“No,” she flared. “I was trying to keep him from killing himself. I didn’t have much spare time to cultivate relationships with men.”
Linc, sincerely sorry for what he’d said, came back with, “Well, I had no way of knowing all that.”
“What you don’t know about me would fill an encyclopedia, Mr. O’Neal. From the very beginning, you’ve jumped to wrong conclusions about me, forming your own erroneous opinions—”
“And whose fault is that?” Anger was the only way to effectively douse the flames in his loins. “Why did you keep me ignorant of the facts, pretending to be what you aren’t?” He took another step forward. “You’ve got your nerve, lady, accusing me of jumping to conclusions. And just for the record, you made a much more convincing whore than you did a nun.”
She bristled in outrage. “How dare—”
“Your hands were all over me in that bar.”
“I touched your thigh,” she shouted defensively. “Low on your thigh.”
“The hair. The juicy mouth. The come-and-get-it eyes. That crotch-teasing dress.”
“I wish you would forget about that damn dress.”
“Not likely, sweetheart. Were all those trappings really necessary? Why didn’t you explain to me from the beginning who your old man was?”
“Because, if you’ll recall, I thought you were a mercenary, a mean, low, unscrupulous—”
“Cut the insults and answer my question. Why didn’t you just sober me up and introduce yourself?”
“Because I didn’t know my father’s friends from his enemies in Monterico. He had more of the latter than the former. So to protect both myself and the children, I thought it best not to tell you. The rebels would have murdered me on the spot if they had ever found out. My name was kept a secret.”
“What the hell were you doing down there in the first place? For a Sorbonne graduate, you sure aren’t very bright.”
She let the slight go and addressed the question. “Someone had to go and help these orphans.”
“Agreed. Someone. You didn’t have to go yourself. If you’ve got fifty grand to pay me, you had fifty grand to pay a mercenary. You could have gotten yourself killed.”
“But I didn’t!”
“And I don’t think you’ll be satisfied until you do!”
“What do you mean?” she asked sharply.
“When will you feel like you’ve made restitution for your daddy’s crimes? When they’re shoveling dirt over your face?”
Kerry pulled herself up to a rigid posture, “What would you know about moral obligation? You, who spend your life slumming. You, who has never thought of anyone but yourself.”
“At least I came by everything I have honestly.”
“Oh, you’re—”
“I hate to butt in.”
Simultaneously, they turned toward Cage. He was wearing an amused grin. “Y’all sure are shouting a lot, and I apologize for the interruption, but something major has come up.” He winked at Linc. “No pun intended.”
Vivid color flooded Kerry’s face. She was grateful for the darkness which hopefully concealed it. “What is it, Cage?”
“Come over here with the rest of the group. Dad has something he wants to say.”
When they moved into the circle of light, Reverend Hendren stepped forward. “This will come as a surprise to all of you. Sarah and I have been talking throughout the day and have reached a decision, which we’re sure will make our home a much happier one.” He turned his head slightly. “Joe, how would you like to come live with us?”
It had been so unselfish and beautiful, what Bob and Sarah Hendren had done. Staring out her bedroom window an hour later, Kerry still got a lump in her throat when she thought about it.
Of course pandemonium had broken out when Bob Hendren first asked that astonishing question. At first Joe hadn’t comprehended all that the question entailed. When he did, his face broke into a radiant smile. He nodded his head vigorously and reverted to his native tongue. “Si, si.” When Kerry translated to the other orphans what was happening, they grouped around Joe to exuberantly celebrate his good fortune.