Im here to spend a little time with my favorite grandmother.
Miz Callies cheeks flushed. Your only grandmother, as you well know. Georgia, this is Matthew Harper. Matthew, my granddaughter, Georgia Bodine.
She hadnt identified him as her attorney, and he wondered if the omission was deliberate. He extended his hand again, his eyebrows lifting. Georgia wouldnt refuse it this time unless she wanted open warfare in front of her grandmother.
Georgia took his hand, and he closed his fingers around hers, holding on a bit longer than shed probably want.
Small, not much taller than her tiny grandmother, Georgia was all softnesssoft curves of her body, soft curls in that long, dark brown hair, a soft curve of smooth cheeks. Until you got to her eyes, that is. A deep, deep brown, he guessed they could look like velvet, but they were hard as stone when they surveyed him.
Those eyes issued a warning, but that wouldnt deter him. Fulfilling his clients wishes was a trust to him.
MARTA PERRY
has written everything from Sunday School curriculum to travel articles to magazine stories in more than twenty years of writing, but she feels shes found her writing home in the stories she writes for the Love Inspired line.
Marta lives in rural Pennsylvania, but she and her husband spend part of each year at their second home in South Carolina. When shes not writing, shes probably visiting her children and her six beautiful grandchildren, traveling, gardening or relaxing with a good book.
Marta loves hearing from readers, and shell write back with a signed bookmark and/or her brochure of Pennsylvania Dutch recipes. Write to her c/o Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279, e-mail her at marta@martaperry.com, or visit her on the Web at www.martaperry.com.
Twice in a Lifetime
Marta Perry
www.millsandboon.co.uk
When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars which thou hast established;
what is man, that thou should remember him?
Or mortal man, that thou should care for him?
Psalms 8:34
This story is dedicated to my readers, with the hope
they will love the Bodine family. And, as always, to
Brian, with much love.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Epilogue
Questions for Discussion
Chapter One
Georgia Bodine pulled into the crushed-shell parking space of the aging beach house and got out, the breeze off the ocean lifting her hair and filling her with a wave of courage that was as unexpected as it was welcome. She might be a total failure at standing up for herself, but to protect her beloved grandmother, she could battle anyone.
Couldnt she?
Refusing to let even the hint of a negative thought take hold, Georgia trotted up the worn wooden stairs. The beach house, like most on the Charleston barrier islands, had an elevated first floor to protect against the storms everyone hoped would never come.
The dolphin knocker smiled its usual welcome. The corners of her lips lifted in response, and she rushed through the door, calling for her grandmother as if she were eight instead of twenty-eight.
Miz Callie! Im here!
Her impetuous run took her through the hall and into the large living room that ran the depth of the house. Sunlight pouring through the windows overlooking the Atlantic made her blink.
Someone sat in the shabby old rocker that was her grandmothers favorite chair, but it wasnt Miz Callie.
The man rose, looking as startled by her bursting into the house as she felt finding him here. Aside from the stranger, the roomwith its battered, eclectic collection of furniture accumulated over generations and its tall, jammed bookcaseswas empty. Where was Miz Callie, and what was this stranger doing here?
The man recovered before she could ask the question. If youre looking for Mrs. Bodine, she went upstairs to get something. Im sure shell be right back.
A warning tingle ran along her skin. The interloper was in his thirties, probably, dressed in a button-down shirt and slacks that were more formal than folks generally wore on Sullivans Island. He stood as tall as the Bodine men, who tended to height, but tense, as if ready for a fight. Brown hair showed a trace of gold where the sunlight pouring through the window hit it, and his blue eyes were frosty. The few words hed spoken had a distinctly northern tang.
This was the lawyer, then, the one causing all the trouble. The one who had Uncle Brett muttering about Yankee carpetbaggers and her daddy threatening to call everyone from Charlestons mayor to the South Carolina governor, with a few council members thrown in for good measure. This washad to beMatthew Harper.
He took a step toward her, holding out his hand. Im Matt Harper. And you are
Georgia Lee Bodine. No matter how rude it was, she would not shake hands with the man. Her fists clenched. Miz Callies granddaughter.
Wariness registered in his eyes at the name, and he let his hand drop to his side, his mouth tightening. He knew who she was. Maybe he even knew why the family had called her home from Atlanta in such a rush.
Do something about your grandmother, Georgia Lee. Youve always been close. Shell listen to you. You have to talk some sense into her before its too late.
Who were they kidding? Nobody ever talked Miz Callie out of anything shed set her mind on. Certainly not Georgia Lee, the least combative of the sprawling Bodine clan.
A flurry of footsteps sounded, and Miz Callie rushed into the room.
Georgia Lee!
Georgia barely had time to register a quick impression of her grandmotherfive foot nothing, slim and wiry as a girl, white hair that stood out from her head like a halobefore she was wrapped in a warm embrace.
She hugged in return, love rushing through her like a storm tide, and had to blink back tears. Unconditional love, that was what Miz Callie had always offered the shy, uncertain child shed been, and it was still there for the woman shed become. Georgia had never been as aware of it as at that moment.
Help me. Her heart murmured a fervent prayer. Help me keep her safe.
Over her grandmothers shoulder she stared at Matthew Harper, her determination welling. She had come home because the family said Miz Callie was in troublethat she was acting irrationally and that this man, this outsider, was trying to con her out of what was hers.
He wouldnt succeed. Not without walking over the prone body of Georgia Lee Bodine, he wouldnt.
Harpers face tightened, as if he could read her mind.
Fine. They knew where they stood, it seemed, without another word being spoken. The battle lines were drawn.
So this was the granddaughter from Atlanta. Matt couldnt help having some preconceived notions about the woman, like it or not, from what hed seen of Miz Callie and the rest of her family.
Hed already clashed with several members of Miz Callies large clan over what she planned to do. The two sons hed spoken to had had the same goal, though theyd gone about it in different ways. Georgias father, the eldest son, had been all Southern charm and hints of powerful influence, while Brett Bodine, the second of the brothers, intimidating in his Coast Guard uniform, had been blustery and outraged. He hadnt heard from the third brother yet, but no doubt he would.
They hadnt worried him, although hed been taken aback that Miz Callies family was so determined to keep her from doing what she wanted with what was hers. Still, he knew, just from the way Miz Callies face softened when she spoke of Georgia, that this granddaughter had a special place in her heart.
That was undoubtedly why Georgia was here. After failing to influence or intimidate him, the family had sent for her, banking on Miz Callies affection to sway the decisions she intended to make.
Miz Callie released her granddaughter. Matthew, I didnt mean to ignore you like that. My manners have gone astray cause Im so excited to see this long-lost granddaughter of mine.
Miz Callie, you know I was just here at Christmas time. Georgia stood with her arm loosely around her grandmothers waist. Staking out her territory, apparently.
Christmas time? Six months ago, and Atlanta wasnt that far away. If you care so much about your grandmother, Ms. Georgia Lee, why dont you come to see her more often?
Nice that you could come for a visit, Ms. Bodine. He smiled, sure shed take that exactly the way he intended. What brings you back to Charlestonbusiness or pleasure?
Im here to spend a little time with my favorite grandmother.
Miz Callies cheeks flushed. Your only grandmother, as you well know. Georgia, this is Matthew Harper. Matthew, my granddaughter, Georgia Bodine.
She hadnt identified him as her attorney, and he wondered if the omission was deliberate. He extended his hand again, his eyebrows lifting. Georgia wouldnt refuse it this time unless she wanted open warfare in front of her grandmother.
Georgia took his hand, holding it as gingerly as if it were a clump of washed-ashore seaweed. He closed his fingers around hers, holding on a bit longer than shed probably want.
Small, not much taller than her tiny grandmother, Georgia was all softnesssoft curves of her body, soft curls in that long, dark brown hair, a soft curve of the smooth cheeks. Until you got to her eyes, that is. A deep, deep brown, he guessed they could look like velvet, but they were hard as stone when they surveyed him.
Those eyes issued a warning, but that wouldnt deter him. Fulfilling his clients wishes was a trust to him.
And on a personal level, he had to succeed at this. He couldnt keep depending on his partner to pull him through. His daughters face flickered in his mind. For Lindsays sake, he had to make this work. He was all she had.
What brought you to Charleston? Georgia turned his own question back on him. I can hear from your voice that youre not a native.
Only of Boston, he said. He doubted she meant the words as a compliment. I came south to go into partnership with my law-school roommate, Rodney Porter.
Her eyebrows liftedshe obviously recognized the name of an old Charleston family. She couldnt know that Matt was as surprised as anyone at the enduring friendship between the Boston street kid and the Charleston aristocrat, a bond that went back to their first year at Yale.
I think Rodney was in high school with one of my brothers. Her voice was cool, but he sensed she was giving him a point for that connection.
Ill have to ask Rod about that.
Her brothers werent among the family members hed met, but they were probably all cut from the same clothdown-home Southern slow-talkers with a touch of innate courtesy, even when they were castigating him as an interfering outsider who should go back where he came from.
Georgia was different, thoughmoving at a quicker pace, honed to a sharper edge. Her grandmother had called her a big-city businesswoman. That should make her easier to understand than the rest of her family.
Im sure Rodney will remember whether it was Adam or Cole. She smiled. We all tend to know one another around here.
And you dont belong. That was implicit in her tone, although he didnt think her grandmother caught it.
Georgia wouldnt get under his skin that easily. You work in Atlanta, I understand. What do you do there?
Im a marketing director for a software firm. Something flickered in her eyes as she said the words, so quickly that he couldnt identify it, but it roused his curiosity. Job problems, maybe?
Hed spun this conversation out as long as possible. Clearly he wouldnt make any progress on Miz Callies problem today.
He shifted his attention to his elderly client. Why dont we discuss our business later? After all, your granddaughter has just arrived. In the nick of time, she probably thought.
I dont want to inconvenience you she began.
Im sure Mr. Harper will be happy to postpone your meeting, Georgia put in.
Until youve had a chance to try and dissuade your grandmother, he thought.
Thats not a problem. Better to take the initiative than have it taken from him. Ill give you a call.
At least take this information with you. Miz Callie picked up a folder shed dropped on the bookcase when shed rushed into the room. It contains the notes Ive made on what I want.
Georgias fingers flexed as if shed like to snatch that folder. Maybe we could talk about this first
No. Miz Callie cut her off with what was probably unaccustomed sharpness. Here you are. She thrust it into his hands.
He took the folder, encouraged by the sign that Miz Callie was set on what she wanted. Maybe Georgia wouldnt find this so easy a task.
Thank you. Ill go through this and give you a call, then. He turned to go.
As he did, the older woman slipped her arm around her granddaughters waist again, a look of apology on her face.
Miz Callie knew what she wanted, all right. But if there was one person who could talk her out of it, that person was clearly Georgia Bodine.
With Harper gone, Georgias tension level went down a few degrees. She hadnt been able to prevent him from taking away that folder, but whatever business hed intended hadnt been accomplished yet. She had breathing space to find out exactly what was going on with her grandmother, and how much of her familys wild talk was true.
You must be hungry. Miz Callie spun and started for the kitchen at her usual trot. Ill fix you a sandwich, some potato salad
I dont need all that. She followed her grandmother to the kitchen, where African violets bloomed on glass shelves across the windows and a pitcher full of fragrant green basil graced the counter next to the sink.
She closed the refrigerator door her grandmother had opened. Honestly. I stopped for lunch on the way. Maybe just something to drink. Is there any sweet tea?