‘Look, if it will make you feel any happier, Lesli,’ Nathan drawled, ‘I’ll take Brenna out to lunch and feed her up.’
Ordinarily Brenna would have told him what he could do with his lunch, but she realised it had been a way of covering up the moment of awkwardness as Grant realised he might not have ‘anything to do’ with Christiana’s growing up and eventually finding a husband, and also a way of getting them both out of the room so that the married couple could talk in private if they wanted to. She hoped they did.
‘Just for that you can take me to any vegetarian restaurant you like,’ she challenged, the fact that she knew he preferred an omnivorous diet making her mischievous. Nathan couldn’t stand any sort of completely meatless menu—it had been a constant argument between them in the old days. She knew by the light of battle in his eyes that today was going to be no different.
‘You’ll be eating on your own, then,’ he told her as he opened the door for her. ‘I had in mind a decent restaurant, not some gathering-place for leaf-eaters!’
‘Take me to Mother Tucker’s, then,’ she amended, hearing Grant and Lesli chuckle together as she and Nathan left. She relaxed a little once they were outside. ‘Poor Grant,’ she sighed. ‘I could have cried for him!’
‘Yes,’ rasped Nathan, his hands thrust into his trouser pockets as he walked at her side. ‘He still refuses to tell me what it’s all about,’ he scowled, his teasing mood gone now that he didn’t have an audience.
Brenna avoided his gaze. ‘Then it must be private to them,’ she dismissed.
‘Hm,’ he acknowledged unconvincingly. ‘Do you think they’ll make it?’
‘Yes,’ she answered without hesitation. ‘Because they love each other.’
‘Where are you going?’ Nathan frowned as she walked off towards the pick-up she was using during her stay. ‘I thought we were going for lunch.’
She turned to look at him. ‘That was just for Lesli and Grant’s benefit.’
‘Maybe,’ he conceded. ‘But it wouldn’t hurt for us to have lunch together.’
‘Why?’ she frowned suspiciously.
‘Why not?’ His eyes narrowed. ‘We both seem to have been too busy to talk lately.’
‘Talk?’ she echoed, startled. ‘We don’t have anything to talk about.’
‘Grant and Lesli?’ he rasped. ‘And Christiana. You can’t stop being a member of this family just because you would like to, you know.’
She flushed at the accusation. ‘I haven’t—’
‘And whether you like it or not I’m a member of this family too!’
‘I know that,’ she snapped, wondering how he supposed she could ever forget it.
‘Then don’t you think there’s already enough friction between Lesli and Grant without us being at each other’s throats?’ he sighed.
‘That’s all this is?’ she hesitated, having avoided him since the night Christiana had been born.
His mouth twisted derisively. ‘The fact that I accept every time you offer your body to me may have given you an inflated opinion of your own attraction, but I can assure you I’m not about to leap on you at the least provocation; certainly not in a crowded restaurant!’
Brenna blushed at his insulting tone—as she knew she was supposed to do. But he was right, she was the one who offered her body; he was hardly the type to force a woman. He had never needed to!
‘If we’re going to put up a united front, Nathan,’ she rasped, ‘I suggest you put those two nights out of your mind.’
He gave a derisive snort. ‘You must be out of your mind if you think I can do that!’
Her blush deepened. ‘This isn’t going to work, Nathan.’
‘I’m sorry,’ he sighed, grabbing her arm as she would have turned away from him. ‘Let’s compromise; I won’t forget them, but I won’t talk about them either. Hm?’ he encouraged.
Green eyes warred with grey until finally Brenna nodded in weary agreement; trying to avoid him and, consequently, memories of their nights together, was proving too much of a strain anyway.
They lunched at Mother Tucker’s, one of the leading restaurants in the city, talking of impersonal things, and Brenna relaxed to such an extent that she even began to fool herself she was having a good time. Nathan could be charming when he felt the need, and at the moment he felt the need. Maybe it was because of that relaxed charm he exuded that she noticed the exact moment his mood changed, following his gaze towards the restaurant entrance.
A couple were just entering, the man short and middle-aged, obviously dazzled by his companion, a tall, willowy blonde with eyes the colour of the amber jewels she wore about her slender throat, the rich gold of her dress giving her a glow, although her beauty would have stood out no matter what she wore.
Brenna had no need for anyone to tell her this was the beautiful Dee Wallace, the woman Nathan had been dating for the last two or three months. The woman was such a complete contrast to her in looks that she couldn’t help wondering how Nathan had come from this woman’s arm to her own.
The couple were seated at a table across the room from them, and the woman looked about her interestedly once they had ordered their drinks, her eyes glowing like gold as she spotted Nathan, although she frowned a little as she saw Brenna, making her excuses to the man she was dining with before getting up to come over to their table.
‘Nathan,’ she greeted huskily, bending down to brush her reddened lips against his, then straightening to look curiously at Brenna as Nathan returned the caress.
Nathan stood up. ‘Dee, this is my stepsister, Brenna Jordan. Brenna, Dee Wallace.’
My lover, Brenna silently added the description he hadn’t. Standing together as they were, the two of them exuded physical intimacy, Dee’s body lightly resting into Nathan’s in soft compliance.
Dee gave a friendly laugh. ‘For a moment I thought I should feel jealous of you,’ she confided. ‘I was ready to scratch your eyes out,’ she admitted ruefully.
‘That won’t be necessary,’ she drawled curtly.
‘You’re English.’ The golden eyes widened.
‘I did say stepsister, Dee,’ Nathan rasped. ‘Even after ten years Brenna still hasn’t lost her English accent.’
‘It’s very attractive,’ Dee frowned.
‘Would you and your friend like to join us, Miss Wallace?’ Brenna offered tautly.
The other woman shook her head regretfully. ‘This is a business lunch, I’m afraid. Perhaps another time,’ she dismissed. ‘See you tonight, darling?’ she smiled warmly at Nathan.
‘Yes,’ he said abruptly.
Dee gave him another lingering kiss. ‘Nice to have met you, Brenna,’ she smiled.
Brenna handed Nathan a napkin as soon as the other woman had left. ‘You have lip-gloss on your top lip,’ she mumbled, unable to look at the spot where the dark lip-gloss stood out conspicuously against his tanned flesh.
Anger flared in dark grey eyes as he roughly removed the offending mark.
‘She’s your lover,’ Brenna stated flatly.
‘Yes,’ he bit out viciously, crumpling the napkin before slowly letting it fall on to the table.
‘She’s beautiful.’
‘Yes,’ he ground out.
Maybe she would have felt better if she could have disliked the other woman, but she couldn’t; she had found Dee Wallace as beautiful and charming as Mindy’s obvious admiration of her had implied her to be; Mindy couldn’t stand anyone with affected airs and graces.
‘Damn it, Brenna,’ Nathan grated suddenly, ‘I wouldn’t need to go to other women if you—’
‘No!’ she cut in harshly. ‘Don’t say it, Nathan,’ she choked.
‘No,’ he sighed raggedly. ‘You’re right, it will serve no purpose. Are you ready to leave?’
She had been ready for the last ten minutes. She wished she had never met Dee Wallace, and she had to acknowledge that she was a beautiful and likeable woman. And that she was Nathan’s lover.
&nb
sp; Far from smoothing things over between them that lunch seemed to be another thing that stood between them. Now when Nathan drove off in the evenings and often didn’t return until the morning Brenna knew to whom he was going and why. She couldn’t work on those evenings he went to see Dee Wallace, and finally, in an act of desperation, she accepted a dinner invitation from Gary Brody.
At eighteen she had thought him wonderfully sophisticated at two years her senior. But somewhere along the way the two years had ceased to matter, and in fact at twenty-four Gary now seemed younger than she was.
The evening should have been fun, she and Gary meeting up with a group of her old friends at a bar in the city after they had had dinner together, talking and laughing with the happy group until almost midnight.
She knew when Gary chose to drive the Cochrane way back to the ranch that he intended parking before taking her home; the steep hill before they reached the small town of Cochrane was one of their old parking spots.
‘Remember this place?’ Gary grinned at her as he turned off on to the gravel road.
‘Yes. Look, Gary, I think I should go straight home tonight—’
‘That’s crazy,’ he dismissed, parking so that they could look down on the brightly lit town of Cochrane with its four thousand population. ‘It’s a clear evening,’ he remarked with satisfaction as his arm moved about her shoulders.
Brenna could have screamed with the stupidity she had shown in accepting this invitation tonight. She hadn’t parked out like this since she was eighteen! ‘It’s lovely,’ she acknowledged impatiently. ‘Look, Gary—’
‘I’ve missed you, you know,’ he told her intensely. ‘I’ve never been able to understand why you had to go to college in England.’
‘Because I am English,’ she pointed out drily.
‘Yes, but—’
‘Gary, would you please take me home?’ she said tautly. ‘I have a headache, and—Gary!’ she protested as he moved determinedly towards her.
‘You always were the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen,’ he caressed the side of her mouth before claiming her lips in a punishing kiss. ‘Brenna. Oh God, Brenna!’ he groaned.
‘Gary, stop this!’ she ordered, pushing him away. ‘Stop it, damn you!’
‘What’s the matter with you?’ He looked at her accusingly. ‘We’re both adults now,’ he complained.
‘We certainly are,’ she agreed stiffly. ‘And past the age of making love in a car!’
‘We could always go to a motel.’
‘No, Gary,’ she glared.
He flushed. ‘What’s the matter, Brenna, are you too stuck up for your old friends now?’
What was the matter was that Nathan had made it impossible for her to respond to any man but him! ‘You know that isn’t true, Gary,’ she reproved softly. ‘The trouble is that you are a friend, and I can’t think of you in any other way. Now would you please take me home?’
She wasn’t at all surprised when he didn’t suggest seeing her again, knowing his pride was injured because she didn’t see him in a romantic way. But she couldn’t force a desire that came all too easily with Nathan.
‘Nightcap?’
She looked up sharply as Nathan spoke to her, silhouetted in the doorway of the dimly lit lounge. He had left the house before her this evening, and she had supposed he was going to see Dee; she hadn’t thought he would be back yet. ‘Yes,’ she accepted his offer gruffly.
‘It’s only coffee, I’m afraid.’ He raised dark brows questioningly.
‘Coffee will be fine,’ she nodded, having already had enough alcohol this evening.
‘Bad evening?’ Nathan sat across from her as she drank the strong brew.
She shrugged, closing her eyes wearily. ‘I sent off the Koly story and illustrations today, and I thought it would be nice to go out and celebrate; getting groped in the front seat of a car isn’t my idea of a celebration!’
‘Gary?’ he demanded.
His tension was a tangible force across the room, and Brenna raised her head to look at him. ‘It was my own fault,’ she sighed. ‘I shouldn’t have gone out with him.’
‘No, you shouldn’t,’ he rasped as he stood up.
‘Nathan?’ she blinked as he came to stand over her.
‘I had a lousy evening too,’ he murmured raggedly, pulling her up to stand in front of him. ‘In fact, all my evenings have been lousy lately,’ he added grimly.
‘Dee…?’
‘Isn’t you,’ he bit out. ‘I’m sick of going to another woman for what I want from you!’ He moulded her body against his.
‘Nathan, we can’t…!’
‘Who the hell says we can’t?’ His eyes glittered angrily. ‘I’m only happy lately when I’m with you; arguing with you, making love with you, being hated by you. God, I can even stand the first and last as long as I can have the second,’ he groaned. ‘I don’t want to go to another woman any more, Brenna, I want you. And I know you want me too.’
How was it possible to deny wanting a man when your body was melting against his of its own free will, when your breathing was suddenly laboured, when you couldn’t break your gaze away from his?
‘Nathan, I can’t,’ she managed to choke. ‘Please don’t make me.’
For a moment he stared down at her in angry silence, then he pushed her away from him. ‘Perhaps one day you’ll tell me why you’re putting us both through this,’ he ground out. ‘Because I sure as hell don’t understand it!’ He stormed out.
‘Neither do I!’
Brenna’s control broke as she turned to confront Mindy, rushing into the other woman’s arms as she held them open to her. She couldn’t seem to stop the tears once they had started; and Mindy seemed content to let her cry until there were no more tears left.
‘Now,’ Mindy sat her down firmly, sitting next to her. ‘Why are you constantly pushing Nathan away when you love him?’
‘I don’t—’
‘Don’t lie to me, Brenna,’ the other woman reprimanded. ‘I’ve known you too many years not to know when you’re lying,’ she added sternly. ‘I know that you love him, and I know that he cares for you too.’
‘No!’
‘Brenna, I just heard him tell you how much he wants you. And to a man a want as fierce as that one, can only mean love, even if he doesn’t come right out and call it that. I’m not quite senile, you know,’ Mindy reproved. ‘I’ve had my own share of relationships with men in my time.’
‘Oh, Mindy, I’m sure you have,’ said Brenna between a sob and a laugh. ‘You don’t understand.’
‘I’ve just told you I don’t,’ the housekeeper conceded. ‘I don’t understand any of you. Lesli and Grant have been in love with each other ever since I can remember, and yet she walked out on him when she’s expecting his baby, you spent a night with Nathan before running off to England and not coming back.’ She shook her head. ‘I think you’ve all gone mad.’
‘Maybe a little,’ Brenna agreed.
‘You aren’t going to stay here and marry Nathan this time either, are you?’
‘No,’ she shook her head.
‘And will Lesli be staying with Grant?’ Mindy frowned her confusion.
Brenna nodded. ‘If I have anything to do with it, yes,’ she said determinedly.
‘Do you have any idea why she left in the first place?’
Brenna avoided the older woman’s gaze. ‘I have a good idea.’
‘Then I hope you can stay long enough to sort this mess out,’ Mindy shook her head exasperatedly. ‘Because tiny and vulnerable as she is, Christiana is going to need both her parents for a long time to come, not just one.’
‘I’m going to do the best I can to see that she keeps them both,’ she assured her.
‘And after that I suppose you’ll leave poor Nathan again?’ Mindy reproved.
‘I’ve never been with him, so my leaving can hardly be classed as leaving him,’ Brenna protested.
Mindy sighed. ‘I know I’ve been a
little rough on you since you got back… all right, more than a little,’ she corrected at Brenna’s sceptical look. ‘But you didn’t see Nathan last summer when you didn’t come home; I did!’ she added grimly.
‘Mindy, sometimes things aren’t always what they seem to be…’
‘You and Lesli have been able to lead Nathan and Grant a merry dance ever since you first came here, there’s no mistaking that,’ the other woman said drily. ‘And I don’t suppose it will ever change.’
‘I shall be leaving soon, Mindy,’ she teased. ‘Then you can have your peace and quiet back.’
‘I prefer it when Nathan is ranting and raving; at least that way I know he’s alive!’
‘Mindy, he’ll be all right. Nathan is always all right,’ Brenna added bitterly.
‘Oh, I’m not saying he won’t survive,’ the other woman frowned. ‘But with you gone he could just fall into the clutches of someone like Dee Wallace.’
Brenna’s brows rose mockingly, although the thought of Nathan married to Dee gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. ‘I thought you liked and approved of Miss Wallace,’ she mocked.
‘In preference to you, never!’ Mindy stated emphatically. ‘But I won’t sit back and let you hurt him a second time.’
‘I won’t,’ she said with certainty, sure Nathan couldn’t be hurt.
The older woman sighed heavily. ‘But you’re going to let Dee Wallace get him on the rebound?’
‘I thought you wanted him to be happy!’
‘With you, not with Dee Wallace!’
‘I’m sorry,’ Brenna shook her head. ‘I happen to think enough Jordans have already married into this family.’
‘You’re a fool, Brenna,’ Mindy said sadly. ‘There were never two people more made for each other than you and Nathan.’
Her mouth quirked as she tried to keep the conversation light. ‘I’m sure Romeo and Juliet wouldn’t agree with you, nor Antony and Cleopatra either. Or Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester, for that matter.’
‘Very funny, Brenna,’ Mindy glared. ‘But for all your flippancy you’re going to regret that you’ve let Nathan slip away from you.’
She already regretted it. Wasn’t half a relationship better than none at all? She hadn’t thought so a year ago; but did she still feel the same way?
The Wade Dynasty Page 10