baby. 'The funerals are tomorrow,
Morgan,' he told her quietly. 'They've been arranged for the afternoon."
She had paled at his first mention of funerals. She known that the bodies from
the crash had been released for burial now, but Alex hadn't mentioned Ac
funerals to her before. "'I've spoken to your parents,' he continued in
the emotionless voice that she so hated. 'Your father still wasn't well enough
to travel, and your mother doesn't fed she should leave him at such a time.'
"Of
course not,' she snapped. She knew exactly how her father was; she had
telephoned America several tones since her arrival here. The closeness she had
felt •d Alex while they were with
Courtney had completely gone, and the resentment was now back with a vengeance.
'You should have let me tell them.'
'It wasn't necessary '
"They're
my parents, damn it!'
'Why
do you always resort to swearing when you lose your temper?' he bit out.
"Why
do you always make me lose my temper?' she said.
'I
have no idea,' he said grimly.
'I
do!' she glared at him, her eyes sparkling deeply green. 'You have to be the
most arrogant, bossy individual I've ever had the misfortune to meet. You had
no right to talk to my parents about the funerals— I should have done
it!'
I didn't want to cause you any more pain
'You
mean you were too busy organising everyone to consider anyone else's feelings
but your own,' she dismissed scathingly. 'I've been in control of my own Efe
since I left home at eighteen to go to college, and then you come along, with
your dictatorial ways and expect everyone to jump on command. Well, I don't jump, Mr Hammond, and
quite frankly I never will!'
He
listened to her tirade in stony silence, a man who ran and owned an empire, who
made decisions every day that affected thousands of lives, and the fact that
one mere woman, one unwelcome woman in his home, dared to question his
authority obviously came as a great and unexpected shock to him.
'I
intend returning to the States after—after the funerals,' she told him coldly. 'But only for a couple of weeks
at most. And then I'll be back. And I'll right for custody of Courtney
with every weapon I can think of.
Alex
shook his head. 'I can't let you have him.'
'Because
you consider my morals aren't good enough?' she taunted. 'You'll find nothing
wrong with them, no matter how deeply you
dig into my past. I've been too busy with my career the last few years
to want to complicate my life with
emotional entangle ment, especially with Glenna's marriage as an example! She loved your brother, and yet she was
still unhappy. I didn't want that for myself.'
'Glenna mentioned someone called Sam.' He looked at her with narrowed
eyes.
She flushed. 'It would seem you spent a considerable amount of time talking
to my sister.'
He
nodded distandy. 'She was an intelligent woman, and Mark wasn't always here.
Glenna naturally told me about you, your parents—Sam.'
'I've
been seeing him for several months. But I certainly don't intend marrying him.'
'I
trust he knows that?
'None
of your business, Mr Hammond,' she snapped.
'No,'
he sighed, 'I don't suppose it is. All right, Morgan,
have your time back in the States. But when you get back here don't
expect to take Courtney away from me. He's a Hammond, he'll stay here where he
belongs.'
We'll
see about that!'
'Indeed
we will,' he drawled confidendy, and left her to go to his bedroom to change
his shirt.
It
was his confidence that worried her the most. He almost too confident,
as if she didn't have a chance erf getting Courtney. And maybe she didn't. She
had a fat against her—her job, her single state, the fact that
Courtney had been born a British citizen. But she wouldn't give up without a
fight, wouldn't be her feher's daughter if she did that!
Morgan
decided she hated funerals. She had never been
to one before, had never had reason to, and those two coffins standing side by side in the church,
all that remained of Glenna
Morgan,' he told her quietly. 'They've been arranged for the afternoon."
She had paled at his first mention of funerals. She known that the bodies from
the crash had been released for burial now, but Alex hadn't mentioned Ac
funerals to her before. "'I've spoken to your parents,' he continued in
the emotionless voice that she so hated. 'Your father still wasn't well enough
to travel, and your mother doesn't fed she should leave him at such a time.'
"Of
course not,' she snapped. She knew exactly how her father was; she had
telephoned America several tones since her arrival here. The closeness she had
felt •d Alex while they were with
Courtney had completely gone, and the resentment was now back with a vengeance.
'You should have let me tell them.'
'It wasn't necessary '
"They're
my parents, damn it!'
'Why
do you always resort to swearing when you lose your temper?' he bit out.
"Why
do you always make me lose my temper?' she said.
'I
have no idea,' he said grimly.
'I
do!' she glared at him, her eyes sparkling deeply green. 'You have to be the
most arrogant, bossy individual I've ever had the misfortune to meet. You had
no right to talk to my parents about the funerals— I should have done
it!'
I didn't want to cause you any more pain
'You
mean you were too busy organising everyone to consider anyone else's feelings
but your own,' she dismissed scathingly. 'I've been in control of my own Efe
since I left home at eighteen to go to college, and then you come along, with
your dictatorial ways and expect everyone to jump on command. Well, I don't jump, Mr Hammond, and
quite frankly I never will!'
He
listened to her tirade in stony silence, a man who ran and owned an empire, who
made decisions every day that affected thousands of lives, and the fact that
one mere woman, one unwelcome woman in his home, dared to question his
authority obviously came as a great and unexpected shock to him.
'I
intend returning to the States after—after the funerals,' she told him coldly. 'But only for a couple of weeks
at most. And then I'll be back. And I'll right for custody of Courtney
with every weapon I can think of.
Alex
shook his head. 'I can't let you have him.'
'Because
you consider my morals aren't good enough?' she taunted. 'You'll find nothing
wrong with them, no matter how deeply you
dig into my past. I've been too busy with my career the last few years
to want to complicate my life with
emotional entangle ment, especially with Glenna's marriage as an example! She loved your brother, and yet she was
still unhappy. I didn't want that for myself.'
'Glenna mentioned someone called Sam.' He looked at her with narrowed
eyes.
She flushed. 'It would seem you spent a considerable amount of time talking
to my sister.'
He
nodded distandy. 'She was an intelligent woman, and Mark wasn't always here.
Glenna naturally told me about you, your parents—Sam.'
'I've
been seeing him for several months. But I certainly don't intend marrying him.'
'I
trust he knows that?
'None
of your business, Mr Hammond,' she snapped.
'No,'
he sighed, 'I don't suppose it is. All right, Morgan,
have your time back in the States. But when you get back here don't
expect to take Courtney away from me. He's a Hammond, he'll stay here where he
belongs.'
We'll
see about that!'
'Indeed
we will,' he drawled confidendy, and left her to go to his bedroom to change
his shirt.
It
was his confidence that worried her the most. He almost too confident,
as if she didn't have a chance erf getting Courtney. And maybe she didn't. She
had a fat against her—her job, her single state, the fact that
Courtney had been born a British citizen. But she wouldn't give up without a
fight, wouldn't be her feher's daughter if she did that!
Morgan
decided she hated funerals. She had never been
to one before, had never had reason to, and those two coffins standing side by side in the church,
all that remained of Glenna
Similar Books
