Before he got too far, he heard something that made his step falter. Someone was with him. His heart increased as his instincts told him it wasn’t someone he wanted to see.

He had two choices, either continue on as if he didn’t know, or turn and face whoever was slinking around behind him.

A small smile formed on his lips. He’d never been one to run from a challenge. Joseph slowly turned, then the smile fell as he made eye contact with his uncle.

The man looked even worse than the last time he’d seen him. He’d always been distant, not caring to know his brother’s family, but the look on his face at that moment was almost hard to describe.

It was void of emotion, only a gleam of hatred flashing in his eyes exposed his true feelings. It was obvious he wasn’t happy Joseph had come. The man had figured his battle was only against Milton and that he’d have an easy victory.

Joseph’s father was a great man, full of love and laughter. A corporate shark he wasn’t. He’d decided years previously he didn’t want to deal with the hustle and bustle of the city, so he’d moved to the land his grandfather had founded, a beautiful ranch. It was close enough he could stay active with his family, but far enough to do what he wanted.

Under his watch, the ranch was successful. He thrived in the environment. Benjamin had been proud of his son, not needing him to follow exactly in his footsteps, just wanting him to find his own place in the world.

Milton had stepped up when his father had become ill, not wanting his father’s corporation to fall into the hands of his brother, who only wanted to destroy it, but Joseph knew Milton didn’t want to work as the CEO. He wanted to be with his horses. That’s when his father called him, and Joseph knew he couldn’t say no.

“I hear you’re trying to win the vote by seduction,” Neilson snarled as he stepped closer.

Though, Joseph knew the man didn’t care for him, he had no idea how much Neilson actually despised him. He wasn’t even trying to hide his disdain for his nephew. Joseph was left speechless for a moment.

“You know that seducing one of the board members won’t help you, right? Even if she is making herself quite… what’s the word? Oh yes, accessible. That just shows how desperate you really are.”

Joseph found his voice as anger consumed him. The man had no right to speak of Katherine in any manner, let alone turning it around and making her look like anything other than a lady.

How had his uncle even known he’d seen her? He must have people spying for him. That fit his character quite well, actually.

“Jealousy is an ugly color on you, Neilson. It’s obvious you know you’ve already lost, so you’re grasping at any straw you can,” Joseph said, not allowing the rage to show in either his voice or face.

A burst of satisfaction rushed through him, seeing the rage on Neilson’s face. Joseph knew how to deal with men like him. He just couldn’t understand how someone so evil could be related to his late grandfather, or his father.

“You may have one of the board members eating out of your hand, but I own the rest. You won’t ever get this corporation. You won’t be allowed the reigns. I’ve worked them for years. You’ve had minimal success, but you know nothing,” Neilson spat.

“I’ve been successful on my own, without the help from my family. Can you say as much for yourself? I know how to build a business, unlike you, who only knows how to tear one down,” Joseph countered.

A lethal fury radiated from Neilson. It was so potent, the air nearly ignited. Joseph had no doubt that if the man thought he could get away with it, he’d kill him right there with zero remorse.

How long did it take a man to become that way? Was he born with it in him or did he develop it through his life? Joseph would never know, but he did know he wouldn’t trust Neilson anywhere near him. His uncle would stab him in the back with a smile on his face and a skip in his step if given the opportunity.

“I’ve grown bored with this conversation, Neilson. We’ll let the board members decide the outcome of who’s more fit to run the corporation. When it’s me, I’ll take pleasure in watching you slink back to wherever it is you hide in the dark these days,” Joseph said as he turned and resumed walking toward the meeting.

Neilson grabbed his arm and spun him around, hatred so intense on his face, his eyes were burning with it. He opened his mouth to speak and spit bubbled at the corners of his lips. It seemed he didn’t like not getting the last word.

“You arrogant bastard. Do you have any idea who I am? I can destroy you in less than a heartbeat. You’d better watch yourself, Joseph, watch very carefully. No matter what you do or where you go, I’ll be one step ahead of you. I’m not going to rest until I’ve crushed you beneath me!”

Joseph looked at the boney hand tightly gripping his arm. He wanted to punch the man, but somehow managed to hold onto his temper. Barely.

Two years prior to that, he would’ve hit Neilson and then stepped on his head as he passed by. Neilson was begging for him to do it.

With an outer calm he wasn’t feeling, he gripped Neilson’s fingers and pried them off his arm, barely holding back the temptation to snap them backward. With his hand removed, Joseph faced him, his face mere inches from his enemy’s.

“Be very careful, Neilson. I may be young, but I’ve a world of experience. Your threats mean nothing to me. I’m not afraid of you, nor intimidated. If you touch me again, though, I won’t hold back my wrath.”

Joseph looked into the man’s eyes, not backing down. When he saw a spark of fear behind the rage filled depths, he finally retreated. Neilson was a coward, all talk and zero follow-through. He was done dealing with him. He had a meeting to attend and he didn’t want to be late.

This time when he walked away, he knew Neilson was left standing in his shadow.

Joseph reached the door to the conference room, took a breath, then stepped inside…

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Anderson, but it’s time for your husband’s blood to be drawn, and then we need to give him a bath,” a nurse said, stopping Katherine in the middle of speaking.

“No way. You absolutely can’t stop right there. I swear I’ll have nightmares all night. You have to tell us how the meeting goes. What happened? Did he get the CEO position right then, or did Neilson get his hands on it? We obviously know he eventually gets it, because it’s still in the family’s hands now, but…” Amy cried out.

“We can move to another room. Or go to the house for a while,” Jessica suggested.

“Wait!” Emily blurted. “This is the corporation, right? This isn’t one that he started on his own, is it? What happened? What was your reaction when he walked in the doors? How long did it take Neilson to get there? How did the other board members not know what Neilson truly was?”

Katherine laughed at their panicked expressions. Telling her story gave her a reprieve from the constant worrying she felt.

She looked around the room, at the eager expressions on her family member’s faces, and took pride in knowing that her life had them so mesmerized. She’d always told Joseph their romance was meant to be in storybooks. It was her own fairytale.

“I promise to continue soon. I could really use a walk right now, though, to gather my thoughts. George, would you accompany me?” she asked.

There were several disappointed sighs but no one argued further. She could see that George had been hoping to sneak off with Esther, but she thought she’d help the kids out a little. Plus, she could use a bit of peace with her friend.

“Of course, Katherine,” George said as she knew he would.

“How about we meet up here tonight after supper?” Katherine asked.

They all answered in the affirmative. She slowly got to her feet and left the room on the arm of her brother-in-law. As she stepped outside, she took in a deep lungful of fresh air. Then followed as George led her down to the garden path.

Chapter Thirteen

Austin walked from his Uncle’s room, intent on finding Kinsey. She’d managed to stay away the entire time he was there. For that matter, she’d been avoiding him since they’d made love last time.

He didn’t understand it. When she was in his arms, she was pliant, and obviously satisfied, so why the heck did she keep running every time he was away from her for five minutes? He was bound and determined to get answers. He’d proven by now that he wasn’t just after her for the short haul. He wanted a relationship, not a one-night-stand.

He moved up and down the halls, searching for her, hoping when he found her, they’d have privacy. His aunt’s story was getting to him. She was so filled with pain for the time she’d missed out on when she and Joseph had so many misunderstandings between them.

Well, he wasn’t going to make the same mistake. Kinsey was going to talk to him, then hopefully, they could reconnect. The thought instantly had his body stirring. When he passed by her on-call room, he turned rock solid.

He shifted as he continued moving, quickly un-tucking his button up shirt and letting it hang down, hoping to hide the evidence of his desire. He was acting like a hormone riddled teenager instead of an experienced man. But that was what Kinsey did to him. She stirred him in ways he was beginning to not only expect, but anticipate.

◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊

Kinsey ducked her head and splashed more cold water on her face. It had been a very long day already and she was exhausted. On top of it, she was coming down with a cold, and her day had taken a nosedive for the worse.

She’d managed to avoid Austin for days, but she knew that would come to an end soon. He didn’t tend to be the most patient even on the best of days, let alone after she refused to answer his calls.

She was confused, though, and didn’t know what to think about their relationship. She had no doubt that it was, in fact, a relationship. She could no longer call it a one-night-stand. Not after the two exquisite times in various parts of the hospital, the massive amount of roses he’d given her, and his messages. Oh, the messages.

He’d been leaving her voicemails that made her want to melt. How could she possibly gain perspective on what to do when he wasn’t giving her time to think?

She’d been in the same examining room they’d made exquisite love in earlier that day, and her body had responded as if he were going to walk through the door at any minute. She had to be in control, always. That was how she managed to survive. Since being with him, she seemed to have lost all semblance of that carefully measured control she lived by. Was it really so bad giving up a little control in return for being with him?

After cooling off her face, she dried it, reapplied her chapstick, then knew she had to get back out there. Her shift was almost over, then she had three days off. She was grateful for the extra time she got, taking care of the Anderson men, but she was still having a difficult time catching up on her needed rest. It was nice to have a normal schedule again.

She came out of the bathroom and quickly went down the hall. She just had to get through another fifteen minutes, and she was free.