Sweet Reunion by Melanie Shawn Read Free Book Online Page A

wipe all of the expression from her face before she spoke again,
because it was imperative that he not read the desperation there, desperation
for him to say yes to her next inquiry. She needed to be casual. She needed to
play it cool.
    “Well, you could do that I
suppose,” she said, in as light a tone as she could muster, “Or you could bunk
in your old quarters out back, if you like. It's empty.”
    Justin looked at her
carefully, “Would that be alright with you?”
    Amanda shrugged, afraid to
speak. This casual facade was difficult to keep up! She felt if she spoke, that
her entire heart would be laid bare in her voice.
    “I think I will do that then,
if you don't mind,” Justin said, retrieving his bag from the front hall, “It
will be like old times.”
    --- ~ ---
    Amanda walked Henry out to
his car, and he gave her a big hug. “Manda Bear, don't you fret. Your Uncle
Henry is going to make sure this all comes out all right for you,” he said
comfortingly.
    Amanda fell apart at that,
and began to sob on Henry's shoulder. This was what she had been missing most
since her father's death, the sheer luxurious comfort of resting in the strong
arms of someone who was assuring her that everything would be fine. When her
Dad was alive, she had the privilege of being able to have that any time she
wanted. She swore to herself in that moment that if she were ever blessed
enough to be able to have that in her life again, she would never – not for one
moment – take it for granted. She would treasure it, with every cell of her
being.
    Geoffrey came down the steps
of the front porch at that moment, straightening his coat and pulling on his
gloves. He sniffed disagreeably at the sight of Amanda crying. “Really, Amanda,
there's no need to come apart. That ridiculous will is never going to stand up
in court. Honestly, Henry, I think it verges on malpractice that you would even
draw up such a document.”
    Henry glared at Geoffrey,
“Well, son, your legal expertise aside, the fact is that in order to see if the
will would stand up in court, you would actually have to challenge it in
court.”
    Geoffrey looked unfazed. “We
have no problem with that.”
    Henry looked at Amanda,
“Manda girl, is that what you really want? Forget for a moment whether this
will is on legal ground that's as shaky as quicksand or as solid as granite.
What we know for sure is that this document represents your Daddy's wishes for
how he wanted to see things turn out. Do you really want to go to court and ask
for their help in throwing his wishes aside like they don't even matter?”
    Amanda was horrified, “No!
God, no! Geoffrey, we're not going to court! I don't even mind that Justin owns
20% of the resort. Daddy loved Justin. I wouldn't care if he had half!”
    Geoffrey gave Amanda an
exasperated sigh, “Amanda, weren't you listening? The real travesty of this
document is not merely that it gives away 20% of your hard-earned profits to
this person, but that it gives him veto power over selling the property. It
also delays the ability to sell for at least a month!”
    Amanda looked confused,
“Geoffrey, I don't know where you got the idea that I wanted to sell Mountain
Ridge Outdoor Adventures. It's my home. It's where I grew up. It's Daddy's
legacy. I don't want to sell it. I never want to sell it!”
    Something hard glinted in
Geoffrey's eyes. It was something Amanda had never seen there before. Sure, he
had never been the warmest person, and he certainly did have a knack for making
blunt pronouncements with little regard for tact, or for the feelings of the
person on the other end of his assessments. But she had never seen anything
truly cold, truly cruel in his soul. Not until now.
    “We'll see,” he said flatly
as he strode to his car, before peeling off in a cloud of dust.

Chapter 6
    Amanda tossed and turned in
her bed that night. She felt as though she were having a nightmare, except for
the part where she was still awake. Heat