The Maverick. Carrie Alexander
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Название: The Maverick
Автор: Carrie Alexander
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
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Mary Lucas surveyed the land with a satisfied air. “Good to be home,” she said, not quite a question.
Luke drove onto the apron of paving bricks that stretched across the front of the house. Low brick planters bristled with multi-colored asters and chrysanthemums. “It’s the same.”
“I expect you’ll notice a few changes.” His grandmother directed him to park near the steps. “We had to take down the old hay barn and rebuild. Roof was caving in. Lightning split the tree by the pond. That firewood lasted us two winters.”
“The one with the rope swing? That’s a shame.”
Mary shrugged. “We have no younger generation to enjoy it.”
The irony was apparent only to Luke. “Heath’s slipping up on the job, huh?”
“Kiki.” Snort. “That’s his wife. Too delicate and flighty by half. It takes a strong woman to bear a Lucas child.”
“Especially with the weight of all previous generations on your back.” Luke stepped out of the truck and slammed the door, not waiting for a response. Mary Lucas was not the doting grandmother type, looking to cootchie-coo a baby out of maternalistic yearnings. Her maternal instinct was for the land. All she cared about was continuing the family line for posterity. By any means necessary, up to and including paying a brood mare—or an expensive stud—to do the job.
Luke welcomed the harsh reminder. It kept him from getting sentimental.
His grandmother had opened her door, but was willing to wait for him to help her step down. He put his hand on her elbow, alarmed by the thin layers of skin and fat that barely padded her fragile bones. “Careful, Grandmother.”
She shook him off once she was on level ground. “I might have one foot in the grave, but I’m not dead yet. If you’ve come back to inherit, it’ll be a long wait, young man.”
You wish, old lady.
Luke refused to rise to her bait. “No problem. I assumed you went to the lawyers and changed the will years ago,” he said, then couldn’t help adding, “Leaving it all to Heath. As it should be. He deserves it.”
She stiffened her neck. “I reward loyalty.”
“But you revere blood.”
She refused his bait as well. “Rightly so. The Lucases have an honorable history in this state. Jefferson Lucas homesteaded this land at the turn of the century. His nephew was a state senator during the days when politicians were honorable. Even your father has managed to double our net worth.”
“Pretty good, considering he’s only a Salinger.”
“The Salingers are an important family as well. I approved the match.” Mary nodded, her cane tap-tapping up the stone steps. They’d never had the confrontation he’d intended, so Luke couldn’t figure out whether she didn’t know or simply didn’t care that he’d discovered the dirty little secrets that hadn’t made it into the public version of the Lucas family history.
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