Randall Wedding (5 page)

Isabella frowned. “Wait a minute. Why did you say if the others didn’t marry? What was wrong with Jake?”

“He was divorced and thought marriage wasn’t for him,” Russ said with a grin. “But once he managed to marry the other three off, his new sisters-in-law decided he deserved the same treatment.”

“Smart ladies,” Isabella said.

“You met two of them today. Janie and Anna.”

Her eyebrows went up and she nodded.

“That’s how matchmaking became a tradition in the Randall family. We’re known for it throughout the county.”

“They don’t get crazy about it,” Nick put in. “But if they can give a match a nudge, they help it along.”

“Did they bring about your marriage?” she asked Nick.

“I didn’t need any help. Once I got out of the big city, Denver, that is, I could tell the glitter from the real gold. When you meet Sarah, you’ll realize how perfect she is.”

Russ smiled. “He’s not prejudiced at all.”

“Of course not.”

“You weren’t prejudiced about Abby, either, were you?” Nick said. Then he immediately apologized. “Sorry, Russ.”

Isabella looked from one to the other, but both men were silent. “What? What happened?”

Russ cleared his throat. “My wife, pregnant with our child, died about eighteen months ago. Most people don’t mention her.”

“But don’t you want them to?” Isabella asked in surprise.

“What do you mean?” Russ asked harshly.

“If you don’t talk about a person, your memories fade. Don’t you want to remember Abby?”

N
ICK LEFT SHORTLY
after Isabella’s remark. Russ wasn’t surprised. He was stunned by her words and couldn’t carry on conversation anymore. And Nick was upset that he’d upset Russ. And since Isabella wasn’t interested in talking about Maria Paloni’s estate, he said they’d discuss it later.

Russ had opened the window curtain in the living room and was staring out at the snow-swept land. Suddenly he remembered a time when he and Abby had joined her students sledding on the school grounds. She’d laughed and chased after the children as if she were a child herself. He could suddenly see her so clearly. And the time he’d watched her teach school. She’d been so gentle, so tender with the little children.

They’d shared their first Christmas together, engaged. It had been special because Abby made it that way. She loved his family and jumped into the preparations for Christmas with great enthusiasm. She had no family of her own. None at all. Sometimes he worried that maybe she loved his family more than she loved him.

But Abby seemed to understand him better than anyone in the world. And she always let him know how important he was to her. Him and their child. She was so happy to have his child. She hadn’t felt exactly well. But she never complained.

Every day had been a miracle with Abby.

Then suddenly she wasn’t there anymore, taken by an aneurysm in the early stages of her pregnancy. He’d gone up into the mountains because he
couldn’t face the loss. If Tori and Jon hadn’t come to find him, he would’ve died up there.

Then he’d tried to live without really living. He knew now that had been wrong. Abby wouldn’t have wanted it. He’d almost killed his memories of Abby, too. Until Isabella’s remark today.

The door to his bedroom opened, and Isabella, who’d gone to bed after Nick’s visit, came out. “Do you need any help getting things ready?”

“No, I want you to sit down. Angel will be up in a few minutes. I’ll fix the bottle, but you can feed her.”

“Thank you, Russ.”

“Did you get some rest?”

“Yes, I did, but I’m feeling better. Just…sad about great-aunt Maria.”

“You’d never met her?”

“No. My father kept her a secret.” She studied her hands linked together in her lap. “He tried to control everything. It’s a wonder I ever got the letter. But she said in the letter she’d sent it as simply as possible, so he wouldn’t notice. If she’d sent it from her lawyer, he would’ve opened it.”

“That’s against the law.”

Isabella shrugged.

“Why did you get married?”

“I thought Timothy was different. And I thought he would fight my father. But he was too weak.”

“So you were coming here so your aunt could help you fight your father?”

“I thought we could be a family, the three of us. That was what I wanted.”

“Why not remarry and have more children?”

“Because I don’t trust men.”

“So Angel’s never going to have a father?”

Isabella lifted her chin. “I’ll take care of her. She won’t need a father.”

“Yes, she will. Every little girl needs a mother and a father.” He paced a few steps, then turned to look at her. “I want Angel to have everything. She’s such a sweet baby.”

Isabella’s face softened. “She’s wonderful, isn’t she?”

“Yeah.”

“But I’m not marrying again.”

He stared at her for several minutes. Should he suggest it? Because he knew already he was going to need some kind of defense against his mother and father’s efforts.

“I know how Angel can have a daddy and plenty of family. Without you giving up any control.”

She stared at him. “How?” she asked slowly.

“Marry me.”

She stared at him. Then she gave him her answer. “No!”

“Wait! Let me explain. I don’t want to marry, either.”

“Well, you’re sure going about it the wrong way. Someone might accept if you go around asking.”

“But I want to marry you for that very reason,” he continued as if she hadn’t spoken.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Yes, it does, if you’ll let me explain.”

She nodded, watching him closely, as if he was an unpredictable creature.

“You know my…my wife died summer a year ago. I stopped living. I existed. I closed myself off to every emotion. I hid behind the numbers I work with. I avoided all weddings, babies, parties, celebrations. I was cowardly, I know. When you and Angel came into my life, you forced me back to life. I fell in love again.”

She looked alarmed and he hurriedly added,
“Don’t panic. And don’t take offense. I fell in love with Angel.”

Her face softened. As it always did when her daughter was involved. He loved that about her. Liked. Liked that, that was what he meant.

“What I want is to be Angel’s father. What you want for Angel is family. I’ve got more family than anyone you know.”

“I’ll agree with you there,” she said, relaxing enough to smile at him.

“Don’t you see? Neither of us wants a marital relationship. But if we marry, no one will try to marry us off. I’ll sign whatever restrictions you want.”

“I have to warn you, Russ. My father will probably try to take away any money I have. I’ll have to get a job to help support the two of us.”

“That’s the beauty of our plan. Not only do I have family, I also have money. I’ve made more than a good living. And Tori does my investments. She’s a genius.”

“Tori? The doctor’s wife?”

“Yeah. Amazing, isn’t it?”

“But you shouldn’t have to support the two of us.” She wouldn’t look at him. “That wouldn’t be fair. Besides…” She hesitated, as if she had something else to confess.

“What is it, honey?” Russ asked softly, stepping over to sit beside her on the sofa.

“My father can be very unpleasant.”

Russ kept waiting, expecting something more. Finally he said, “That’s it? He can be unpleasant?”

“Okay, he can be a bastard. Especially if he has power over you.”

“But he has no power over me.”

“He’ll try to ruin you.”

“And you think I would walk away and leave Angel to him?”

“My husband did. Well, he didn’t walk away. He decided to give in, thinking it would make him rich. Daddy bought him a fast car. It killed him.”

“Your husband gave you up for a sports car?” Russ asked, astounded. Now he understood Isabella’s attitude toward marriage…and men. “You’ll be safe with me, honey. If I want a sports car, I can buy one myself.”

“Russ, I don’t think you’ve thought about this enough. I think you’re acting on impulse.”

“Just think about it. Now that the storm has stopped and you’re getting better, you’re going to have to make some decisions. Oh, by the way, Nick sent a letter to you in New York. Will your father get it?”

She shuddered. “Yes. That means he’ll call Nick and probably show up here. When did he send the letter?”

“We’ll ask him tonight. Just think about what I’ve said. We’ll talk again later.” He finished just as a knock came on the front door and Angel let out a roar.

“She never starts off easy, does she,” Russ said
as he picked her up. “Why don’t you change her while I get the door and make the bottle.” He reluctantly handed the baby to Isabella.

He opened the door and invited Nick and Sarah in.

“I hope we didn’t wake the baby,” Sarah said, her gaze searching the room for the source of the noise.

Russ grinned. “Nah. She’s right on schedule. Isabella, this is Sarah, the sweeter half of the McMillans.”

“Hello,” Isabella said as she changed her daughter. “But isn’t your name Randall? I thought Russ said—”

“I was adopted at birth and that’s my adopted parents’ name. I haven’t changed it.”

“You might as well,” Sarah said with a smile. “Everyone calls us Randalls,” she added for Isabella’s benefit.

“As soon as Russ gets the bottle ready, we’ll be able to talk. Angel is rather single-minded at this stage,” Isabella said with a smile.

“May I hold her?” Sarah asked, sitting on the sofa beside Isabella while Russ went into the kitchen to fix the baby’s bottle. “We’re expecting a baby in early summer and we’re so excited.”

Isabella transferred her tiny daughter to Sarah’s arms. “I do apologize for her behavior.”

“This will take care of it,” Russ assured them as he presented the bottle to Sarah. “Put this in her mouth to give us some relief.”

“Me? I can feed her?” Sarah asked. “I have fed the twins, of course. It takes two to handle feeding at my sister’s.”

“I can’t imagine taking care of twins,” Isabella said with a shudder. “It shouldn’t be so hard to handle one baby, but it’s the fact that there’s no letup. Every four hours, no matter what, she demands your attention.”

They all laughed as Sarah gave Angel her bottle. Angel immediately began to suck. “Well, she’s certainly enthusiastic. You don’t have to worry about her appetite.”

“No,” Isabella agreed.

Russ moved toward the kitchen again. “I’ll get dinner ready so we can eat after Angel finishes,” he said, excusing himself.

Nick followed him to the kitchen. “Maybe I can help.”

“Sure.” In about two minutes they’d transferred the food from the oven to the table. “We still have cake for dessert,” Russ added.

“Terrific. Uh, listen, I have something to tell Isabella that…well, I’m afraid it may upset her.”

“What is it?” Russ asked.

“I can’t tell you. You’re not my client.”

“Nick?” Sarah called. “Come look at her. Isn’t she beautiful?”

Nick left Russ in the kitchen and went out to admire the baby.

Russ followed. “She gets her curls from her mother,” he said.

Sarah looked at Isabella. “Your hair is naturally curly, too?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Oh, you’re lucky. My hair doesn’t do anything!”

“And I love it straight,” Nick said with a grin. “It’s just like you—perfect.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and laughed.

“Is Angel through eating?” Russ asked. “I’ve got dinner on the table.”

“Yes, of course. I’ll just put her down in the bedroom,” Isabella said, standing and reaching for the baby. Sarah gave her up reluctantly. She turned to Russ. “She is so sweet. The boys are fun, too, but not as sweet as a little girl.”

“Hmm, sounds to me like a little prejudice,” Nick protested.

Russ ignored the teasing. “When are you going to tell her?”

“What?” Sarah asked, confused.

“I’ll wait until after we eat. I don’t want to spoil her meal.” Nick quickly explained to Sarah what he was talking about.

“I knew there was something wrong. You become very noncommittal when there’s something wrong,” Sarah said.

“With good reason,” Nick muttered as Isabella came back into the room.

They moved to the table and settled down with chicken spaghetti and steamed broccoli for their meal, along with garlic bread.

“This is delicious,” Isabella said. “I would love to have the recipe.”

“It’s B.J.’s, but I’m sure she’ll share it,” Sarah said.

“Who is B.J.?”

Russ grinned. “Another family member. She married Jake, the oldest Randall. She’s Toby, Caroline and Josh’s mother.”

“And a very good vet,” Nick added.

“And she takes time to make meals like this?” Isabella asked. “She must move nonstop.”

“Nah. Caroline’s in medical school in Chicago, Josh is away at university, and Toby’s married and has a baby. She only works part-time, mostly on their own stock.”

“Well, her life’s a snap,” Isabella drawled.

Sarah laughed. “It’s not easy being a member of the Randalls. I gave it considerable thought before I agreed.”

Nick’s head whipped up. “Hey! It didn’t take you that long!”

“Of course not, dear. I was only teasing.”

Conversation flowed back and forth as they ate, and Russ couldn’t help thinking Isabella fit in well. But he was anxious to hear about the new problem.

He told Isabella and Sarah to remain seated while he and Nick cleared the table and served the rest of Red’s cake.

“Oh, I shouldn’t have any, but I don’t think I can resist,” Sarah said, longing in her voice.

“I think you should have some cake. A balanced
diet includes some treats, you know. It will make your baby happier,” Isabella said with a smile.

“Ooh, I like your way of thinking. I’ll have to remember that when I go in to see Jon in a couple of weeks.”

“Jon is your doctor?”

“Jon is the only doctor,” Nick said, smiling, “but we’d choose him, anyway.”

“Does he treat his own family? I thought doctors weren’t supposed to do that.”

“Doc came out of retirement to deliver Tori’s baby, but Jon was right there, of course. Otherwise, he hasn’t had a conflict. Besides, he’s related to half the town now. That would make things difficult.”

“And Caroline is planning on returning to Rawhide to practice when she finishes,” Russ added.

“When will that be?” Isabella asked.

“I’m not sure,” Russ said. “I think she’s going to specialize in pediatrics, so she may have two years left.”

He and Nick brought the cake to the table and rejoined the women. Silence fell as they all took blissful bites of the cake.

Then Nick said, “Uh, Isabella, I need to talk to you about a phone call I received today. I can wait for privacy, but it needs to be tonight.”

She put down her fork and looked at him. “My father got my letter and called you.”

“Yes, he did.”

Sarah offered to move away from the table if Isabella wanted privacy.

“No. Everyone will know about my father soon enough. What did he say?”

“He said you showed him the letter and asked him to handle everything. He suggested I box up your aunt’s belongings and send them directly to him. Don’t even bother going through them.”

Everyone watched Isabella for her reaction.

“What did Great-aunt Maria have that he wants?”

“Smart lady,” Nick said.

“What did you tell him?” Isabella asked without waiting for an answer.

“I said, I see, and thanks for calling.”

“Nice, but that certainly didn’t satisfy him, did it?”

“No. But I told him we were in the early stages.”

“And?”

“He ordered me to ship everything, again emphasizing no need to go through it.”

“Again I ask you what Aunt Maria had that he wants?”

Russ looked at Isabella. She was quite different from Abby. His wife had been quiet, rather shy, gentle. Isabella was determined, strong.

Nick hadn’t answered. Now he asked a question. “What is Paloni Industries?”

Isabella didn’t answer right away. Finally she said, “It’s the family company. It’s been around for 150 years, and my father has been in charge for the last thirty years. He’s expanded it a lot.”

“Your great-aunt owned controlling interest.”

Isabella froze. “That’s impossible!”

“No. According to what I can determine, your aunt gave your father power of attorney some time ago. She has received huge sums of money from its operations. One year the money stopped coming and she threatened to reclaim her power of attorney. There was a check sent to her almost immediately. She was going to have the company audited.”

“Good for her,” Isabella said, determination in her eyes.

Nick watched her carefully. “So now you own controlling interest in Paloni Industries. And unless you execute a power of attorney, you control everything.”

She clearly hadn’t thought through the significance of Nick’s words until he explained it. She processed the words, but they still didn’t make sense. Then she laughed. A mere bubble at first. Then a chuckle. Then her laughter became almost hysterical.

“Isabella?” Russ said. “Are you all right?”

She tried to pull her laughter under control, but it wasn’t easy. “You don’t understand. My father has no use for women. He believes all the power belongs to the man. And if he wants to give things to his woman, that’s acceptable. But if he doesn’t think she deserves nice things, she doesn’t get them.”

Nick muttered, “A Neanderthal.”

“Exactly. And to think that he had to rely on my
aunt’s goodness to maintain the position that he let everyone believe was his by right. And now he has to rely on me.” She looked at Nick. “He’s planning on hiding that fact. He’s planning on taking over the company and giving me nothing.”

“Probably,” Nick agreed. “Of course he won’t be able to.”

“Why not?”

“The first time he tries, we’ll file suit against him, remove him from his position as president and chairman.”

“I can do that?”

“You can do it tomorrow if you want. As of now, you have controlling interest. Your father must be in hell.”

“Good.” Her face hardened and there was none of the sweetness and gentleness Russ had seen when she held her child.

“Is that what you want me to do?”

“Not yet. I want him to suffer awhile.”

Sarah gasped. Then she covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry. But don’t you love your father?”

“No. I loved him when I was an innocent child. I was his only child, and he spoiled me. Not only with toys, things, but with his time, his affection. But he remarried after my mother’s death and he had another child. A boy. Suddenly I didn’t exist. Only his son. The boy has been ruined. He’s weak and lazy.

“My father can’t see that, of course. Which will
eventually be his downfall. But I felt like the proverbial child outside the candy store, unable to share in anything.”

“I’m so sorry,” Sarah said. “I understand your anger. But…” She looked at her husband, then went on, “I’ve always heard that anger hurts the person who is angry more than it hurts the person the anger is directed at.”

“Maybe because a person is angry because they are powerless, as I was. No longer. Now I have the power.”

Then she looked at Russ. “Do you remember the question you asked me to think about?”

“Yes,” he said quietly, wondering where the conversation was going.