Jules (Golden Streak Series Book 5) (17 page)

“That was my agent. I have a month off before I have to get back to work again. I’m glad now that I’d made these arrangements before we moved in here.
And the builders are starting work on my new studio tomorrow.” She nodded. “Also, you should know that the pantry is filled and we won’t have a problem like we did last night.”

The staff had been very upset when Jules’
s family had shown up to help them move in. Duane had been mortified that there wasn’t even a loaf of bread in the house, as the delivery people were set to show up in the morning. It turned out to be a large semi full of food, as he’d never ordered before for a master and mistress that ate food and went a tad overboard. But it had all fit.

They had ordered
pizzas and beer and had invited the entire staff to eat with them. It had been a great deal of fun.

She realized that Jules wasn’t speaking
, and she flushed. “I just heard from your brother. The Realm wants to hire me to work with him and Em. They want me to be their onsite expert. What the hell do I know of paranormal murders and stuff?” She watched him reach behind him and take a book off the shelf and bring it to her. It was a thick book and she looked at the title. It said “The Goldens” in a beautiful script.

“
It’s from our family library. Mom brought it last night and said to give it to you. She said that a cat like you is mentioned in it. But it was in the early thirteenth century and you’re the first in all that time to be a fully white cat.” He opened it and showed her the handwritten pages. “It says that she was killed just after her first change. Probably when she was hunting, Mom thinks. You should read it and you’ll be fine.”

“You knew about this job offer?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what to do. And thanks to your brother, I’m no longer a suspect in the death of Mason.”

“I’m glad.
Alistair said once he showed them the error of their ways, they straightened up pretty fast.” She would just bet. Alistair wasn’t a pushover, and she’d bet he was hell on wheels in the courtroom.

“I’ve gotten with your mom. She and your sisters are going to help me get the house in order. I’m not sure what that means
, but I have a feeling it’s going to mean some shopping.” She shivered. “I’m not much of a shopper. And Rayne said she was taking me to her favorite shop to see what toys they have. I have a feeling it’s not going to be anything we’d ever need for a kid.”

He laughed. “No, I’m sure it’s not.
What else is bothering you? Something is. First of all, you’re still sitting and not pacing like you do; secondly, you’re much too quiet. What’s going on?”

She did get up to pace and was glad when he didn’t say anything.
“I’ve been talking to the staff. They think we need to bring in at least a dozen more people to run this place. I can see their point, but I don’t want to be responsible for hiring them. Or for that matter, firing them when they fuck up. Then there’s the town nearby. Did you know that they are terrified of us? They think we’re going to come into town nightly and murder them in their beds. And just so you know, they have reason to feel this way.”

“We should have an open house.” She turned to look at him.
“Seriously, we need to get to know the people here, and they need to know we’re not like your mother…like Naomi.”

She’d asked everyone to call her that from now on. She didn’t want to call her
mother, because as far as she was concerned, she never was. And next week, the only woman she’d ever known as her mom was moving in; her grandma had decided to take them up on their offer of moving in with them.

“I’m so not planning that thing.” He laughed and told her he’d call in a planner for her. “Also…you should know that I’ve been thinking about the money that we found. I’d like to do something for the staff that was here with
Naomi. I’d like to figure out a way to repay the help that Naomi had before we got here.”

They’d found three large stacks of money in the v
ault, along with the biggest selection of jewelry she’d never seen. And calling the thing a vault was like saying that a bank was a piggy bank. It was a large fifty-by-fifty-foot room with shelf after shelf of things spread out on them. And under those shelves were safes with loose gems, as well as bars of gold and silver. The last one had been filled with twenty-four million dollars in cash.

“Do something how?”
She sat down again and tried to think of a way to tell him what she’d been thinking. “Because I was thinking that same thing. And I’d like to suggest we divide it equally between them. Of course, we’ll more than likely lose a few of them, but I think they’d stay on until we find replacements. They’re very loyal to you.”

“They like you
, too.” She flushed when he smiled at her. “Well, they do. And that’s what I was thinking, too. That we’d give it to them and tell them…I don’t know everything to tell them, but tell them we appreciate them very much.”

Jules nodded
, and she walked around the huge desk and sat in his lap. He held her for a few minutes before he spoke, and she closed her eyes to the sound of his voice, but opened them quickly when he said something she was sure she’d not heard correctly.

“
What do you mean your mother has our wedding party set up? When are we getting married?” He told her when. “Tomorrow morning? Are you fucking insane? I can’t…can’t marry you tomorrow. I have to… I have to….” She had no idea, but marriage wasn’t on the list.

“She said if you
didn’t show up, she’d hunt you down. You’re just lucky I talked her out of having it here. She would have had this place decorated by midnight or hell would have been paid.”

He handed her a pretty blue box. “
What’s this? If it’s a ring, I thought we decided that we’d just use one of the millions she had stocked up.”

“I didn’t agree to anything
. I merely let you ramble on. I wanted you to have something from me, not from the bitch from hell.” She grinned at him when he took the box from her. “You are never going to be easy, are you?”

“Nope. Now if you do this right
, I might thank you properly later.” She knew that even if he’d told her to wear the fucking ring, bitch, and walk away before she could answer, she’d thank him properly after she beat the shit out of him for not doing it her way. She loved this man.

About the Author

Kathi Barton, author of the bestselling series Force of Nature, lives in Nashport, Ohio with her husband Paul. In addition to writing full time Kathi likes to spend time with her eight grandkids, three children and three children-in-laws. She writes to rel
ax and have fun.

Her muse, a cross between Jimmy Stewart and Hugh Jackman brings them to life for her readers in a way that has them coming back time and again for more. Her favorite genre is paranormal romance with a great deal of spice. You can visit Kathi on line and drop her an email if you’d like. She loves hearing from her fans.
[email protected]
.

Follow Kathi on her blog:
http://kathisbartonauthor.blogspot.com/