It was so easy to defend the beautiful redhead, so why couldn’t he accept her wealth?
“How did she become so wealthy?” Dad asked.
“She inherited the money when her second husband died.” He wouldn’t bother telling them how old Peter was. His parents would think Debbie was a fortune hunter.
“She’s been married twice already?” Disapproval filled his mother’s voice.
Austin rubbed his neck. He wasn’t surprised that tidbit of information bothered them. It still bothered him a little, even though he knew her marriage to Peter was in name only. It made it sound like Debbie didn’t take marriage vows seriously.
But he didn’t intend to marry Debbie, so why was he still so jealous of her previous relationships?
“How far is this thing with Cheyenne fighting for custody likely to go?” Dad pulled Austin’s wandering mind back.
“I don’t know. She wants to take the kids to Florida for a weekend for some sort of corporate family retreat.”
Mom gasped. “Florida!”
“Yes, and every time I dig in my heels, she threatens to call her lawyer.”
“You can’t afford that, son.”
“I know.” Austin didn’t bother to tell them of his promise to let Debbie pay if it came to that.
His pride couldn’t take that kind of hit. It had been hard enough to borrow money from his parents and to rely on them so much over the years. He couldn’t tell them he’d agreed to let a woman he’d only known for a couple of weeks pay for his legal fees.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Mom said, “but you need to do whatever it takes to keep Cheyenne from getting the kids. I doubt her mothering skills have improved over the past few years.”
“No, they haven’t. If anything, they’ve worsened.”
“How far is this Debbie woman willing to go to help protect the kids?” Dad asked.
Austin shook his head. “I don’t know.”
He’d been up front with Debbie about the lie he’d told Cheyenne, and she still agreed to pretend to be his fiancé. If it came down to it, would they go through with it? A fake marriage sounded even less appealing than a real one, because there would be no doubt in either of their minds that he was using her for her money. Besides, he didn’t think he could live in the same house with her without wanting her in a very real way.
If letting Cheyenne take the kids to Florida was the only way to keep this from going to court, he had to agree. But how could he subject his children to that?
* * *
Joy sidledup to Debbie as she speared a slice of ham. “So, have you told Mom and Dad yet that you’re engaged?”
“No.” Debbie’s gaze darted around, ensuring neither of her parents were near.
“You know they’re going to be even more upset if they find out from someone else.”
“I know. I’d hoped this whole thing would stay quiet, but Amy Young overheard us talking about it and must have told someone because two different people stopped to congratulate us at the soccer game yesterday.”
“I’m surprised no one said anything at church today,” Joy said as she scooped up potatoes.
“Me too. I guess everyone was too excited about it being Easter.” Debbie had been tempted to sit by Austin and the kids, but when an older couple she suspected was Austin’s parents joined them, she decided to sit with her own parents. But their gazes had locked for a moment, and a tingling warmth flooded over her.
“I say rip the bandage off and just get it over with.” Joy patted Debbie’s shoulder before grabbing one of their mom’s homemade rolls and walking away.
Debbie turned and searched for a place to sit.
Her whole family had come over to her house for a change, mostly because her big yard would make for a fun easter egg hunt. After lunch, the women would help the kids color hard-boiled eggs while the men hid candy filled eggs outside.
Today’s weather wasn’t quite as nice as yesterday’s, but they’d still chosen to eat outside. Her dad and brothers had set up extra tables out on the back lawn while the women finished getting the food ready.
