Loving Katrina

Three

As soon as they walked inside his office, he closed the door behind them. "Please have a seat." After Katrina and her mother sat, the man waddled around his wooden desk and sat in his large chair. He looked directly at Katrina. "I'm sure you're wondering why you're here."

"Indeed, I am. It's not every day I'm asked to travel to a different country just to see what my father," she bit out the words, knowing that man had no right to the title, "wants of me and my mother."

Mr. Jamison removed a letter from a thick envelope. It surprised Katrina how many pages he had.

"Miss Landon, your father is getting his affairs in order and has written a will. He would like to meet you before he dies."

"How advantageous of him." Katrina's lady-like tone failed her, because the sarcastic words that shot out of her mouth were burning through her. "Why does he suddenly want to meet me after twenty-four years? Unless, of course, it's because he feels he won't make it to Heaven unless he makes amends for his sins."

"Katrina!" her mother gasped. "That tone of voice is not acceptable."

Katrina growled silently. It was hard not to continue her tirade, but for her mother's sake, she would refrain. Well...she would try to refrain. She took a cleansing breath before saying anymore. "Mr. Jamison, I would appreciate it if you skip the formalities and get right to the point. It's too blasted hot in this place to sit and listen to nonsense."

Oh, dear. I did it again. Maybe one of these days she would learn to control her temper.

Her mother bumped her elbow against Katrina's. Another warning, obviously.

"Fine, then. I shall forgo any more chit-chat and get to the point." He gave her a curt nod. "It comes down to this. In order to obtain the funds your father wishes to give you in addition to your inheritance, he wants you to travel through the Amazon jungle to his rubber tree plantation and personally meet him."

Shock washed over Katrina. She'd heard the man loud and clear, but her mind took a little longer to absorb the full impact of what he had said. Was that the very reason she'd had the strange sight about him with the dart in his neck, and with a house burning? Silence stretched between them as she stared at him while he drummed his fingers on the polished oak desk.

Confusing thoughts swam in her head. If not for her mother sitting next to her to give her comfort, Katrina's mind would be in ashes. A small breeze floated through the open window, but it wasn't enough to cool her disposition. The disturbing news from Mr. Jamison only served to grate on her already fried nerves.

She kept her shoulders rigid and chin lifted as she cleared her voice to reply. "Mr. Jamison, it's hard for me to grasp the concept of having a father, let alone, one who cares." Wounded emotions mixed with anger surged through her as a glimpse of her past flashed through her mind once again. Because of his absence, she'd gone without so much as a child. Even as a young woman, she still went without because of his neglect. "Up until I received his letter, I wasn't aware my father was even alive."

Irritation over everything that had happened lately brought her to her feet, and indecision about her new status as a would-be heiress mystified her. "All of this has happened so fast and I don't understand any of it." She wrung her hands against her middle. "One day I'm serving ale in a low-life pub, and then suddenly, the man who doesn't deserve the title of father is sending me money to dress myself like a lady. He also expects me to travel to places I've never heard of just so he can settle his conscience regarding his past mistakes? And, to top it off, I have a strange feeling that there might be danger lurking in the jungle."