This man who had chosen to flaunt his mistress before every citizen in Summerville wanted to question her about a business partnership? Anger brought Julie to a sitting position. "So you want to talk about affairs? Maybe we should talk about your affair with Andrea Mayfield." What a thing to say. She bit her tongue at her own stupidity.
Max sat in the chair he had just vacated. "That's fair enough. You go first"
Julie feigned indignation. "Max, really."
"Go on," Max urged. She could almost believe he was enjoying this verbal skirmish. "Tell me why you're so sure this baby doesn't belong to Royce."
His vicious taunt brought a stab of anguish that was as surprising as it was intense. Without stopping to consider the far-reaching consequences of such a statement Julie blurted out the truth. "Royce can't father children. He had a vasectomy shortly after Dan was born."
Max swore in short, crude phrases that singed through the tense air. "So you did use me for a stud."
She hadn't but Julie was beginning to see why he would think so. She was set to tell him that she her affair had been with Royce had been over for years. Then she remembered Andrea Mayfield and changed her mind. "Do you think I purposely set out to seduce you?"
Max shrugged one broad shoulder. "Did you?"
Julie snorted her indignation. "I most certainly did not!"
"So the seduction was a whim, a passing fancy, something you decided to do on the spur of the moment?" Max chuckled. "That doesn't say much for Royce's sexual prowess."
He was making her sound like the aggressor. As her mind skipped back over that night at the gravel pit she could see why he would think that too. She had been as anxious for that encounter as he had, maybe even more so. "Poor Max has to fight women off with a stick. Did Andrea seduce you too?"
Max grinned. "She wasn't as obvious as you were but yes, she did." He raised an eyebrow. "Is that enough or do you want to hear more?"
That was more than enough. Max's admission that he was having an affair with Andrea Mayfield set Julie's teeth on edge. Her memory became the transmitter of dark pain as it skipped back over past doubts and hurts. She had been a child when she had first become aware of Lucie. She was a woman now--a woman who had learned from painful experiences the futility of trying to hold onto a man like Max Anderson. "Maybe you should get in touch with her. I'm afraid Mitzi did her best to make Andrea believe there was something between you and me."
Max's face was a blank mask, hiding his thoughts and emotions. "There is. It's the child you're carrying. I'm damned if I'm going to let another man claim it. Your little conspiracy didn't work."
Was this the thanks she got for offering him an avenue of escape? "Conspiracy? What conspiracy?"
"I know how upset you were about Shannon leaving home. Royce was even more paranoid about Dan moving to Denver. Did the two of you decide to have another child and start over? The only problem was Royce couldn't give you another child. But you knew damned well I could."
A flash of insight revealed a truth that had been there all along, obvious but unobserved. Max may have some concern for the baby but his overriding emotion was anger. "You have a low opinion of me."
"And you of me," Max shot back. "I won't walk away this time and that pretty much puts a damper on you marrying Royce."
Max's actions were beginning to make sense. He was out for revenge. "If I choose to marry Royce there's nothing you can do about it."
Max responded with deadly calm, "That's true, but I won't let him claim my child."
With more bravado than she felt, Julie declared, "Everyone in Summerville already thinks the baby belongs to Royce. Go ahead, do your worst." Before the words were out of her mouth, she knew she had made a grave mistake by throwing out such a challenge to a man like Max.
Max pursed his lips and studied her face for several seconds before saying, "If that's what you want consider it done."
Maybe she had pushed him too far still she couldn't back down now. "You can't prove this baby is yours."
Max's lips tightened over his teeth into a frightening grin. "Ever hear of DNA testing?"
"Of course I have and I would never consent to such a thing."
I don't need your consent. All I need is a court order. After that we can take up the question of custody."
Max wouldn't do that! He couldn't! One look at his set face told her that he not only could but that he would. Julie hung onto her courage. "No court in the world would give a man like you the custody of an infant."
"A man like me," Max questioned.
All this bickering was making Julie weary "Your past is a little checkered to say the least. Did you think I didn't know?"
Max stared at the toes of his very expensive boots. "Just what do you think you know?"
Julie let go with both barrels. In short, succinct phrases she let fly with a host of accusations. When she had finished Max let out a long sigh. "I had no idea you carried so much resentment around inside you." Once again he was out of his chair and on his feet. "You're not above reproach, you know."
"I haven't lived with a dozen different men over the past ten years." How dare he impugn her good reputation!
"You've only lived with Royce except on those occasions when you've strayed."
"I never strayed!" Only after the words were out of her mouth did Julie realize that by trying to defend herself she had confirmed the truth of her sexual involvement with Royce. "That's not the way it was--is--between Royce and me."
An expression akin to pain flickered across Max's face. It was gone almost before it appeared to be replaced by a look of aggravating nonchalance. "Maybe we both should quit while we're ahead. Truce?"
Julie knew how clever Max was with words. That knowledge coupled with an innate tendency toward self-preservation made her oh so wary. "What kind of truce?"
"Why don't we put all this arguing on hold until the baby gets here?"
That seemed like an excellent idea. The truth was it sounded too good to be true. Cautiously she questioned, "Are there any stipulations to your offer?"
"I have a few."
"What are they?" Julie schooled her expression to reveal nothing but her heart was pounding. What the hell was Max up to? She couldn't shake the feeling that it would be tied to revenge.
"I want you to come and stay with me at Half Moon until the baby comes."
Utter dismay brought a soft muffled sound to Julie's throat. "I can't do that. I have a restaurant to run."
"Don't you trust Royce?" Max's voice held a taunting note.
Stung by his tone, Julie retorted, "Implicitly." She was reluctant to admit that wasn't the only consideration. She couldn't afford not to work. "But I still can't go to Half Moon to live."
Max's mouth compressed and then relaxed into a mocking smile. "Can't or won't?" She may as well tell him. Sooner or later he'd find out anyway. "Financially it wouldn't be feasible."
Amusement flickered in his eyes. "Good Lord woman, I'm not going to charge you room and board."
How could she say what must be said without revealing the true state of her finances? "The restaurant needs me."
"For what?" Max gripped the arms of the chair and pushed himself to his feet.
"I'm the cook. I run the kitchen."
Max walked restlessly across the floor. "You can hire another cook."
"Damn it Max, there's not another cook in Summerville that's anywhere near as good as I am. Not one we can afford anyway."
As quickly as it had appeared his good humor vanished. "Don't tell me you plan to work in that kitchen until time for this baby to be born."
He wasn't going to shut up; she may as well tell him the truth. "Even if I wanted to take a leave of absence, I can't. The salary for another cook would have to come from my share of the restaurant's profits. I can't afford that."
At that moment Essie Freeman, the tall formidable third floor head nurse, pushed a wheelchair through the door and gave Max an assessing look. "Mr. Anderson, these
are not visiting hours."
"Essie?" Max smiled that devastating smile. "When did the pretty little girl who used to play sand lot baseball with me start referring to her old friend Max as Mr. Anderson?"
That old Anderson charm was as potent as ever. Essie gave him a wide-eyed stare. "I didn't know if you remembered."
"How could I forget?" Max came across the room and shook Essie's hand. "You were the best third baseman our team ever had." He fairly exuded charm and magnetism. "You were the prettiest too."
Essie Freeman, who probably hadn't smiled in the last ten years, actually giggled and blushed. "And you were always full of blarney, Max Anderson."
Max laid his arm across Essie's shoulder "Do you think I could wait here? I'd like to be around when Julie gets her test results back."
Essie looked dubious. "That won't be until late this afternoon. Doctor Barnes has scheduled several tests and examinations."
Essie should throw Max out on his ear. It would be useless to suggest that. Max had already wrapped the stupid woman right around his little finger.
Essie patted Max's arm. "Why don't you come back around four? The tests should be completed and the results back by then."
Max dropped a kiss on Essie's cheek. "You're an angel." Nodding in Julie's direction, he sang out, "I'll see you then, sweetheart." Then turning on the ball of his foot, he walked out the door and disappeared down the hall.
Under her breath, Julie mumbled, "Not if I see you first."
The remainder of the day Julie was subjected to the indignities of being prodded and poked in and around the more intimate parts of her anatomy. Between examinations she was fastened to machines that alternately whistled and beeped, or cranked out long rolls of unreadable gibberish. By the end of the afternoon she was weary, frustrated, and thinking that she couldn't get out of this place fast enough.
As an attendant pushed Julie back to her room, Doctor Barnes came along side her wheelchair. "Tests are all complete and the results are in. If you feel up to it we can talk now."
Julie's fatigue lifted. She could think of nothing she'd like better. "That sounds great. Then can I go home?"
Doctor Barnes slipped her hands into the pockets of her hospital coat. "I don't know why not. Your family is waiting for you in your room."
"Family?" Julie frowned. "Who's here?"
"Your daughter and her husband and Mr. Anderson; Mr. Garner is with them. Do you want to discuss my findings in their presence or shall I wheel you to my office for a private conference?"
Cautiously, Julie asked, "Is it bad news?"
"No. The news is very good. I'm pleased with the outcome of today's testing."
Julie breathed a sigh of relief. She and her baby were going to be all right. "Let's go to my room. You can tell us all at once."
Doctor Barnes dismissed the attendant. "I can see to Mrs. Anderson now."
As the wheelchair came to a stop just inside the room, Julie surveyed the assembled group. Shannon and Brett perched on straight-backed chairs in one corner. Royce was seated on the bed. Max slouched against the wall. She could feel four sets of eyes staring at her with varying degrees of concerns and questions. It was not the kind of welcoming committee she would have wished for even under the best of circumstances.
Doctor Barnes was in command of the situation. "I see you're all here. That's good. I know you're anxious to know what the tests have revealed. First let me assure you that there is little to be concerned about. If Mrs. Anderson follows my instructions there is no reason she can't carry this baby to full term."
Julie's head came up. She had assumed the doctor would give her a clean bill of health. "What instructions?"
Doctor Barnes patted Julie's shoulder. "The instructions I'm about to give you. Number one is no more standing on your feet not even for short periods of time."
Julie frowned. "You mean I can't work?"
"Not even light housework. For the next five months you're to be a lady of leisure. That also means no stress, no worries and no anxiety."
Julie began to protest. "I can't do that."
Shannon had grabbed Brett's hand and was hanging onto it for dear life. "Yes you can, Mamma. I'll help you. I'll drop out of school and come home and take care of you."
Royce said, "And I can manage at the restaurant without you for that long. We'll make it, Julie. Don't fret."
Max's arrogant tones vibrated out into the room. "There's no need for either of you to be concerned. Julie and I have already settled this matter." His look dared her to dispute his words.
"Settled? How?" Shannon's puzzled stare shifted from her mother to her father.
"We can discuss details later." The triumphant look on Max's face spoke volumes. "Now Doctor, why don't you tell us what those other instructions are?"
How like Max to buy up every opportunity to gain his own ends. Julie had a choice. She could stay in Summerville and burden her daughter and her best friend with caring for her for the next several months or she could give in to Max's unreasonable demands to go live with him at his ranch and spare them both. Even before she spoke, Julie knew what her answer had to be. "Yes." She lowered her eyes, unable to meet her daughter's questioning gaze.
Chapter Twelve
Why were goodbyes, even temporary goodbyes always so sad? Julie blinked tears from her eyes as she turned the lock in her front door and dropped the key in her handbag. She dared not look back as she made her way toward the silver gray Buick Regal parked in her drive--Max's car. Julie had been surprised when she saw it. She had expected something a little less elegant and a little more sporty; something that fit a little better the profile of a wealthy, swinging bachelor.
As she opened the door and slid into the front seat beside Max he slanted her a sardonic smile. "Why the tears?"
Max had never understood Julie's feelings about home and permanency and roots. Maybe that was because he'd never had a real home. For a moment she felt a surge of sympathy and then she remembered how in the early days of their marriage she had begged him to stay in Summerville and settle down. He had opted instead for a job that took them to a big impersonal city. "You wouldn't understand."
Max looked over his shoulder as he backed from the drive. "Try me."
How did she explain to a man who'd never wanted a home how much her little house meant to her? "I worked very hard to acquire that house and turn it into a home. I hate having to leave it even for a few months."
Max swung the Buick onto the interstate and turned south. "I can understand that." The car picked up speed as it whispered down the highway.
Julie shifted in her seat and studied his profile. "How can you? You never wanted a home." The words came out sounding faintly sarcastic and she hadn't meant them to.
Without taking his eyes off the road, Max replied, "I've always had a home. For me, home is where the heart is."
When would she learn not to cross verbal swords with this man? He always came out the winner. Julie was not about to ask Max were his heart had been all these years. He might tell her and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. "For me, home is that little house I just left and I won't be seeing it for at least six months."
"The house is in good hands. Henry Taylor will take care of it while you're away." Max glanced briefly in her direction before shifting his eyes back to the road. "I hope you aren't going to worry about your house for the next six months."
"I know the house will be all right until I get back." It had been more than kind of Max to hire Henry to look after the house while she was away. It had been generous of him, too. Julie could never have afforded to hire a caretaker. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful."
Max's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "I don't want your gratitude."
Julie was set to give some caustic retort and then she remembered that she was going to be living with this man for the next six months. Maybe she should begin to practice a little forbearance. She turned to stare out the window at the passing landscape. Early autu
mn, like an errant lover, was returning to embrace the brush country turning the oak leaves a dull red, disturbing the dry ground with swirls of blowing dust and whispering of the coldness to come. She shook her head in an effort to rid her mind of such dismal thoughts but her melancholy mood wouldn't go away.
One after another doubts began to parade through her mind. Had she taken leave of her senses, going off to stay six months with a man who had already broken her heart, not once but twice? It wasn't as though they were sneaking away for some idyllic lover's tryst. They were together to await the birth of their child--a child that Julie's recent ultrasound had told them would be a boy.
Max had been present when Doctor Barnes told Julie she was carrying a male child. He hadn't said a word. Nor did he mention anything at all about the baby later when they were alone. Julie could only assume that he was already bored and uneasy and repenting of the hasty offer he had made to take on again, the responsibility of a pregnant woman.
She remembered how restless he had been before Shannon was born, like a caged animal who longs to be free to roam. She had made a mistake tying him down when he was so young and ambitious. Maybe she was making another mistake now coming to live at Half Moon Ranch. Julie must have dozed. When she opened her eyes, Max was slowing down near the outskirts of a tiny town. "How long have I been asleep?"
Max swung off the freeway and onto the access road. "Almost an hour."
"Why are we stopping?" This little berg was no more than a wide place in the road.
"This is the last place I can get gasoline before we turn off the highway and head toward Half Moon." He pulled into a sleek new service station that looked strangely out of place amid the older more dilapidated buildings that lined either side of the narrow thoroughfare. "This place makes Summerville look like a metropolis."
Julie stared down the narrow tree-lined main street. "Does 'this place' have a name?"
"It's called Burke's Crossing." Max stopped the car. "Would you like something to drink?"
You Belong to Me Page 14