“What are you talking about?”
“I know about your plan to marry to stop Marla from coming after you. You don't have to do it now. Julie, you have another way to sever the will's binding.”
“What?”
“Yes. I kept it to myself because truthfully I want what Marla wants.” Paul coughed. The sound told Julie her father was sick. It was an ugly sound, almost like a thunder inside his chest.
Julie waited until her father's hacking cough stopped. “Why now, Dad?”
Paul shook his head. His face had gone bright red from the exertion. “The whys don't matter, Julie. What's important is that no one would bother you now, married or not. I signed the papers relinquishing everything to you and ending the will's condition.”
“You are my other out.”
“Yes. You're not the only one your mother put to test when she added the stipulation on the will. She knew that someday I would step in as a father should to help his daughter. Weatherholt will give you the papers.” Paul looked at the Knights surrounding her.
“Sir, my name is Tristan Knight, and this is my family.”
“Paul Rhodes. Julie's father.” He extended his hand.
The men shook hands. “Glad to meet you, sir.”
“Glad my daughter found someone to protect her and by the look of it, a new family, too.” Straightening his shoulders, he walked toward the door.
“Dad?”
Paul stopped and turned to look at her. “What?” he asked gruffly. His brows were furrowed, as if in deep thought.
“Thank you.” Julie waited for his reply, but what she got was a short nod and her father was gone.
Her father had set her free and she didn't know what to make of it. Marla wouldn't bother her anymore and she didn't have to marry Tristan either. Bors said Tristan was in love with her. Be that as it may, he probably didn't want to go through with the wedding.
The thought of not marrying Tristan felt like her heart just dropped all the way down her toes. The tiny hope that began to flicker in her heart when Bors mentioned Tristan loving her died. She loved him, but heartbreaking as it may seem, she must tell Tristan marrying her wouldn't be necessary. God, what a day.
Facing the Knights, she flashed them a quick smile. “That went pretty well.”
The Knights began to talk all at once. They were all happy for her and she was beyond ecstatic to have them behind her.
Bors held the picture and stared at it, tilting his head to the left, then to the right. “So, Tristan, could you tell us again where Julie's birthmark is supposed to be? I took Anatomy in college, but I can't remember where Sartorius is located. Is it somewhere...” He pointed his finger on the left knee and started tracing a path upward, but before his finger reached the juncture between her thighs, Tristan was right in front on him. He grabbed the picture and tore it into little bitty bits.
Bors and Gawain laughed. Kirsten smacked Bors on the back while Arthur and Katherine watched.
Everyone was in a jolly mood except for Julie. She didn't want to end the fun, but suddenly she grew tired. One sandwich wasn't enough to handle all the excitement for today. She needed to rest—to move on. Taking a deep breath, she thanked the Knights.
“I appreciate you all coming here. Your offer of support, kindness, and love is overwhelming. I am so lucky to know each one of you. Having said that, I will not take advantage of your kindness any further.”
“What are you talking about, Julie?” Kirsten was frowning and she kept glancing at Tristan.
“Dad released me from the will's binding so therefore a wedding is no longer necessary.”
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* * *
Chapter Sixteen
* * * *
Finally, it was just the two of them. After her declaration of no wedding, the Knights surprised her by acquiescing and then they all said their goodbyes. Each one gave her a hug and murmured something that made her want to cry all over again. Teta and Cinnamon disappeared somewhere around the house.
With just her and Tristan around, the house once again turned quiet. She realized she wanted it full of people—laughing, chattering. Not like this.
She watched Tristan spread tuna mixed with mayonnaise on bread. He placed the sandwich beside the other two he had already made. Diet Coke sizzled as he poured it into two tall clear glasses. He would be a good father, she thought. His kids would be popular at school with their yummy lunches and snacks. They'd be playing football with Tristan and their uncles. It would be wonderful to have him around.
“You like making sandwiches, huh?”
“Sometimes. But I figure I have to make you sandwiches, otherwise you won't eat,” he answered, without looking at her.
Julie wondered if he would start looking for another date since she already drove Pamela away. Oh God. She shouldn't care, but her love for him ran so deep a bitter jealousy stirred inside her mixing with the acute misery of losing him. She held her breath, her heart aching with pain.
Breathing out through her mouth, she tried not to cry. What had happened between them would probably change everything. She would not be comfortable hanging out with Kirsten at their parents’ house. The Knights were too smart not to know something happened between her and Tristan. As it happened, the men already teased her about sharing her secret mark with Tristan. And most likely believe that she was in love with their brother. She was sure they'd stop the teasing if Tristan started dating another woman. Yet, she couldn't imagine how awkward it would be being in the same room with him, the Knights, and his girlfriend. Would she be able to look at him again without remembering what they had shared, how much she loved him and how she desperately wished he held her heart instead? Would the Knights show their pity toward her for failing to snag Tristan's heart?
No, being uncomfortable around him would be an understatement. She'd be wretched, dying inside, and regretful over the loss of love and life that could have been wonderful. She felt the burning in her eyes and tried to stop being melodramatic.
Tristan turned and pulled a chair out, motioning for her to sit.
“You're supposed to look cheerful, not as if someone died. You are free, love.”
Love. It should be Julie Strawberry. There was no need to call her that. “You can stop calling me love, now. You can call me Julie Strawberry again and I won't get mad at you.”
“Cheer up, looovvee! You can party now. Marla won't trouble you anymore. Come sit down and eat with me. We need to talk.”
She did. Here we go. We'll probably talk about how we should forget what happened and thank each other for a wonderful time. “Thanks. It's tuna fish, right?”
“Uh-huh. Teta said I should offer you a chair before you eat because you might pass out from the smell. You're not used to it.”
“Well, it has been years since I've had a tuna sandwich, or any fish for that matter. Driving to Costco to buy a Polish sausage with sauerkraut and onions was a lot less tiring.” She nibbled on the corner of the sandwich. “What's in it?”
“Tuna and mayonnaise, and a bit of pepper and salt. Nothing fancy.”
“Right.” Gah! The taste and smell of the sandwich made breathing difficult.
“Julie, it's just tuna fish.” He wiped the side of her mouth and kissed her.
“I know, but a peanut butter sandwich is much appreciated to this. So what did you want to talk about?”
“I want to tell you that I am leaving today. My clinic—”
“Go. Right now. Fine with me.” God, I sound like a shrew. “I mean, you want to go, right?”
“Right.”
She bit a big chunk of the sandwich and tried to chew, but her throat suddenly closed up. She wanted to cry. Boy, love hurts and pain sucks.
Tristan reached down and picked up his duffel bag. Why hadn't she noticed it earlier? Julie looked at the duffel bag slung across his shoulder. Darn man was leaving and didn't even ask her to come. Dammit, he couldn't wait until he was out of here, out
of her life. Kirsten was right. Whenever Tristan felt he'd gotten too close to a woman he would shoot out like a bullet. She, on the other hand, was the opposite. When Mom died, my heart shriveled from her loss. Now it's happening again. Facing another day without Tristan is going to be hard. What did I do to suffer like this? Don't I deserve happiness? She should have stayed a virgin. Maybe it would not hurt as much.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” Julie heard herself say over her screaming heart. So that was that. No hugs, no goodbyes. She put the sandwich back on the plate and took a deep breath. No way she'd cry in front of him.
“You don't like my sandwich?”
Julie stared at the delicious food gone bland. “I guess I wasn't hungry after all. I'll save it for later.”
“What's wrong? Was it about your dad?”
Do I have to spell it? I'm sad because of you! “Yeah. I think he loves me after all. Glad he finally saw Marla's true colors and intentions. Dad's a selfish and uncaring man, but I think there's a bit of goodness inside of him. He wouldn't come forward and tell us about my other out if he was one hundred percent evil.”
“People change, Julie. He must have.”
Like how I changed in the two and a half days we've been together, Julie told herself. She was used to living alone, sleeping alone. She liked her house quiet, but not anymore. The bantering, fight for the blanket, and warm body beside her, changed her simple life. It would be hard, but oh, well, she could revert to her old dull life of writing and eating Oreos. And the sooner the better.
“Well, I have another deadline to meet. Just close the door when you leave? I hate to sound like an ungrateful host, but I need to get back to my writing. I'll call Kirsten as soon as I get the chance to tell her how the plan went. Thank you, by the way, for the wonderful time, and for offering to save me. Now you can go back to your doctoring again. Go back to dating.” She sighed. Even the energy to talk was gone now. She felt drained and unbelievably sad.
Tristan pushed his chair out. Julie read his action as eagerness to leave and followed suit.
“Why would I go back to dating?” He followed her upstairs and into her room.
“I don't know. Isn't that what you want to do now? Just go on dates?”
Tristan grinned. “Jealous, are we?”
Julie spun around to face him. “Of course not. Why would I be? And why are you following me? I need to be alone. So please leave now.” Julie bit her lower lip. She was jealous, all right. Insanely jealous of the women he would date. Man, she wanted to smack Tristan on the head to make him see how much she loved him. How smacking would prove her feelings, she had no clue.
“You love me.”
No need to smack him after all. Julie snorted. “So what? Just go and leave me alone.”
“Okay, I'll go.”
“What?”
“I'm leaving.” Tristan grabbed her and wrapped his arms around her. He leaned down and kissed her. His mouth took absolute possession of her lips. When he finally let her go, he smiled, then went back down the steps. “Lock the door. Remember, make sure you're dressed before you open this again.”
Julie watched him open the door. She blinked. When she opened her eyes, he was gone.
Rooted on the step, Julie stared at the closed door. Hot tears fell on her cheeks. She cried until her sobbing turned into little hiccups. Feeling dejected, alone, and miserable, she walked up the steps. She didn't stop until she reached her bedroom, then practically dove on her bed where she continued crying. Her admission that she loved him didn't have any affect whatsoever on Tristan. He just left. Left!
Tristan's scent clung to the sheets and pillows, a reminder of how great it was to have him on her bed. She turned around and looked at the ceiling.
Julie couldn't tell how long she stayed in her room. All she knew was when she woke up it was already dark.
Then misery began to take hold of her emotions again.
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* * *
Chapter Seventeen
* * * *
Two days later
Oh God! Not again. What was Kirsten thinking? She came close to dying last time she ate a Nutty grain bar. Couldn't she understand that anything with nuts would kill her? When she saw her, she would scream at her until maybe, just maybe, she could get into her thick skull that she was severely allergic to nuts.
If she didn't love her so much, she'd call her on the phone and say...no she wouldn't castigate her for being nuts. Nobody was perfect, including the Knights.
Without bothering to fold her clothes, Julie threw everything into her overnight bag. When she received Percival's text message, she was meeting with her editor, Russ, at the Space Needle Restaurant for a fancy brunch. She wouldn't have met him there, but because her manuscript was a day late, she thought offering to pay for brunch would help sooth his aggravation. She wore her green silk dress to better show off her slim figure and tied her hair up in a messy bun. The matching emerald earrings and necklace her mother gave her complimented her eyes. Russ, a very professional man, hated authors who couldn't meet their deadline. By wearing her nicest dress, she hoped her shape would take his mind off her late submission. Of course, she wasn't dressed to the nines to get her editor to ask her out. The dress was her hope to soften Russ. Would it work? She darn hoped so.
She was making progress in making Russ smile when her cell phone rang. Percival texted Kirsten had it bad this time and she must come to the Island in a hurry. She tried calling him, but he didn't answer. In fact, none of the brothers did. No replies on her texts and voice messages. She thought about calling Tristan. They hadn't talked since he walked out her door. She should call him. This wasn't about her and him. She dialed Tristan's phone, but even he didn't pick up.
God, she hated not knowing what was going on. Was Kirsten taken to the hospital? She didn't know any hospitals in Orcas Island. Well, she'd just have to go there. Darn it! Why didn't Gawain come here to pick her up? She could be there quicker if she flew in one of his seaplanes or airplanes.
Still wearing her stilettos, she hitched the overnight bag on her shoulder and took off running downstairs.
The weather was unusually pleasant today. No rain and the clouds were high up in the sky, where they should be. She could actually see the outline of the Olympic Mountains. What was bad was the line to catch the ferry. Lucky for her though, the lady at the booth told her to get in lane one, which kind of surprised her, considering no one was in that lane. Then, as she drove slowly, a man in an orange vest stopped her. He told her if she needed anything, don't hesitate to holler. She thought she heard him talking on his radio, too, saying that she was on her way. She wondered if the state employees received a hefty raise this year to be so friendly.
Watching the ferry's bow break the water, creating white foam floating around, she wished she brought her laptop. She could write here while onboard the ferry instead of worrying about Kirsten. Oh, who am I kidding? She'd been worried since she left home.
Julie reached in her purse for her cell phone. She checked her messages. There were three. The first was from Armand, asking if he could take her out to dinner. The second was from her editor, giving his praises on her latest book. And the third, was from odious Marla, threatening to drop a ball of fire on top of her house so she could burn alive. Hell on earth, she added.
If she were still bound by the will's stipulation, she'd fret and worry about Marla's message. Julie scoffed. Marla couldn't hurt her now, or touch her mother's money. Thanks to her father. Well, if Paul hadn't come forward, Tristan would have married her and...he would have been miserable.
The ferry tooted its horn, signaling they were only a few minutes from the dock. Julie picked up her purse, then headed below deck to where her car was parked.
As soon as she left the ferry terminal, she speed-dialed, first Gawain, then Percival—but no answer. She was about to call Bors when she noticed a police car on her tail. Afraid she might get pulled ov
er, she tossed her cell on the passenger's seat. Maybe if she went to the Knights’ house, she'd find someone there, or a note about where they took Kirsten.
The Knights’ house, located on the bayside, loomed before her. The lovely eight-bedroom, farmhouse style, waterfront home made her heart ache. She hoped her friend was okay. Otherwise, this house would lose one of its foundations. If Katherine was the flower in this family, Kirsten was the bright light. And without her—this house, this family—would never be the same again. She knew that because after her mother died, the world she lived in changed its colors.
Julie left her bag in the car and practically ran on the cobbled path in a hurry to get to the house. She rang the bell, but no one came to the door. Testing the knob, she was glad it turned.
Without a moment of hesitation, she walked inside. Wood and beamed ceilings, hardwood floors gave it a warm, homey, and comfortable feeling. The thirty-foot-long, glass sunroom offered a dramatic view of Mt. Baker and the nearby islands. Yet, something was missing. Laughter.
Oh no! The Knights were not home. She headed toward the kitchen. There was always a message posted on the refrigerator door. It was the Knights’ message board. Maybe someone had left a message about Kirsten.
She had just walked in the kitchen when the door that led to the backyard opened and in came Cinnamon.
Cinnamon? “Hey, what are you doing here? You were supposed to go to Scrub A Pup with Teta.”
Cinnamon barked, then ran back outside. “What the heck.” Julie followed.
The moment she stepped out, loud yells of, “Surprise!” came from all directions, startling her. Arthur and Katherine came out from behind the Cedar tree. Bors from behind the trimmed Rhododendrons, while Gawain and Percival appeared on each side of her. And her friend, Kirsten, who she thought was in the hospital and near death, came out from behind the hedge laughing while Cinnamon tried to hump her leg. Teta tried to pull Cinnamon off Kirsten's leg, but failed.
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