“And this is Abby, Jenny’s mother, and her mother, Rachel.”
Judith and Tamara each gave Rachel a bright smile, and then turned slightly and regarded Abby frostily. From the conversation earlier, he was quite aware they both believed Abby in the wrong to have kept his baby from him for ten long years. He hadn’t made much of an effort to defend her, because it was the truth, and while he could understand why she’d done it, he didn’t think he would ever truly forgive her.
Her shoulders slumped a little at the less-than-warm reception, and now—when it was too late—he had the urge to stand up for her. Then she straightened and put back her shoulders. She might appear small and defenseless, but he was beginning to realize she had backbone and didn’t need—or want—his protection.
Rory kissed Rachel’s hand, which made Jenny giggle, and gave Abby a cool nod. “Sergeant Parker.”
She gave him a serene smile. “Mr. McCabe.”
“Call me Rory.”
Her eyes widened as though she found the idea incomprehensible, but she remained silent and gave Rory another serene smile. It looked as though the effort made her jaw ache.
“Let me get you a drink, sergeant,” Rory said. He put a hand on her waist and steered her away from the group. For a moment Logan considered rescuing her, but decided she was more than a match for Rory, and maybe it was time his father discovered that for himself.
Abby didn’t want to go with Rory McCabe. She also wanted to tell him that if he called her sergeant again she was going to punch him on the nose. And she couldn’t understand where the aggression was coming from. But a drink sounded like an excellent idea, so she walked with him across to a bar, where just about every drink she’d ever heard of was set out.
She’d done a little research on Rory McCabe. While the family company was now totally legitimate, with a stellar reputation—thanks to the hard work of Logan’s brother, Declan—that hadn’t always been the case. But despite the best efforts of the police, Rory McCabe had never done time. He’d had a frightening reputation, taking over from his father when he was only twenty-one and somehow managing to hold the company together and make it grow. Somewhere along the way, he’d made the decision to go straight and had applied the same level of ruthlessness that he had to everything else. She’d talked to some of the old-timers who had been around in those days; the dislike between Rory and the police went way back and, by the sound of it, had continued even after the company had gone legitimate.
She’d also looked into Logan’s case. The police had been called in to stop a fight. One of the officers had taken a punch in the process, and Logan had been arrested. But from what she could see in reading about the case, the charge was excessive, and as a first offense, she wouldn’t have expected Logan to do time. But they had pushed for it, claiming undue force. The punch had apparently put the officer in hospital, but all the same it had left a nasty taste in her mouth—she hated injustice of any sort.
“What can I get you?” Rory asked.
“Vodka and tonic.”
He poured her a drink that made her glad her mother was driving. Maybe he was trying to loosen her up a little. She was always careful about the amount she drank and hadn’t lost control since that night with Logan.
As she took a sip, she glanced back at Jenny to make sure she was okay. She was laughing at something Logan said, and Abby relaxed a little. She’d lost sight of what this was all about. Jenny. And as far as her daughter went, the whole thing had been a resounding success. Logan and Jenny got on well, and there were the beginnings of real affection on both sides.
“She’s fine,” Rory said. “Loosen the reins a little.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “She’s not on a rein.”
“No?” His gaze wandered over her and she didn’t think he was too impressed with what he saw.
Like I give a shit.
And there it was again. That little burst of aggression she didn’t recognize.
“You’re so uptight you’re going to snap any moment.”
She gritted her teeth. “I am not uptight,” she ground out. But honestly, wasn’t she allowed to be a little bit uptight considering the situation?