Sparring Partners (44 page)

William slapped Jordon on the back,
propelling him forward, before turning back to the cameras.

"With Jordon's financial wizardry, and
Reed's generosity of spirit, the Reed Mohr Foundation will make the
planet better, one community at a time."

Reed didn't know what to say. How was she
going to accomplish all that? Jordon needed a purpose in his life,
not her. She already had one. Potters Woods was more than enough
purpose for one ex-lawyer. Making the world a better place? How in
the hell was she supposed to do that?

"We'll take your questions now." William
said, with such calm confidence that Reed wanted to smack him.
Usually, only Jordon, and sometimes Shay, affected her that way.
Usually, she liked people, men in particular, even the manipulative
ones.

William took manipulation to a whole new
level.

And yet-

And yet as the idea sunk into her skin,
making its way to her heart and her brain, it made a certain amount
of sense, at least for Jordon.
He
needed something big,
something meaningful, something over-the-top important to do.
He
belonged on glossy magazine covers.
He
excelled at
making things work.

She
excelled at...Reed wasn't quite
sure what she excelled at, but whatever
it
was,
it
didn't include public speaking.

William pointed at a young woman in the
crowd, and she fired the first question. "Jordon, what made you
trade in leadership of B.H. Corp. for charity work?"

Jordon opened his mouth, but William cut him
off. "I'll answer that."

Jordon shut his mouth and turned toward
William. Nothing in his expression gave away his impatience, or the
flash of anger that was now gone. Even Reed might have missed it if
she weren't so attuned to him.

"Jordon's goal was always to run B.H. when I
retire. He was slated for the position which Jay Giles now holds,
and it would have been his."

"So what changed his mind?"

This time Jordon wouldn't be shut down. He
shouted out. "My wife."

All eyes spun to him. "So, Ms. Mohr is the
catalyst for the move from money-maker to philanthropy?" One
reporter asked, his tone laced with disbelief.

Jordon leaned down and kissed her before she
could even form homicidal thoughts. He pulled her to him and winked
at the cameras, a pirate's devilish grin splitting his face.

"She's the catalyst for more than that,
Bill, thanks for asking." Jordon toned down the grin and let his
death grip on her ease before he continued. "But in all
seriousness, it was time for a change. I knew that the moment I met
Reed, it just took me awhile to admit it."

Jordon looked over at William, and the look
he gave him in no way gave away the fact that this was as big a
surprise to Jordon as it was to Reed. Her husband was more than a
good businessman, he was a good actor. Either that, or he really
meant what he said. Reed would have to ask him later.

"The Reed Mohr Foundation is probably the
best idea my uncle has had since I went to work for him. We haven't
always seen eye-to-eye, but in this we're united. Working with my
wife and my family as a member of the board on something as worthy
as this is the second best thing that's ever happened to me."

Reed smiled past the tears in her eyes. He
wasn't that good an actor, Jordon meant what he said. Every wave of
energy flowing from him spread peace, acceptance, and purpose
through her. Jordon Bennett had finally found his place when he'd
given up looking.

"What's the best, Jordon." Someone shouted
out.

Jordon kissed her again, quickly before
smiling warmly for the cameras.

"The day I took up elf hunting."

...

And that was how she became the head of a
forty-billion-dollar foundation bearing her name. That was how,
after thirty-eight years on the planet, her life really began. One
son, one husband, one hodge-podge family, one summer, and one way
to change the world, Reed finally found her purpose.

After
two, over-the-top Bennett men,
dumped it in her lap. God and Goddess really did work in
mysteriously convoluted ways.

The newest of which was growing beneath her
heart, and if she counted correctly, would pop out in about seven
and a half months. She couldn't keep that secret for long, just
long enough for Jordon to get over this last life changing event
before she shocked him with another.

No wonder he declared elf hunting a
sport.

Reed hugged her husband as they rode back to
Potters Woods with Finn and Henry. The rest of the family followed
in Jesse's new hybrid SUV.

"What's got you so pleased with yourself?"
Jordon asked, tweaking her nose.

She grinned up at him. "It just occurred to
me that since elf hunting is a sport, and I've been bagged and
tagged, I am now officially a trophy wife. How cool is that?"

"Does this mean I have to buy you a diamond
tiara?"

"Make it recycled silver and you've got a
deal."

"Best deal I ever made."

"Does this mean I can call you
Elf-Lord?"

"Try it and I'll put you over my knee."

"Promise?"

Jordon got serious. "I love you, Reed. I'll
love you forever. You're stuck with me now, you know that,
right?"

"I love you too, with my whole heart." Reed
felt giddy, like pure oxygen was running through her veins. "Tell
you what, when we get home, let's go to our room and I'll put on
those elf wings you had made for me, sprinkle fairy dust all over
your naked body, and we can play Elf-Lord until we fall into an
exhausted heap."

"You drive a hard bargain."

"I learned from the best."

About the author:

A native mid-westerner from South Eastern
Wisconsin, Morganne MacDonald (
writing as Leigh Morgan
) a
member of RWA and WisRWA since 2005, has been writing since
pre-school (with crayons) and is still in training (although she
now uses a netbook).

Morganne is currently working on a series of
stand alone contemporary novels, The Dojo Chronicles, with a tie to
the martial arts. Adventure, romance, and themes such as 'what
constitutes a family', and 'living by a personal code' all wrapped
up in a tail-kicking package that will make you laugh, cry, and
feel good about the world and your place in it.
A graduate of The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, her studies
included: History, Philosophy, and Comparative Mythology. Morganne
graduated from Marquette University Law School in 1991.
Morganne has practiced nearly all areas of law, and now focuses on
Child Advocacy and Elder Law with a primary focus on family
mediation, putting children's needs first.
Morganne is a fourth degree black belt in Okinawan Shorin Ryu
karate. She has continuously trained over a twenty year period,
actively training with Master Daniel Schroeder in Hales Corners,
Wisconsin. She also holds a third degree black belt in Matayoshi
Okinawan Kobudo; weapons training. Morganne has taught self-defense
for women and practical defense sequences for writers.

Morganne is an avid motorcycle enthusiast.
(There's nothing like a TRIUMPH!) Most summers (when she's not out
riding) you can most likely find her in Highland Gear walking her
Scottish Deerhounds at local Scottish Games and Festivals.

For more information please visit
www.bardintraining.com.