Hunting (19 page)

“
No. They didn’t. And if
you want, we’ll ask Malachi. He helped Hannah and baby Joseph find
a new place to live where they could be really happy.”

“
Without me?” Ruthie’s
tears were definitely starting.

Oh, crud. Not a meltdown,
please not another meltdown. She couldn’t pull over and they were a
few miles from the Brockman’s still. “Baby, it’s not like that. The
court said Hannah couldn’t be with you anymore. Hannah didn’t like
it and I know you don’t like it. But it was so you could both be
safe. That’s why the court gave you to me.” A small fib, but it
wouldn’t be a lie once the adoption was final in a year or so.
“Maybe we can write Hannah a letter and draw her a picture of your
new home and send to her. Would you like that?”

Ruthie was silent for a
moment. “Yes. Do you think Hannah will come get me? Be my mommy
again?”

“
Is that what you want,
sweetie?” A knife sharper than she’d ever expected dug at her
heart.

“
Sometimes.”

Should she press it, keep
telling Ruthie that Hannah and her son—Ruthie’s biological
nephew—were safe? Would Ruthie even have a concept of
it?

Something else she’d
discuss with Georgia or Meredith—or even her Galahad. It was his
doing that had gotten Hannah into a halfway house for teen mothers,
located on the edge of St. Louis.

She sighed as she proceeded
through the green light. Was parenting always like this? So full of
doubts and wishy-washy decision making? How was she supposed to
know what was the right thing to do for Ruthie when half the time
she didn’t even know what that meant for herself?

Both she and Ruthie were
quiet the remaining three miles or so to Meredith and Kenneth’s.
Paige pulled in right behind Jules and met hers as she was pulling
Ruthie from the childseat. “Hey! It’s my favorite god-niece. What
did you think of the singing, kiddo?”

Ruthie laughed and reached
for Paige. She’d bonded with the other woman the few times they’d
seen each other the last week. Both Al and Paige had come by to
meet Ruthie. And Ruthie was fascinated by the two women. “It was
funny. They sang like this!” She made a fishy face with her mouth
wide open. “I didn’t know the words at all!”

“
Wanna know a secret?”
Paige whispered something in Ruthie’s ear, and Ruthie
giggled.

“
That’s silly!” Gone was
the little girl worried about biblical wrath and in her place was a
typical three-year-old. Thank goodness. Jules followed Paige and
her friends—and Ruthie—into the comfortable two story craftsman.
She’d been there a few times before with Al. Ruthie had spare
clothes in the trunk of Jules’ car in a container Jules had packed
for just-in-case days so Jules would get her out of her best
dress—the only dressy outfit she’d purchased so far, they’d have to
go shopping before next weekend—and into some play clothes. Then
the little girl could run and play with abandon. Without worrying
about her dress.

Meredith met them in the
kitchen. “Wonderful, everyone is here! Mick and the dogs were here
when we got home, so that’s all my kids together for Sunday dinner
for once.”

The dogs in question were
Malachi’s Border collies Lois and Clark, who’d followed Meredith
in. Ruthie squealed and the dogs barked happily. Soon Ruthie was
completely distracted from the adults around her and was playing
with the two extremely gentle animals.

But where was their owner?
Meredith seemed to read Jules’ mind. She looked right at Jules and
answered. “Malachi is helping his father in the family room for a
few minutes, if you all want to head that way. They’re setting up
the extra table, since we have a lot of guests today.”

Jules didn’t know what to
say. Had Meredith somehow gotten the idea that she and Malachi were
closer than they were? Or than they had been? Darn him, for acting
so possessive earlier. Did he realize how difficult he’d made
things for her?

She knew her thoughts had
to be written on her face as she stepped through the kitchen and
down the small steps into the large family room where Malachi and
his father and brother were working. He looked at her, his own
expression questioning.

Jules glared. He did know
what he was doing. The rat. He grinned, straight at her. It took
every bit of restraint she had not to go slug him. Why did he bring
out her most violent urges in her just by grinning at
her?

***

She looked beautiful
surrounded by his mother and rest of his family, clutching the hand
of her little girl. Paige and several others were behind her, but
Malachi barely noticed them. Julia was glaring at him, something he
was accustomed to. But what had he done to her now?

He left Mick with the last
of the tables, and went to Julia. He grabbed her hand and pulled
her into the hallway that led to his father’s study. It took so
little strength to back her against the wall. She wasn’t resistant.
She still glared up at him, though. “Have I done something, my
love?”

“
You dork. You know you
did. Your mother thinks you and I are together. Like together,
together!”

He wanted to laugh at the
scandalized look on her face. Weren’t they too old for that? “So?
I’ve been with other women before. It wouldn’t surprise my mother
if we were
together
. Like together, together. In fact, I
don’t think it would shock her at all…” The strawberry scent was
still there, mixed with the infinitely intoxicating smell of Julia.
Damn, how he wanted her. “Julia…tell me you don’t think about that
night?”

She pulled in a deep
breath, her hands coming to rest against his chest. “I don’t need
this
now
. Besides, anyone could see!”

“
So? I don’t care if they
do.” He ran his hand through the hair hanging over her shoulders.
She’d left it down for once. So beautiful. He wrapped his fingers
in the strands and then pulled until her head tilted back even
farther. Just like he had in South Dakota. “Julia…I think about
that night all the time. And I remember this…”

He kissed her and she
didn’t fight him. Her hands slipped around his waist and she held
on to him, tight. Clung. And eventually kissed him right
back.

Alessandra was one of the
last to enter the house, and came in through the back door in time
to see her brother grabbing at Jules and devouring her against the
hallway wall. Jules didn’t seem to be minding at all.

Wow. Well. There was more
heat there than Al could have imagined. Did they realize that? Or
that anyone could see them? Or did they even care?

“
Well, didn’t expect that.”
Nate, one of her mother’s other guests, was coming out of the
nearest bathroom, and was also witness to the show Malachi was
putting on. “Haven’t seen him that into a girl since Catie Jones
fifteen years ago. Not really the place for it, is it?”

Al shushed him and he
grinned a very handsome grin. “Leave them alone. They deserve
it.”

“
Who is she? She looks
familiar.”

“
Jules Bellows. Medical
Examiner for PAVAD.”

“
Oh, yes. Now I remember. I
believe we met at your brother’s party. They been dating
long?”

“
I don’t think they are. I
think this is just an aberration. Come on. Mom needs help in the
kitchen, and I know she’ll be happy to have you as a volunteer.”
She pulled the man into the kitchen, leaving her brother to his
private doings. If Malachi and Jules were getting together they
didn’t need everyone else in their business.

When was the last time
she’d seen Malachi that passionate about a woman? Not since he was
in high school, at least. Funny. Wonder what it meant? Was her
brother finally falling? Like seriously falling?

Her mother looked up when
she and Nate entered the kitchen. Paige was already hard at work,
slicing carrots and lettuce for the salad. She smiled at both of
them. “Check it out, I’m learning to cook!”

“
And the house hasn’t
caught fire yet?” Al grabbed the rest of the lettuce and pretended
to protect it. “What are the odds?”

“
Haha. Make yourselves
useful.” Paige tossed a head of cabbage and Al caught it. “I think
that’s supposed to be cole slaw or something like that.”

“
Kids, no throwing
vegetables in the kitchen.” Meredith didn’t even look up from the
large pot of soup she was stirring on the stove.  

“
Yes, ma’am.”

Malachi came in a few
moments later, Jules a few steps behind him. Mal was flushed and
Jules’ eyes had a strange glow, a vulnerability Al wasn’t used to
seeing. Al smiled to herself; it was sweet, the two of them
together. Did they realize how well they did complement each
other?

Maybe it just took someone
who knew the both of them to see it.

He was seated next to the
medical examiner at dinner, and he had to admit she was a
pleasant—if somewhat quiet—companion. She was very articulate, when
directly addressed, and she spoke with a faint southern accent that
was smooth and charming. He could see what had caught Malachi’s
attention. Once you looked past the surface of her sedate clothing
she was an extraordinarily beautiful woman. Educated, cultured,
articulate, attractive, and well-mannered. Not to mention the fact
that she occupied a career position of relative
prestige.

She would make someone a
very advantageous wife, in spite of the child he’d learned she was
in the process of adopting. Still, if someone were to make the fact
of the child’s antecedents known, it could appear quite altruistic.
The child could definitely be used to a wise person’s
advantage.

Her perfume tickled his
senses; for the first time in he didn’t know how long, his body
began to tighten with arousal. The feeling was even more developed
than those fleeting urges that hit him when he’d occasionally brush
against Paige. Of course, Paige was not yet refined enough for his
taste. Intriguing.

But Dr. Bellows certainly
was. She rather reminded him of Meredith in a lot of ways. And he
had to admit he found that fact attractive to a high
degree.

Meredith was after all, his
ideal
. And had been since he was a young man.

Research proved that men
tended to marry or be attracted to women who had similar
characteristics to their mothers—it would stand to reason that both
he and Malachi would find Julia Bellows attractive. Malachi because
she resembled his mother in stature and manner, and him because
he’d
always wished Meredith
was
his mother. At least
until he was old enough to develop sexual desires. The first woman
he’d ever been attracted to was Meredith Brockman. His
deepest
attraction was still to that woman.

Dr. Bellows shifted closer
to him as she reached for the dish in front of him. She scooped
some onto the child’s plate, and sent a distracted smile in his
direction. She had a remarkable smile. One that would look quite
perfect on a political mailer.

Interesting.

Perhaps he would take the
added time to enjoy playing with the good doctor before he played
her move in the game. Then once he made the final move and checked
Malachi’s king, he would turn his attention to Paige.

His ultimate goal was to
have Paige transformed in to a woman much like the one beside
him.

He leaned forward and spoke
to doctor, enjoying having her hazel eyes fully focused on him
fully for the moment. She smiled when appropriate and he greatly
enjoyed the conversation.

This
woman was a
perfect choice for a man in Malachi’s position. Or
his
, if
he wanted to think about it that way. Unlike Paige, who was
currently making cross-eyes at the little girl across the table,
then laughing along with the child rather crassly.

Of course, Malachi would
find the perfect woman to fall in love with. Perfection was
Malachi’s middle name, after all.

***

He followed her home. He
hadn’t intended to, but the human failing of curiosity
unfortunately got the better of him.

She lived in a nice home in
a reasonable neighborhood. It was far from shabby and told him she
was financially stable. He parked in front of the home and sat for
an hour contemplating what he would do with her. It had definitely
been a while since he’d been ruled by
those
kinds of
physical urges. Had she and Malachi already slept together? Was she
as sedate in the bedroom as she appeared at the dinner table? Had
Malachi beaten him to finding that answer?

He rubbed a hand over his
mouth as the thought of having her beneath him had his skin
heating. Would she be the type to protest, though she was obviously
hotter inside than she looked on the outside?

He greatly enjoyed women of
that type, an icy shell hiding a burning core. Was that one of the
things that drew Malachi to her?

He tensed when the woman
reappeared, dressed now in jeans and heavy coat. The little girl
was in similar garb, and clung tightly to her foster mother’s
hand.