A Hope Undaunted (40 page)

He turned away, his back a wall of granite effectively shutting her out.

With a swell of anger, she lunged, allowing her fury to take control.

He disarmed her with a tight grip before he shoved her away. His voice was savage. “Go to sleep – our talking is through. We’ll discuss this in the morning when cooler heads prevail.”

He bludgeoned his pillow and edged away once again. Tears spilled as she stared, the muscles of his body as rigid and hard as his words. With a broken sob, she fell on her pillow, forcing violent heaves to shiver their bed.

Painful seconds elapsed before she felt him move beside her. Her body jerked at the touch of his hand, and like a wounded animal, she curled her knees to her chest.

“Marcy – ” The pull of his hand drew her close, and she fought him with flailing arms. His hold became like steel casing, crushing her close, and the chaotic beat of his heart pulsed in her ears. “Marcy,” he whispered into the curve of her neck, “I’m sorry. We’ll talk this through, I promise. But please, darlin’, no more crying – you’re breaking my heart.”

Moments passed before her sobs finally stilled and all energy drained from her body. With soothing whispers, Patrick kissed her brow, her cheek, her lips – gentle brushes all, laden with repentance. He cupped her jaw in the palm of his hand and fondled her lips with a gentle caress, then pulled away to plead with his eyes. “Marcy, I was wrong. Blame it on poor temper from a bad game of chess or the dip in the stock market, but I overreacted badly, and I’m sorry. But we need to come to terms over Gabe, or I worry we may have more than a fight on our hands.”

She sniffed, and he leaned back to retrieve his handkerchief from the nightstand. He handed it to her, and she blew her nose, all anger finally diffused. “I-I know, and I’m s-sorry too. We need to work in tandem, I realize, but sometimes it’s so hard because I just want to love her.”

He gently pushed the hair from her eyes. “You’re a loving woman, darlin’, which comes in handy with a lout like 301 me, but with a strong-willed child like Gabe, it needs to be coupled with discipline.” He lifted her chin with his finger. “We have to present a united front, my love, and you need to learn to say ‘no.’ Or I’m afraid with Gabe, there will be a heavy price to pay.”

She nodded and sniffed again.

With a tight squeeze, he buried his head in her neck before pulling away with a lift of his brow. He stared at her new satin gown, then slowly fanned his hands down the sides of her waist. “And speaking of a price to pay – so you’ve taken to wearing perfume to bed, have you, Mrs. O’Connor?” He bent to caress the curve of her throat while his fingers grazed the strap of her gown. “And a new satin gown, surely not just for sleep.” With a slow sweep of his thumb, the strap slithered from her shoulder. “Oh, I’m afraid this is going to cost you, darlin’.”

He kissed her full on the mouth, and heat shivered through her. “I suppose this isn’t one of those times when I need to say no,” she whispered, her breathing ragged against his jaw.

“No, darlin’, it’s not.” And clutching her close, he fisted the satin gown and moved in to deepen the kiss, his husky words melting in her mouth. “For all the good it would do.”

15

Katie groaned and tossed the pencil on the kitchen table. It spun and rolled off, plopping onto the floor. “Why do I have to take accounting? I want to argue cases, not tally numbers.”

Luke smiled and patiently retrieved the errant pencil. He rolled it back across the table with a gentle push that tucked it neatly against Katie’s elbow as she lay facedown, head in her arms. “Hate to tell you, Katie, but most of your work will not be in the courtroom. The majority of your time will be spent researching facts, analyzing case studies, and determining a course of action for the best possible results. The law entails all aspects of life, so a lawyer has to be well-rounded, well-versed, and prepared for anything.” He reached for her textbook and gave it a gentle skid in her direction, jolting her arm. “Including finance, my friend, especially in this economy.”

She groaned again, her expression pure Sarah Bernhardt with head flung back and brows crimped in pain. “But numbers are not my strength, Luke! I’ve been at this over a month now, and it’s not sinking in. Poor Jack had to practically carry me through algebra last year.”

His mouth quirked as he gave her a slatted stare. “So let Jack ‘carry’ you again. I’m sure he’d chomp at the bit to see you more frequently since your father’s restricted him to weekends only.”

She gave him a pitiful look, manicured brows sloped high while full lips jutted in a pout. “Come on, Luke, I can’t study with Jack – he’s got a one-track mind. I need someone on a regular basis – like you, who’s been to law school and will focus on the books instead of on me.”

Luke exhaled and leaned back in his chair. Well, he’d been to law school, anyway, he thought as he studied Katie with a narrow gaze
.
He finally blew out a sigh and closed his eyes, scrubbing his face with his hand. “Okay, when?”

She actually squealed. “Oh, I could just kiss you!”

Hand to face, his fingers parted as he eyed her with a tight smile. “Please don’t.”

The brat actually had the nerve to prop her chin in her hand and wiggle her brows. “Really? Why not?”

Focus on the books, McGee, not the girl.

“Hey, what’s going on in here?” Patrick said with a swoosh of the swinging door. “There is entirely too much levity here to constitute any viable studying.” He entered the kitchen with a stern look that was edged with a smile. He made his way to the cabinet next to the sink and pulled out a glass, then glanced over his shoulder as he filled it from the tap. “So, who’s the culprit here, I wonder – Luke or you, Katie Rose?” He reached for a bottle of aspirin and tossed two to the back of his throat. A brow shifted up as he took a quick drink of water. “As if I have to ask.”

“Luke has offered to study with me every week, Father – isn’t that wonderful?”

“Offered?” Luke leaned in, elbows flat on the table. He squinted with mouth ajar. “Railroaded is more like it.” He gave Patrick a sideways glance. “She actually resorted to the protruding lip, if you can believe that.”

Patrick set the glass down and put the aspirin back into the cabinet. He turned to commiserate with a tired smile. “Inherited from her mother, no doubt, who has given me a fair amount of lip over the years.” He started for the door. “Don’t let her ride roughshod over you, Luke. She has a tendency to do that, you know.”

“Uh, yeah, since she was in pigtails, Mr. O’Connor.”

“Father, wait – aren’t you feeling well?” Katie’s smile lapsed into concern.

“No, darlin’, but it’s just a headache coming on, that’s all. This downturn of the market has me on edge, I suppose, chipping away at our investments.” He put a hand to the door and then shot them a thin smile. “Of course teaching chess to a bit of a thing who could be your twin, Katie Rose, might be at fault as well. God help me,” he said as he plowed through the door.

Katie laughed and tugged a paper from her book, pencil in hand. “Okay, McGee, I made a list of what we need to accomplish tonight, so let’s get started.”

Luke grinned and glanced at his watch. “You and your lists. Well, I hope it’s not too long because I promised Miss Lillian and the girls I’d stop by on the way home.”

Katie opened the textbook with a flourish. “I swear, as much as you love kids, if you don’t have a slew of your own someday, it will be a crying shame.”

He rolled up his sleeves. “Oh, I’ll have a houseful, you can count on that. Eight, at least.”

With a casual flip of pages, Katie settled on the right chapter, then looked up, her eyes suddenly widening with shock. “
Eight?
You want eight? Sweet mother of Job, you better find a woman who’s partial to babies.”

“All women are partial to babies.” Luke sloped back into the chair and folded his arms, giving Katie a crooked smile.

She leaned forward with a lift of her chin. “Not me.”

He blinked. “You don’t want babies someday?”

“Oh, I want babies, of course, but not until my thirties. And definitely not an orphanage full. One or two is a nice number, I think.”

He sat up, mouth gaping. “One barely constitutes a family, Katie Rose. What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking I want a life other than washing diapers and cooking for a man.”

His jaw dropped. “Tell me you’re not one of those suffragettes that idolize Alice Paul and her cockeyed notion of an Equal Rights Amendment.”

Her chin elevated to new heights. “I most certainly am – and you already know that.”

“No, no I don’t. It’s a news flash to me. Does Jack know how you feel?”

She tapped the pencil against her lips, which were clamped in a tight line. “Yes, he knows how I feel. We’re getting married, for pity’s sake. Don’t you think we’ve discussed this?” She averted her chin and doodled on the paper. “One child – that’s all we’re having. We’ve both agreed.”

Luke sagged back into his chair and shook his head. “I had no idea you were so radical.”

“Well, you’re not marrying me, so what do you care?”

He sat up and slapped both palms on the table, shuffling his chair in. “You got that right – you’re Jack’s headache, not mine.”

“Gee, thanks, McGee.”

He smiled. “Start reading, kiddo, we don’t have all ni – ”

“Hey, Katydid – ” Jack stood on the threshold, palm to the door and smile on his face. He saw Luke, and instantly the smile deteriorated into a scowl. “What’s he doing here?”

“Well, hello to you too, Mr. Grouch.” Katie jumped up and gave him a quick kiss. “Luke and I are studying.”

Luke smiled, all but blinded by the glare. “Evening, Jack.”

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Katie asked. “I thought you had an open house at Harvard Law tonight.”

His eyes flicked to Luke with a cold stare, then back to Katie. His gaze softened. “I did, but I cut out early. Had a sudden urge to see my best girl. And your father said it was okay.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and bent close to give her a kiss. “I missed you.”

She shoved him away. “Not now, Jack, I’m busy,” she whispered, her gaze fluttering to Luke and back. “Besides, Luke’s here.”

“Yeah, I know.” Jack pulled her close again and glowered at Luke. “Why don’t you run along, Soda Jerk, and let me spend some time with my fiancée?”

Luke rose to his feet, nerves twitching in more places than he could count. He trained his eyes on Katie. “Let’s call it a night, Katie. We’ll pick up next week, okay?”

“No, Jack is leaving – ”

“No, I’m not, doll, I’m just getting comfortable.” He snatched a chair from the table and sat down, pulling Katie onto his lap.

“Jack!” She shot up faster than the spasm pulsing in Luke’s jaw. She crossed her arms and broiled her fiancé with a look. “Jack Worthington, you are leaving this instant, do you hear? We have studying to do.”

“Actually, Katie,” Luke said with a glance at his watch, “I really need to be going.”

“But when will we study?” The pretty pout was back.

He unrolled his shirtsleeves with a serene smile. “I’ll give you an hour next Wednesday, when I come to see Gabe, okay?”

“But an hour’s not near enough! I told you I’m awful at math.”

“I’ll help you,” Jack said with a swipe of his arm, attempting to pull her back to his lap.

She dodged him with a scowl while her eyes negotiated with Luke. “An hour on Wednesday, and two hours on Thursday,” she countered.

“Why can he come twice during the week, and your father balks at me even once?”

She dismissed him with a wave of her hand. “Please, Luke, for me? As a friend?”

He braced hands low on his hips and gave her a lidded stare. “Two hours on Thursday, take it or leave it.”

She beamed, the smile on her face positively radiant. “Thanks, McGee, you’re the best.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He smiled and headed for the door, his heart a bit heavier than before.

“Good night, Luke,” she called.

“Good night, Katie,” he said with a forced smile over his shoulder. The smile died at the sight of Katie in Jack’s arms, his mouth devouring hers as if he were a man starving to death. Hunger pains of his own rumbled within, roiled with regret.

Yeah, he thought with a hard push through the door, he knew the feeling.

Mornings are coming earlier all the time.
Luke tossed his towel over his shoulder and yawned, half coherent as he scrubbed a slack hand across his bare chest. Of course, it didn’t help he had a meeting with Carmichael at the crack of dawn. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and plodded down the hall to the bathroom. What was it with that man, anyway? Meetings – first thing in the morning or last thing at night – didn’t he realize people had lives to live?

A groan trapped in his throat when he rounded the corner and saw the bathroom was already occupied. He turned back to his room, then stopped at a frail noise, his senses instantly alert.

There it was again – a fragile moan and then . . . Luke winced at the sound of someone vomiting, and it made him want to retch himself. He leaned close and lightly rapped his knuckles on the door. “Betty? Is that you?”