The Mighty Quinns: Eli (13 page)

“No. If they don't want to do this your way, then we should just buy the project back from them. Return their investment and take control.”

“That's a lovely idea, but I don't have the money to do that and neither do you—”

“But I do,” he said.

She stared at him, puzzled, and he realized he hadn't fully explained. “My mother recently told me that as Max Quinn's son, I'm entitled to some money.”

“The inheritance you mentioned a few months ago?”

“Yes, from my great-aunt, the Irish novelist Aileen Quinn. All I have to do is pass a DNA test, prove I'm a Quinn and then I get a million dollars. There is the small possibility I may not be Max Quinn's son, but my mother assures me it's pretty tiny.”

“That's amazing. But it's your money.”

He brushed a kiss across her lips. “Yes. And I'd be giving some of it to you. To make your program about my grandmother. I have a vested interest in this, too.”

The temptation was nearly overwhelming. It would solve every one of her problems. She could continue on here for the rest of her year and not have to worry about anything except doing what she originally set out to do. He was giving her a free pass and she ought to grab it and run.

And yet, every instinct deep inside of her screamed at her to refuse. She'd lived her entire life fighting for what she wanted and needed. No one had ever given her a handout or a hand up and Lucy was proud of that fact. To take his money would be to admit she'd been defeated.

She ran her fingers through his hair, then pulled him into a long, deep kiss. Her tongue traced the crease between his lips and with a groan, Eli pulled her beneath him, the kiss intensifying.

He was the kindest, sweetest man she'd ever known. And yet, he held the power to consume her. He'd been chipping away at her resolve from the moment they'd met, making her more and more dependent upon him. And now, he wanted to make her financially dependent on him as well.

There were times, like this, that she wanted to drop the weight of living her life and let someone else deal with her problems. It would be wonderful to let her guard down. “I'm still cold,” she murmured.

He kissed her again. “Maybe I can do something to fix that,” Eli said. “They say, in the case of hypothermia, you should take off all your clothes and find a nice warm body to use for heat.”

“Who says that?” she asked.

“I don't know. But it sounds like a good idea. And I'd be willing to be the body if you'd be willing to take your clothes off.”

“I might be too tired to take off my clothes,” she said.

Eli sat up and took her hand, pulling her to her knees. Slowly, he undressed her, discarding each piece of clothing before exploring the exposed skin with his lips. Lucy smoothed her hands through his thick hair, watching as he lazily seduced her.

Was surrender her only option with Eli? How much longer could she fight him? Sooner or later, she'd have to admit how much he meant to her. Without her even being aware of it, he'd carved out a spot in her heart. And now, she wondered if she could live without him.

A deep ache stole her breath for a moment and she wrapped her arms around him as his lips found her breast. There were moments when she was with him when all the pain and tragedy that she'd experienced in her life just melted away. Moments when she felt as if she could begin her life all over again.

As he slipped inside her and began to move, Lucy arched against him, desperate to feel the weight and the heat of his body. The familiar anticipation began to build and she started on the slow climb to her release. Before long, she'd drifted into a world of pure sensation and instinctive response.

But how long could this go on? How long would she crave him so deeply that it defied all reason?

* * *

E
LI
SAT
AT
a leather chair at the end of a huge conference table, staring at a piece of abstract art that looked suspiciously like a donkey riding a bicycle. Aileen Quinn's representative had called a week ago to set up the appointment, and Eli had assumed that meant his DNA test had checked out. The guy wouldn't make a trip all the way from Ireland to tell him that he wasn't a Quinn, would he?

The conference room overlooked the main office and Eli watched as the staff, all dressed in serious suits, buzzed around like bees in a hive. He'd never in his life wanted to work in an office. To keep regular nine-to-five hours seemed like a prison sentence to him.

Yet, it was easy to shun the corporate world and a regular paycheck when it was just him. When a guy took on a wife and had a family, everything changed. He suddenly had to provide a comfortable and secure future for those he loved.

Not that he'd seen any of that when he was a kid. He and Annalise had always lived hand-to-mouth. When there was extra money, it had gone to his mother's climbing expeditions. Buck and Trudie had provided incidental cash, and once Eli was old enough to work, he'd supported himself. But that was back when minimum wage seemed like a million bucks to a teenager.

Now he had a million bucks, more money than he could make in twenty years. But was it enough? It was plenty if he lived off the grid at the cabin, plenty if he carefully invested the majority of it. But in the real world, even a million wouldn't last a lifetime.

A slender man dressed in an impeccable suit hurried into the room. He held out his hand. “Hello. My name is Ian Stephens. I'm here representing Aileen Quinn.”

“Eli Montgomery,” he said. Eli stood and shook the other man's hand, then sat down. Another lawyer followed Ian in and sat at the opposite end of the table, quietly taking notes, even though nothing had been said beyond the greeting.

“I'm glad you decided to contact us,” Stephens said. “Miss Quinn is quite anxious to welcome you into the Quinn family.”

“I'm not sure I'm a Quinn,” he said. “I mean, even if there is Quinn blood running through my veins, I don't have any kind of connection to the family. They're just names to me.”

“I certainly can understand that, Mr. Montgomery. But the results of the DNA test do indeed prove that Maxwell Quinn is your father. That means Conal Quinn is your grandfather. And Malcolm, Rogan, Ryan and Dana Quinn are your half brothers and sister. As a Quinn heir, Aileen Quinn is determined to take care of you.”

“Funny. I've never heard that name before in my life. Conal? You can understand that I'm having a hard time taking this all in.”

“Yes, of course. Maybe this will make it easier?” He held out an envelope.

Hesitantly, Eli took it, then opened the flap and withdrew the check. There it was. Nearly half a million dollars. And his name was typed on the check. “Wow.”

“As we discussed earlier, the other half of your inheritance will be given to you upon your visit to Ireland. Miss Quinn has made a point of visiting with every one of her brothers' descendants and we hope you'll be no exception.”

“I'm afraid it's going to be a while until I can get there,” Eli said. “I'm in the middle of a project right now and won't be able to get away until May or June.”

“Miss Quinn is in her late nineties. The sooner you can visit, the better.” He held out his business card. “Call me and we'll make all the travel arrangements to and from Ireland.”

“Ireland,” Eli said. “I'm Irish.”

“Indeed you are. And you have quite a number of relatives all around the world, many right here in the States.” Ian stood up and closed his briefcase. “Well, it was a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to welcoming you to Ireland.”

“Thank you,” Eli said, staring down at the check.

Ian pushed another envelope across the table, this one a larger manila packet. “I thought you might enjoy this, as well. It's some information about the Quinn side of your family. About your half siblings and some of your cousins.”

The man smiled, then briskly walked out of the room, leaving Eli with the ever-silent lawyer. Eli grinned and held up the check. “So, how much of this do I owe you?”

“Nothing, sir. Mr. Stephens took care of my fee.”

“What do I do now?” Eli asked.

“I'd suggest you visit the bank,” the lawyer said as he stood. “Can I get you anything, Mr. Montgomery?”

“No. I'm just going to sit here for a while and let this all sink in. Is that all right?”

The lawyer nodded. “Perfectly fine.”

Eli stared down at the check, reading the amount over and over again, as if it might just change in front of his eyes. He'd never wanted anything from his father, not that it had ever been offered. At one time, it had helped to be angry that he'd been ignored. But at this point in his life, it was reassuring to know where he came from. That he had siblings, that he had roots.

And there were things he wanted to do, and some of those things required money. This money came without strings, beyond a short trip to Ireland to meet a distant relative. This money could buy a whole new life for himself. A life that included Lucy.

He jumped up from the table and grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, then headed for the door. If he wanted to get back to the cabin before the sun fell, he'd need to leave soon. But as he stepped outside, he realized a quick hike to the cabin was no longer in the cards. Another snow squall had moved in.

Glancing down at the check, he smiled. He didn't have to hike anymore. Hell, within the hour, he'd have half a million dollars in the bank. He could get home to Lucy in style. He could also bring along a few luxuries, things that wouldn't fit in a backpack.

“Eli!”

He turned at the sound of his name and saw his mother approaching, dressed in a trendy winter jacket trimmed in fur. When she caught up to him, she threw her arms around his neck and gave him a fierce hug. “I'm glad I ran into you. I've left at least ten messages on your cell phone.”

“I've been up at the cabin. They hired me to do some camera work and I—”

“Yes, I heard. I also heard about your meeting this morning with the lawyer. Are you rich now?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“Good. I know you've never been interested in that side of the family, not that I've encouraged you. But at least you've gotten something positive from it.”

“If you need anything, Mom, I'd be happy to—”

“Don't be ridiculous. It's your money.” She paused. “But you might want to give a little to your grandfather. Buck has been struggling a bit lately. He's supposed to have knee surgery but he's been putting it off because he can't afford it.”

“I'll go see him today,” Eli said.

Annalise smiled and pressed her palm to Eli's cheek. “I'm so happy for you. This money will make your life easier. It will give you opportunities. You can travel the world. Where are you going to go first?”

“I think I'll be staying here for a while,” Eli said.

“Here? But you hate it here.”

“I meant I want to stay at the cabin. I've got this job that's supposed to last through the winter. And I like spending time up there and—”

Annalise gasped. Then a slow grin spread across her face. “Are you sleeping with Lucy Parker?” She watched him with a shrewd gaze then laughed. “Oh, my God, you are. So that's where you've been spending all your days. Well, this is an interesting development.”

“And it's also none of your business. I'd appreciate it if you'd keep the news to yourself. I don't want the producers hearing about it. They may want to include it in the show.”

Annalise slipped her arm around his. “It'll be our secret—as long as you take me out for breakfast and tell me all about it.”

“I'm not going to talk about it.”

“Do you love her?”

Eli opened his mouth to answer then realized he didn't really have a reply for that question. In truth, the reply changed daily, hell, sometimes hourly. Was he falling in love with Lucy? Maybe. Probably. More and more with every day that passed. Did he love her? That was a bridge he hadn't yet crossed.

“I have to stop at the bank and then I'm going to see Buck. We'll have breakfast another day. I'm going to be around for a few more months.”

She pushed up on her toes and gave him a kiss. “Let's do dinner, then. I want you to meet Richard.”

“I thought you and Richard were fighting.”

“Oh, he made a lovely apology and took me to Las Vegas for a little getaway weekend. Then I took him to Death Valley and we went hiking.”

“Nice,” he said. “I'm glad you're having fun.”

Eli got into his truck and pulled out into the street. After a stop at the bank and lots of good wishes from the employees there, he headed to the edge of town and a rustic A-frame where his grandfather, Buck Garrison, resided.

Like his grandmother's cabin, Buck's place was home to Eli. He'd spent most of the year sleeping in the loft bedroom while he attended high school. Buck had been the closest thing he had to a father and he could always count on him for good advice.

Eli rang the doorbell and a few seconds later a shout came from inside. “I'm comin'. Hold yer water.” When the door swung open, a huge figure filled it.

Buck was a massive man, a wall of muscle and sinew. Even at age seventy, there wasn't an ounce of fat on his body. His once-black hair was now a shock of white, and his dark skin was still nearly smooth, owing to his Native-American ancestry. He was a formidable figure with a charming nature that attracted women young enough to date Eli.

“Well, what we have here? You look something like a grandson I once had. I heard you were back in town.”

“Stop,” Eli said. “I know I haven't been around lately, but I've had a good reason.”

“You goin' to tell me what that reason is?” Buck asked.

“I will if you'll let me in,” Eli said.