Untamed Read Free

does he have to come? What does he want here?”
    â€œIt’s his circus,” Duffy reminded her. His voice was both rough and sympathetic.
    â€œIt’ll never be his circus,” Jo retorted passionately. Her eyes lit and glowed with a temper she rarely let have sway. “It’s Frank’s circus.”
    â€œFrank’s dead,” Duffy stated in a quiet, final tone. “Now the circus belongs to his son.”
    â€œSon?” Jo countered. She lifted her fingers to press them against her temple. Slowly, she moved to the window. Outside, the sun was pouring over the heads of troupers. She watched the members of the trapeze act, in thick robes worn over their tights, head toward the ring barn. The chatter of mixed languages was so familiar she failed to notice it. She placed her palms on the window sill and with a little sigh, steadied her temper. “What sort of son is it who never bothers to visit his father? In thirty years he never came to see Frank. He never wrote. He didn’t even come to the funeral.” Jo swallowed the tears of anger that rose to her throat and thickened her voice. “Why should he come now?”
    â€œYou’ve got to learn that life’s a two-sided coin, kiddo,” Duffy said briskly. “You weren’t even alive thirty years ago. You don’t know why Frank’s wife up and left him or why the boy never visited.”
    â€œHe’s not a boy, Duffy, he’s a man.” Jo turned back, and he saw that she again had herself under control. “He’s thirty-one, thirty-two years old now, a very successful attorney with a fancy Chicago office. He’s very wealthy, did you know?” A small smile played on her lips but failed to reach her eyes. “And not just from court cases and legal fees; there’s quite a lot of money on his mother’s side. Nice, quiet, old money. I can’t understand what a rich city lawyer would want with a tent circus.”
    Duffy shrugged his broad, round shoulders. “Could be he wants a tax shelter. Could be he wants to ride an elephant. Could be anything. He might want to take inventory and sell us off, piece by piece.”
    â€œOh, Duffy, no!” Emotion flew back into Jo’s face. “He couldn’t do that.”
    â€œThe heck he couldn’t,” Duffy muttered as he stubbed out his cigar. “He can do as he pleases. If he wants to liquidate, he liquidates.”
    â€œBut we have contracts through October. . . .”
    â€œYou’re too smart for that, Jo.” Duffy frowned, scratching his rim of hair. “He can buy them off or let them play through. He’s a lawyer. He can figure the way out of a contract if he wants to. He can wait till August when we start to negotiate again and let them all lapse.” Seeing Jo’s distress, he backpedaled. “Listen, kiddo, I didn’t say he was going to sell, I said he
could.
”
    Jo ran a hand through her hair. “There must be something we can do.”
    â€œWe can show a profit by the end of the season,” Duffy said wryly. “We can show the new owner what we have to offer. I think it’s important that he sees we’re not just a mud show but a profitable three-ring circus with class acts. He should see what Frank built, how he lived, what he wanted to do. I think,” Duffy added, watching Jo’s face, “that you should be in charge of his education.”
    â€œMe?” Jo was too incredulous to be angry. “Why? You’re better qualified in the public relations department than I am. I train lions, not lawyers.” She could not keep the hint of scorn from her voice.
    â€œYou were closer to Frank than anyone. And there isn’t anyone here who knows this circus better than you.” Again he frowned. “And you’ve got brains. Never thought much use would come of all those fancy books you read, but maybe I was