Free Broken Vows (Domestic Discipline Romance) by Mariella Starr Page B

this mess, and be stronger than ever."
    * * *
    Josh left home after many, many hours of reassuring Emmie about his going away. He didn't want his baby girl traumatized by his leaving. At one point, he and Jenny had even discussed him taking Emmie with him. With a lot of discussions and promises, Emmie agreed that he could go if he called her every day. She wasn't talking yet, but she was very good at shaking and nodding her head to make herself understood.
    He flew into Denver where he caught a local flight into Grand Junction Regional Airport. From there, he drove to Montrose to spend the better part of a day and evening talking to his old college friends and now potential business partners. The business was still in its planning stages so it would be months before they could finalize the deal. They had a lot of research and development to conduct before putting any money on the line. There was also the issue of where he would live. His friends assured him telecommuting would make it viable wherever he lived. He bought into the partnership.
    His next stop was Durango to meet with Mr. Mitchim and take possession of several envelopes filled with keys to houses and safe deposit boxes, as well as large boxes filled with portfolio files. He had already been in contact with the money management company who had dealt with Harold Bentley's fortune. At least, he knew that was not an issue. It was the same firm that worked for his father.
    True to what Tyrell had promised, Henry Grayson was elated at his son's sudden turn of fortune. He had also dispensed good advice and given his son several contacts in investment and asset management firms. His father echoed his brother's advice to get his marriage on solid ground before making too many major lifestyle changes. Money was a complication in marriage, not a quick fix for relationship issues.
    With hand-drawn directions from Mr. Mitchim, Josh drove outside Durango to view the Bentley property. Within a few minutes of wandering around, he got an idea he thought might work. He spent two long days inspecting the buildings and making lists. He went back to Mr. Mitchim's office to set arrangements in motion for the house to be readied for his family. He put Mr. Mitchim under retainer as his attorney.
    * * *
    Jenny often thought her mother must have a spy in the neighborhood. How else could Denise know when Josh was not around? She arrived at their house, not ten minutes after Jenny returned from dropping him off at the airport. Since then, Denise had come every day, several times a day. She brought with her the constant snide and disapproving remarks. She did not bring a willingness to help.
    "I can't believe you are allowing him to ruin your life," Denise sniffed as she looked around at the boxes stacked against walls.
    "We are doing what we have to do, Mom," Jenny said as she put Adam into his highchair and lifted Emmie into a chair for lunch. She took cooked vegetables left over from the previous night's meal out of the refrigerator for Adam and set them aside while she made soup and a sandwich for Emmie. "In some ways, I am looking forward to it."
    "It is unbelievable," snorted Denise. "I warned you when you married him, he would not amount to anything. Look at what he has done! Maureen Pugh is livid and spreading rumors around the country club that Josh sued her husband's company and because if it, the government is snooping around his business."
    "Well, first of all, Mr. Pugh no longer owns the company. It retained his name, but another corporation owns it. Second, if Mr. Pugh had treated Josh ethically, along with a number of other employees, there would have been no need for a lawsuit. I don't think the government would be snooping around unless they suspected something illegal."
    "I have to deal with the Pughs, Jennifer," Denise reminded her daughter. "We are in the same clubs and social circles. It is grossly unfair for Josh to have put me in this position."
    "You are not in a