Read Online To Wed and Protect by Carla Cassidy - Free Book Online

on to Brian…and to the child April is carrying.”
    Everyone looked at April in surprise. “It’s true,” she confirmed. “I’m pregnant.”
    Johnna squealed with excitement and quickly ran over to hug April while the men congratulated Mark on the news.
    â€œSo, we know that Mark doesn’t want to sell,” Matthew said a few minutes later when things had calmed down. “Johnna, what about you?”
    She frowned and raked a hand through her boyishly short dark hair. “To be honest, I haven’t given it much thought lately. Between my law practice and havingto work here twenty-five hours a week, I haven’t had much time to think about what the future holds.”
    â€œBut you always said you hated it here,” Luke reminded her. Their mutual dislike for the family homestead had always been a point of commonality between them.
    Johnna frowned. “When Father was alive, I definitely hated this place. Now that he’s gone, I’m not sure how I feel.”
    â€œLook,” Mark interjected. “Do we really have to make a decision about selling right now? Can’t we go ahead and do the renovations on the barn without knowing for sure what we’re going to do in seven months time?”
    â€œIs the money for the renovations an issue?” Johnna asked.
    Matthew shook his head. “No, the ranch is doing very well, and we could pay for the renovations without having to take out a loan.”
    Luke fought a wave of frustration. He didn’t want to put any more money in the ranch. More than anything he wanted to convince his brothers and sister that the best thing for all of them was to sell the ranch in seven months, split the proceeds from the sale, then get on with their own separate lives.
    He wanted no ties to this place of unhappiness. He didn’t give a damn what the others did. The day the year was up Luke intended to sell his share either to one of his brothers or sister, or to an outsider.
    With the decision made to go ahead with the renovations, the family meeting broke up. The four of them rarely spent time in idle chatter. They had noidea how to perform the small talk that would encourage a deepening of their relationship with each other.
    Luke was the first to leave. After saying goodbye to everyone, he left the house and headed for his workshop in one of the outbuildings.
    He didn’t have to be at the Honky Tonk until ten and decided he’d work an hour or so on a rocking chair he’d been making. The workshop was the one place he loved on the ranch. Housed in one end of the stables, it smelled of fresh hay, horses and wood chips. Every tool he’d ever need to transform raw wood into useful and decorative items was at his fingertips, bought with money he’d earned at the Honky Tonk.
    The rocking chair was complete except for the sanding and finishing, and as he picked up a piece of sandpaper and got to work, his mind whirled with thoughts of his family.
    The Delaney children had learned at an early age not to trust one another. Adam Delaney’s parenting skills had included a divide-and-conquer mentality. He’d taught his children to trust nobody—particularly each other.
    Often before a beating Luke had been told that his transgression had been brought to Adam’s attention by one of his siblings.
    Luke and his brothers and sister had remained isolated through misery and fear, and now that Adam was dead, none of them seemed to know how to breach those early years of distance and mistrust.
    â€œLuke?” He jumped in surprise as Mark and April appeared at the doorway of his workshop.
    â€œHey, what’s up?” he asked curiously.
    â€œWe just thought we’d stop in before heading back to our place,” Mark said.
    â€œWhat a beautiful chair,” April exclaimed.
    Luke eyed the two of them in suspicion. They had never been in his workshop area before, and he couldn’t imagine