“I thought you were on vacation?”

“I have a business to run.” She tapped the screen to accept the call. “Hi, Abby, put me through.” She left the boys’ room with the phone at her ear waiting to be connected to the board meeting.

Luke followed her into the bathroom and studied her while she retrieved cleaning supplies from the linen cupboard and filled the basin with hot water all the while listening to her phone. “I could help you get things in order.”

She tapped the mute button, but continued to listen as the minutes from the last meeting were read to all the members of the board. “That’s very nice of you, but I’ll take care of this. Really, I expected much worse.”

Luke touched her arm. “It’s not right.”

She appreciated the sentiment. “Her son is dead. She holds me responsible. I can’t change that. To her, I am the person she believes me to be. I promised the boys six weeks with their grandmother and that’s what they’re going to get. If she wants to see them, then I come as part of the package. Thank you for the help with the bags. I can manage from here.”

She couldn’t quite make out the mixed emotions in his eyes, but she appreciated the hint of sympathy.

She unmuted her call. “George, could you go over the quarterly figures with everyone. I want the latest numbers.” She kept her gaze on Luke as she addressed her CFO and he recited the company’s financial information.

She yawned and the sympathy in Luke’s eyes turned to concern.

She muted the call again. “Please, just go. I’ve had a really long day and it’s going to be a long night.” Overwhelmed by Margaret’s hostility, Luke’s attention and need to know her intentions and digging into her past, along with the cleaning she had to do, feeding the boys, and running her company, she couldn’t take it all at once and not feel the burdens taking more than she had to give right now.

“Margaret should have at least been hospitable and grateful you brought the boys to see her.”

Yeah. It would be nice if they could be civil and Margaret hadn’t left more work for her.

She gave him a weak smile, but had nothing to say before she unmuted her call and forged on with work because that took precedence to making a stranger like her. “George, those figures are off from the projections. What’s the difference? And how did it affect our profits?” She listened to George’s explanation and scrubbed the sink and counter, all the while watching Luke watching her in the mirror.

Held in his uncompromising stare, she felt like he was looking for something within her.

He wouldn’t find the woman Margaret described to him.

The boys pounded their little feet up the stairs and appeared in the bathroom doorway next to Luke.

“Can we see your horses?” Jack asked, his eyes pleading with Luke.