“Of course it is. You tried threats and that didn’t work. You tried charm, and that didn’t work either. You’ve even tried sex. Now you’re letting your whole family gang up on me. I’m sick to death of it.” Tears threatened, but she refused to shed them, blinking rapidly to keep her eyes dry.
He looked about ready to explode. “Do you honestly think that’s why I made love to you?” He threw up his hands. “Forget it. Let’s say that I did. Have you even once considered that I am trying all those things because this is too important for me not to use every weapon I can think of to get your attention?”
“It’s not a war, dammit.”
His gaze, as serious as she’d ever seen it, met hers evenly. “It is to me. I’m fighting to hold on to my family.”
She swallowed hard at that, but she didn’t relent. She couldn’t. “We’re not your family, Harlan Patrick.”
“Like it or not, darlin’, Amy Lynn is my daughter. Around here that’s about as close a family tie as you can have. I’ll do whatever I have to, Laurie. My first choice would be to marry you, but you don’t seem to want anything to do with that. Since that’s the case, I have to consider my other options.”
She regarded him worriedly. “What options?”
“I haven’t settled on any yet. When I do, you’ll be the first to know.”
“Is that a threat of some kind?”
“You can take it any way you like.”
She studied his intractable expression and sighed. “Have we really come to this?”
“Apparently,” he said with evident regret. “Just remember one thing, Laurie. It was your choice, not mine.”
She started to argue, but there seemed to be little point to going another round with him. He had his opinion about where the fault lay. She had hers. In the end it probably didn’t even matter. All that really counted was that they were at an impasse. Again.
“Will you drive us back to town now? Or should I ask Justin? He and Patsy don’t live all that far from my mom. I’m sure he’d love to have twenty uninterrupted minutes to get his two cents in. He’s been scowling at me ever since he got here. Seeing that gun strapped to his waist and that badge of his gives me the jitters.”
Harlan Patrick actually grinned at that. “It pretty much had the same effect on me at first, but I’m getting used to it. I’m starting to enjoy tormenting him. As for giving you a lift, I’m sure he’d be delighted to, but there’s no need. When the time comes, I’ll take you.”
He started to reach out, almost tangled his fingers in her hair, in fact, but then to her relief he drew back.
“We’ll go right after dinner.”
She balked at the delay. “I said I wanted to go now.”
“We don’t always get what we want in life, do we? You’ve certainly made up your mind to see that I don’t.”
“And this is payback?”
“Oh, no, darlin’. When payback comes, you’ll recognize it right off. This is about my grandfather and the fact that he’s already got the grill fired up and he’s planning a big ol’ barbecue to welcome you back into the fold. I don’t want him to be disappointed.”
If it was a ruse, it was a clever one. He knew she would never do anything to openly defy his grandfather’s wishes. Harlan Adams had been too kind to her over the years.
“Fine,” she said tightly. “After dinner, then.”
“And just to show you that I am a reasonable man, I will have someone pick up your mom and bring her out here to join us. How about that?”
Relieved at the prospect of having an ally at last, she nodded. “That would be wonderful. Thank you.”
“I’ll go and make the arrangements, then.”
She watched him go, hating that there was such tension and bitterness between them. Conversations were either stiff and awkward or they rapidly disintegrated into fights. Once they had shared everything, talked for hours, laughed together over the silliest things.
It had almost been easier before they’d made love. Now, knowing that the chemistry hadn’t died, it was more difficult than ever to accept that love just wasn’t enough.
“You still love him, don’t you?” Val asked, joining her on the porch. “I can see it in your eyes.”
“No, of course not,” Laurie denied. “It was over a long time ago.”
“Right. That explains why you came back here wearing his shirt and