Time of Possession (Seattle Lumberjacks #5) Read Free Page B

strength—laced with insecurity, at least around her—that
she found dangerously alluring. She suspected he was a guy you
could depend on in a crunch even if he didn’t believe it
himself.
    And he loved animals.
    She turned to her fiancé, a man who
pretended he liked her animals but wasn’t the least bit comfortable
around them. Richard didn’t get her attachment to her furry family,
though he swore once they got married, and he lived with her
babies, he’d grow to love them. She was skeptical. Why would
marriage make a difference in his feelings?
    “Estelle, have you set a date yet?”
    Estie snapped herself out of her daydreams
and faked a smile at Eunice, who’d returned to their table.
    “July tenth at Harris Mansion in the San
Juans.”
    She had Richard’s full attention now, along
with his father’s.
    Eunice pursed her lips in disapproval, as if
Estie were a small child who didn’t understand the lay of the land.
“The country club is perfect for a wedding, and everything can be
catered here.”
    “I made all the arrangements around getting
married at The Mansion. The place is important to my family and to
me. The San Juans are beautiful, and the view from the mansion is
unequalled. I have it all planned.”
    “Of course you do,” Richard smiled
indulgently at her. “Mother, I’m sure Estie will enlist your
help.”
    “Right now I don’t know what that would be,”
Estie said.
    Eunice huffed, arms crossed over her skinny
chest and gave Estie one of those I’m not done with this subject
yet glares. Estie knew that look all too well. Nothing she did
pleased Eunice, but this wasn’t Eunice’s wedding, and Estie had it
planned to the n th degree, just like she planned everything
else in her life.
    They ate their lunch in tension-laced
silence, and Estie breathed a sigh of relief when Eunice and Gary
excused themselves so Gary could make his tee time. Richard gazed
after them longingly, obviously wishing he could join them instead
of going back to the office. Typical Richard.
    “My mother doesn’t have any daughters. It’d
be nice if you’d let her help you.” Richard almost pouted.
    Estie glanced up at the man she’d
decided—after much cajoling on his part—to marry. He fit in her
carefully orchestrated life. He never asked for much in the way of
an emotional commitment from her any more than she did from him.
This would be a practical marriage of two parties. They’d been
friends for years, since college, business partners for a couple
years, and engaged for three months. It seemed like the natural
progression of things. Estie knew chances were slim she would have
the devoted, lifelong passion her parents had had, so why not have
a mutual partnership with a good friend? There were no surprises
with Richard. She knew exactly what she was getting, good and bad,
and when it came to the bad, it wasn’t anything she couldn’t
handle.
    Even if he didn’t make her feel with one
look—the way Brett made her feel. She rubbed her eyes and sighed
wearily, finally answering Richard. “She’ll take over.” Frowning,
she sipped her water. She never drank during business hours. It
dulled her thinking.
    “Let her help, Estie. Please.” Richard said,
tapping his right index finger on the table, a mannerism which
annoyed the hell out of her.
    “I’ve worked out all the details. I don’t
know what would be left for her to do.” How do you tell your fiancé
that you didn’t want to spend one extra minute with his overbearing
mother?
    “How about flowers? She could help with
flowers.”
    Over Estie’s dead or dying body. She shook
her head.
    “Do we really need to get married in the San
Juans?” Richard’s voice started to take on that annoying whine that
set her teeth on edge.
    “It’s all planned.” She called forth her
Harris stubborn streak, refusing to back down.
    “Our guests don’t want to travel to the San
Juan Islands and watch us get married in a ratty old mansion.”
    Okay,