own grandson, into marrying for his own damnable purposes.â
âAnd what purposes would those be?â Marie asked, her hands going to her hips.
Christinaâs mouth was already open, but Nolen spoke first. âBuilding some god-awful legacy. As if he hasnât introduced enough unpleasantness into this world. He threatened his own daughter if they didnât do what he wanted.â
âOh, I bet thatâs all talk.â Marie looked sideways at Christina with a worried frown pulling all her wrinkles in a southern direction. âIs this true? Is he forcing you into something you donât want?â
This was getting way out of handâand way more personal than Christina wanted. âNo. I volunteered. And nothing has been decided yet.â But I will take care of Lilyâand all of you.
Marie went on, her frown softening a little. âMaybe our Christina is exactly what Aiden needs right now. These things happen for a reason, I do believe.â
Christinaâs heart melted with Marieâs sugar-scented hug, but she doubted anything she did would soften the hardened heart of the Blackstone heir.
âYou never know what might happen in a year,â Marie said with a sly smile. âBesides, family takes care of their own. Sheâll be fine here with us.â
This conversation was almost unbelievable. If Christina hadnât been in Jamesâs room, she wouldnât have believed the situation herself.
Christinaâs mind echoed with Marieâs words. A year was a short time in some ways, a long time in others. Would she come out on the other side whole? Or with a broken heart to go with her divorce decree?
As long as Lily and the rest of her family were safe and cared for, it would be worth it for Christina. Marie was right. These people were her family, as close as sheâd come to having one since her parents had divorced when she was eight. Who was she kidding? Her family had never been real.
As a child, Christinaâs sole purpose in life had been as a pawn in her motherâs strategy to extort more and more money from her father. Thatâs where Christina had learned what two-faced meantâher mother all lovey-dovey when Dad showed up, abandoning her at her society friendsâ houses when she was no longer useful. A hard lesson, but Christina had learned it well.
Sheâd promised herself when sheâd turned eighteen that sheâd never go back to that kind of situation; never again have no value outside of what she could do for another.
So was she truly willing to become James Blackstoneâs pawn?
* * *
âWhen are you heading back? That Zabinski woman is killing me.â
He didnât want to think about Ellen Zabinski right now. He had enough problems on his hands. After a solid twenty-four hours of thinking, Aiden knew what he had to do. He still didnât want to, but this choice was inevitable.
âIâm not.â
The dead silence would have been amusing if Aiden wasnât in such a bind. His assistant Trishaâs silence was as rare as some of the art he imported. While he waited for her to recover, he paced across his bedroom to gaze out the back window. He compared the view of the lush country yard, the gentle sway of the grass and tree branches in the breeze, with the constant motion of the city. The very sereneness made him want to fall asleep. Not in a good way. Why would he consider uprooting his busy life, even if it was only for a few months?
A myriad of reasons not to do this rambled through his mindâwork, taking a stand against his grandfatherâs high-handedness, a lack of interest in the mill and a whole host of other things. Then his gaze fell on the chestnut-haired beauty strolling across the lawn to talk to the gardener. Christina smiled, stealing his breath. Her stride was sure, and those hips... As she spoke, her hands gestured with elegant grace to illustrate her words.
He should be worried about his momânot her nurse. But as Christina looked up into the fifty-year-old weeping willow in the backyard, exposing the vulnerable skin of her throat, Aidenâs mouth watered.
When Trisha finally spoke again, her words were slow and measured. âWhatâs going on?â
âLetâs just say, I will be stuck cleaning up family business for a while.â
She wasnât buying that. âHow long can it take to get the ball rolling on the estate? He had a will, right? Why would that require you to be on-site?â
âYes, he had a will, but thatâs not really helpful since he isnât dead.â
A single bout of silence from Trisha was a surprise. Twice in one conversationâa miracle. But she came back with her usual snarky humor.
âSo are you trying to talk me into moving to the wilds of South Carolina? Marty wouldnât care much for that.â
Just the thought of Italian-born-and-bred Antonio Martinelli in Black Hills was enough to brighten Aidenâs day. âNo, as amusing as that would be, I was thinking more along the lines of giving you an assistant and a raise.â
Make that three spells of silence, although the pause was much shorter this time. âDonât tease me, Aiden.â
âIâm not kidding,â he said, feeling as if he should raise his hand in a scout-style salute. âYouâve worked hard, sharpened your own sales skills. Iâm gonna need help to pull this off. We can do a lot by conference call and video chats, and Iâll make a trip up there when necessary. But the majority of first contact and sales will fall on you.â
Aiden ignored the surge of misery at the thought of being away from his business for long. But he wouldnât be out of contact. And he would not lose the gem it had cost him years of his life to build.
âItâs only temporary,â he assured his assistant and himself. âJust until I can get legal custody of Mother.â But watching until Christina disappeared from sight, Aiden knew his motives werenât nearly that noble.
Turning away, he gave Trisha a brief rundown of his grandfatherâs demands.
âWhoa,â she said. âAnd I thought Italian-American grandparents were demanding. Thatâs crazy. Why would you go through with that?â
âAt least a wife will give me a weapon against Ellen,â he said, making light of his current struggle. Shivers erupted just thinking about the barracuda with whom heâd mildly enjoyed his customary night, only to have her decide once wasnât enough. Sheâd spent the last month making his life miserable. âHow often has she called the office?â Aiden had blocked her from his cell phone.
âOh, every afternoon like clockwork. She doesnât believe that you arenât here. Iâm just waiting for her to show up in person and force me to pull out my pepper spray.â
There was way too much glee in his assistantâs voice. âDonât get arrested.â
âI
