“I’ve consented to undergoing the tests and when my father is satisfied, yes, I will be accepting his offer.”
Anna didn’t know whether to feel elated or devastated. A hollow emptiness filled her heart. Unable to speak, she nodded in acknowledgment of his words and settled herself in the car. She was grateful when Judd took the passenger seat in the front of the vehicle. She needed some time to gather her thoughts, to prepare herself for what was to come.
The journey to the airport was short, and before she alighted she asked for a moment to call Charles.
“That won’t be necessary,” Judd said smoothly, offering her his hand to help her from the car.
“Why not?” she asked, reluctantly putting her hand in his and bracing herself for the jolt of electricity she knew would come next.
Sure enough, the merest touch of his fingers was enough to set her heart beating faster. Arousal flared deep inside. Not the type she was used to—the slow, gentle warming of mutual attraction. No, this was far more primal than that. Sharper, more instinctive, and it made her body ache in response. She pulled her hand from his, but the sensation still lingered.
“Because I’ve already spoken with him.”
“You spoke with him?” Anna fought to keep the incredulity from her voice.
“Is that so strange?”
“Well, yes. Especially considering your reaction to his letter.”
“As you said on Wednesday, the past is past.”
She looked at him in disbelief, hardly daring to believe that he actually meant it. A man like Judd Wilson was too intense, too driven to simply put the past in a time capsule and lock it away. He had to have an ulterior motive.
“What? No comment?” Judd gently goaded.
“How was he?”
“He sounded fine. Surprised to hear from me, but I’d say he’s cautiously optimistic.”
So this thing would play out after all, Anna thought as the driver hefted their cases from the trunk of the car and went to procure a luggage cart. Not waiting for the man to return, she pulled the handle up on her case and headed for the departure check-in area, but within seconds Judd walked at her side, pushing his own much larger cases on the cart in front of him. Basically, everything was out of her hands from here on in. She could only hope that Nicole would forgive her for her part in the machinations of her father. But somehow Anna doubted any of what was to come would be that easy.
Charles’s driver and handyman, Patrick Evans, collected them from Auckland International Airport. They were nearly home. Evans drove slowly and inexorably toward the massive gothic mansion Charles had built from the original plans of Masters’ Rise—the headlights of the car sweeping the camellia-lined driveway in Auckland’s premier suburb of Remuera. Anna had to admit she was relieved to see the house.
Back in Australia, it had shocked her to see the ruins on the hill overlooking the vineyard. Suddenly the home that had always provided her with security didn’t seem so permanent after all. Of course, bushfires were nonexistent in the city, virtually nonexistent in New Zealand, really, and nowadays Charles had a state-of-the-art fire detection and sprinkler system throughout the house. But there were plenty of things other than bushfires that could tear a house—and a family—apart.
With the time distance between Adelaide and Auckland, and the flight time in between, it was already dark as they pulled up in front of the house, but clever external lighting showed the property off to its glorious advantage. Anna observed Judd, sitting opposite her in the limousine, and watched his reaction.
“So that’s what it looked like,” he said solemnly, his eyes raking the two-storied, pinkish-red brick building. “My memories from before we left were…incomplete.”
“Apparently it’s very true to the original, with extensive modernization, of course. Despite its size, it’s still very much a home.”
The car rolled to a stop outside the front portico, prominently marked by an ivy-covered, three-storied turret complete with a green-aged copper cupola.
“It’s your home.”
He made it a statement, rather than a question. A statement she chose to ignore as she stepped from the car and assisted Patrick in removing the luggage from the spacious trunk of the limousine.
The front doors opened and Anna turned, expecting to see Charles, but instead it was Nicole who stood there. Elegant and tall in her well-cut black suit and with her long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail that exposed her pale face, Nicole stared at the man who was her brother.
“I didn’t believe him when he told me you were coming,” she said, her voice flat—devoid of emotion.
Instantly Anna’s defensive instincts went on full alert. Nicole was usually very outgoing, impulsive and generous to a fault. This frozen pale facsimile of her best friend was something she’d never seen before.
Nicole came down the steps and halted near Anna.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Even as Anna flinched at the question, she found herself internally debating what Nicole was really asking. There was no way to know how much Charles had told her. Had he only announced that Judd was coming back to them—or had he explained all the rest of it, too, all the things Charles had promised to bring his son home?
Either way, her answer was the same. “He asked me not to.”
“And your loyalty to him is greater than to me?” Nicole said softly, the hurt in her words flaying Anna like cold winter rain.
“That’s not fair, Nicole.”
“No, you’re right. But there’s a lot that’s not fair about all this, isn’t there?”
Pain reflected in her friend’s large brown eyes. Anna put a hand on Nicole’s arm and squeezed gently.
“You know I would have spoken to you if I could.”
Nicole nodded and turned back to Judd, who’d remained silent as a statue.
“So, brother, I suppose I should welcome you home.”
She held out her arms and to Anna’s surprise he stepped into her embrace, holding her gently before releasing her and stepping back.
Judd was shocked at the depth of emotion he felt when he saw his sister at the top of the stairs to the house. She’d been a year old when he’d left, and in his mind he’d never imagined her fully grown. Another mark against his father, he thought savagely. All those years wasted.
“We have some catching up to do,” he said.
To his surprise, Nicole laughed. “Well, if that’s not the understatement of the century. Come inside. Dad’s waiting for you.”
Judd turned to Anna, who’d watched his reunion with his sister with a solemn expression on her face. “Are you coming?”
“I think this should be just for the three of you. I’ll catch up with you all at dinner.”
Nicole made a sound of protest. “Don’t be silly, Anna. You know Dad will expect you there, too.”
Anna looked at him, as if waiting for his approval.
“Sure,” he said.
If the stiltedness between her and his sister was any indication, perhaps Nicole didn’t entirely approve of Anna and their father’s closeness.
Nicole hooked her arm in his. In her three-inch heels they were almost of a height and together they walked up the stairs and into the house that was shortly to become all his. One thing was clear to Judd—Charles hadn’t gotten any better about showing consideration to the women in his life. It was obvious Nicole wasn’t aware of the full extent of Charles’s plans for him. He doubted she’d be this friendly if she knew. That would have to be a bridge to cross at a later date. First, he had to go face-to-face with the man who’d cast him from his home and his country twenty-five years ago, and he had to do it with a civil tongue in his head.
Judd’s memories of his father had been of a vital
man who exuded energy and bonhomie the moment he stepped in a room. The man who shakily rose to his feet as they entered a large salon was a mere shadow of whom he’d been. Despite Charles’s unmistakable frailty, Judd’s long-harbored anger at his father’s abandonment did not lessen.
“Here he is, Dad,” Nicole said.
“Judd—”
“Sir,” Judd said, stepping forward and offering his hand.
He watched his father, searching for the man he remembered but seeing little of the vibrancy of his memories. Charles’s hair was now steel-gray instead of the black Judd remembered, and his posture was less erect, his figure more portly than fit. But even though his father was obviously unwell, there was a keen intelligence that still gleamed in his eyes as they stood face-to-face. Those blue eyes, very like his own, scoured his features as silence stretched out between them. Something in his appearance must have satisfied the older man, because he gave a short nod and gestured to Judd to sit down.
Anna crossed the room and took the seat on the sofa next to Charles, her hand on his forearm as she leaned closer to whisper something in his ear. A fierce wave of something not unlike jealousy rose from deep inside Judd. Her body language shouted a familiarity between Anna and Charles that screamed loud and clear. A familiarity that Judd silently promised would soon change.
“Don’t fuss, Anna. I’m fine,” Charles protested, taking her hand and holding it in his for a moment before releasing it. “Now, let’s not beat around the bush. You know I want proof you’re my son.”
Judd felt his hackles rise. “I know I’m your son. I couldn’t be anyone else’s.”
“I’m sure that’s what your mother told you,” Charles commented, “but you must understand I need to be one hundred percent certain.”
“I told you I’m prepared to be tested,” Judd said, holding on to his temper by the merest edge.
His mother was no angel, but he knew she told the truth when she said he was Charles Wilson’s son. She wouldn’t lie about something as vital as that. Not to him.
“Good, good. We can attend to that on Monday and courier the samples to the lab here in Auckland. They offer an express service and promise paternity results within forty-eight hours. It’s a shame Anna didn’t get you back earlier and that we have to wait out the weekend before we can complete the tests.”
He couldn’t help it. He had to ask. “Why the sudden urgency? You’ve waited twenty-five years, surely another two days won’t be a problem.”
Charles shot him a glance and then smiled proudly. “Well, you certainly sound like me. Straight to the point, hmm?”
“I find it doesn’t pay to beat around the bush in important matters.”
“No, it never does.”
Judd merely looked at him, waiting for him to stop hedging and get to the point. The air in the room became uncomfortable, and in his periphery Judd saw Nicole glance from him to their father.
“I’d like to know, too,” she blurted, a tremor in her voice. “Why now, Dad?”
Charles looked at his daughter, a frown of censure on his forehead. “Don’t go getting all emotional, Nicole. It’s no secret that I’m not getting any younger or any healthier. It’s time for me to get everything in order.”
“Why did you drag Anna into this? Why send her to do your dirty work?” Nicole persisted.
“That’s enough, young lady. I’m still the head of this household and I’m still the head of Wilson Wines. Don’t question me.”
Nicole slumped in her chair, all the fight gone out of her in a flash. Judd felt a momentary pang of regret for what she must be going through. He’d make it up to her somehow, he promised silently. She deserved something for having put up with the old man all these years without anyone to stand up for her. It was something he’d have done, if given half a chance.
A movement at the door caught everyone’s attention.
“Excuse me, sir, but dinner is served in the dining room,” a uniformed middle-aged woman said.
“Thank you, Mrs. Evans,” Charles said, dismissing the housekeeper and turning back to Judd. “We keep regular hours here for mealtimes—my diabetes, you know.”
Charles rose to his feet, refusing Anna’s offer of assistance, and led the way through to the dining room. Each room Judd set foot in gave him a weird sense of déjà vu. Although his memories of living here were faded and sketchy, the old photos of Masters’ Rise that had been passed on by friends after the fire were imprinted in his mind. This house truly was a complete replica of his mother’s old home. No wonder she was so bitter about being made to leave.
He made a silent promise—Cynthia would return to triumph over all this again.
They’d been back one day short of a week. Anna sat at her desk, finding it nearly impossible to concentrate on the work ahead of her. Judd had traveled into the office with Charles this morning, and the two of them had been closeted together for a couple of hours now. Every time Nicole had ventured out from her office, she’d sent a baleful glare toward her father’s closed door and the atmosphere had become so tense it was almost palpable.
The arrival of the junior receptionist from downstairs, bearing the morning’s mail and courier deliveries, was a welcome distraction. Anna swiftly sorted the mail and then turned to the courier packages. One in particular, slimmer than the rest, stood out. She lifted it and checked the return address. Her stomach instantly knotted. Marked Private and Confidential and addressed to Charles, it had come from the lab he’d engaged to conduct the DNA testing.
She dropped it on the stack of mail she’d already opened for him, as if it burned her fingers. While he’d authorized her, long ago, to attend to all his correspondence, both personal and relating to the business, she had no doubt he’d want to open this particular item himself.
The door to Charles’s office opened and she jumped, feeling as if she’d been caught doing something wrong. Judd’s ever-intense gaze swept her body and, obviously noticing her reaction, one dark brow lifted slightly in query. She ignored him, something that she’d wished she’d become more capable of in the past few days. Back in Australia, she’d tried to resist her attraction to him because she’d worried about the backlash when he learned the truth. She’d never realized that there was part of the story that even she didn’t know—that Charles intended for Judd to take over the company. Once the DNA test results verified what they all already knew, Judd would become her boss.
That should make him absolutely off-limits. Her brain was sure of it. Her body, though, was much harder to convince.
Just thinking about him was enough to make her body heat with arousal. Being in the same room as him, even under the same roof, was absolute torture. For the past week, work had been her refuge away from him, but it looked like that wouldn’t be the case any longer.
“Anna, I want you to take Judd on a tour of our biggest Auckland stockists, introduce him to the store and chain managers. No need for appointments, hmm? Let’s catch them on the hop and see how we’re faring against the competition.”
“Wouldn’t you rather do that yourself?”
Anna couldn’t think of anything worse than having to spend the balance of the day solely in Judd’s company. While she hadn’t been able to fault his behavior toward her since their return to New Zealand, there was an undercurrent that remained ever present between them. An undercurrent that kept her nerves wound so tight she was beginning to wonder if she shouldn’t request a leave of absence and head away for a couple of weeks, just to be able to breathe again without constantly thinking of Judd Wilson.
“You know I can’t drive myself and we can hardly expect Judd to find his way around on his own just yet.”
“It’s okay,” Judd interceded smoothly. “I’m sure that with a GPS I’ll be fine.”
“No,” Charles insisted, his c
olor rising slightly. “I’ve asked Anna to take you and she will. Everyone knows her already and it will make the introductions much smoother. Isn’t that right, Anna?”
Anna pushed her chair away from her desk and stood, gathering her handbag from the locked drawer at the bottom of her desk as she did so.
“Sure, Charles. Whatever you want.”
“Right, then, that’s settled.” Charles looked at the pile of newly opened mail on her desk. “Is that lot for me?”
“Yes, I was about to bring it through to you.”
She saw his eyes light on the courier package and the ruddy color that had begun to suffuse his cheeks faded rapidly.
“Charles? Are you okay?”
“Stop fussing, woman,” he blustered. “Of course I’m fine. You two had better get going. And take Judd somewhere nice for lunch, too. I don’t expect to see the two of you back here this afternoon. You have a lot of ground to cover.”
Resigning herself to Judd’s company for the rest of the day, she passed the mail to Charles and took her car keys from her handbag. She watched Charles head back into his office and slam the door closed behind him. So, they weren’t to discover the contents of the courier pack until he was ready to share it with them.
“You really don’t have to take me around today if you don’t want to,” Judd said from close by.
“No, it’s okay. Charles wants you to have personal introductions, I understand that.” I may not like it, but I do understand it, she amended silently.
“Do you always do exactly as he says?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” she answered, wondering where Judd was leading with his question.
“No reason, I just thought you might stand up to him a bit more.”
“He’d never ask me to do something I truly objected to, if that’s what you’re aiming at,” Anna said defensively.
The Wayward Son Page 6