Harnessed Passions (13 page)

"Anybody home?" he asked, poking his head
around the corner of the wooden barrier.

"Daniel, where the bloody hell have you
been? I was beginning to think I didn’t have a partner anymore.”
The slightly bald, somewhat plump man pushed his way out of his
chair and headed toward the man.

"I've been staying out at the Turner place,
remember?" Daniel reminded the man gently, shaking his hand. “I've
been trying to help out the family."

"I guess it’s true; when one life ends
another begins,” Harold smiled and blushed at the disapproving
frown his friend offered him. “Margie had the baby two days ago,"
he said in explanation. The new father’s enthusiasm echoed in his
voice and showed proudly on his face as he handed Daniel a cigar
from his vest pocket.

"That's great, what is it?" Daniel took the
cigar and shook the man's hand again, before sitting in one of the
two chairs facing Harold's desk.

"A boy and he's as cute as his old man, but
he has a little more hair than I do.”

“
How’s the
mama?”

“
She’s perfect, already out
of bed. She can’t wait to start showing him off. Oh yeah, before I
forget, we want you to be the boy's godfather, how about
it?"

"I’d be honored, just let me know where and
when and I’ll be there."

"So," Harold said, returning to his chair
behind the large oak desk. "How’s the Turner family holding
up?"

"Alright I suppose, under the circumstances.
Louise wants the will read this evening if you can arrange it."

"What's wrong?" the older man asked, his
honey brown eyes examining his friend and business associate
closely. "I don't think I've ever seen you so...professional
before."

"Meaning what? You think I don't do my job?"
Daniel knew his friend was only teasing and decided to dwell on it
for a while longer.

"I never said you didn't do your job and you
very well know it. It's just that you seem different somehow." The
man's voice took on a serious tone. "You're not thinking about your
father are you?"

Daniel knew he couldn't go through a funeral
without reminiscing on his own tragic loss. That was the one reason
he avoided funerals at all expense. This one would have been the
same if it hadn't been for Julia. He knew how hard it would be for
her to bury her father and he wanted to be with her, to offer her
comfort and support and perhaps get a little in return. The thought
of the young woman brought a rise in his temperature, but the image
of her laying on the floor of the family room with blood running
down her face, her eyes closed in oblivion brought a slight frown
to his handsome features.

"It’s rather a moot point,” he answered
softly, trying to avoid his friend’s eyes. “I often wonder where
I’d be now if he hadn’t died and Uncle William hadn’t taken over
the family business. It's rather impossible to see a cemetery and
not feel a little remorse, but that's not what's bothering me."

"Then what is it? Are you in some kind of
trouble?" Harold’s voice sounded serious and filled with concern
for his friend's safety.

"No, I'm fine. It has to do with Turner's
daughter, Julia. Yesterday during the wake she was attacked."

"Attacked? How? Is she alright?"

"She has a concussion and a laceration on
the head, nothing too serious, but it will keep her down for a
couple of days."

"What's the doctor say about it?"

"The official report is she had a bad a
fall, but I'm not convinced of it. I don't really know too much
about what happened yesterday, but I tend to believe Julia knows
more than she's letting on. I'm going back out to the ranch this
afternoon and see what I can do to get her to open up. There were
an awful lot of people there yesterday and about a dozen or more
new servants helping out. I'm hoping somebody saw something can
explain what happened. There’s something else. When I found her,
there was a pillow beside her with blood on it. I thought she was
dead, she was barely breathing."

"Do you think someone tried to kill
her?”

“
Yes,” Daniel nodded. “But
I don’t know why or who. As far as I know, she has no enemies.
Louise said she was very popular when she lived here, so I can’t
seem to think of any reason someone would want to harm her.” The
room fell silent of a moment as Harold studied his friend’s
face.

“
Daniel, I have to ask. Is
this girl special to you somehow? I mean, are you involved with
her?"

"Not the way you think," he said, feeling
the color rise to his cheeks. "I promised Victor I'd keep an eye on
her and help out if she needed me."

"In other words, you haven't gotten her as
far as the bedroom yet, right?" The joyous chuckle of the man's
deep tone brought a smile to Daniel's lips.

"Hey, you make me sound like a rogue."

"Is she cute?"

"She's gorgeous," he admitted, with a
chuckle.

"You old dog; I knew there was more to it
than professional courtesy."

"I just don't know how much she'll want me
around once she hears the old man's will."

"There really isn't much she can do about
it, Daniel. You know as well as I do, Victor made out his will the
way he did in order to protect his family and to make certain his
land is safe. That boy of his sure as hell isn't going to be much
help, from what I understand."

"Don't be too hard on Jeremy," Daniel
warned, gently. "I've met the boy and he's not as bad as Victor
made him out to be. I don't know what went on between the two of
them, but he's got more going for him than his father gave him
credit."

"Enough to take over Turner Stables?"
Harold's question brought a frown to Daniel's dark brows. He had
asked himself that same question the first time he met Jeremy, and
he still didn't know the answer.

"I honestly can't say. I don't know him that
well, but I do know Julia. It's not going to be easy trying to make
her accept her father's conditions. I only hope she gets over her
anger quick enough to see reason. I know she's going to blame me
for all of this."

"She sounds like a real winner, pal," Harold
criticized, shifting in his seat unconsciously.

"She's stubborn and demanding and very hot
headed, but I don't think she's unreasonable. It's just hard to
make her see reality when she gets her emotions involved."

"Are her emotions involved, Daniel?" his
frown returned as he considered his friend's question.

Daniel had hoped to bring Julia around, to
have a little more time with her, to get to know her better and
perhaps help persuade her not to reject her father's decision
before he died, but fate hadn't been on his side. He never wanted
Victor to make out his will the way he had - although he knew only
a small portion of what was planned, but he couldn't prevent the
man from doing what he would with his own land. Now he could only
hope he could stand up against Julia when the time came and bring
about a different set of emotions than the ones he knew would
follow the reading of her father’s will. Somehow, he had to make
her understand he was as much against this whole thing as she soon
would be.

“
She’s a complex woman,”
Daniel said at last. “I can’t predict what she’ll do when she hears
her father’s plans.”

“
That’s not what I asked
you,” Harold said again. Daniel smiled.

“
I would like to think she
has feelings for me, but there are moments when I could just turn
her over my knee.”

“
What would you do with
her, once she was there?” Harold chuckled at the wicked gleam that
crossed his friend’s face.

“
Many wonderful and
unspeakable things.” The two men laughed as Harold removed the
bottle from his bottom drawer and poured two glasses of whiskey. He
knew he would need all the strength he could get before
tonight.

“
So what time should I be
there?” Harold asked after a few moments, again shifting in his
seat again, draining the last of the liquor from his
glass.

“
I’ll send a message.
Louise wanted to wait and see how Julia’s doing this
morning.”

“
There’s something else,
isn’t there?” Harold asked his partner watching the frown that
crossed Daniel face.

“
Strange things have been
happening at the stables the last few weeks, and several of the
ranch hands have seen a dark haired woman riding away whenever
things go wrong.”

“
Do you think it was
Julia?”

“
Not a chance,” Daniel
shook his head. “The sightings started before she returned to
Kentucky and the problems have been going on for a lot
longer.”

“
Maybe somebody knows
what’s in the will and doesn’t like it. After all, Turner Stables
are worth millions. That’s a lot of money to pass over.”

“
That’s true, but is it bad
enough to try and kill for?”

“
I don’t know, Daniel,”
Harold replied. “Money does make a powerful enemy.”

“
Perhaps; we’ll just have
to wait and see what pans out. Anyway, I want to get a few things
from my flat,” Daniel added as he stood and walked with Harold into
the outer office. “I plan on staying at the ranch for a while
longer.”

“
For personal or
professional reasons?” Harold asked with a raised eyebrow, causing
Daniel to smile a half grin.

“
I’ll let you know what
Louise says,” Daniel said, patting the man’s back.

Harold watched his friend ascend the stairs
to the upper level before returning to his office and shutting the
door. He sat down at his desk, removing the small key from his
inner pocket and sighing as he unlocked the bottom drawer of his
filing cabinet and pulled out the folder of papers. He opened the
folder and began to flip through the pages, refreshing himself of
its contents. With a twist in his stomach, he looked out the window
and into the street beyond. Daniel was pulling the small carriage
away from the front of the building, waving to his partner as he
passed by.

The evening was going to prove interesting
to say the least, and Harold was secretly hoping for a reprieve.
Maybe Louise didn’t want him out so soon, maybe he could ease into
the reading without emotions, maybe Daniel wouldn’t want to
strangle him when he learned of the contents of the will; and then
again, maybe hell would freeze over in the next two hours and the
earth would quit spinning.

Sounds of rustling echoed through the silent
room, shuffling feet across the carpet followed by the click of a
doorknob all added to a difficult awakening. Julia struggled to
open her eyes, focusing on the dimly lit room around her. The
curtains had been pulled to allow her to sleep longer, the door
shut to block out the noise of the day and the added blanket across
her feet to help keep her warm. The whole setup had her mother’s
signature to it.

With a frown, Julia struggled to sit up in
bed and glanced around the room again. She had a strange sensation
she wasn’t alone. The room was empty except for her, no sounds or
smells to alert her to anything out of the ordinary; but still,
there was a feeling that made the hair on the back of her neck
stand up. She shook her head softly; it was just a lingering image
from the night before she assured herself, closing her eyes again
as she laid back against the pillows.

Nightmares had filled her dreams with fear
and confusion; images of the past and the future being distorted by
visions of death. She had dreamed of her father, seeing him riding
across the fields on his stallion, until his image dissolved into a
wooden coffin that opened up to her. She could hear his voice
beckoning her, calling her to him as blood flowed from many roses
lying around a gravesite.

Flames leapt up from the
bowels of hell to claim her soul, as she heard her brother’s voice
repeat his warning,
he always wanted to
control you and now he has. Your future is over; your life is a
mirror of his
.

Julia sighed deep, opening her eyes again.
Somehow, she had to get out of Kentucky and back to Boston as soon
as possible, but the thought caused a giant knot in her
stomach.

Thoughts of her mother flashed before her
eyes as she considered their futures. Her mother would survive;
it’s what she did, always facing each task with a headstrong logic
that kept order to life. She could envision Jeremy standing beside
an attractive faceless blond, happy and content but far from
Kentucky. It all felt so normal, so right. Julia knew they would
both be fine, so what caused the confusion? And then another image
came into focus and she knew immediately it was the real reason she
regretted leaving. Blondish-brown hair and turquoise eyes were
going to be very difficult to forget, perhaps even harder to
leave.

A knock on the hall door echoed through the
silent room, bringing a jump to Julia's heart and a halt to her
daydreams. She fought to contain her self-control, but found her
forehead suddenly damp and her heart pounding wildly. She
unconsciously ran a hand through her long hair, smoothing it from
her face as she adjusted her position in the bed, straightening the
blankets quickly across her lap. A moment later the door pushed
open and Louise poked her head around the corner. She carried a
small tray with Julia's breakfast plate and a teapot.

"Good morning darling," her mother smiled;
her tone cheerful and light. "How do you feel?"

"Better, thank you mom," she answered, still
trying to pull herself under control.

“
Are you ready for some
breakfast?” Louise placed the tray across her lap, smiling as she
sat in the chair next to the bed. A brief hint of disappointment
echoed in her eyes as she accepted her mother’s offerings of eggs,
toast and bacon with a frowned. It looked less than appetizing and
smelled more like the stables, than food, but she had not eaten in
many hours and knew she would need something to sustain
her.