Page 17 of Bryson

"Bryson, look-" Her voice stuttered to a stop as she wrenched the door open and saw who was standing there. "Mrs. McNab." Shock had her rooted to the spot, just inside the doorway as she stared at the impeccably dressed woman wearing a Chanel suit, the color of ripe plums. It also reminded her that she had on only a skimpy blue silk robe that she had donned after her shower and her hair was in a series of twists, ones that she had tied together on top of her head. She had had a very crappy day with the nausea worsening by the hour. Nothing she ate had stayed down.

"May I come in?" The modulated tone reminded her that she was just standing there.

"Of course." Stepping back, she allowed the woman entrance and closed the door behind her. "We could use the living room. I was just about to have a cup of tea," she hurried past the woman and led the way into the living room, picking up the folders she had strewn all over the table and the papers she had been making notes on. The cooling tea was on another table beside the worn sofa. "Please have a seat."

"I've interrupted your work." Barbara perched herself on the edge of the sofa, her disdain for the shabby interior of the cottage noticeable.

"Just some fine-tuning." Julianne felt as if she was before a queen who found her lacking. Lifting her chin, she met the woman's eyes squarely. There was nothing Barbara McNab could hand out that she would not be able to take. She had tried her best before and sent her packing. This time, she was leaving of her own volition. "What do you want?"

Green eyes so much like her son's swept over the woman's disheveled appearance. She had obviously expected Bryson to be dropping by, hence the skimpy robe, Barbara thought with distaste. Women like Julianne were designed to hold a man's attention with sex. She knew the type. Her husband had been with that type.

"My son tells me you're with child."

"That's right." Picking up her tea, Julianne wrapped her fingers around the cup. "I am and it's not something I planned."

"Are you planning on staying?"

"That's between me and your son and has nothing to do with you."

The woman's expression turned frosty. "It has everything to do with me. I happen to love my son and-"

"If you love your son as you keep saying, you will allow him to make his own decision. He's not like your husband." Putting down the cup with a snap, Julianne squared her shoulders and faced her enemy. "You made staying at the ranch intolerable for me and you made him choose. No loving mother would ever want to put her child in that position."

Chapter 6

Barbara stared her down. She had learned the art of making people do what she wanted. Living with her husband had eroded her self-esteem and made her question her ability to be herself. He had derided her at every turn. Nothing she did was ever good enough. He had called her performance in bed "lackluster at best."

"I know you're inexperienced, darling, but if you would only learn to please me in regards to lovemaking, I would not have to stray."

He had been cruel and debasing, and she had lost herself. And the worst part of it was that she had loved him. Even when she knew he was taking other women, she had loved him and hoped that he would love her back. She had privately cried for him when he died, even though he had humiliated her even then. That was when she decided that she would grow some backbone. He had taken a lot from her, and she was determined to take some of it back.

"You dare to question my love for my son?" Green eyes stared at her coldly, shoulders erect, delicate hands clasped on her lap. "I went through twelve hours of labor to bring him into this world. From the moment I held him in my arms, I knew perfect and complete love. I want the best for him, and I knew from the moment I saw you, that you were not good enough for him."

Her eyes swept over Julianne with freezing scorn. "You with your career and aspirations would never make a good wife. He knows it too, but he's so blinded with lust, he cannot see the truth that is right in front of his eyes. He deserves so much better."

Julianne's eyes flashed fire. "I would have stayed. I wanted to stay, to be here with him, to learn to adjust to a life I'm not familiar with. But you made it impossible for me. To you, I represent what your husband put you through. I'm not that type of woman. I've never slept with a married man in my life."

"I value myself better than that." She rose, chest heaving with the effort to keep as calm as she could. She was feeling the twinges again. Her stomach was acting up and she was feeling sick. But she wasn't going to give this hateful woman the satisfaction of seeing her rushing to the bathroom.

"You offered me money before and I kept that from Bryson; he certainly did not need to know that his mother tried to buy me off. Now, if there's nothing else, I really would like to catch up on some work. Mrs. McNab? You don't have to worry about me staying. I'm leaving in the next two days."

The woman rose gracefully, her eyes skimming over the skimpily clad young woman, lips turned up in derision. She could see why her son was so smitten. Men were so fickle and completely obvious. The girl had a certain charm about her that was too obvious. Her husband had fallen prey to a woman like her andhad been prepared to destroy his life and theirs just to be with the woman.

She was not going to allow it to happen to her boy. Her husband had chosen his path; Bryson had to choose a better one.

"I will try and persuade my son not to go after you this time. He did, you know, and came back heartbroken and shattered. He said you were with another man." Her lips curled in disgust.

"I tried to tell him that women like you are never satisfied with just one man and he would not listen. He had to learn the hard way. I hope you don't mind that as soon as that baby you're carrying is born, we reserve the right to do a DNA test. One can never be too careful and with a name like McNab, women will do anything to be part of the family."

Julianne had to tamp down the rage that threatened to boil over. Taking a deep breath, she headed towards the doorway with Barbara following behind her.

"I hope I never have the displeasure of seeing you again," she told the woman coldly. "You're a used-up old prune who believes in spreading your misery around. If I have my way, my child will never be part of your life." Without waiting for a response, she slammed the door in the woman's face and locked it for goodmeasure. Pressing her hand to her heaving stomach, she barely made it to the bathroom before she started hurling.

Barbara stood there on the porch, her brow lowered as she stared at the closed door, and found herself admiring the girl's spunk. No one had ever dared to stand up to her like that before. Shaking her head, she walked towards her car and considered her duty completed.

******************

"Are you listening to me?" Bryson stared at her with a slight frown. Something was up with her, and he had no idea what it was. Ever since he arrived, she had been preoccupied and barely responding to the conversation.