Sweet Fortune

your aunt and your father once had a brief affair?”
    “Really?” Jessie was wide-awake now. “Are you sure?”
    “Vincent told me about it this afternoon. He implied that was one of the reasons he helped her pay her way when she went back to college. He felt he owed her something.”
    “I'm stunned.” Jessie sat up against the pillows and wrapped her arms around her updrawn knees. “I can't believe those two would ever get together in a million years.”
    “Why not?”
    “Well, for one thing, she doesn't seem like his type. She's not colorful and sophisticated and outgoing like Constance and Lilian. She's not oriented toward art and design, the way they are. She's so serious all the time. And so clinical, if you know what I mean.”
    “The affair didn't last long. Your father implied he was at a low point because of the divorce from Lilian and Glenna was getting over being abandoned by her husband. One thing led to another. Then, according to Vincent, they both came to their senses.”
    Jessie turned that over in her mind. “I can see how it would happen. But it still seems strange, somehow.”
    “I agree.”
    “I wonder if Mom knows.”
    “I doubt it. Vincent said he never told her or anyone else, and he doesn't think Glenna did either. I got the feeling they both regretted the whole thing.”
    “Strange how you can know the members of your own family for so many years and still not know their secrets,” Jessie mused.
    Hatch turned toward her, his face unreadable in the deep shadows. “Your aunt talked about you today.”
    “Is that right?”
    “She says you've become the intermediary between your father and the rest of the family because you're the only one willing to tackle him.”
    Jessie shrugged. “You've said the same thing.”
    “Yeah. But I don't have a Ph.D. in psychology to back me up. It was interesting hearing my diagnosis confirmed by a professional.”
    “Oh, for heaven's sake, Hatch. You make me sound like some sort of nut case just because I'm the only one who ever figured out how to deal with Vincent Benedict.”
    “I didn't mean that. And you're not the only one who can handle him. I can deal with him too.”
    She slanted him an assessing glance. “That's true. I figured that was because you're so much like him that you understand how his mind works.”
    “Maybe that applies to you too.”
    “I'm not anything like him,” she protested.
    “No? You're just as mule-headed stubborn as he is, for one thing. I can personally testify to that.”
    Jessie got annoyed. “It's not the same thing at all.”
    “It's okay, Jessie. I'm mule-headed stubborn too. But that's not my point.”
    “What is your point?”
    “After I talked to Glenna today I got to thinking about us and I want to make sure we have something real clear here. Whatever else happens, I want you to swear to me that you will not let yourself get pushed, urged, bullied, or otherwise forced into marriage with me in order to protect, defend, or placate anyone in your family. Agreed?”
    “I've already told you, I have no intention of marrying you.”
    “I know what you told me, but I happen to think the outcome is going to be a little different. I just want to make certain that when you do marry me, you do it for the right reasons, not because you feel you have to do what's best for the family.”
    A soft warmth welled up in her. He looked so serious, she thought. “You're the kind of man who usually doesn't worry too much about the means as long as you get the end you want,” she noted carefully.
    “In this case,” he told her as he pulled her into his arms, “I definitely care about both.”
    “What are you trying to tell me, Hatch?” she whispered, her fingertips braced against his shoulders.
    “That I want you to marry me because you damn well can't resist me,” he muttered, his mouth moving on her throat. “I want you to marry me because I did such a hell of a good job seducing you and making you fall head over heels in love with me. Got that?”
    She caught her breath as she felt his body hardening rapidly under hers. “Yes. Yes, Hatch, I've got it.” She waited for him to volunteer the fact that he loved her, but he did not say the words that might have made the difference. And in that fragile moment she was afraid to ask for them.
    “Swear?” Hatch prodded.
    “I swear. If I ever do agree to marry you, it will be because I love you. But, Hatch?”
    “Uh-huh?” He was nibbling at her