Gift-Wrapped Family. Lois Richer

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СКАЧАТЬ Mia Granger’s voice bothered Caleb. She looked and sounded as though she genuinely believed what she was saying. But if they were so hard up, why hadn’t her husband moved his office from its expensive downtown location to a less pricey area?

      “What about the ranch? There’s a lot of land attached to that, valuable land.” He studied her intently, surprised when her forehead furrowed.

      “What ranch? Harlan and I were married for six years. We never owned a ranch.” Caleb figured she saw something in his face, because the last of her words faltered before she whispered, “Have we?”

      “What has your lawyer told you?” Caleb figured his best hope was to untie this mess without further alienating her.

      “You mean Trent Vilang? Harlan’s partner,” she explained, as if Caleb didn’t already know that. “I’ve been feeling unwell since Harlan’s death, so Trent’s only told me the bare bones about the estate.”

      “And that is?” For Lily’s sake, Caleb pressed, ignoring her frown at his inquisitiveness.

      “Trent said there was barely enough money to pay off the firm’s bills and Harlan’s cre—” Mia gulped. The sheen of tears washed her eyes, but she lifted her chin and finished with quiet dignity, “His cremation.”

      “I see.” As Caleb’s uncertainty mushroomed he glanced around, searching for a clue to his next step. His glance stalled on the oil painting over the fireplace. “Lovely painting. Who is it?” he asked, as if he didn’t know.

      “My mother.”

      “Your mother was Pia Standish?” He was speaking to the daughter of the woman he’d admired most of his life? Now nothing made sense.

      “Did you know her?” Mia’s curiosity was evident.

      “I did.” Caleb declined to discuss his childhood interaction with the legendary legal genius, but he couldn’t suppress a smile remembering Pia’s potent courtroom condemnation of his father. “I was her client once. I never forgot her.”

      “I never saw her at work, but I’ve heard she was a good lawyer.” There was something wistful in Mia’s voice.

      “Pia was beyond merely good,” Caleb told her. “Her firm, Standish Law, was the biggest in the province. I remember seeing well-known people in her office.”

      “I used to think we were well off,” Mia mused reflectively. “At first I thought that’s why Harlan agreed to marry me.”

      “Excuse me?” Caleb stared at her. Who would need to be coerced to marry this lovely woman?

      “I was seventeen and in boarding school when I was summoned home. My mother told me she’d been diagnosed with brain cancer. She told me that for my own protection I was to marry this lawyer who worked for her, Harlan Granger.” Mia’s voice faltered. “She said he’d take care of me.”

      “He was much older. Why would he agree?” Caleb asked.

      “Money, I suppose. Harlan received my mother’s law firm as a kind of dowry.” Her green eyes grew troubled. “Mother had a nice house.”

      “I was there once.” Caleb remembered his awe at visiting the huge mansion.

      “Harlan sold it after she died,” Mia said, staring at something Caleb couldn’t see. “I thought it should have brought us plenty of money, but Harlan said Mother had run up large debts trying to find a cure. He sold the house to pay off what she owed.” Her lips pinched together. “I was sorry to lose some of our things,” she added in a small, hurt voice.

      Mia’s defenselessness, her sadness touched Caleb. He gave her time to regroup while he shot off a text message to his paralegal. Find out everything about Mia Standish Granger. Stat.

      “That’s why your claim is so incredible.” Mia rose. “I’ve lived here since I married Harlan. We’ve had to be very frugal while he revived her firm. We— I’m not rich, Mr. Grant.”

      “Your mother didn’t leave you any money of your own?” He searched her face, no longer certain she was lying.

      “I’m afraid not. Everything goes to pay the bills.” A tiny smile flitted across her incredibly beautiful face. “Would you like some tea?”

      “I would. Thank you.” Caleb hated tea, especially herbal tea, but he’d learned the fine art of pretending to drink it when his best friend Lara was alive, because she’d loved tea and he’d wanted to love her. It still rankled that he’d never felt the strong emotion for her that Lara claimed to feel for him, to realize that he couldn’t love anyone because of what his father had done.

      Caleb shoved those uncomfortable thoughts away and concentrated on Mia. She had to be pretending her marriage was solid, but he was determined she’d admit the truth before he left here, and if that required tea drinking, that was what he’d do.

      “Let’s go to the kitchen. It’s warmer there.” Mia waited for his nod, then led the way. “Have a seat,” she invited as she pulled out a mismatched chair from the big oak table. “Do you have a particularly favorite tea? I have a good variety.”

      Caleb blinked when she opened a cupboard door to reveal neatly organized rows of small packages of tea. “Do you ever!”

      “My stomach’s been upset since Harlan—died.” Mia regained her composure. “Trent’s been a dear friend. He consulted an herbalist for me and brings home teas for me to try. They haven’t helped yet, but...” She shrugged and smiled. “Take your time deciding which you’d like.”

      “Any kind is fine.” A previous investigation on Trent Vilang had left Caleb with tons of questions. “Dear Trent” had befriended widows before and some of those ladies had become very ill. Caleb kept his reservations about the man to himself as Mia moved around her broken-down kitchen.

      Anything that could sparkle in this room did, but the house and especially this kitchen needed to be gutted, and no amount of soap or elbow grease could fix that. Then suddenly, beyond the kitchen, he spied bright sunshine.

      “Would you rather sit in the sunroom?” Mia asked, noting his interest. “It’s quite warm today because the sun’s out. That’s when I love working there the most.”

      “What is your work?” Caleb’s curiosity built. Her job was one detail he hadn’t yet discovered. Mia looked too delicate for any kind of physical work. Cellist. Or maybe pianist, he guessed.

      “Oh, it’s nothing,” she demurred.

      Caleb thought that sounded like someone else’s assessment. But he said nothing as she rinsed out a small brown china teapot.

      “I dream up designs for quilt fabrics,” Mia finally said almost apologetically.

      “Oh.” That fit, Caleb decided, then realized that though he’d just met Mia, he’d instinctively known that employment suited her. Getting too involved. Maintain your distance, his brain scolded. That was difficult to do with this intriguing woman.

      “When my designs are incorporated into fabric, the company sends me a bolt of each. I then make up several quilts to feature various aspects of the fabric and how to use it. It’s nothing like СКАЧАТЬ