Just A Little Bit Married. Teresa Southwick

telling Rose that it was about to be on the “rich and famous” radar. A place for her to build success too but he had yet to hear from her. It was amazing how much that bugged him. And it’s not like he hadn’t known there was a better-than-even chance she would tell him to stick his offer where the sun didn’t shine.

      “Opportunity in rural Montana?” Mason drained the rest of the Scotch in his glass. “There’s nowhere to go but up when you’re in the sticks.”

      “It has an airport now.” A thought popped into Linc’s mind. “You should think about opening a law office there.”

      “I’m not licensed to practice in Montana.”

      “You could be. It’s probably not a big deal to make that happen.” Linc sat on the leather love seat. “There’s no competition right now. Could be a good move for you, my friend.”

      “Not so bad for you, either.” The attorney’s tone was wry.

      This man was an outstanding lawyer. Principled, meticulous, conscientious and smart. They’d met while working for Hart Industries, then Mason had opened his own law firm. When Linc’s personal attorney passed away Mason was the guy he wanted. “I’ll admit having legal counsel close by would be convenient, but your success and happiness are a concern.”

      Mason laughed. That was worth mentioning because it didn’t happen often. He was far too serious. Linc figured a woman would find him good-looking and wondered what Rose would think. For a split second there was a white-hot flash of jealousy. Not unlike the feeling he’d experienced when she’d mentioned dating someone and that it was getting serious. Again he had a flicker of annoyance at her not getting back to him about the job offer.

      “Seriously?” The other man set his empty glass on the silver tray beside the Scotch bottle. “My happiness?”

      “Blackwater Lake is a great place. Nice people. Beautiful scenery. Lots to do all year round with the lake and the mountains. You could have a hand in shaping its growth in a positive way. And do something good for yourself at the same time.”

      Mason’s eyes narrowed. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you once call it Black Hole, Montana?”

      “That was a different time.”

      Linc remembered it well. Ellie had called him, upset because she was pregnant and things were not going well between her and the baby’s father, Alex McKnight. The man had eventually won over Linc as well as Sam and Cal. He married Ellie and they had a daughter, Leah, who was two. Moving to the small town in Montana was the best thing ever, she often said to him. Now he was going to see whether or not she was right.

      “So, Mason, before we grab dinner, you’re probably wondering how the meeting went.”

      “I’m assuming you’re talking about the one with your wife,” the attorney clarified.

      That took Linc by surprise. The wife part. It had been ten years and as Rose had pointed out, they were married for fifteen minutes. Not nearly long enough to think about her being his wife. Regret about that coiled inside him. And in the decade that had passed no woman had gotten close to him again. Ellie had said more than once that he used women like cocktail napkins and threw them away because he’d never fallen in love. The truth was exactly the opposite. Because he’d loved so deeply and had to let her go he wouldn’t ever risk it a second time.

      “Linc?”

      “Yeah. Right. How did it go with Rose.” He shook his head to clear it and thought for a moment. “Better than I expected.”

      Mason waited, then finally said, “Care to give me the highlights?”

      “She didn’t throw anything.”

      “You were at her place.” It wasn’t a question.

      Since Linc hadn’t given him the when and where, he asked, “How did you know?”

      “She didn’t want to break any of her stuff.”

      “Ah.” He hadn’t thought of that when picking the venue for his bombshell. His only thought had been that the last thing she’d ever said to him was that she never wanted to see him again. There wouldn’t have been a meeting if he’d tried to set one up. Surprise had been the only option. And it worked, sort of. He’d expected to feel nothing and got a surprise of his own at the flood of emotion, the explosion of memories that was like being pelted with hail.

      “And after she didn’t throw anything?” Mason prompted. “What did she say?”

      “She didn’t believe it.” Linc had revealed everything to his attorney, including the fact that Hastings Hart was not his biological father. “I explained what happened and convinced her it was true. Of course she wanted to know how the divorce screwup happened.”

      “You get what you pay for.” There was an ironic tone in the other man’s voice.

      “I already told you that was before your time. Rose seemed...sympathetic after I told her about what happened.”

      Sympathy was so much more palatable than pity. And he would never be sure whether or not his standing in a financial dynasty mattered to her because he’d taken that choice out of her hands. It was impossible to know for sure if she fell in love with him, or the him that was part of the Hart family fiscal package. But in the last ten years he’d learned women were attracted to money even when it came from a bastard.

      “What did she say?”

      Linc met the other man’s gaze. “That I should have told her what was going on.”

      “You have no idea how hard it is for me not to say ‘duh.’”

      “Don’t think I didn’t notice you just did.” Linc sighed. “No one is disputing the fact that I’m an ass.”

      “It’s not too late to change.”

      “Sometimes it is.”

      “You’re ten years older and wiser,” Mason reminded him.

      “True. But age and wisdom can’t undo what I did to her. Only reparation can do that.”

      “It’s true that I haven’t worked for you long, but I’m sensing something.” Mason’s attorney expression returned. “Did she mention retaining legal counsel?”

      “No.”

      “She should,” Mason pointed out. “To protect her rights.”

      “I have no intention of treating her unfairly in the divorce settlement.”

      The other man’s eyes narrowed. “Then what did you do?”

      “I offered her a job.”

      “Doing what?”

      Linc hadn’t shared his research on Rose. “She has an interior-design business and it’s not doing well. She needs some help.”

      “So, you’re giving her money?” There was no approval or judgment in the other man’s voice, he was just seeking clarification of facts.

      “No. I want to hire her to decorate my place in Blackwater Lake. With the possibility of future high-profile projects to strengthen her résumé and get more work.”

      Mason thought that over, then nodded approvingly. “Smart move. Keep her happy to avoid an ugly and public divorce. In the long run a goodwill gesture could be less expensive than a lawsuit for retroactive alimony. Alienation of affection.”

      “This has nothing to do with dodging back–spousal support. She’s entitled to a generous settlement.” Pain and suffering came to mind and Linc winced. He hated that he was the one who’d hurt her. “But you should know that she hasn’t agreed to my offer yet.”

      It had been long enough and Linc was beginning to wonder if Rose planned to ignore his proposition. He wasn’t sure what constituted a decent length of time