He could practically see his brother shake his head, scratching under the brim of his Stetson. “You’re telling me. Naomi actually asked Dad about a prenup for his marriage to Jeannie.”
“Holy crap,” Broderick said, then whistled softly. “Did he explode?” Naomi had never been shy by a longshot. Their father said she’d come out of the womb arguing, already a lawyer in the making. She always spoke her mind, even in difficult or touchy situations. His sister had a way of seeing the world through Lady Justice’s eyes—objectively and full of reason.
“Not really, surprisingly. He said he understood those prenups were to protect the husband and the wife so their interfering children knew where things stood. And so we won’t have to feel conflicted, he and Jeannie are using independent counsel to set up the will.” On the other end of the phone, Broderick could hear more whinnying of horses. Perhaps Marshall was getting ready for a ride to clear his mind. Broderick could only imagine how chaotic it must be at the family property right now.
“Okay, then. So we have no idea what’s going on?” His eyes slid back to Glenna. She’d put the baby in pajamas. Scooping Fleur up, she cradled the child to her chest, completely unaware of Broderick’s gaze.
Or the fact that he was remembering the perfection of her curves in that bikini she’d worn for their dip in the hot tub.
“Correct. He said it was none of our business. They are adults. And that we all have our own fortunes, so we don’t need anything from them.”
Broderick laughed, respecting the old man more than ever even when, sure, it would have been a lot easier to be in the loop. “Fair enough. Looking at the financials I’ve seen so far, the two companies are fairly evenly matched. I’m actually surprised. We’ve both been so damn busy trying to convince the other we had the edge, we didn’t realize we were running neck and neck.”
Even while he talked to his brother, Broderick’s thoughts were on Glenna and how soon he could get her back into the hot tub. Or better yet, stretch her out on that bearskin rug and make love to her by firelight.
“We don’t have to worry that Jeannie and her kids might try to take advantage of Dad for his money.”
“And they don’t have to worry we’re trying to take advantage of their mom, since we’re all standing soundly on our own fiscal feet.”
Marshall’s tone was indifferent. Broderick knew something was weighing on his brother’s mind. “That’s worth a bit of peace, at least.”
Broderick leaned back against the counter and watched Glenna rock the baby. Fleur burped, then giggled. “Remember Mom’s friend, Christy Shackleford, who married Dad’s doctor? Her two sons were hell-bent from day one that their mama wasn’t getting enough of the old man’s estate even though he’d made provisions for the rest of her life backward and forward.”
“Yeah, I do,” Marshall said drily. “They guilted their mama into sneaking them money under the table while the old man was alive, and then when he died, they took the rest.”
Turning back to the stew, Broderick tasted it again. There. That was right. He closed the lid. “He’d left a rock-solid will, but those boys beat the hell out of things in the legal system. Whittled the estate down to next to nothing just getting them to back off, and the poor woman barely had anything left.”
“Things can get touchy when two families come together so late in life,” Marshall said pointedly. “And I don’t have the past you and Glenna do. You’re stuck up there together with the baby and that whole paternity issue hanging over your head. Watch out for yourself. Okay?”
Broderick bristled as he chose two deep pottery bowls from the cabinet. “Greed is a hungry beast. No matter how much you feed it, it still dies of starvation.”
“Are you saying we should count our blessings?”
“That’s one way to look at it.” He pulled out a loaf of crusty sourdough bread and set it on the wooden carving board. With a ceramic knife, he sliced thick pieces. The perfect accompaniment to the stew.
Marshall paused before continuing, “What’s your take on Glenna?”
“She’s worried her job will go away,” Broderick said without hesitation, settling on the most benign answer he could find, because he was not talking about the kiss or his hopes of renewing their relationship.
“Valid concern about the job, really.”
It was premature to discuss who the CFO would be. He was still hoping she would choose a different job and remove the controversy altogether. “She wants her mother to be happy.” There was plenty of drama to go around. “And she’s attached to the child already. She’s afraid of the kid getting lost in the system and she is not going to want to let that child go.”