Page 206 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

He embraced her then. “We still are.”

“Then you forgive me for the deception?” She returned his hug.

“Sure.” He released her. “But I still don’t get it. You could have come right to the door and asked about the explosion. You didn’t have to sneak in.”

“I wanted to find out the truth without anyone trying to spare my feelings.”

“But why?” Shayna put in. “What’s to know? The boat exploded. It was a terrible accident.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

Max was beginning to recognize that stubborn tilt to Becca’s chin. The rest of the family would be just as incredulous as he’d been at the thought of it being anything but an accident.

“What are you saying?” Nick asked slowly. “You don’t think it was an accident?”

“What?” Tate looked around as though dazed. “If it wasn’t an accident then--.”

Max glanced at his daughter. She shouldn’t hear this.

Before he could react, Gram rose. “I think Molly and I will take our dinner on the patio.” She rose with her plate in her hand. “Come along, Molly.”

Gram thought of everything. At least Molly wouldn’t be in on the coming explosion. Gram and Molly carried their plates out the door.

Shayna stared at Becca. “No one would have wished Mason and Suzanne any harm.”

“This visit was full of fights and disagreements.” Nick rubbed his chin.

“Oh?” Becca asked.

Max wasn’t about to let the conversation go there. “He’s exaggerating. Minor family spats, nothing more.” He sent his brother a glowering look.

Nick ignored it. “Family spats? I don’t know that I’d put them in that category, Max. Especially not that one you had with Suzanne.”

Becca turned to stare at Max. “You argued with my mom?”

“It was nothing,” he insisted. Heat scorched his face, and he sent Nick another warning look.

“Tell me,” Becca said.

“Your mom had a way of getting around Gram,” Nick said before Max could answer. “Max here was afraid she’d get Gram to cut Molly out of the will.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Max protested. He cut a piece of his meat and popped it into his mouth, but it was tasteless to him.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Shayna said. “Max naturally wanted to protect Molly’s interests.”

Becca’s blue eyes focused on Max, and his forehead broke out into a light sweat. He’d thought they were getting past this suspicion of one another. She already knew he wanted to protect Molly’s interests so why did she have to look at him with that shocked stare?

“You’re making it out to be more than it was,” he said. “I simply told her they’d been gone a long time, and Gram had other family to care about as well.”

Tate took a swig of his glass. “Give him a break. It’s not like the rest of us didn’t argue with them too. Mason came waltzing in here like the proverbial prodigal son, expecting to be welcomed with open arms. Gram was happy to oblige, but too much time had gone by for the rest of us.”

“And there was too much money involved,” Nick said.

“That too,” Tate agreed.

“You all fought with my parents?” Becca was sounding bewildered.

“Yep. Even Gram,” Shayna said. “I know you loved your parents, but they weren’t perfect, you know.”

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