In His Brother's Place Read Free Page A

enough to eat. But the one thing we never did was accept
charity. And I’m not accepting your charity now.”
    Jordan’s impatience surged. What was wrong with the woman?
Didn’t she understand that what he was offering wasn’t a handout? The ranch was
Lucas’s birthright, and he had just as much right to it as Jordan did. “This
isn’t charity,” he snapped. “Lucas is my brother’s son. He’s entitled to—”
    “He’s entitled to learn the value of hard work and have the
satisfaction of earning his way in the world. I can give him that much, at
least.” She rose, trembling. “So take your offer and go. We don’t need your
help. We don’t want it.”
    Jordan stood, looming over her. Angie’s head barely came to his
chin, but she looked capable of drawing blood. Time to retreat and regroup.
    Scowling down at her, he nodded. “All right, I’ve made the
decent gesture. Because you won’t accept my help, all I can do is leave. But if
you change your mind—”
    “I won’t. Goodbye, Jordan.”
    Without another word he strode out the door and closed it
behind him. Heading down the hall, he heard the rattle of the chain latch and
the click of the closing dead bolt.
    What a proud little thing she was. Jordan couldn’t help but
admire her spirit. But in rejecting his offer, she’d made a foolish decision.
She didn’t deserve another chance.
    But Justin’s son deserved every chance, and giving him that
chance was Jordan’s responsibility. He remembered the joy on Lucas’s face when
he thought his father had returned. Now that he’d seen the boy, Jordan knew he
couldn’t just turn his back and walk away. Maybe he couldn’t force Angie to
accept his offer. But he could make sure she had a
way to reach him in case she changed her mind.
    With a sigh, he fished a business card out of his wallet and
scrawled his private number on the back. Turning around, he slipped the card
under the door. Angie would probably tear it up. But that was a chance he’d have
to take. There was more at stake here than a woman’s pride—far more than
Angelina Montoya could ever know.

Two
    A ngie lay in a tangle of sheets and blankets, her eyes staring up into the darkness. Through the cheap plastic blinds, floodlights cast dingy streaks on the far wall. Out on the street, a motorcycle coughed, roared and faded into the night.
    Jordan’s card lay on the nightstand. She should’ve torn it to pieces or, better yet, burned it. She’d have no need to contact him because she had no intention of accepting his offer. She and Lucas were doing all right. They had a roof over their heads, enough to eat, enough to wear and enough spare change to put a few gallons of gas in the ’96 Toyota she drove as little as possible.
    But uncertainties dogged her every waking hour. What if her business failed? She’d be lucky to find a job that would pay enough for decent day care. What if she got sick or, worse, what if Lucas did? She could barely afford baby aspirin, let alone medical insurance. What about the years ahead? Could she pay for sports, trips and music lessons? Could she pay for college?
    And how would Lucas feel when he found out his father’s family was wealthy, and she’d raised him in poverty rather than take their help?
    Today she’d received an offer that could end those worries. Her pride was only part of the reason she’d shown Jordan the door. To give her son a better life, she would have been willing to humble that pride. Maybe if the offer had come from Jordan’s mother, she would have taken it, ignoring the way it would have burned to accept anything from a woman who’d treated her like she was no better than dirt.
    So why had she really turned Jordan down?
    As if she didn’t know.
    The memory of that fateful New Year’s Eve opened in her mind like a big-screen movie. An old schoolmate of the twins had thrown a party at her home. Angie and Justin had driven there together. Jordan had come later, alone.
    By the