the night he’d been arrested at Hadley’s mansion and led handcuffed into the jail. Lucas was certain the woman remembered him, as well, and wondered if her sniffle was one of joy for the newlyweds or misery.
He pressed his lips to Julianna’s, was surprised that she didn’t turn away from him. Her eyes fluttered closed, then opened slowly when he moved away.
“Out of the way, Blackhawk.” Nick shouldered Lucas aside. “It’s time for the best man—and I do mean that in every way—to kiss the bride.”
