Carol Finch – The Family Feud: The Family Feud / Stop The Wedding?! (страница 12)

Jan smiled faintly. “What things would you like her to apologize for?”

“For starters, she could admit that buying that blasted clothing store was a mistake of gigantic proportions,” he burst out resentfully.

“You don’t think Mom deserves the sense of accomplishment that comes from owning her own store?” she asked tactfully. “Did she begrudge your successful career as a teacher? Does she begrudge all the praise you receive from moonlighting as a carpenter?”

“No, but she certainly complained that I wasn’t home to help raise you girls while I was moonlighting to make extra money when we needed it,” John replied. “I couldn’t win for losing.”

Her dad was probably right on that count. Even so, he’d opened himself up for criticism. “By objecting to the time Mom spends at her store, you’re guilty of doing the same thing you claim she did.”

John flashed her a disgruntled frown. “Maybe so, but the situation is different now. We don’t have babies underfoot. We’re in our late fifties.”

Jan swallowed a smile. Her dad wasn’t dressed like he was over the hill. He was wearing another of his trendy shirts and slacks that were better suited for college students, not a man suffering a midlife crisis.

“This should be our time together. We should be seeing the world together, not chained to that damned dress shop,” John muttered sourly.

“Couldn’t you see the world from a car seat and stay at hotels?” she asked gently. “You could still sightsee to your heart’s content.”

John slammed his fist on the desk. “No, damn it. I knew you’d take her side. The Winnebago is my idea of a vacation!”

“And your idea of fun is dining with Georgina Price when you know you’re humiliating Mom to no end? How’d you like it if Mom was seeing someone and inspiring gossip and speculation?”

John stuck out his chin stubbornly. “Fine by me. Maybe she’ll entice her boyfriend instead of ignoring him the way she’s been ignoring me.”

Jan fought valiantly to prevent a blush from creeping into her cheeks. She was trying to tiptoe around the sexual aspect of her parents’ relationship. “Er…let’s bypass that issue and focus on other problems.”

“Why? Don’t you want to know she doesn’t find me desirable anymore? Why do you think I’ve dyed my hair and bought these flashy clothes? I thought it’d gain her notice. But, you know what she did?” he asked bitterly. “She laughed at me. Well, other women have taken notice!”

Georgina Price again, Jan mused. No doubt, the woman gushed compliments to attract John’s interest and he soaked it up like a sponge.

Jan leaned forward and got right in John’s face. “Dad, what’s the real reason for this second childhood and your desire to see the world?”

John opened his mouth, slammed it shut and then glared at her for a moment. “I don’t want to talk to you about this stuff. Morgan knows how I feel and why. He’s a man and he understands where I’m coming from.”

“I’m trying to understand so I can explain your needs to Mom,” Jan replied. “She’s embarrassed about the separation and she’s humiliated because you’re lollygagging with Georgina. Mom wants you to support her new career, not force her to give up her store.”

John shook his head—not a dyed hair moved. The shiny gel held it in place like superglue. “You’re too biased and I can’t discuss things openly with you because it makes you and me uncomfortable. Since your mother appointed you as her speakpiece I’m appointing Morgan as mine.”

“Dad—”

He held up his hand like a traffic cop. “Nope, I’ve made up my mind. You girls aren’t going to gang up on me anymore. You can talk to me about this separation through Morgan, or not at all and that’s final. And by the way,” he added. “I heard gossip that your sister went on a binge last night after she cancelled the wedding. Tell her to get her act together. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to earn my wages at the store.”

“But, Daddy—” Jan’s shoulders slumped in defeat as John marched from the office. Great, now she had to play he-said-she-said with Morgan. How was she supposed to concentrate on getting down to the basic issues that kept her parents apart when last night’s mind-boggling kiss was right there between them? Just seeing him this morning, looking sinfully handsome, got her hormones all riled up again.

When Jan exited the office, Morgan and John were deep in conversation. Jan figured her dad was informing Morgan that he’d been appointed negotiator for the male side of the Mitchell feud. And here Jan had decided it was best not to spend much time alone with Morgan, considering her volatile reaction to him the previous night. Well, scratch that. For the sake of her parents’ crumbling marriage she’d have to set aside her vulnerability to Morgan and focus on getting to the crux of the problems with her parents.

When Morgan ambled toward her, Jan battled the warm sensations that rippled through her and tamped down her desire. Her female hormones needed to take a chill pill, she decided irritably. She had a relationship to salvage and it demanded her absolute concentration. She wasn’t going gaga over Morgan again.

“So,” Morgan murmured, staring at the air over her left shoulder. “I’ve been informed that I’ve been appointed as John’s spokesman. Is that going to be a problem for you?”

“Not as big a problem as walking away and letting a divorce take place,” she replied. “Dad says…” Her voice trailed off when she noticed who’d entered the store. “Well, damn.”

Morgan glanced over his shoulder and frowned darkly. “Gee, I wonder who Richard wants to plead his indefensible case to Kendra?”

Richard plastered on a high-voltage smile and moved steadily toward Jan. “Janna…” His gaze dropped to her chest. “Whoa. Word around town is that you’ve changed drastically. That’s an understatement. You look—”

“Do you have a reason for being here?” Morgan cut in. “If so, state your purpose. Jan and I are in the middle of a discussion.”

“Yeah, okay.” Richard shifted awkwardly beneath Morgan’s hard stare. “I want Jan to talk to Kendra for me.” It was a command, not a request. “I dropped by to see her this morning. She looked like hell, by the way. I tried to talk to her, but she stormed out the door and told me she’s going to see that country bumpkin rancher she was dating when I—”

“When you beat his time?” Morgan supplied helpfully.

The suave, Nordic-godlike lawyer winced. “Well, I wouldn’t put it that way. But the point is Kendra went running to Evan Gray to punish me for something that didn’t mean a thing.”

Jan wanted to wallop Richard upside the head. “You could’ve talked all day without saying that,” she snapped.

“Well, it didn’t mean anything. I went a little crazy is all.”

“Easy for you to say after a reckless tumble in the hay,” Jan said through her teeth. “I wouldn’t be surprised to hear it wasn’t the first time.”

Richard had the decency—though not a lot of it, mind you—to blush sheepishly. “It’s Kendra I love and want to marry. That was just sex—”

When Jan pounced Morgan roped his arm around her waist and held her back. Damn if he didn’t admire her killer instinct. She went straight for the jugular. “You can’t kill him,” Morgan cautioned.

“Why not? He deserves to die!” Jan sputtered in outrage. She squirmed for release, but Morgan refused to let her go.

When Jan hissed and spat like an angry cat, Richard took a wary step backward. “Look, I know I made a mistake.”

“What? Getting caught in bed with your secretary? You can say that again, Richie,” Jan seethed. “Because of you, my sister was deathly ill all night. She’s been humiliated, and you want me to intercept her and talk to her before she falls into that ‘country bumpkin rancher’s’ clutches?”

“Well, yeah, I do,” Richard said, undaunted.

“So, it’s okay for you to have a premarital fling to sow your wild oats, but not Kendra?” Jan demanded hotly.

“Well, she’s a woman. Women aren’t supposed to—”

“Argh!” Jan, seeing red, launched herself forward, itching to claw out the man’s eyes, pickle them and hand them back to him in a hermetically sealed jar. Unfortunately, Morgan’s arms tightened around her like vise grips, leaving her clawing air.

“Richard, ol’ pal,” Morgan said calmly. “I advise you to skedaddle before I turn this little wildcat loose. As you can plainly see, she’s in attack mode, she’s got attitude and she’s ferociously protective of her family.”

“Just track down Kendra, okay?” Richard pleaded and retreated. “Make her talk to me so we can work this out, okay? Please? I love her.”

“You sure have a strange way of showing it,” Jan snarled. “Words are cheap and you betrayed her trust in the worst possible way. If you were my fiancé I’d have you castrated so you couldn’t cheat again—ever!”

She could feel Morgan’s massive body shaking in silent amusement, but still he wouldn’t release her. If he’d been there all through the night, while Jan listened to Kendra wretch, sob and wail, he wouldn’t think this was so damn funny.

Morgan didn’t set Jan on her feet until Richard scuttled through the door. Huffily, she rearranged her shirt that had twisted sideways while she squirmed and wriggled for release.