Janice Maynard - Million Dollar Baby

Her mother was shouting now, her disdain and reproach both vicious and hurtful.

Brooke had heard it all before, but with Austin as a witness, it was even more upsetting. Her eyes stung. “This is a real job, Mama. I’m proud of the work I’m doing. And for the record, I’m planning on moving out of the house, so you and Daddy might as well get used to the idea.”

“Don’t you speak to me in that tone.”

“You don’t listen any other way. I’m twenty-six years old. The boys moved out when they were twenty-one.”

“Don’t bring your brothers into this. They were both far more mature than you at this age. Neither of them gave us any grief.”

Brooke shook her head, incredulous. Her brothers were sycophants and weasels who coasted by on their family connections and their willingness to suck up to Mommy and Daddy. “I won’t discuss this with you right now. You’re embarrassing me.”

For the first time, Margaret looked at Austin. “Who is this?” she demanded, her nose twitching as if sniffing out an impostor in her blue-blooded world.

Before Brooke could stop him, Austin stepped forward, hand outstretched. “I’m Austin Bradshaw, ma’am...the architect Gus Slade hired to build the stage addition for the bachelor auction. I’m pleased to meet you.”

His sun-kissed good looks and blinding smile caught Margaret midtirade. Her mouth opened and shut. “Um...”

Brooke sensed trouble brewing. She took her mother’s arm and tried to steer her toward the building. “You don’t want to get paint on your clothes, Mama, and I really need to get back to work. We’ll discuss this tonight.”

Margaret bristled. “I’m not finished talking to you, young lady. Put this mess away and come home.”

“I won’t,” Brooke said. She felt ill, but she couldn’t let her dislike of confrontation or the fact that they had an audience allow her mother to steamroll her. “I’ve made a commitment, and I intend to honor it.”

Margaret scowled. When Brooke’s mother was on a rant, people scattered. She could be terrifying. “I demand that you come with me this instant.”

Brooke swallowed hard as bile rose in her throat. She wasn’t wearing a hat, so the sun beat down on her head. Little yellow spots danced in front of her eyes, and her knees wobbled.

This was a nightmare.

But then, to her complete and utter shock, Austin intervened. He literally inserted himself between Brooke and her mother, shielding Brooke with his body. “You’re out of line, Mrs. Goodman. Your daughter is a grown woman. She’s a gifted artist, and she’s being paid to use that talent for the good of the community. I won’t have you bullying her.”

“Who the hell are you to talk to me that way?” Margaret shrieked. “I’ll have you fired on the spot. Wait until Gus Slade hears about this. You’ll never work in this town again.”

The whole thing might have been funny if it wasn’t so miserably tragic. Brooke’s mother was used to getting her way with threats and intimidation. Her face was ugly beneath her makeup.

Austin simply ignored her bluster. “I’d like you to leave now,” he said politely. “Brooke and I both have work to do for the club, and you are delaying our progress.”

Margaret raised her fist...she actually raised her fist.

Austin stared at her.

To Brooke’s amazement, her mother backed down. She dropped her arm, turned on her heel and simply walked away.

“Oh my God, you’ve done it now.” Brooke felt her legs crumpling.

Austin whirled and caught her around the waist, supporting her as she went down. She didn’t faint, but she sat down hard on the grass and put her head on her knees. “She’s going to make your life a living hell.”

“Sounds like you know something about that.” He crouched beside her and stroked her back, his presence a quiet, steady comfort after the ugly scene.

“I appreciate your standing up for me, but you shouldn’t have done it. She doesn’t make idle threats. She’ll try to get you fired.”

“I’ve dealt with bullies before. But I confess that I’ve never had to deal with it in my own home. I’m sorry, Brooke.”

She wiped her eyes and sniffled, too upset to be embarrassed anymore. “I’ve applied for six different jobs here in Royal since I finished school, and in every instance I got some flimsy excuse about why I wasn’t qualified. The first couple of times I wrote it off to the fact that I was straight out of college and grad school and had no experience, but then I got turned down for a waitressing gig at a place where one of my friends worked. I knew she had put in a good word for me.” She released a quavering breath. “So I couldn’t understand what I had done wrong...how I had interviewed so poorly that they didn’t want me.”

“Did you ever find out what happened?” he prodded gently.

“Yes. I couldn’t let it go, so I screwed up my courage and went back to the restaurant and talked to the manager. He admitted that my mother had called him and threatened him.”

“Son of a bitch.”

Austin’s vehement shock summed up Brooke’s reaction in a nutshell. “Yep. Who does that to their own kid?”

“What exactly is it that she wants you to do?”

“Daddy would be happy if I went to law school and joined him in his firm. Mama is Maverick County royalty. Her family owns one of the richest ranches in Texas. I’m supposed to play the part of the wealthy socialite. Wear the right clothes. Hang out with the right people. Marry the right man.”

He grimaced. “Sounds wretched.”

“You have no idea. And my mother is relentless. I have an inheritance coming to me from my grandmother’s estate when I turn thirty. All that’s necessary for me to get my money sooner is to be married or to have my parents’ permission. But my mother has convinced my father not to let that happen.” She lifted her chin. “So I’ve decided I’ll do whatever it takes to get out from under their roof. This job is the first step toward my liberation. Alexis isn’t afraid of my mother. This is real employment with a real paycheck.”

“But it won’t last long, surely.”

“No. The garden part will only take a few weeks. After that, Alexis wants me to do the walls in the childcare center. I’m saving every penny so I can rent an apartment.”

He put the back of his hand to her cheek and gazed down at her in concern. “You don’t look good, honey. Maybe you should go home.”

Brooke struggled to her feet. “Absolutely not. I won’t let Alexis down.”

He sighed. “When do you quit for the day?”

“Around four.”

“How about afterward we grab some food and take a picnic out in the country...find a quiet place where we can talk?”

“What if someone sees us and asks questions?”

His grin was remarkably carefree for a man who had recently tangled with the Goodman matriarch. “Let’s live dangerously.”

Five

Gus peered through the French doors and frowned when he spotted Brooke Goodman getting chummy with Austin Bradshaw. He’d have to nip that in the bud. Austin was on his radar as the perfect match for Alexis, even if neither of them knew it yet.

Impulsively, he strode out to the parking lot and climbed into his truck. There was one person who shared his goals, one woman who would understand his frustration. He drove out to Rose Clayton’s Silver C Ranch feeling more than a little regret for all the years of bitterness and recrimination that lay between him and Rose. She had hurt him badly when he was a young man. Betrayed him. Broken his heart.

Still, five decades was a long time to carry a grudge.

The only reason they were speaking now was because they were both determined to keep their grandchildren from hooking up . Wasn’t that what the kids called it these days?