Free Passionate Bid by Tierney O’Malley Page B

with Dana. So the ring was somewhere in her house.
    “You should have told me about Sam, Joanie. I have the right to know.” Right? What right was he talking about? “Stop. When you left me, you gave up your rights. And aren”t you here to severe the last remaining connection you have with me?”
    “When I left I didn”t know you were with a child.”
    “Would you be happy if you found out you got me pregnant? Would the baby have stopped you from leaving me? While in Manhattan and you heard I was pregnant with your baby, would you have come running back here? I don”t think so. You”d probably move to Antarctica just to get away from me, from us. Don”t be such a hypocrite. You”re here because you want me to sign your damn divorce papers that you damn insisted that I returned twice. Why don”t we just talk about that, huh?” She ignored Julian”s hand motioning for her to stop. “Forget about Sam.
    You don”t need us. We don”t need you. We lived and survived without you. I survived. Damn it, Julian! You”re not supposed to know.”
    “Calm down, Joanie. You”ll wake up Sam.”
    “I am calm!” Jesus! She smacked her palm on her forehead. I don’t need this aggravation. I just want to sit down and rest my damn feet!
    “When Sam said her papa sailed, is that what you told her about me? Or there is really another man she thought to be her father? ”
    “There is no other man, Doctor Ravenwood. Sam”s papa is Dad. My dad and he”s dead. Sailing on a ship is the only way I could explain to Sam why Dad”s not here anymore.”
    “Then who wrote the notes?”
    “Dad. He wrote them. He shouldn”t have let you in on Sam. It was a mistake.”
    Julian looked down at the crumpled envelope in Joanie”s hands. “Your dad?
    You”re saying it was Saint Claire who wrote the notes.”
    “Yes. I recognized his writing.”
    “But he didn”t like me.”
    “He didn”t. But he thought you deserved to know.”
    “Smart. Well, he made a smart move. Hardhead, but smart. What he did wasn”t a mistake. He wrote the note with a good purpose.” Yes, Dad had a good reason—Sam. Her dad had gone through all the trouble of sending Julian the notes for Sam”s sake. It must have pained him to do it, but he did anyway. He loved Sam so much that he was willing to share her with the man he despised.
    A good purpose. Nodding to herself, she looked Julian straight in the eye. “The papers. I will sign them. On one condition.”
    “If it”s within the bounds of reason, I will accept it.” Arrogant…handsome beast. “One hundred thousand for your freedom.” The amount would be enough for what she needed. She”d be able to fix the house and maybe have enough to buy a small shop. And she could keep the property—Sam”s woods.
    “Quite a big amount, don”t you think?”
    “Not if you won”t hear from me and Sam ever again. You”ll be free to remarry and be free of us. You don”t have to worry about child support, alimony, or anything.”
    “If I give you that money, you”ll sign the divorce papers, and I won”t hear from you again?”
    “Yes.”
    “Do you think demanding money was Saint Claire”s reason for writing the notes?”
    “No. Dad would never lower himself that way. He was an honest and hardworking man. He”d eat slugs before he”d beg for money or use extortion. This is my decision.”
    “So, this is why I didn”t hear from you for four years. You were waiting for me to make the first move so you could make demands?” He was wrong, but Joanie didn”t feel it necessary to explain why. “Think about it. You won”t have to support Sam. Give me the money and we”ll be off your hands. This way when you remarry, you”ll start with a clean slate. You”re wife to-be wouldn”t have to know about us.”
    “Damn it, Joanie. Do you honestly think, now that I learned about Sam, that I could just forget about her? That I”d turn my back on her?”
    “You already did, Julian. What”s the