Carter almost dreaded seeing Spence and Jackson pull up the long drive to the estate the next morning. So much for the idea of alone time with Hanna. He watched from the library window as they got out of the black sedan and walked up to the front door, shaking their heads and talking.
He could tell from their expressions, this was not going to be good.
Hanna looked up from her seat at his desk where they had been having coffee and enjoying the slow morning while he talked with her about his idea for the estate. The one only Jackson knew. “What’s wrong?”
Funny how she knew there was a problem just by looking at him. Carter couldn’t remember anyone ever being able to read him that well. She had said she loved him and he believed her. He toyed with the idea of saying it back but once he did that was it. There would be no room for him to maneuver, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for that. Not when he sensed she still kept something big from him.
“We have company,” he said, trying to take his mind off her and how right it felt to have her in his space and prepare for whatever was about to happen.
Putting aside the rough draft of the plans he’d been writing to restructure the estate, she frowned. “Is that a bad thing?”
He almost laughed because a few days ago she would have balked at the idea of anyone stopping by. She also wouldn’t have been sitting with him, helping him work, being a sounding board for the ideas he intended to bring to Spence and Derrick for consideration. “In this case, I think so.”
It took a few more minutes for Spence and Jackson to join them. They walked in, nodding a welcome to Hanna but not making a smart comment about her being there. That, alone, was unlike them.
Spence wore an unreadable expression as he leaned against one of the many bookcases outlining the room. “I have some bad news.”
Carter had barely recovered from the last news he received. He wasn’t sure he ever would. It had been one day. One very long day. “More?”
“I know you’re still reeling from...” Spence’s gaze shot to Hanna, then back to Carter. “You know.”
Jackson rolled his eyes. “Subtle.”
Hanna must have thought so, too. She closed the folder in front of her and untucked the leg she was sitting on. “I was there, Spence. You don’t have to tread carefully.”
But Spence was already shaking his head. “Don’t be so sure.”
“Okay.” That was enough for Carter. “What’s going on?”
“Dad is coming to town. Like, now.” Spence focused on Carter. “He’s on the way.”
Carter’s mind refused to grasp the concept. “Excuse me?”
“What?” Hanna practically screamed her response.
Jackson sighed as he sat down on the chair in front of Hanna. “Her tone sounded more appropriate under the circumstances.”
The unexpected news also happened to be unwelcome. Carter had figured he’d have more time before his father blew back into town. The man couldn’t even enjoy the beach the right way.
Carter didn’t move from the window as he stared at his brother. “Talk.”
“So yesterday, after dinner...” Spence winced as he glanced at Jackson. “Wanna help me out here?”
Jackson shook his head. “Not really.”
This wasn’t an easy topic. They all hated the idea of more time with Dad. Carter got that, but still. He needed to know what they were dealing with here. “Spence.”
“I was furious on your behalf.” Spence looked at Hanna. “Not at you. At the idea of Dad threatening you and your sister, possibly—”
“She gets it.” Carter did not want to rehash the story again.
Spence nodded. “Anyway, the idea that he bribed you—”
“Tried to,” Hanna said, breaking in to Spence’s story before he could even get started.
They all stared at her. Only Jackson said what the other men were thinking. “Meaning what exactly?”
“I didn’t take the money.”
Jackson snorted. “Why not?”
“Good question,” Spence said right after.
Her mouth dropped open as her gaze moved around the room. Whatever she saw had her scowling. “You all think I should have grabbed the hush money?”
That one was easy. Carter didn’t have to think about it. “Yes.”
“And ran. Fast and far.” Jackson shook his head. “Honestly, I’m still confused that this is a question.”
“The man has plenty. He deserves to lose some,” Spence pointed out.
The men-are-idiots look on her face suggested she disagreed. “We all know it would have backfired on me. He could have made up anything. Said I blackmailed him. No way was I taking that risk.”
“Let’s get back to the reason we’re here.” Jackson leaned back in the fragile antique chair, ignoring the groaning of the wood beneath him. “And I’m happy to see you guys seem to have made up, by the way.”
Spence glared at Jackson. “Really? You lectured me about their privacy the whole way here.”
Jackson shrugged. “I’m not problematic like you are.”
“Gentlemen.” Hanna’s voice managed to rise above the arguing. “Say what you came to say.”
“I got ticked off and called Dad. Completely unloaded on him. Might have pointed out that none of us trust him.” Spence rushed through the explanation, then stopped.
Silence settled in the library. For a few seconds, the only sound came from the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner. Carter didn’t realize how loud it was until just then.
“Did you specifically reference me and Gena?” Hanna asked.
Spence didn’t avoid eye contact. “I called him about what happened with both of you, Hanna.”
Hanna shot Spence a murderous look.
“Spence’s interference came from a good place.” Jackson’s smile faltered when Hanna turned her focus to him. “Oh.”
She just sat there, not saying anything. Carter didn’t know how to make this better. He couldn’t exactly blame his brother for doing what he had debated doing all night. At one point, he’d slipped out of the bed, forced himself to leave Hanna’s side and picked up his cell. He’d toyed with the idea of calling Tortola but stopped when he heard Hanna moving around beneath the covers.
Her breathing seemed to slow now as she blew out a long breath. “So, your father knows I’m here.”
Spence nodded. “Yes.”
“And now he’s coming.”
Spence looked a little less sure. “Still yes.”
She shook her head. “I can’t see him.”
“He’s going to see me.” This was a fight Carter intended to have the minute his father showed up. Eldrick could disown him again for all Carter cared.
Spence nodded. “All of us. He should expect a wall of anger when he lands.”
“You’re going to challenge him?” Hanna asked in a voice that was less stern than a second ago.
“Derrick suggested we insist Dad sign over the company and go away or we start talking in public.” Spence smiled but it quickly faded when he looked at Hanna. “Not about you. About all the other things he’s done.”
She dropped her head in her hands. Carter had no idea how to read that or guess what reaction would come next.
When she lifted her head again, some of the fight had run out of her. She looked tired. Maybe still a bit annoyed. “You can’t...he’s your father. There’s probably some business agreement in place. Confidentiality or something. That seems like a thing rich people would do.”
Jackson made a humming sound. “Right? So paranoid.”
“Carter, I don’t want to come between—”
“Do not finish that sentence.” Now his anger rose to meet hers. He refused to go another round of them competing to see who felt guiltier. Enough of that. “The man scared a pregnant woman. He hid the reality of my own kid from me. And he tried to bribe you. He scared you. Enough that you moved to New York. That you had to beg to get your deceased father’s property back.”
She clenched her hands together in front of her. “He’s a terrible man and apparently an appalling father. I’m not denying that.”
“Which is why I called and yelled at him.”
She turned on Spence. Pointed right at him. “You’re not forgiven yet.”
“Hey.” Carter moved forward then. He stood in front of her with his hands resting on the edge of the desk. “You don’t have to be there, Hanna, but we need to draw the line. If there’s more, we need to know it. He needs to come clean.”
Her shoulders fell. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
She bit her bottom lip. She looked like she was about to say something then shook her head. It took another few seconds for her to speak. “That you’re related to him. That he’s caused so much damage. I don’t know. For everything?”
“Well, that all ends now. We’re going to confront him and let him know we’re tired of him playing games and pretending to be in charge.”
“You could lose everything.” Her voice had a pleading quality to it.
But on this point, she didn’t need to feel any guilt. He smiled at her. “Not possible.”
“The house and trust funds are out of his control,” Spence said.
For a second the news didn’t seem to settle. Then her eyes widened. “How did he let that happen?”
“He’s actually a terrible businessman.” Jackson leaned back a bit too far in the chair. A cracking sound had him jerking forward again. “His schemes worked back when things were done by a handshake. He couldn’t function in the modern world. Derrick is the brains behind the operation.”
Spence smiled. “And, the reality is, he couldn’t screw everyone.”
She still looked confused. Not that anyone could blame her. “What does that mean?”
Carter loved this part. “He was trying to hide assets when he started playing around with the company accounts and got caught. The only way to hide them was to move some items to our mom’s name. He thought they had an agreement to switch things back. He believed she trusted him, but she was smarter than he gave her credit for. She put almost everything in our names instead.”
“He doesn’t own this estate anymore and while he can take most of the money away and shut down or sell the business as majority stakeholder, he can’t take what we already got from Mom,” Spence explained.
“And what’s left over from her is more than most people will see in a lifetime.” Jackson held up a hand as if to apologize for jumping into the middle of the talk. “Just saying.”
She looked at all of them one more time. “You’ll be out of a job. You all will.”
Jackson made a noise that sounded like nah. “I’ll be fine.”
“You guys sound so sure.” But hope lingered in her voice. It was tough to miss the sound.
Carter got it. In some ways, Eldrick seemed untouchable. Even Derrick had covered for some of the schemes a few years ago so the company could be rebuilt. “After a lifetime of dealing with his garbage, we are sure of this one thing. It needs to be over.”
Spence nodded. “Trust us.”
It took a few more seconds but she finally smiled. “I do.”
* * *
The sun felt good on her face as she stood by the fence on the state lawn.
Hanna counted back, thinking about the overcast days and the rain. She hadn’t been outside for more than a walk between buildings or in and out of the car in three days. This morning, the sun streamed over the lawn, highlighting the bright red and orange of the leaves on the ground.
Fall would settle in soon. Under her original plan she would have been gone already, but she had no intention of moving on. Not yet. Carter hadn’t formally asked her to stay or really even responded to her admission of being in love with him, not with words anyway. But he’d made it clear he wanted her around.
For now, that was good enough. The days with him, the nights... She wouldn’t trade those for anything.
She let her head drop back and her hair fall down her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she soaked in the layer of warmth just above the cool breeze.
“We had a deal.”
His voice. It snapped her out of her good mood. Out of everything.
She turned to see Eldrick Jameson standing in front of her. He was in his sixties and handsome, though she didn’t see it. Other people mentioned it. He had a regal air about him, like he’d just stepped out of a country club magazine. Today he wore a navy blazer. She actually looked for a crest because he seemed like a guy who would have one of those.
If life were fair, he’d be ugly and have fangs, but no. He still had a trim figure with his salt-and-pepper gray hair. He’d aged well, which blew apart all those sayings about living hard...and karma.
“You’re here.” Like in every nightmare she’d had since he’d tried to bribe her.
He crossed his arms in front of him. “It’s my house.”
A strange lightness filled her. She almost smiled. “That’s not what I heard.”
“That trust?” He shook his head. “I can break that.”
He sounded so sure. It was as if the rules didn’t apply to him. From the stories she heard and what she read in her father’s journal, they kind of didn’t.
She wasn’t the type who wanted to be rescued by a man, but the idea of having reinforcements right now sounded good. “Carter is—”
“Weak.”
Eldrick hadn’t seen him yet, but Carter walked across the lawn now with a woman beside him. Hanna knew she should whisper or at least change the topic because Carter deserved better, but she couldn’t let that comment slide.
“What is wrong with you?” What kind of man spoke about his children that way? She didn’t get it.
The footsteps stopped and Carter sighed as he waited behind his father. “I’ve been wondering that for years.”
Before Eldrick could respond, the woman stepped forward. Hanna had a hard time with ages but she looked way younger than Eldrick, but not nearly as young as Hanna expected his fourth wife to be. With her billowy wide-legged pants, slim sweater jacket and shoulder-length auburn hair, she looked maybe forty, and carefree. Like she belonged on an island. The fake smile plastered on her face suggested she’d prefer to be there right now.
“You said you were going into the office.”
The woman didn’t have an accent. Her expensive clothes and the sparkly diamond rings she wore on most of her fingers spoke for her.
“Soon, my love.” Eldrick had the nerve to sound sweet, maybe even a little charming.
Hanna hated that.
Carter stared at his father. “She called me to ask where you were. I told her you weren’t really welcome at the office.”
Hanna loved hearing the strength in Carter’s voice. She’d never seen him back down and he wasn’t doing it with his father either. For the first time she felt like she had support. That Carter would back her. That he really would fight for her. That security, that sense of being believed and protected gave her the mental push she needed. She’d tell him the rest and somehow it would all be okay.
But they had to get through this messy confrontation first.
“I own the business. I built it and—”
Carter held up a hand, seemingly not caring that he was taking on his father. “Enough with that.”
“Do not interrupt me.” There was an angry edge to Eldrick’s voice now. That smarmy smile disappeared, revealing the slimy guy underneath.
“I’m Beth.” The other woman held her hand out to Hanna.
“Technically, she’s Jacqueline Annabeth Winslow Jameson,” Carter added.
The smile Beth sent Carter looked genuine, even affectionate, as if she actually considered him family. “I go by Beth.”
Hanna was still trying to recover from that name. It was quite a mouthful. “Why the nickname?”
Beth gave Hanna’s hand a firm shake. “Eldrick isn’t fond of the name Jacqueline.”
A memory screeched to a halt in Hanna’s head. Those journal entries about women Eldrick had slept with. About her father’s conclusions.
The biggest one centered on the name Jack.
Eldrick broke through her mental gymnastics with his stern voice. “You and I need to have a talk about the rumors you’re spreading.”
There was no way Hanna would cower or run off. She might have given him the satisfaction last time. Not now. “You know what you did.”
Beth took a step forward to stand by Hanna’s side. “What?”
“It’s nothing, Beth.” Eldrick reached for his wife.
She waved him off, keeping her attention on Hanna. “Is it nothing?”
Hanna was torn between spilling the whole tale and trying to figure out which side this woman was on. She sounded so sincere and concerned, but Hanna had been reeled in by fake people before. It was one of the reasons she was so careful now.
“I’ll let you decide.”
Eldrick pointed at her. “Don’t say another word.”
Carter moved until he was beside Hanna, with his body inches ahead of hers as if he were ready to throw up a shield, if needed. “Do not get in her face. Ever.”
After a nod from Carter, Hanna got to the spilling part. “He bribed me not to tell Carter that my sister had been pregnant with Carter’s baby when she died.”
Beth’s eyes widened and her hand went to Hanna’s arm. “Died? I’m so sorry.”
“She killed herself after Dad threatened her,” Carter said, not backing down either.
“That is not what happened.” This time Eldrick grabbed his wife’s hand and pulled her over to stand with him. “I told you these boys exaggerate. Ignore him.”
Beth looked at Carter. “When?”
He didn’t pretend to be confused. Didn’t hesitate. “About six months ago.”
“After we were married.”
“Now, Beth.” Eldrick patted his wife’s arm while he scowled at Hanna. “Why are you even here?” Then he switched to Carter. “Don’t you get it? This woman’s goal is to cause trouble. She burst in here, making these claims.”
Carter shook his head. “I went to see her as part of your requirements.”
“What does that mean?” Beth asked.
Eldrick tried to answer, but Carter talked over him. “The things my brothers and I have to do before he’ll consider turning the everyday operations over to Derrick. Each brother got an assignment. Finding Hanna and handing her an envelope was mine.”
“I bet you cashed that check.”
Now it made sense. The envelope was Eldrick’s last effort to pay her off. He likely thought sending Carter would intimidate her in some way. The man did not know his son at all.
“This is all so confusing. Check?” Beth rubbed her forehead as she looked at Carter. “And Derrick already runs the business.”
A stiff wind blew over the lawn. Hanna shivered but she thought it might be a reaction to the confidence pulsing off Carter rather than the cold. He looked so sure, so in control. So perfect...for her. No wonder she loved him.
Carter continued, “Eldrick needs to officially retire and step out or he can come back anytime.”
Beth turned on her husband. “That’s not what you told me.”
“We’re talking about Ms. Wilde right now.”
Eldrick’s tone was so soft.
Such garbage. “So condescending.”
The sound of Hanna’s voice seemed to tick Eldrick off. This time he went after Carter. “This was all your fault. You weren’t careful. Dropping your pants and not using protection. What kind of man are you?”
“A real one who doesn’t threaten women.” Carter’s voice stayed even. He never lost control. Standing tall and sure, he looked ready to take on any battle.
Eldrick shook his head as he continued to spew. “You made the mess and, as usual, I had to clean it up.”
Anger lit up the inside of Hanna’s head until she thought it might explode. “Gena was not a mess.”
“I did you a favor,” Eldrick said, still talking to Carter.
“Eldrick, the woman is dead.” Beth’s voice was sharp and biting now. Whatever tolerance she’d had, it vanished.
“Which is a shame but not my fault, and I don’t appreciate the suggestion otherwise.” Eldrick kept talking at Carter, who stood there looking bored, as if the words bounced off him. “You never learn your lesson. I got you out of one entanglement and then you shack up with the other sister?”
Hanna didn’t know how Carter could stand to listen to the man. She sure couldn’t. “Gena wasn’t an entanglement either.”
“I think it’s time you leave the property.” Eldrick pointed in the general direction of the street. “Whatever you’re searching for, you’re not going to find it here. You have your check. Now run along.”
When that didn’t work he took a step forward, reaching for her. Carter blocked the move. He stood right in front of her.
“She is with me. You aren’t to go near her again.” This time Carter’s voice seethed with anger.
Eldrick tried to look around his son’s impressive shoulders at Hanna. “He’s ungrateful. And unemployed. Did he tell you that? Never held a real job. Never contributed.”
It was now or never. Eldrick’s usual hold on the conversation faltered. The concern on Beth’s face was tough to miss. Carter looked ready to go into battle for her. But this Hanna needed to do.
She stepped around Carter, facing Eldrick head-on. “How did my father really die?”
The question seemed to flatten him. He took a step back as his eyes darted to the side. “What?”
She didn’t hold back. “We both know he didn’t fall off a ladder. The man built houses. He wasn’t sloppy.”
“He made a mistake and paid a steep price.”
She felt a hand on her lower back. She knew it was Carter and it meant he supported her. He didn’t even need to say the words to get her to keep going. “Taking a job from you, yes. But you didn’t answer my question.”
Beth shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“He worked for us and died on the job. That’s all I know. You’ve seen the reports. You know the truth. It was an unfortunate workplace accident,” he said, showing he knew far more than he pretended to now. “Your mother already tried for a bigger payday and failed.”
He could launch any accusation he wanted. Hanna intended to stand there and take it. “Did you push him?”
“Of course not.” Eldrick looked over her head at Carter. “Usher her off the grounds or I will.”
“What did you do, Dad?” Carter asked.
“Nothing. The lawyers already—”
“Eldrick?” Beth put her hand on his arm and looked up at him. “Just say it.”
At the sound of her voice, Eldrick’s resolve seemed to crumble. He didn’t stand quite as tall and his words sputtered a bit as he spoke. “This has been resolved.”
Beth’s perfectly manicured eyebrow lifted. “Apparently not.”
“This is your last chance.” Carter’s hand flattened on Hanna’s back. He wasn’t doing anything to hide the fact they were together and she had his support. “You answer her or I’ll open an investigation. We’ll go through every report and all the findings. Bring in people who worked here. Do re-creations if we need to. Blow this wide and make it public.”
Hanna loved him for who he was and she loved him for those words. It was a promise to her as much as a threat against his father.
“It’s not anything,” Eldrick said.
Carter swore under his breath. “The man is dead.”
“Fine.” Eldrick brushed a hand down the front of his blazer. “There was a piece of equipment. It malfunctioned. End of story.”
Hanna had been holding her breath and now it rushed out of her. The knot in her stomach that had been there since the day her father died eased. For a second, she could breathe without being hit with the weight of unfinished business. “I knew it.”
“He was working on it and there was a burst of hot air that blew him off.” Eldrick waved his hand in the air as if the conversation were done. “That’s it.”
“Why not tell the truth back then?” she asked. The secrecy only created more doubt.
“It was an accident.”
But not the same accident she’d heard all her life. “One your machinery caused.”
“He fudged the story because it would have cost him otherwise.” Carter sounded tired and frustrated and two seconds from losing his control. “Right? You knew the machine was a problem. Maybe Hanna’s dad warned you, and you didn’t bother to get it fixed.”
Beth tugged on Eldrick’s arm. “You put that man in a position to be hurt?”
“That’s not what happened.”
But it was. Hanna understood now.
This was about liability. Whatever feelings he’d had for her father, and she doubted Eldrick had many since he only cared about himself and maybe a little about Beth, those feelings didn’t outweigh the fact that her father’s death was a nuisance to him.
The realization made her want to scream and pound on his chest. That he could forfeit a life because it was cheaper than fixing equipment. Her mind couldn’t grasp that at all. She leaned into Carter’s side because she wasn’t sure her legs would hold her much longer.
“We’re leaving.” Beth dropped her hand from Eldrick’s arm. Nothing about her tone suggested she wanted to hear an argument.
Of course, Eldrick tried anyway. “I need—”
“To come with me right now.” Beth started walking.
Carter shook his head. “I’d listen to her.”
“I’ll be back.” Eldrick waited until his wife’s back was turned to glare at Hanna again. “You need to be gone.”
Carter slipped an arm around her. Put it on her shoulder and pulled her in even closer to his side. “She’s staying.”
“Don’t fight me on this, Carter.”
“From now on, expect a fight on everything.”
Eldrick hesitated before walking away. In a few long strides, he caught up with Beth. They headed along the side of the house without saying a word.
Hanna expected to hate Eldrick’s newest wife. She’d pictured one type of woman, a sort of female version of Eldrick. Once again, her preconceived notions had been wrong.
“So, your stepmom...”
“She’s turned out to be a surprise. Most of the women he married went along with his schemes, at least in front of us. They all left shortly after finding out some new horrible thing he did in the past. She’s sticking around, holding him accountable.”
Hanna broached the one open question. “The name thing?”
Carter scoffed. “That’s odd even for my dad. What kind of man makes a woman use a different name?”
“Do you think it means something?” Because Hanna did. She thought it was about Eldrick and his secrets. She wished she could be sure because once she exposed this last one she would turn all of their lives upside down. Before she took that step and launched one more emotional grenade at Carter, she’d think it through.
Carter shrugged. “My father has to control everything.”
“Not anymore.”
This time Carter laughed. “No, not anymore.”