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Authors: Emilie Richards
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have no say over my life.”
“When did you divorce me?” Gray’s gaze swept to Julianna’s face. His words were icy cold.
She stared at him.
“Can’t you remember?” he taunted.
Suddenly she was disoriented. Her fingers tightened on Dillon’s arm. “Divorce you?”
“That’s right. I never got any papers, even though you knew where to reach me. So I don’t know when, and I don’t know how. What grounds did you use? And what kangaroo court gave you a divorce without getting in touch with me?”
“You divorced
me
. On grounds of desertion.” She paused. “You must have.”
“No.”
She wanted it to be a lie. “I don’t believe you.”
“Then get your attorney to do a records search.”
“But why
wouldn’t
you?”
He turned the question around. “Why
would
I have?”
“I was gone. You wanted me gone. You must have known I was never coming back.”
“Really? How was I supposed to know? You didn’t tell me that any more than you told me you were going.”
Dillon cleared his throat. Gray’s eyes flashed back to the other man’s face. Dillon looked increasingly uncomfortable. The Australian knew he was witnessing something intensely personal, and he knew he didn’t belong there. Julianna seemed at a loss for words, so Gray addressed his next remark to Dillon. “I appreciate the excellent care you’ve taken of my
wife
.” He stressed the last word. “But I’ll be taking care of her now.”
“If she says so.” Dillon didn’t move, but he seemed to back off anyway. The inexplicable aura that warns one male of another’s dangerous intentions vanished.
“You can see we have a lot to talk over,” Gray told Julianna. “It’s way past time to settle things.”
She had been tied to this man in so many ways, by their friendship, by her love for him, by the child she had borne. To find that the ties weren’t broken, that in the eyes of the law she was still his wife, was too much for her. She swallowed a sob. “It is settled,” she said, trying not to choke on the words. “I’ll be filing for a divorce immediately.”
“If that’s all we needed to do to settle things, I would have done it years ago.”
“You should have.”
“Come with me, Julianna.”
“No!” Before he could argue further, she turned and fled toward the exit.
Gray tried to follow her, but Dillon barred his way.
“Don’t make it worse, mate,” Dillon told him. “You’ve given her a shock. Give her a chance to think about it.”
“What’s she to you?” Gray demanded.
“Just a woman who needs a friend.”
“She’s scared to death of storms.”
“Then don’t go chasing her into this one.” Dillon motioned toward the carousel. “I’m going to find her and get her over to that hotel. Are those her bags on the floor?” He watched as Gray nodded, then stooped to pick them up and add them to his. “See what else comes through with her name on it and take it to your hotel, would you? I’ll see if I can get her over there tomorrow morning after she’s had time to think.”
“Why are you doing this?”
Dillon shrugged.
Gray hesitated, still weighing the possibility of going after Julianna. Then he nodded. There was really very little he could do, short of dragging her caveman-style to his hotel. She had defeated him. Again. “Please go find her. She’s in no shape to be out there by herself.”
“I’ll take care of her.”
Gray watched the other man head for the exit and wondered how something that he had planned with only the best of intentions could have turned out to be so unbearably painful for everyone concerned.
Chapter 5
----
GRAY COLLECTED HIS suitcases and one more piece of Julianna’s. Ironically, they had chosen luggage from the same designer, differing only in their choices of color. Except for memories, their taste in travel gear was possibly the only thing they shared.
He wondered if he would see Julianna again. He believed that Dillon would make an
“When did you divorce me?” Gray’s gaze swept to Julianna’s face. His words were icy cold.
She stared at him.
“Can’t you remember?” he taunted.
Suddenly she was disoriented. Her fingers tightened on Dillon’s arm. “Divorce you?”
“That’s right. I never got any papers, even though you knew where to reach me. So I don’t know when, and I don’t know how. What grounds did you use? And what kangaroo court gave you a divorce without getting in touch with me?”
“You divorced
me
. On grounds of desertion.” She paused. “You must have.”
“No.”
She wanted it to be a lie. “I don’t believe you.”
“Then get your attorney to do a records search.”
“But why
wouldn’t
you?”
He turned the question around. “Why
would
I have?”
“I was gone. You wanted me gone. You must have known I was never coming back.”
“Really? How was I supposed to know? You didn’t tell me that any more than you told me you were going.”
Dillon cleared his throat. Gray’s eyes flashed back to the other man’s face. Dillon looked increasingly uncomfortable. The Australian knew he was witnessing something intensely personal, and he knew he didn’t belong there. Julianna seemed at a loss for words, so Gray addressed his next remark to Dillon. “I appreciate the excellent care you’ve taken of my
wife
.” He stressed the last word. “But I’ll be taking care of her now.”
“If she says so.” Dillon didn’t move, but he seemed to back off anyway. The inexplicable aura that warns one male of another’s dangerous intentions vanished.
“You can see we have a lot to talk over,” Gray told Julianna. “It’s way past time to settle things.”
She had been tied to this man in so many ways, by their friendship, by her love for him, by the child she had borne. To find that the ties weren’t broken, that in the eyes of the law she was still his wife, was too much for her. She swallowed a sob. “It is settled,” she said, trying not to choke on the words. “I’ll be filing for a divorce immediately.”
“If that’s all we needed to do to settle things, I would have done it years ago.”
“You should have.”
“Come with me, Julianna.”
“No!” Before he could argue further, she turned and fled toward the exit.
Gray tried to follow her, but Dillon barred his way.
“Don’t make it worse, mate,” Dillon told him. “You’ve given her a shock. Give her a chance to think about it.”
“What’s she to you?” Gray demanded.
“Just a woman who needs a friend.”
“She’s scared to death of storms.”
“Then don’t go chasing her into this one.” Dillon motioned toward the carousel. “I’m going to find her and get her over to that hotel. Are those her bags on the floor?” He watched as Gray nodded, then stooped to pick them up and add them to his. “See what else comes through with her name on it and take it to your hotel, would you? I’ll see if I can get her over there tomorrow morning after she’s had time to think.”
“Why are you doing this?”
Dillon shrugged.
Gray hesitated, still weighing the possibility of going after Julianna. Then he nodded. There was really very little he could do, short of dragging her caveman-style to his hotel. She had defeated him. Again. “Please go find her. She’s in no shape to be out there by herself.”
“I’ll take care of her.”
Gray watched the other man head for the exit and wondered how something that he had planned with only the best of intentions could have turned out to be so unbearably painful for everyone concerned.
Chapter 5
----
GRAY COLLECTED HIS suitcases and one more piece of Julianna’s. Ironically, they had chosen luggage from the same designer, differing only in their choices of color. Except for memories, their taste in travel gear was possibly the only thing they shared.
He wondered if he would see Julianna again. He believed that Dillon would make an
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