Grant by Diana Palmer

Author:Diana Palmer [Palmer, Diana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488098451
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 1996-08-21T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

It took all of another ten days for Hayden to wrap up the odds and ends of Bob’s life and get his affairs safely into the hands of a good local attorney. Bob had an attorney, but the man had been evasive and almost impossible to locate. Finally it had taken the threat of litigation to get him to turn over needed documents. And afterward, the man—who had a degree in law from an interesting but unaccredited law school overseas—had vanished. It was no wonder that Bob had lost most of his money. The charlatan had embezzled it. Fortunately there would be enough left, added to the life insurance, to keep Betty fairly secure if she was careful.

It was only as he explained things to her and she realized that he wasn’t going to propose marriage that she came apart for real.

“But you love me,” she exclaimed. “You always have. Look at how quickly you married that child just so I wouldn’t think you were carrying a torch for me!”

“It might have started that way,” he replied quietly. “It didn’t end that way. I can’t afford to lose her now.”

“Oh, she’s got money, I guess.”

He frowned. “No. She hasn’t a dime in the world. Do you always ascribe mercenary reasons to every decision?”

“Of course I do,” she said, and smiled faintly. “Security is the most important thing in the world. I didn’t have anything when I was a child. I went hungry sometimes. I promised myself it would never happen to me.” She made an awkward gesture with her shoulder. “That’s why I left you, you know. You were heading into debt and I was scared. I did love you, in my way, but there was Bob and he had a lot of money and he wanted me.” She smiled. “I had no choice, really.”

“I don’t suppose you did.” He was remembering that Dana had nothing, and she was giving him the only thing of worth in her possession, those deeds to the land, so that he wouldn’t face the threat of some dangerously noisy neighbor. He could have kicked himself for letting her walk out of the house in the first place.

“I felt sort of sorry for her,” she added thoughtfully. “She isn’t sophisticated, is she? She was afraid of me.” Her eyebrows met. “Why won’t you sleep with her?”

He averted her eyes. “That’s none of your business.”

“It is, in a way. You won’t sleep with me, either. Why?”

He grimaced. “I don’t want you,” he admitted reluctantly. “I’m sorry.”

“You used to,” she recalled. “You wanted me all the time. I thought it was going to kill you when I walked out.”

“It damned near did. But things have changed.” His eyes were sad and quiet. “I am sorry, Betty. For your loss, for everything.”

“Bob wasn’t a bad man,” she said. “I was fond of him. I guess I’ll miss him, in a way.” She looked up. “You’re sure about not wanting me?”

He nodded.

She sighed and smiled again. “Well, that’s that.

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