Page 3 of Loving Justice

“I’ve become quite aware.” Sam laughed. “Their mother made it all look so easy when they were babies. All the diaper changing, the night feedings, long nights of sickness. I never thought I’d ever be doing parenthood alone. If you love them enough, you’ll all be okay. That love will see you through. But love is never enough, Jinx. I respect your belief, but I’m telling you. You can love a child with all you have and they still need more.” He sighed as if he released the world from his shoulders. Almost as quickly, the stubborn pride came back to his expression. “I want to make you an irresistible offer.”

Jinx sunk back into the chair. “Sir?”

“Hell, life as a ranch hand isn’t easy. Especially with a kid to raise. I can change some of that for you.” Sam switched to the tough businessman that Jinx always knew. “Marry Justice.”

As if the ceiling had collapsed on top of Jinx, it took him a moment to recover before he moved forward. “I must have heard you wrong. Did you just say “marry” your daughter?”

“I did.” Sam smoothed his fingers over his jawline.

“With all due respect, I don’t think your daughter looks at me in that sense.”

“But you didn’t say you don’t look at her that way.”

Sam was clever, Jinx had realized that a long time ago. “She’s a beautiful, intelligent, successful woman. I don’t think you’d expect a man not to notice.”

As Sam eased into the chair, it creaked under his weight. He laced his fingers over his stomach as if digesting what he’d heard. “I could have hired anyone to trail my daughter. They would have found some satisfaction telling me she’d met with my enemy. But you…well, you didn't find any delight in the news. I think I’m a pretty good judge of character and I think you didn’t want to have to show me the photos.”

Jinx said, “I do not believe disrupting a father-daughter relationship offers any satisfaction.”

“You haven’t said no either about the marriage.”

Again, Sam paid close attention to facts. “Didn’t I? I think it takes two to marry, sir.”

Sam eased forward, his broad shoulders stretching the seams of his button-down. “I’ll take care of the details. If you say yes, you’ll be part of the Rose family, and so will your sister. There’s money here. Lots of it.”

“I am not motivated by wealth,” he said.

“Nonetheless, everyone has a price.”

Jinx exhaled slowly. “Not everyone owns well-regarded ranches, sir.”

“But here’s your chance to own your share. To make sure your sister is taken care of. Not to mention, Justice would be a good role model.”

“What makes you think Justice would agree?”

Sam’s gaze swung to the envelope. “I think she’ll see she has no choice.”

“Is that really what you want to do? Force her into marrying someone.” Jinx knew Sam could be creating a storm that couldn’t be tamed.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sam answered. “Yes.”

Jinx couldn’t quite wrap his head around what Sam was offering. “That’s a big request.”

“And you’re not saying no.”

Taking the time to think over his words carefully, Jinx couldn’t deny that he had developed feelings for Justice, but enough to marry her? That was an entirely different idea that would take time to digest. “No, I guess I’m not.” Thinking of another man marrying Justice, forced or not, made Jinx’s stomach turn.

“Then I’ll take it from here.”

“What do you want to do with those?” Jinx jutted his chin toward the envelope.

“I’ll keep them.” He swiped them up, dropped them into a drawer, and took out another envelope, tossing it onto the desk. “That’s yours, as we agreed.”

Jinx felt guilty accepting the cash, but he had a responsibility to his sister. College didn’t come free, and with her aspiration to attend one of the best universities and not a community college, he knew it wouldn’t be cheap. He’d already started looking into selling the farm to pay for Ilene’s needs. After their mother had passed, she’d left a mountain of medical debt that seemed impossible to get paid off.

He took the envelope and shoved it into pocket.

“Stay tuned, Jinx. And in the meantime, keep an eye on things.”

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