Gift-Wrapped Family. Lois Richer

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СКАЧАТЬ important to have beautiful things in the world as it is to have the law.” She had the tray ready. “Can I carry something?”

      “The tea?” Mia smiled her thanks and led the way into a sunroom that took his breath away. Vibrantly painted canvases lay sprawled around the room, flowers in riotous color, a seaside scene, the cool white on white of deepest winter. “I’m sorry it’s so crowded. Harlan was always after me to stack these away.” Mia gulped, then reached to move one.

      “Please leave it. They’re beautiful,” Caleb said, and meant it.

      “Oh.” Startled green eyes met his before quickly veering away. “Thank you. Please sit wherever you like.” She poured their tea and then sat across from him on a rickety wicker chair whose quilted cushion said it had been well loved. “Mr. Grant—”

      “Call me Caleb.” Nothing in her expression to suggest she was flirting or playing games, but Caleb clung to his defenses anyway. He had a job to do. He couldn’t let her sad situation get to him.

      “Very well, Caleb. Well, other than serving you tea, I don’t know how I can help you.” Mia Granger frowned. He thought it a shame to mar the beauty of her face, but the helplessness in her next words irritated him. “What is it you expect of me?”

      “I’m not sure.” Caleb remembered Lily’s parting words. Can you find me a home, Uncle Caleb? Please? That plea from Lara’s niece broke his heart. “I came here hoping to learn the truth, but I’m not sure you know it.”

      “Whose truth? Yours?” Mia sipped her tea. “Like your claim that Harlan had a ranch.”

      “He did. Riverbend Ranch.” Caleb thought her eyes widened for a second.

      “We didn’t have a ranch. If we had, why would we live here?” she asked with some asperity. “Why would Harlan need to travel for his business?”

      “Are you sure he did ‘need’ to?” Though she tried to hide it, Caleb had seen Mia’s reaction to the word Riverbend. Now his senses were on high alert. She was hiding something, and he intended to find out what, despite that gaze of wide-eyed innocence.

      In Caleb’s experience very few women could carry off a claim of innocence. Lara had been one, but he wasn’t totally certain about Mia because there were even fewer women who managed to tug at his compassion, and she did.

      Surprised by the emotions she raised in him, Caleb decided he’d best be on guard around Mia Granger. Anything but friendship was impossible.

      * * *

      Caleb Grant was the most handsome man Mia had ever met. Tall, lean and dark, he exuded confidence, something she’d always admired but lacked. At the moment, Mia didn’t like the way he studied her with his silver-cold eyes. Nor did she like how his tall muscular body invaded the place where she’d mostly lived alone. She especially didn’t like the calculation in his voice, as if he expected to catch her in a lie.

      Caleb’s suggestion that Harlan had been unfaithful stung. The situation hadn’t been ideal, but she’d done her best to be a good wife after a simple ceremony at city hall had joined them in holy matrimony. No, they didn’t share a strong, fairy-tale love. But he’d kept her safe after her mother died and she was grateful. Mia mourned his death. Now she was all alone.

      But even though they hadn’t really been married, not the way other couples were, that didn’t mean Harlan would have done what Caleb Grant said.

      On the tail of those thoughts, snippets of details dawned. Hadn’t she always felt uneasy over Harlan’s frequent late-night meetings with Reba? And the way Reba touched his shoulder so fondly before jerking her hand away when she realized Mia had come to the office for her one and only visit? That had stuck in Mia’s mind for ages, especially after Harlan had ordered her to stay away. But that didn’t mean...

      She shoved her wayward thoughts out of her mind. She’d think about Harlan and Reba later. Right now Caleb Grant was here. He was a lawyer. Maybe he’d have some advice that could help sort out her pressing financial problems. Inhaling a breath of courage, she dived in.

      “Caleb, this land, er, ranch you speak of Harlan owning. Where is it?”

      “Riverbend Ranch is outside Buffalo Gap, about thirty-five miles from here.” Caleb’s innocent gaze turned cunning. “Do you know of it?”

      He’d seen her reaction to that name, so there was no point in pretending. Mia rose, walked to her big battered desk and removed a thin file. She held it out.

      “What’s this?” he asked, taking it from her.

      “It’s about Harlan’s estate, according to Trent, Harlan’s partner and also my lawyer.” She sat down, lifted her cup and took a refreshing drink. “Go ahead and look. Riverbend is a lawsuit my husband was handling, if I understand those papers correctly.”

      His eyes searched hers. Mia held it until—there went her stomach again, clenching and whirling as if some flu bug had hold of it. A minute earlier she’d felt perfectly fine, but now she closed her eyes and waited for her stomach to settle.

      “Are you all right?” Caleb’s eyes bored into hers.

      “A little flu. I hope you don’t catch it.” Mia sat perfectly still, hands in her lap. When he didn’t move she said, “Please read it. I’ll wait.”

      She watched him, amazed by the speed with which he scanned the documents she’d taken hours to peruse. Less than two minutes later he looked up, his mouth stretched tight in a grim line.

      “You see? There’s nothing about a ranch or money,” she said, her voice dropping at the stern look on his face. “I’m not lying.”

      “This is all Trent gave you? Nothing more?”

      Mia shook her head.

      “Did you sign anything recently?” Caleb voice was tight and sharp.

      “Of course. There were a number of papers Trent needed me to sign to deal with my husband’s estate.” She shivered, intensely disliking this inquisition but not sure how to stop it.

      Caleb had said he was a lawyer and she was sure he was a good one, though she’d never heard of this adoption agency, Family Ties. But as a lawyer he would know how to get people to say things—she should be on guard. He might actually be from some collection company.

      “Do you have copies of what you signed?” Caleb demanded.

      “No. Trent said he’d copy them at the office and bring them back. He hasn’t yet returned with them.” Something in the frost of his silver-steel eyes made her shiver. “Is—is anything wrong?” she asked hesitantly, and reared back when he nodded.

      “Yes. I think quite a lot is wrong.” Caleb closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. “Mia, this will be hard to hear, but you must listen because it’s the truth. I’ve been investigating your husband’s affairs, for Lily’s sake. Nothing I’ve found indicates he was hard up for money or that he or Trent had taken on a new client in months.”

      “But that can’t be.” She struggled to sort it out and looked at him. She saw nothing but honesty in his expression. Could it be true? “Then, what were he and Reba doing on all these СКАЧАТЬ