Whatever Tomorrow Brings (The Californians 1) by Lori Wick

I saw you," Percy whispered. "Please don't fight me, Kaitlin." Percy's head came forward and he tried to kiss her.
    "No, Percy!" Kaitlin gasped as she twisted from side to side. She opened her mouth to call for help when a voice spoke in the doorway.
    "Get your hands off my sister." The voice was deadly cold and Percy froze in surprise. It was enough. Kate took advantage of the loosening of his arms and twisted free. She had just arrived at Sean's side when Maureen and Marcail stepped through the door.
    Maureen's gaze went from her white-faced disheveled niece and furious nephew to her stone-faced son. Something clutched around Maureen's heart and for the first time in her life she truly saw Percy for the immature, selfish and spoiled man that he was. Before she could say anything, Sean made a quick decision and spoke.
    "Aunt Maureen, we appreciate all you've done but we'll be moving to Santa Rosa. There's a possible teaching position there for Kate. We'll be leaving in the morning."
    Sean could see he'd shocked his aunt speechless. But he wasn't finished. He turned to his cousin and spoke in a voice so like his father's that both his sisters and aunt could only stare at him.
    "If you ever touch my sister again, I'll thrash you to within an inch of your life." Sean did not wait for an answer before he ushered his sisters from the room.
    He'd seen a flicker of fear in his cousin's eyes and knew he'd been taken seriously. The truth was that he'd never hit anyone in his life, but he also knew, with the way he was feeling right then, that he was more than capable of carrying out his threat.

    "Who will we live with?" Marcail wanted to know.
    "We'll figure that out when we get to Santa Rosa," her brother told her. The Donovan children had been talking for over an hour. They had all three prayed and tried to think of what their father would have done in the same circumstances.
    "The problem is that this would never have happened if Father had been here," Sean stated logically. "I am really sorry, Kate."
    "Stop apologizing."
    "But if I'd listened to you last night-"
    "It's all right, Sean. We just underestimated the way Percy would act. We're also causing problems between Aunt Maureen and Percy so I think it's best this way."
    "Is it my fault that he did that, Katie?" Marcail wanted to know. "Because I said he loves you?"
    "No Marc, it's not your fault. Percy is a grown man and he knew better than to try and hug me when I didn't want to be hugged." Kate was surprised at how normal her voice sounded. Every time she thought of Percy a shiver ran through her. She folded her arms across her chest and tried to push the whole episode out of her mind.
    "Now, we need to take a vote. Do we leave for Santa Rosa in the morning and pray that God gives me a job? Sean?"
    "I vote we go."
    "Marc?"
    "I want to stay with you and Sean. But mostly I want Father to come back."
    Kate hugged her where they sat on the floor of the girls' bedroom. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. Sean answered it.
    Aunt Maureen stood on the threshold looking pale with strain and worry. Sean held the door wide and she entered wordlessly.
    "Is there anything I can say, Kaitlin?" The older woman came straight to the point.
    "It's not your fault, Aunt Maureen."
    If only that were true, the older woman thought, but said in a voice that shook with emotion, 'Are you really going to leave?"
    Kate went to her. "Aunt Maureen, I have to tell you something. When I came downstairs last night, I heard you and Percy talking. I panicked when I heard how he felt about me because I thought I'd done something to cause that."
    "Oh no, my dear, please don't think that."
    "Well, I'm feeling better about it but the thing I need to tell you is about the ad I saw for a teaching position. You said Santa Rosa wasn't too far from here."
    'About a day's ride on the stagecoach."
    "Well, yesterday morning I saw this ad and for some reason I couldn't get it out of my mind. At first I just