Blackhawk's Sweet Revenge. Barbara McCauley

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СКАЧАТЬ she gasped. “You want me to have a child with you?”

      He struggled to control his anger over the shocked tone in her voice. “I want a family, and their mother will be my wife, not my mistress. Though I see-no reason not to have both.” He smiled tightly, cupped her chin in his hand. “But make no mistake, Julianna. You will not be given that privilege. You will be mine, and mine alone.”

      “And love, Lucas?” she asked, her voice barely audible. “What about love?”

      He laughed dryly, shook his head. “Love is a fairy tale, sweetheart. We won’t be riding into any sunsets or spouting happily-ever-afters. You’ll take care of our home, raise our children—if there are any—and you’ll have your house.”

      Her breathing quickened; he could see her mind racing. “But your business,” she argued, “you work in Dallas.”

      “As soon as you’re settled here, I’ll spend most of my time there. I’m sure you won’t object to that.” He traced the delicate line of her jaw. “But don’t worry, I’ll be back to check up on you, just so you don’t get too lonely. So what’s your answer?”

      What was her answer?

      Dare she let him see that he’d just offered her more than she could have ever dreamed? Marriage, her grandparents’ house. Children. Dear God. Her chest tightened with the thought.

      She’d never truly considered marriage or children while her mother was alive. Caring for her had been full-time, and Julianna had known that if she’d left, her father would have sent her mother to a home. Some place where no one would care about her or love her.

      But during that time when she’d been looking after her mother, she’d never loved any of the men she’d occasionally gone out with.

      Not like she’d loved Lucas.

      What a laugh that would be for him, to know that she loved him. She’d only been nine when she’d watched him stand up to her father, watched him bravely keep his head high, even as he was taken off to the County Home for Boys. She’d always respected his honesty, admired his courage. He’d never given a damn what anyone thought, except maybe Nick Santos and Ian Shawnessy, his best friends. His only friends. Which was still two more than she’d ever had. She’d watched them together from afar, always envied their friendship.

      She’d been a coward her entire life, had always been afraid to stand up for herself. Would she be afraid now, afraid to say yes, when that was what she really wanted?

      But making her happy was certainly not part of Lucas’s revenge. She couldn’t let him know how much she wanted this, how much she wanted to be his wife, the mother of his children, even without love. To have her house and children, that would be happiness enough for her.

      She breathed deeply, held his dark gaze. “Will you put it in writing, that the house will be mine after we marry?”

      “As long as you accept my conditions, the house will be in both our names.” He touched her cheek, though gently this time. “And there’ll be no divorce, Julianna. Don’t even think about it. Till death do us part.”

      Outside, the storm continued to rage. And here, inside, with Lucas, her heart pounding, her knees shaking, Julianna drew strength from a place deep within her that she’d never even known existed.

      “All right, Lucas,” she said, her voice steady and clear. “I’ll marry you.”

      

      Three days later, at four in the afternoon, Lucas stood shoulder to shoulder with Julianna in the Wolf River courthouse. Nick Santos, who’d arrived on his motorcycle only an hour earlier in a ground-trembling display of shiny chrome and black leather, stood to Lucas’s right. Judge Martin Winters, the white-haired, bushy-browed justice of the peace, frowned darkly through the entire ceremony, his hostility aimed directly at Lucas.

      Lucas kept his gaze firmly on the judge, repeating back to him the vows of marriage. What the hell did the old man think? Lucas wondered irritably. That Julianna would be starved or beaten? He hadn’t put a gun to her head. She was here of her own free will, had willingly agreed to all the medical tests and signed the marriage license.

      He glanced at her now, watched as her trembling lips echoed the words that would bind her to him forever. Her hand was like ice when he slipped a ring on her finger. When she stumbled over “love and honor,” Judge Winters scowled, then sighed and proclaimed them man and wife with an enthusiasm that equaled a jailer slamming the cell door on a prisoner.

      Her face was as white as her simple suit, her hair swept up and pinned primly in a French roll. Small diamond studs sparkled at her earlobes. He’d expected her to wear black, but then, he’d never really believed she would show up at all.

      Julianna Hadley was now Julianna Blackhawk.

      He turned to kiss her, ignoring the sniffle from Mrs. Talbot, the matronly court secretary who’d been Julianna’s witness. He vaguely remembered the woman, recalled her hair had been brown twenty years ago, not gray. She’d been kind to him the night he’d been arrested at Hadley’s mansion and led handcuffed into the jail. Lucas was certain the woman remembered him, as well, and wondered if her sniffle was one of joy for the newlyweds or misery.

      He pressed his lips to Julianna’s, was surprised that she didn’t turn away from him. Her eyes fluttered closed, then opened slowly when he moved away.

      “Out of the way, Blackhawk.” Nick shouldered Lucas aside. “It’s time for the best man—and I do mean that in every way—to kiss the bride.”

      Julianna uttered a small shriek as Nick swept her off her feet, twirled her, then plastered his mouth to hers. Lucas sighed, shaking his head as he stepped in to save his new bride. He’d known that he’d have to tolerate a certain amount of nonsense when he’d called Nick and asked him to stand up for him. Ian should have been here, too, but, as was often the case, it had been impossible to track him down.

      “That’s enough, lover boy.” Lucas tapped Nick on the shoulder. Nick mumbled something, but kept his mouth firmly secured to Julianna’s. Judge Winters’s frown deepened, and the court secretary’s eyes opened wide.

      Strangely disturbed by his friend’s antics, Lucas took hold of Nick’s collar and yanked. Julianna stumbled backward, her hand pressed to her mouth.

      “Get your own woman, Santos,” Lucas said tightly, surprised at the sharp tone in his voice.

      Nick beamed. “Just being brotherly, Lucas. We’re family now.”

      Lucas started to tell Nick exactly what he’d do to him if he was any more brotherly when the door to the judge’s chambers burst open.

      Face red, eyes crazed, Mason Hadley exploded into the room.

      Julianna couldn’t move. One moment she’d been caught in an amorous, though playful, embrace by Nick Santos, the next moment her father was flying at her.

      “So this is what you’ve been sneaking around for these past three days,” he yelled. “So you could marry this no-good half-breed. You ungrateful bitch.”

      She froze, watched him come at her, hand raised, expression furious. The hard slap stung, sent her reeling backward. She thought she might have cried out, but wasn’t certain. СКАЧАТЬ