Leath's Legacy

by Anne Ashby

  “When Mrs. Maguire engaged us some twenty-odd years ago”—Mr. Evans had seemed more ready to talk about his previous client than he had been months earlier—“she instructed everything was to be left to her son George.”

  The solicitor cleared his throat. “It was only after your parents’ accident that...that things became more difficult. You are correct in your assumption. Mrs. Maguire did instruct me to draw up a new will naming your brother as the sole beneficiary.”

  Leath slumped against her chair, wide-eyed. This was what she had come to hear, but she’d never expected it to be the truth. “Then it’s true.”

  It wasn’t a question, and Mr. Evans made no attempt to answer it.

  “I’ve been trying to find out. First who she was.” Leath frowned across the large desk. “You did know she was our grandmother?”

  Her fists clenched when the man nodded. “I wish you’d seen fit to tell us when we asked.”

  “I’m sorry, but that was one of the conditions Mrs. Maguire placed. We were not to disclose anything about her to you.”

  “It sucked,” Leath snapped. “It really sucked. It took us so long, so much effort to try and figure it all out.” She shook her head. “And we still don’t know much of anything.” She glared at the elderly man opposite. “What else aren’t you telling us?”

  He cleared his throat and steepled his fingers under his double chin. “Your grandmother was an...unusual woman. I wouldn’t advise you to waste time digging for any other information. I doubt if you would find anything.”

  Tapping her foot as she considered this advice, Leath snapped, “If she wanted to leave the place to Robby, how come I got in there?”

  “I advised my client you would have very strong grounds to contest the will.”

  “And she listened to you?” After all she’d gleaned, Leath was sceptical.

  The solicitor smiled. “Not initially. She was particularly adamant, in fact.”

  “So?”

  He scratched the side of his face. “Just let’s say I persuaded her to change her mind and be fair to both her grandchildren.”

  “She didn’t like it, though, did she?”

  “Oh no. She did not like it at all.”

  “The old witch.”

  “Quite a mild expletive in the circumstances, if you don’t mind me saying.”

  Leath noticed the twitch alongside the man’s mouth. “Would you tell me about her now? Now we’ve found out some stuff on our own. You wouldn’t necessarily be compromising your position now, would you?”

  “What would you like to know? I doubt I can tell you anything more than you’ve already discovered on your own.”

  “Tell me what you thought of her, how she struck you as a person. Was she mean and nasty, or just weird?”

  Drained when she left the solicitor’s office, Leath hadn’t really learned anything new. But having a professional confirm some of the things others had said seemed to make them more plausible, more believable.

  Now Leath turned to Kirk. “Yes, I’m sure. I’m giving up on genealogy. It’s taken me a while to come to grips with, but yes. I’ve screwed myself up in little knots for months. And why?” Her laugh sounded a little off kilter. “I have no idea why.”

  She sneaked into her husband’s arms. “Penny didn’t care about us. So why should I get worked up thinking about her?”

  Leath rested her head on his shoulder. “She had her chances to get to know us. All the times Mum must have mailed her with those photos. I bet Mum would have included invitations to visit, too. Penny could have contacted us any time through those years, and she didn’t want to. That’s okay with me now. I’m putting her behind me.”

  Lifting her head she grinned at Kirk. “I wish you could have met our Gran. She was a wonderful grandmother who loved and spoiled us to bits. I have such fond memories of her; I won’t let Penny tarnish them.”

  She wriggled free. “I shall be eternally grateful to Penny though.”

  Kirk waited, a smile twisting his mouth.

  “I wouldn’t have met you if she hadn’t given us this place.” Her waving hand encompassed the panorama in front of them.

  “No, I disagree.” Kirk pulled her back into his arms. “I can’t imagine never meeting you. We’d have run into each other one day, even without Penny. You don’t need to feel beholden to her for anything.”

  “Soul mates who would have met anyway?”

  “Definitely.” Kirk’s mouth descended onto hers. It was easy to forget all about the past, her inheritance, everything. Her mind focused on the one thing important to her now.

  This sexy man who had been her husband for almost twenty-four whole hours already.

  Could life be any sweeter?

  If you enjoyed LEATH’S LEGACY, then you’ll want to read the soon-to-be-released WORLDS COLLIDE,

  a companion book to Ms. Ashby’s WORLDS APART.

  Please enjoy this preview chapter...

  Worlds Collide

  by

  Anne Ashby

  Chapter One

  Had Justin Titirangi’s shocked intake of breath gone unnoticed? He jammed his mouth shut as his companion flicked down the car window and spoke into an intercom next to a high security entranceway. The solid wooden gates in front of the car crept open to reveal a huge manicured garden and a glimpse of what could only be called a mansion.

  Sinking further into the passenger seat Justin smothered a groan. Why the hell did I allow myself to be coerced into accepting Luke’s invitation to share Thanksgiving with his family?

  He’d guessed his flatmate had issues with his family, and he’d succumbed to his friend’s persuasion to be a buffer when Luke’s girl friend had had to drop out. But nothing he knew about the unassuming Luke had ever suggested he came from this sort of background.

  “This is your home?”

  “It’s not my home.” Luke’s knuckles whitened against the steering wheel. “It’s where my parents live.”

  The subtle inference was not lost on Justin. “But you grew up here?”

  His friend’s indifferent shrug as they rounded a curve in the driveway was interrupted by a sudden curse. A sporty convertible sat in front of the house with a haphazard pile of boxes and paraphernalia lying close by.

  Luke swore again and jerked the car to a standstill. “That’s great. That’s bloody great.” Turning to Justin, he muttered, “Now I understand.” He thumped the steering wheel. “I bet that's my sister. Damn it. I thought she was in California.” He slammed the palm of his hand against the steering wheel. “Seems the little princess has come home. Just in time to ruin any possible chance I’ll make it through the weekend in one piece.”

  Justin grimaced. The possibility of this visit being a comfortable experience died a hurried death. Justin glanced around as they exited the car. Could he leave? Do a runner? Catch a bus home to D.C. and ignore the holiday that meant nothing to him anyway? He checked down the driveway. What little was visible of the gate through the trees showed it had already closed. His gaze flickered to the high fence—

  “Come on. You’re not backing out on me. I need some back-up company even more now.”

  Justin caught the bag thrown at him and half-heartedly followed his friend. They hadn’t even got inside yet, and he was already wishing he was anywhere else in the world but here.

  The door opened as Luke reached up to ring the bell. A woman stepped out, her attractive face hardening as her gaze hit Luke. She glared up at him with as much pleasure as Luke glared right back at her. This was Luke’s sister? A knockout like this was related to his ordinary-looking flatmate? The air rushed from Justin’s lungs as his gaze flicked the length of her perfect body.

  She wasn’t skinny enough to be a model, but she could have graced any glamour magazine or hoarding, or “billboard,” as the Americans called them. He’d seen many beautiful people since arriving in the U.S.; this one was right up there with the best. She was hot. He clamped his mouth closed, scared his
tongue might be hanging out.

  “Moody.”

  Her harsh voice wasn’t so attractive, Justin decided as she acknowledged her brother with a stiff nod. It detracted from the picture already building inside his head.

  “Freckles.”

  The word clearly annoyed her. Colour rose right up to the roots of her blond hair and her lips virtually disappeared. Ice flashed from eyes the colour of the ocean, but instead of voicing any response, she shoved past Luke with enough force to unbalance him and stomped over to her car.

  “I don’t see any freckles,” Justin murmured as he absently propped up his friend. His gaze remained glued to the woman, drinking in her perfection.

  She heard his words for it was now he being subjected to a glare cold enough to freeze water at the equator. Prepared to step forward to introduce himself, the haughty flick of long fair hair over her shoulder and a condescending smirk around her mouth stilled his intention. But it still needed Luke’s shove toward the door to break Justin’s hypnotic stare.

  “That’s your sister?” After Luke’s sharp nod, Justin voiced an awed, “Wow.” He hurried to catch up with Luke. “Do you think she’ll be here all weekend?”

  Luke stopped so abruptly Justin ran into him.

  “Don’t get any dreamy ideas about Nicole. She’s a bitch. She’d eat you up and spit you out before you knew what hit you.”

  Justin grinned, flashing a look over his shoulder through the open door. But Nicole wasn’t within range of his gaze. He hoisted up his overnight bag. Maybe Thanksgiving with the Campbells wasn’t going to be so tedious after all.

  ****

  “What happens now?” Justin couldn’t sit down. The vision of Luke’s sister had floated away as he tried, not yet successfully, to get a grip on the astonishing fact his ordinary, unassuming flat-mate’s family probably hit the top ten richest in America. That is if what he’d seen of the house gave any indication.

  A sour-faced housekeeper, who Luke didn't know, had shown them to the guest quarters. Justin had seen plenty to reinforce his assumption as she’d led them through a part of the house which resembled one of those flash home decorating magazines his grandmother had occasionally got from the library.

  Then they’d crossed a massive patio with a huge pool and a hot tub big enough for a dozen people. A fenced-in tennis court close to the guest quarters was enough to cement Justin’s certainty.

  Guest quarters, hell, Kuia’s whole house could have fitted into these guest quarters.

  His gut clenched. How the hell was he supposed to interact with these people? He was a tradesman, an electrician. Under normal circumstances, he doubted he’d even be let in the back door to crawl about in their ceilings or beneath their floorboards.

  “You could have bloody warned me,” he finally snapped.

  “What?”

  Justin swung around and glared across at Luke lying on an almost white sofa.

  “Would you have come?”

  “Hell, no.”

  “Exactly.” Luke shrugged. “That’s why I didn’t say anything.” He jumped up. “Look, I don’t fit in here any better than you do. I don’t care enough about money or social status. I guess you could say my family and I are polar opposites. That’s why no-one in Washington knows of any connection with these snobs, and why I get treated like anyone else.”

  Justin still glowered although he guessed he could understand this. “Yeah, but”—he thumped the wall as he passed on another circuit of the room—“why me?” he growled. “You should have brought Lisa. You could have encouraged her to swap her shift or something.” Luke’s girl friend would have fitted in here a damn sight easier.

  “No way.” Luke paced across the room. “I’m not subjecting her to my parents’ interrogations.” A smothered laugh escaped. “Anyway, someone’s got to work.”

  Fury building inside him, Justin rounded on Luke. “Lisa was never coming with you, was she?”

  Luke was unaffected by Justin’s obvious anger. “Someone has to man the hospital. We couldn’t all have Thanksgiving off.”

  “What a lousy friend you’re turning out to be,” Justin ribbed. “You conned me into feeling sorry for you.”

  A grin flashed across Luke’s face, then disappeared as quickly as it arrived. “I’m sorry, man. But I needed some company. I’ve managed to avoid coming here for a couple of years, but Mom kicked up such a fuss about this Thanksgiving.”

  He grimaced, slamming his fists against the soft white fabric of the sofa back. “Now I know why. Why this year, this Thanksgiving, should be any different. The little princess is here.”

  Luke stalked across the room a couple of times, only to return and throw himself back into his seat. “Mom’s decided ‘family is important’ this Thanksgiving, although she clearly doesn’t care the rest of the year.” The sofa took another pounding. “It’s a damned prestige thing with her.” His voice was hard and cold. “It wouldn’t do to have it known she’s got the most dysfunctional family around.”

  Luke’s agitation was impacting Justin. What he’d expected to be a somewhat uncomfortable situation where he would be a stranger imposing on a family celebration, this weekend was fast becoming something intolerable. The only light he could see on an otherwise bleak horizon was the beautiful Nicole.

  “Damned families. I wish I never had one.”

  Coldness filled the whole of Justin’s insides. A deep, empty coldness nothing could fill. “Don’t.”

  Something in Justin’s growling voice must have alerted Luke as Justin jerked to his feet. Appreciate what you have, you idiot. “Don’t ever wish for something like that.”

  Years ago Justin had had family. While it might have appeared an unconventional family to some it had been close and tight and loving.

  Kuia had raised her two grandsons to manhood only to see one ripped away from her by a drunk driver. The loss had broken her heart.

  Justin had left New Zealand just days after they’d laid his grandmother to rest. The empty pocket inside him flooded with guilt. And, he couldn’t go home.

  Even without the warning, he could never return. Not after the way he’d disappeared. He couldn’t face Raven.

  He’d deserted her and her babies. Without a word he’d left his best friend, his cousin Chris’s widow, to cope alone. His stomach clenched even tighter and bile threatened to rise to his mouth.

  No! Stop thinking about the past. Raven would never have understood why he had to leave. Leaving was the only thing he could do to keep her safe. He could never go home and she’d never forgive his desertion.

  He’d never forgiven himself.

  “Are you okay, man?” Luke was frowning.

  “I’m fine,” Justin snapped. “Just don’t ever wish to be alone in the world. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”

  A word about the author...

  Anne Ashby grew up in a very small coastal town in Southland, New Zealand. She enjoyed a very satisfying career in the Royal NZ Navy before turning her attention to raising her family and writing romance stories.

  While she has travelled extensively and lived in Singapore and in Maryland USA, her homeland is the focus of her stories with either the setting and/or characters being New Zealanders. Leath’s Legacy is her first but definitely not the last story where she has incorporated her interest in genealogy into the plot.

  When not reading or writing, Anne finds plenty to occupy her time with her family commitments and her responsibilities as the current National President of the NZ Naval Women’s Association. She lives in Auckland with her husband and one of their four children.

  You can visit with Anne at www.anneashby.com She loves to hear from her readers.

  ~*~

  Other Anne Ashby titles

  available from The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

  WORLDS APART

  DEVON’S DREAM

  TIME TO BURY THE PAST

  WILDERNESS LIAISON

  THE CEO GETS HER MAN

  Thank
you for purchasing

  this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.