bills are paid." One pale eyebrow was cocked in Troy and Todd's direction. "Yours too."
A frown creasing her smooth brow, Anne watched as a flush mounted in her brothers' faces. Good grief! Todd and Troy too?
But why? They received a more than generous allowance. This time Jud answered her silent questions.
"Don't delude yourselves into believing I don't know what the game is. The name of the game is Test Jud." Jud's eyes moved slowly around the table and the smile that twisted his lips made Anne's blood run cold. "There will be no more games, no more tests. Is that understood?"
Silence and three pairs of eyes guiltily turned to Anne with a mute appeal for help.
"Jud, really, I don't think there was any intention—
"Shut up, Anne."
Anne gasped at the hard finality of Jud's tone. Who the hell did he think he was?
As if he could read her mind, Jud told her exactly who he was.
"I know what the intention was and I'm having no more of it. I made it perfectly clear at the beginning that I am the boss. I wasn't playing with words and I wasn't kidding. Now for the last time, is that understood?"
Anne found herself nodding her head in unison with the three he had addressed his question to. Awareness of the docile action brought a stillness to her body, a flare of anger to her eyes. Jud's sharp glance did not miss the flare and, as if in a deliberate attempt to fan it into a full flame, he prodded, "I haven't received any of your bills, Anne. Strange, but it would seem that the only one of you that does any real work is also the only one not spending tike a drunken sailor."
Anne's head snapped up, eyes now blazing.
"I pay my own bills," she stated emphatically. "I always have. As for Mother, Troy, and Todd, your father set the life-style by which they live. Why should it surprise or annoy you if they expect to go on as before? They know the money is there; and the company is doing very well. Dammit, Jud, you can't expect them to adjust to all these changes overnight."
"Ah—the champion jumps in to beard the lion." Jud's soft purr scraped like a rough file against Anne's anger. "Little mother to the rescue," he taunted. "I really hate to stamp on your act," he lied, "but I hardly think five weeks can be classified as overnight. I am not my father. It was his company solely. I have no intention of working myself into the grave just so my family can live in the same life-style. Not for forty-five percent of that company, or, for that matter, anything at all. There will be changes. Get used to it."
"As easy as that?" Troy snapped his fingers, his expression full of contempt.
"No, Troy, I didn't say it would be easy." Jud's words were slow and measured, each one underlined verbally. "But by the time you come into your own in the company, you'll know you've earned it. And believe me, that knowledge cannot be measured in time or money. Now, will it upset anyone if I suggest we finish dinner?"
Chapter 7
As she drove to work the following morning Anne had the feeling of being reprieved, if temporarily. The topic of her broken engagement had been submerged under the barrage of angry words that had been hurled around the room and Anne had escaped to her bedroom before it could be revived. She knew she would have to give her mother a fuller explanation, but meanwhile she had the whole day in which to form the words plausibly, she thought.
When exactly was it that your brain stopped working? Anne asked herself ten minutes after she entered her office. That was right after Jud walked through the door from his office, stood, hands on his hips, in front of her desk and said bluntly, "You never did say why you and Andrew decided to call it off."
Damn the man. Anne held her breath a moment, then let it out very slowly. Why did he have to look so good? In a buff-colored suit and cream shirt he was tawny all over. Was he aware of the effect? Anne wondered. Very likely. Needing to put some distance between them, Anne
A frown creasing her smooth brow, Anne watched as a flush mounted in her brothers' faces. Good grief! Todd and Troy too?
But why? They received a more than generous allowance. This time Jud answered her silent questions.
"Don't delude yourselves into believing I don't know what the game is. The name of the game is Test Jud." Jud's eyes moved slowly around the table and the smile that twisted his lips made Anne's blood run cold. "There will be no more games, no more tests. Is that understood?"
Silence and three pairs of eyes guiltily turned to Anne with a mute appeal for help.
"Jud, really, I don't think there was any intention—
"Shut up, Anne."
Anne gasped at the hard finality of Jud's tone. Who the hell did he think he was?
As if he could read her mind, Jud told her exactly who he was.
"I know what the intention was and I'm having no more of it. I made it perfectly clear at the beginning that I am the boss. I wasn't playing with words and I wasn't kidding. Now for the last time, is that understood?"
Anne found herself nodding her head in unison with the three he had addressed his question to. Awareness of the docile action brought a stillness to her body, a flare of anger to her eyes. Jud's sharp glance did not miss the flare and, as if in a deliberate attempt to fan it into a full flame, he prodded, "I haven't received any of your bills, Anne. Strange, but it would seem that the only one of you that does any real work is also the only one not spending tike a drunken sailor."
Anne's head snapped up, eyes now blazing.
"I pay my own bills," she stated emphatically. "I always have. As for Mother, Troy, and Todd, your father set the life-style by which they live. Why should it surprise or annoy you if they expect to go on as before? They know the money is there; and the company is doing very well. Dammit, Jud, you can't expect them to adjust to all these changes overnight."
"Ah—the champion jumps in to beard the lion." Jud's soft purr scraped like a rough file against Anne's anger. "Little mother to the rescue," he taunted. "I really hate to stamp on your act," he lied, "but I hardly think five weeks can be classified as overnight. I am not my father. It was his company solely. I have no intention of working myself into the grave just so my family can live in the same life-style. Not for forty-five percent of that company, or, for that matter, anything at all. There will be changes. Get used to it."
"As easy as that?" Troy snapped his fingers, his expression full of contempt.
"No, Troy, I didn't say it would be easy." Jud's words were slow and measured, each one underlined verbally. "But by the time you come into your own in the company, you'll know you've earned it. And believe me, that knowledge cannot be measured in time or money. Now, will it upset anyone if I suggest we finish dinner?"
Chapter 7
As she drove to work the following morning Anne had the feeling of being reprieved, if temporarily. The topic of her broken engagement had been submerged under the barrage of angry words that had been hurled around the room and Anne had escaped to her bedroom before it could be revived. She knew she would have to give her mother a fuller explanation, but meanwhile she had the whole day in which to form the words plausibly, she thought.
When exactly was it that your brain stopped working? Anne asked herself ten minutes after she entered her office. That was right after Jud walked through the door from his office, stood, hands on his hips, in front of her desk and said bluntly, "You never did say why you and Andrew decided to call it off."
Damn the man. Anne held her breath a moment, then let it out very slowly. Why did he have to look so good? In a buff-colored suit and cream shirt he was tawny all over. Was he aware of the effect? Anne wondered. Very likely. Needing to put some distance between them, Anne
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