Read Online Family Man by Jayne Ann Krentz - Free Book Online Page A

satisfaction. It wasn't easy winning battles with guardian angels. Virtue always had an unfair advantage.
    He almost smiled as he listened intently to the sound of Katy's footsteps retreating into the distance. He had her now. She was all his for the next six months. It was a heady thought, even though he was not at all certain just what he would do with her.
    “You upset her,” Justine said after a moment.
    “Did I?”
    “Yes. She's normally very calm. Quite unflappable. She's also extraordinarily cheerful most of the time.” Justine frowned thoughtfully as she picked up her cup of tea. “I've often wondered how she does it. It doesn't seem quite natural somehow. Nevertheless, she's rather a delight to have around, actually.”
    “Is that why you've kept her? Because she amuses you?”
    Justine did not take offense. “On the contrary, I believe it is she who finds us Gilchrists amusing. When she's not exasperated with us, that is. She needed a job. I gave her one. It's been a mutually beneficial arrangement. I don't know what I would have done without her, especially these past two years.”
    “I know she's Richard Quinnell's granddaughter.” Luke moved back to the window.
    “Yes. She's Richard's granddaughter. The resemblance is unmistakable. She got that brilliant red hair and those deep blue eyes from him. Her mother looked just like her at that age.”
    Luke frowned. “Justine…”
    “I'll never forget that day at the church when we all finally realized your father was not going to show up. Most brides would have collapsed in humiliation. Deborah Quinnell was so very brave about it all. She and her father insisted that everyone attend the reception. Richard said that as long as he'd paid for the food, someone was going to damn well eat it.”
    “Justine, let's get something straight. If this new association of ours is going to have a chance of working, there will have to be some ground rules. Number one is that we don't talk about the past. You and I are on opposite sides in that old war, and unless you want to refight it, I suggest you don't mention it.”
    Justine's mouth thinned. “I'm sure you're right. A very logical decision. But you can't blame me for wanting you to understand that there were two sides in the feud between your father and the rest of us. We were the ones who had to face the Quinnells that day at the church.”
    “And you were the one who called off the merger between Quinnell and Gilchrist right after the wedding. You had made a deal, and you backed out of it.”
    Justine's expression was suddenly stark. “I had to call it off. Without the marriage there was no real link except that of business between the two families. Who knew what would happen when Richard's daughter married someone else, as she eventually did? I couldn't risk having everything I'd worked for eventually falling into the hands of outsiders. Surely you can understand that.”
    “Yeah, I understand,” Luke said. Because he did. If he had been in Justine's shoes, he would have called off the merger, too. It was a sobering thought. He did not like the idea of empathizing with Justine in any way. His loyalties lay elsewhere.
    “Your father ruined everything when he ran off with your mother,” Justine snapped, her voice growing stronger as she sensed a small victory.
    Luke smiled wryly. “Given that I wouldn't be here if he hadn't fallen in love with her, I'm sure you can understand that I have a slightly different view of the situation. Look, Justine, there are always two sides to a story. But in my case there's no question about which side I'm on. Don't waste your time trying to influence me with propaganda for the other side.”
    Justine almost smiled. “Katy has frequently pointed out to me that we Gilchrists tend to see things in overly simplistic terms—black and white. She claims we have a problem with the gray areas of life.”
    “I don't have a problem with them.”
    Justine nodded. “Because you