"But, I thought you were engaged to be married to Michael,” Gabby said, in astonishment. "Whose child are you carrying?"
"I've never slept with Michael in all the months of our engagement,” she confessed quiet
ly. “That was one of the things that bothered me about him. He didn’t show any passion or desire. We behave more like a brother and sister in our relationship." A faraway look appeared in her eyes.
"You never did say who the other man is in your life.
”
"His name's Paul Sinclair and he’s an artist."
A dreamy look filled her expression after mentioning his name.
"Does he know about the child?"
"I haven't had a chance to tell him yet, but I'm certain he'll be happy. When I found out I was pregnant, I wrote to you and you gave me the solution. Get away, you said, and think things over. That was what I was trying to do when Cole found me." A heavy sigh escaped her lips.
"Well, have you had enough time to figure out what you want to do?"
Gabby prompted her to go on.
"Oh, yes
.” A look of determination spread across her face. This reminded Gabby of Cole last night when she'd noticed the same expression on his face. "I love Paul and I know he loves me. You have to believe me when I say I didn't mean to fall in love with Paul. It happened and we can't change things."
"How did you meet him?"
Gabby realized what a strain Samantha must have been under leading a double life and keeping everything a secret from Michael.
"Paul did a painting of me for my parents home and one thing led to another
…," her words drifted off into silence.
"How are you going to get to Paul to tell him about the baby?
Surely, Cole will want to accompany you to New York until your safely back with Michael."
"Would you help me, Gabby?"
She asked in a pleading tone.
"What can I do?"
A perplexed look filled Gabby's features. Cole would be furious and could feel she had deceived him if he had even an inkling of their conversation. Gabby knew by helping Samantha that she was giving up any chance of any relationship with Cole in the future. Thinking it over, she didn't have much of a relationship with him, except the search for Samantha, and the two nights she'd spent in his arms making love. The nights of passion would only be a memory for her, but she planned to savor every moment of them. Once they reached Chicago, she would probably never see him again, though she loved him with a stirring passion.
"Help me get away tonight after Cole goes to bed
. If you do, I'll be indebted to you for life."
"I'll do whatever I can to help you
. But we should leave a note for Cole explaining that you'll be all right and not to worry."
"Are you leaving, too?"
Samantha gave her a surprised look.
"I feel it would be the right thing to do under the circumstances
. Do you have a car to drive?"
"Yes, I rented one at the airport when I arrived."
"We'll wait until we’re certain everyone is asleep before leaving. Make sure you're very quiet when you take your luggage to the car. Let's see, it's a little after eleven, so I'll meet you if everything's quiet at midnight."
"Thanks, Gabby, for all your help."
Samantha reached over and hugged her.
Gabby nodded her head and watched
Samantha walk across the room. When the door closed behind her, she wondered silently if she was going too far in helping her again. This was not the time to change her mind now, since she had already given Samantha her word.
She got up and walked over to her suitcase.
Removing a pair of jeans and a blouse, she dressed and gathered her remaining clothing, placing everything in the case. She glanced at the clock on the dresser and noticed it was eleven-thirty. She reached up and rubbed her neck to ease the tension that suddenly ached through it.
Maybe
she was a romantic. Cole had mentioned this about her on the plane. She only knew she loved a successful conclusion and she wanted this for Samantha above her own happiness. Eventually, the hands on the clock reached midnight. Gabby lifted her suitcase and felt like a thief in the night. She tiptoed down the staircase.
Reaching th
e bottom of the stairway, Gabby glanced around and didn't notice anyone about. She heard the soft footsteps of someone and stood frozen. Surely, Cole hadn’t gotten up for something. Turning her head, she saw Samantha walking toward her.
Samantha didn't say a word, but nodded her head in the direction of the patio.
Gabby followed her through the rose garden and out a gate toward the garage. When they were in the car, Samantha drove toward the long, winding road without putting on her headlights. After reaching the safety of the highway, she turned them on.
"I hope Cole isn't too angry with me," Samantha said in a worried tone.
"I'm sure he'll see reason when he finds out the real truth. I've only known Cole for a short time, but I know he felt very worried about you."
By
two o'clock, they were in the airport, waiting for their flights to leave. Gabby's eyes would stray nervously to the entrance of the terminal whenever someone would walk through the door. There was always the chance that Cole may have awakened and was on route to the airport after reading Samantha's note. By the time they were ready to board the plane, Gabby felt a nervous wreck.
Before going their separate ways, Gabby hugged Samantha close.
"I want to wish you all the luck in the world. Try to have a happy life, even if you have to go against Cole's wishes."
"Thank you so much for being there when I needed someone. I can never repay you for what you've done for me."
A teary-eyed Samantha kissed her cheek before turning to leave.
On the flight home, Gabby had doubts over what she had done. Surely, Cole couldn't condemn her after hearing the circumstances behind Samantha leaving again. When it came to Samantha, he was a very protective brother.
When Gabby's flight landed in Chicago, she hailed a cab and gave the driver her address.
He drove toward her apartment building and reached it with dawn lighting the sky. She paid her fare and tiredly reached for her luggage. All she wanted to do was to go to bed. The events of the last two days had taken a toll on her and she climbed the stairs to her apartment in a weary state.
After unlocking the door, she walked into the living room and turned on her answering machine. Cole's voice coming through the little black box
didn’t surprise her. She had expected it. Anger filled his voice and Gabby shuddered listening to him. He explained how he'd found the note and held Gabby responsible for helping his sister. He added that when he returned to Chicago, he would meet with her for a long talk. An impatient sigh followed his statement as the recorded message ended.
Well, so much for wondering what his reaction was going to be.
Now she knew there wasn’t any chance of patching things up with Cole. He would likely instigate the lawsuit again. If he did, she would resign her position at the newspaper.
She
thought about the last two days and knew she would always have the time she’d spent with Cole in her memories. Again, their nights of passion seemed almost like a dream to her, but she knew she would savor the dream for the rest of her life. She shrugged her shoulders helplessly and made her way into her bedroom. After undressing for bed, she slept blocking out the angry and impatient words of Cole that she had heard a few minutes ago.
Chapter Twelve
Gabby didn’t leave her apartment the next day hoping
Cole would call and she could explain her part in why Samantha left California.
Gabby figured Samantha was in New York with Paul and had her personal life sorted out.
Once Paul discovered that Samantha carried his child, he would marry her before Cole found out about their plans. She wished she could find some way to call and find out what was happening.
It was late in the afternoon when Gabby gave up any hope of Cole calling her back.
The minutes had dragged into hours without the telephone ringing. She accepted the fact that he wouldn’t contact her. Her relationship was over with Coler.
***
Gabby arrived at work the next morning feeling depressed over the way her life was turning out. She'd almost had to push herself to get up and get ready. Driving across the city was the hard part. Everything still revolved around her memories of Cole.
She greeted Emma halfheartedly and her co-worker noticed her mood instantly. "How did your assignment go this weekend?" She chewed on the end of her pen, letting her shrewd gray eyes watch Gabby.
"Not
like I thought it should." She knew she had to keep the circumstances behind her trip a secret. "Do you know if Joe's in his office?”
"He called and said he'd be in before lunch
. I think he said something about going to a meeting this morning."
"I'll catch him later," she said absently, her thoughts so preoccupied she could barely
keep an intelligent conversation going with Emma.
After picking up her mail, she started opening the letters she had to answer by that night.
This was the first time she didn't feel any joy about reading the mail and trying to help someone. Somehow, she would have to get a hold on her emotions and dismiss the problems she had created. She set about preparing her answers and became involved with deciding what she should say to first one, then another of her writers. When she came to a letter with a familiar name on the return address, her heart turned over. This was all she needed to cause more chaos in her life.
Susie Powers had written to her for advice.
That was the last person she expected to hear from. She quickly tore open the envelope and began reading the neatly worded letter. Susie wanted her advice on moving in with her boyfriend while she was still in college. She told Gabby her parents were against the idea, but she loved her boyfriend and they were planning marriage after she graduated.
Placing the envelope beside the rest of her mail, she decided to save it to answer later.
She finished the last correspondence and glanced again at the unanswered letter. Something held her back in replying to it. Gabby planned to make a trip to the restaurant in the next few days and talk to the young woman in person. Maybe, she could reason with her to wait until she graduated before making such a big commitment in her life.
Gabby glanced up and saw Joe walking toward his office.
"I'll be right back, Emma.”
When she reached Joe's door,
she tapped lightly. She heard him calling out for her to enter.
"How did things go for you this weekend?"
He asked, before she could begin her explanation. "You didn't go into detail Sunday night on the phone, so I figured you'd run into some problems."
"You can say that," she
said dejectedly, claiming a chair across from his desk.
"What happened?"
"We found Samantha and she's well, but it looks as if I've messed things up for the second time."
"Now
you have me confused.”
"Samantha's pregnant by another man and that's the reason she canceled her wedding to Michael.
”
"How did Cole take the news?"
"I helped Samantha leave her aunt's home in the middle of the night, before Cole found out. He was determined to take her back to New York and have her proceed with the wedding plans. I couldn’t let that happen to her."
"Even after he found out she's pregnant by someone else?”
Joe asked in confusion. “I can't believe he's that stubborn."
"Well," she hesitated a moment before continuing.
"Samantha refused to tell Cole until she could go and talk to Paul Sinclair. So Cole's not aware of the circumstances until Samantha contacts him from New York."
"I take it Paul Sinclair is the father of her child," Joe said thoughtfully.
"Boy, what a mess this has turned out to be."
"Yes, it certainly has, but I'm sure Samantha will solve her problems now.
She told me Paul is an artist in New York, and she loves him very much."
"Have you heard anything from Cole since you've been back?"
"Only an angry message on my recorder. He was furious with me, but when I saw how distressed Samantha was at her aunt's home, I had to help her. Cole wouldn't listen to reason, and no amount of talking from Samantha would convince him she didn't want to marry Michael."
"Well, I wouldn't let this bother me
.” He tried to placate her. "You helped him find her, but it was her decision to leave her aunt's home."
"I received a letter today from his niece asking for advice
. I've decided to ride over and visit her, instead of writing to her."
"That may be a wise decision.
”
“I guess I should get back to work if I want to finish anything today.” Gabby started for the door.
“Oh, before you go, there’s something I want to ask you.”
"What is it?"
She glanced over her shoulder.
"In about two weeks the owners of all the newspapers in the Chicago area are holding a banquet.
I wanted to ask if you'd like to go with me." He must have noticed her stunned expression over his invitation. "This isn't like a date, Gabby. I just need someone to take with me."
She smiled across at him.
"It was just such a surprise to hear you asking me. I didn't even think of it as a date."
"Will you be able to go?"
"Of course.”
"It will be on the tenth of next month
. We’ll have to leave around seven.”
"
That sounds good to me,” she answered before walking into the hallway.
Making her
way to her office, confusion filled her. Why had Joe invited her to the banquet? They never socialized outside the office. He must have realized how she felt about Cole and knew Cole would be attending the banquet since he owned a newspaper in Chicago. Joe might be trying to play matchmaker. Gabby didn’t mind his interference in her personal life, at all.
Before reaching her office, she glanced up and saw Marty walking toward her.
"Hi, Marty.”
"Did you have a good weekend?"
Gabby had almost forgotten she'd told Marty about going away for the weekend.”
"I accomplished what I set out to do.
”
“I’m glad
.” The phone started ringing in his office a few feet away. “Got to catch that. Talk to you later.”
By
five, she was more than ready to go home. When she reached her apartment, she walked straight for the answering machine and checked for any messages. Without admitting it, she knew she was waiting to see if Cole had tried calling her, but she felt disappointed again by the silent machine.
For the next week, Gabby walked around in a daze. On several occasions, she caught Emma giving her strange looks, but she never brought up the subject of what was bothering Gabby. She did her work, but her heart wasn't in it.