Hawk's Haven (17 page)

With an indifferent shrug of his shoulders, he gazed up at her. "Would you care for a little brunch first?"

"Let's not pretend this is a social call, Father."

He leaned back in his leather chair and shot her a triumphant smile. “Well, then what is it you want Gillian?”

“I want what’s fair. I think Aunt June’s inheritance should easily cover the cost of college for her daughter, and then some.”

“And you think I should pay for that girl’s...”

"That girl," she snapped out. "Is your niece and her name is Elena.” She paused. Taking a deep breath, she mentally counted to ten. Losing her temper now would accomplish nothing. “As to whether you should pay, considering you had no moral right to cut her trust fund, you owe that money to your sister."

“I was the trustee of my sister’s trust. I had every legal right...”

“I’m talking ethics not legalities, Father.”

“And just what would I get in return for my magnanimous gesture?” 

It took an inordinate amount of will power to remain cool outside while a violent anger raged inside her. What kind of person played Let's Make a Deal with the lives of his family?  "What do you want?"

"I want you to return home."

She let out a bitter laugh. "I'm sentenced to community service, remember? I have a job to complete."

"And you know I could get you out of that tomorrow if I wanted."

"No.” She shook her head to emphasize her resolve. "I can't just walk out on those students. It's not fair."

"Your sense of loyalty is touching, my dear. I'll arrange for a replacement teacher.”  His patronizing grin forced her to choke back an angry retort. He was so damn sure of the outcome.

"For how long?"

Aaron arched his eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"How long must I return home for? I'm twenty four. Certainly you didn't expect me to live with you forever."

"Well, until you make a suitable marriage, of course."

Suitable meaning a man of his choosing, she knew. She doubted that there was a man alive that would measure up to her father's standards. "No."

He shook his head as if he didn't understand the word. Probably because so few people had ever said no to him. "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me. I said, no."

"Then we have nothing more to discuss.” He dismissed her by returning his attention to his papers.

"Oh, you may be finished, but I'm not.” She lowered herself into the chair across from his desk.  Her mouth went dry and she swallowed hard. "If you won't help Aunt June, I will."

"And just how do you intend to do that without any money?"

Her fingers tightened around the carved wooden arm of the chair.  "Oh, please, Father. I think you already know that I don’t mind a little adverse press when I want to make point. Maybe I’ll chain myself to the doors of the courthouse next time."

His face puffed up and turned a vivid shade of red. "You wouldn't dare."

"You think not?  Call my bluff.”

Aaron met her unwavering stare. He appeared to be weighing his options. If he agreed, she didn't delude herself into thinking the game was over. The look on his face when he saw her with Hawk had been a chilly experience she wouldn't soon forget.

"All right. You can tell my sister to come see me about turning over her trust fund."

Excitement bubbled within her. "You won't regret this."

"No. But you will," he warned ominously.

She shook her head sadly. "There is nothing you can do to me that would hurt more than what you've already done by denying me my family."

"I know there's nothing I can do to you. What about your half-breed?” Disdain rang clearly in his voice. "Do you have any idea how miserable I can make his professional life?  Where would that leave his people that you claim to care so much for?"

She smiled, but her heart felt no joy. "I thought you might try something like that.” She rose and tossed the manila folder onto his desk. "Here's a little light reading to keep you amused tonight."

"What's this?” His features were schooled but when he opened the folder to the first page he muttered an oath.

"You know exactly what it is. It's a documented story of a prominent Judge who paid his wife to disappear from her daughter's life. Not exactly Payton Place but it has its share of bribery, secrets and lies.”

She crossed the room and reached for the door handle. When she turned back, she noticed him rooting furiously through the documents.

As she walked away, she felt as if she’d lost a friend. This wasn't how she wanted it to end. What happened to the father she’d adored as a child?  When had he changed to this loveless, empty shell of a man? Power had corrupted him but the strength of his influence had been that neither friend nor foe had found the skeletons in Aaron's closet when he’d been so adept at finding theirs. Would the threat of exposing the truth be enough to keep her father from trying to destroy Hawk's career? Only time would tell.

She turned and looked toward the large Tudor house one last time. A dull pain filled her chest. Despite what she was feeling now, this had been the place of so many happy childhood memories. 

Chapter
Fifteen

Hawk paced the living room floor. A glance at his watch told him that a full three minutes had passed since the last time he checked. With each one of those slowly passing seconds it became apparent that Gillian wasn't coming back.

The doorbell rang and his heart lurched. He crossed the foyer and pulled the door open. His smile dropped to a gaping stare.

Aaron stood in the hall with his shoulders hunched and his expression grim. What did he want? A chance to gloat? A manila envelope was tucked under one arm. He moved the envelope to his hand and locked a death grip on the edge.

"May I come in?” His voice sounded hollow, like a man in defeat. Or, like a victor about to drop the fatal bomb.

Hawk stepped aside and allowed the judge to enter. If the man had come to threaten or bribe him, then he finally had one over on Aaron. "What can I do for you?"

The older man entered the living room and leaned against the floor to ceiling windows. With a dramatic wave of his hand, he turned back to address Hawk. "You have a very nice view of the lake. Gillian must like it here. She loves water."

Hawk was not about to confide that Gillian didn't care for the place at all. The man was apparently on a fishing expedition, but what he hoped to catch was still a mystery. "Did you come here to discuss my view?"

"No," Aaron said, looking a bit harried and put out. "I want to speak to my daughter."

"She's not here."

"I'm sure she told you to say that."

In one short breath the judge had called both him and Gillian liars. Seething, he barely managed to snarl out, "She's probably with her aunt."

Aaron shook his head. "I just came from there. June said Gillian had called her from home. It wasn't my home, and it wasn't June's. That leaves your house."

"Well, she's not here."

For the first time the older man looked unsure of himself. His face was as stark white as the walls and he began to perspire. Aaron really had no idea where she’d gone. "You know where she is, don't you?"

"Not for certain.”  Hawk tried not to show his relief. She hadn’t given into her father's demands.

"You wouldn't tell me if you did, right?"

"I guess that depends on why you want to see her. She's been hurt enough by you."

Aaron shifted his weight from foot to foot. His lip twitched nervously.  Discussing his family problems with an outsider obviously made the judge squirm. He tipped the folder in Hawk's direction, apparently assuming Hawk knew what it contained.  "I only wanted to explain a few things about this she might not understand. I'll make it worth your while."

The last drop of sympathy he
had
for the man evaporated. His body tensed to a solid block of granite. "I don't have a price."

"That's not what I meant, Thomas. I know you aren't for sale. What I can't figure out, is why you let me think you were."

Why? To have a connection with the governor's office. That's what he’d convinced himself. In truth, he hadn’t considered the judge's offer until Aaron had mentioned his daughter. He wanted time with her, in a place where she was out of her element. A chance to be on an equal footing with her.  He never expected that she would feel more at home on the reservation than he did.

At home.

Of course. Where else would she go if she was feeling sad but to the one place that had brought her a small measure of tranquility. Suddenly, he became very anxious to get rid of his unexpected guest. Without regard for his manners, he grabbed his keys and pointed toward the door.  "I have to leave now. I'll tell her you want to talk to her but I can't guarantee anything."

Aaron nodded. "I guess I'll have to accept that."

* * * *

Gillian glanced at the wall clock as the car pulled into the driveway. If it had taken him any longer, her skin would have turned blue. Excitement bubbled within, warming her. She smoothed the feather necklace and lowered herself into the reclining chair.

Damn!  He was taking his sweet time. Finally the door opened wide and Hawk stepped inside.

His gaze locked on her from across the long room. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"What's wrong? Don't you like my outfit?"

"What outfit? You look like Lady Godiva. How long have you been sitting there like that?"

She pushed back a handful of hair from her shoulder and winked. "Would you mind closing the door? This isn't the warmest thing I've ever worn.” 

"I wonder why?” He kicked the door shut with his foot. "You're only about a million feathers short of a down comforter."

She pulled off the necklace and placed it on the coffee table. "Then come over here and keep me warm."

"Why, Miss Hughes. Are you making a pass at me?"

"If you have to ask, I'm failing miserably.” She wrapped her arms around her body and shivered.

He covered the distance between them in less than a heartbeat. His eyes blazed with desire; an impulse she felt sure he would act on as he hauled her out of the chair.  He removed his suit jacket and, surprisingly, hung it over her shoulders. "Hold that thought, Princess. We need to talk first."

"Talk?" she complained. She pressed her palms against his chest and splayed her fingers over the wide expanse of his white shirt. "Your timing is lousy."

A cocky half grin lifted the corner of his mouth. "You've never complained before."

"You've never kept me waiting this long."

He motioned for her to sit again.  The man could be annoyingly single minded when he wanted to.

She slouched down in the sofa and folded her arms across her chest, feigning boredom. "So talk, Counselor. I'm not getting any younger."

"That's my point.” He sat next to her. His dark eyes narrowed as he swept his gaze over her long legs. "It's time to think about settling down."

"That would imply that I'm wild and out of control."

"When I walk in the house to find you wearing nothing but a few feathers and a smile, I have to assume you lack a certain amount of self-control."

Gillian giggled at his hypocrisy. "And you, of course, being a model of righteous conservatism, have decided to show me the error of my ways, teach me humility and sentence me to a life of community service under your direction."

"Well, I wouldn't have phrased it quite like that," he grumbled.

She touched a finger to his lips. "Hawk, we've been through this before. I don't want you to take care of me. I can take care of myself."

"I know. You've got your father running scared."

"My father," she managed to squeak out through her shock.

Hawk pulled her into his lap. His arms closed around her, wrapping her in the protection of his body. "He came to see me this afternoon. That's why I was so late getting here."

"What does he want?"

His hand stroked her hair in long fluid sweeps, slowly easing away the tension that just the mention of her father had caused. "He wants to talk to you."

"I'll bet he does.” Aaron probably wanted to be sure she didn't plan to make any of their dirty little family secrets public knowledge. Unlike him, she hadn’t wanted to use the information for her own gain.

Hawk kissed the top of her head but offered no opinion or advice.

"You think I should talk to him, don't you?"
S
he finally asked.

"It's not my call."

"Don't tell me you have no opinion on this."

"I'll support you whatever you decide.” His hand roamed possessively over the curve of her waist and rested on her stomach. The warmth of his fingers began a current of heat flowing through her lower abdomen. "I want you to be happy. You need to have some answers, because you keep pushing me away and I think a lot of that stems from the way your father had to keep complete control over the women in his life."