Crime and Passion: Cavanaugh Justice by Marie Ferrarella

Author:Marie Ferrarella [Ferrarella, Marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Love Stories, Man-Woman Relationships, Single Fathers, Women Detectives
ISBN: 9780373273263
Google: CmJvh-WnXhgC
Amazon: 0373273266
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2003-10-31T20:00:00+00:00

Wasn’t that something her mother had said to her on more than one occasion? It usually came at the end of a crying jag that followed a blowup between her parents. Her mother would look at her and declare how she wished her life had turned out differently. And Ilene always knew what she meant. That her mother wished she hadn’t given in to pressure and gotten married just to give her daughter a legal name.

Forced marriages never worked out. For anyone involved.

“I’m surprised,” Ilene murmured as he drew her over to a cluster of people she’d already met that morning. “You never wanted to introduce me to anyone in your family when we knew each other.”

The phrasing she used caught his attention. When they knew each other. Meaning they no longer did. Well, it was true, wasn’t it? They didn’t know each other anymore. Why did that bring such a pang to him?

About to approach a group of his cousins, Clay paused. “I thought you wanted to keep it simple,” he reminded her. It was an excuse for his actions, nothing more. Seeing her now, he knew he should have handled things differently then.

“I did,” she lied.

The lie grew more elaborate, gaining depth and breadth.

“Well, this crowd is anything but simple. Hell, I always felt as if I was part of a small town whenever Dad had them all over for some occasion or other. Like breakfast.” He laughed.

He hadn’t introduced her to anyone then not to spare her, or play along with any sort of simplicity requirement on her part, he hadn’t introduced her because he hadn’t wanted her getting entrenched in his family. Hadn’t wanted them accepting her and silently and not-so-silently goading him on to the next step. A step he wasn’t prepared to take.

Because when you loved someone and they left your life, you never recovered. His dad had taught him that. Not in any words, but he only had to look into his father’s eyes to know it was true.

“Well, I think it’s nice.”

He was about to say something flip about the grass always being greener, but then relented. She was right. He wouldn’t have traded his family for anything. Ever.

“Yeah, well maybe it is,” he acknowledged in an offhanded manner. Taking her arm, he drew her over to two of what his father referred to as Brian’s boys. “Anyway, over here’s—”

“Dax and Troy,” she told him. “Yes, I know. Save yourself some trouble, Clay, I met them at breakfast. Met most of them at breakfast,” she added. “As a matter of fact, the only one who seemed to be missing at breakfast was you.”

Though she tried not to let it, a part of her was hurt that Clay had just abandoned her like that this morning, going off without so much as a word. You would have thought she’d have learned by now, Ilene thought. She certainly had enough to go on as to his MO. There were no promises as far as Clay was concerned.

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