Authors: Jayne Ann Krentz
A long time later Colby stirred beside Diana. “You still awake, honey?“
“Yes. Do you want to talk about the dreams now?“ She wasn’t nearly so concerned with them as she had been earlier. Colby’s lovemaking had soothed the jangling sense of uneasiness the dream had created.
“No, I want to talk about marriage.“
“Oh.“ She didn’t know what else to say. “I guess there’s no real rush, is there?“
“There damn sure is a rush. You’re pregnant. About three weeks along. We’re going to get married as soon as possible.“
“We are?“ She felt as if she were being swept over Chained Lady Falls. Having accepted the inevitability of the marriage, she still hadn’t quite accepted the reality of it. Just as she hadn’t fully accepted the reality of her pregnancy, she realized. She was half-afraid that when the marriage became a fact, the pregnancy would also become real. “Maybe we should wait until I get tested to find out for certain if I’m pregnant.“
“We both know you’re pregnant. But we can get the test done here in town tomorrow just to tie up loose ends. We can also apply for the license tomorrow and have the official ceremony on Friday.“
Diana felt stunned and breathless. “The end of the week?“
“You want to invite your mother?“
“Oh, my God. My mother. Of course I want to invite her.“
“I’ll invite Brandon. Anyone else we need to worry about?“
“Well, no, I guess not, but Colby, this is so sudden.“
“Relax. I’ll take care of everything.“
“You keep saying that,“ she wailed.
“Try believing it.“ He turned on his side and met her eyes in the shadows. “You know what your problem is?“
“I’m afraid to ask.“
“You’re still playing the denial game. You figure if you just ignore the pregnancy, it might go away and your nice, neat, conveniently structured life will return to normal. I’m disappointed in you, Diana. You’re a businesswoman. You should be able to face facts. You know damn well nothing will ever be the same for you again.“
“They won’t be the same for you, either,“ she shot back, goaded.
“I’ll handle it.“
“Terrific. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that.“
“Diana?“
“Yes?“
“It’s going to work out. Wait and see.“
“Famous last words.“ She turned toward him with a little moan and burrowed into his arms. “I'm scared,“ she confided.
“I know.“
Her mouth brushed his shoulder in a soft, humble caress. “Tm very glad you’re with me,“ she added in a barely audible voice.
Colby chuckled in the darkness. “At least you can admit it. There was a time, my sweet little amazon, when you didn’t think you needed a man, remember?“
“Don’t rub it in.“ She found his ribs with her finger.
“Hey, no fair tickling me when I’m luxuriating in postcoital afterglow.“ He caught her fingers.
“Is that what it’s called?“
“Something like that. I don’t have my thesaurus handy, or else I’d double-check my terminology.“
“Shame on you. A writer should never be without his thesaurus.“
“Obviously you’re a bad influence on me.“ He kissed her throat.
Diana laughed for the first time in days. “I can’t resist. You’re so good when you’re bad.“
Colby joined in her laughter and tumbled her down across his aroused body.
Eddy Spooner paused in the act of drawing the rubber squeegee across the Jeep’s windshield. He used a grease-stained hand to push his limp blond hair behind his ear as he peered down at Colby. The old army combat fatigues he wore smelled of gasoline and oil. His glacial blue eyes were narrowed in amazed consternation.
“Is it true what I heard this morning? You really gonna marry that Diana Prentice?“
“I see gossip still travels around this town as fast as it did twenty years ago. Yeah, it’s true. Damn it, Specter, quit drooling on me.“ Colby pushed Specter’s heavy muzzle off his shoulder. The dog had been leaning over the front seat, his tongue lolling between his teeth as he watched Spooner clean the windshield.
Specter didn’t take offense. He lumbered to the other side of the Jeep and stared across the street at the post office. Diana had disappeared inside to collect the mail a few minutes earlier.
“Jesus, Colby, don’t take this personal or nothin’, but why in hell you want to marry the woman? You’re already livin’ with her bold as brass.“
“Women like Diana need marriage to settle ‘em down,“ Colby said, feeling a rush of masculine wisdom as he said the words.
“That right?“ Eddy’s eyes widened with interest. “She ‘ kindawild?“
Only in bed, Colby thought with private satisfaction. “No, she’s just used to being independent. You know these modern women. They don’t think they need a man to look after them.“
“Wish I could find me one of those modern women. Some gal who didn’t want marriage but who’d be will-in’ to keep my place clean, fix my dinner every night and hit the sack with me whenever I felt like havin’ a little fun. I’d like to get me some babe who wouldn’t give me any lip when I wanted to take off by myself for a while.“
“I
don’t think you’re going to find too many women who are
that
modern,“ Colby said.
“Not in Fulbrook Corners, I won’t,“ Spooner agreed morosely. “Your son comin’ up for the wedding?“
“Brandon will be here on Friday. So will Diana’s mother. She’s flying in from California.“
“You ready to take on another mother-in-law, Colby? The last one you had should have been enough to put you off marriage for life.“
“I
know. It’s taken me twenty years to recover. Speaking of Margaret Fulbrook, here she comes now.“ Colby removed cash from his wallet, his eye on the aging blue Cadillac pulling into the parking lot across the street. “Let’s settle up, Eddy, so I can get over there. I don’t want the old bitch cornering Diana alone in the post office.“
As she turned away from the service window, Diana glanced thoughtfully at the envelope she had just been handed. Another letter from Aaron Crown. He would no doubt be outlining more reasons why she should return to work for him as soon as possible. Her former boss certainly was being persistent.
Diana unconsciously touched her stomach. It was reassuring to know she had at least one secure job possibility available to her. She didn’t want to go back to work for Carruthers and Yale, but she felt awkward about starting a new position with another company knowing she would have to go on maternity leave within a few months.
She shook her head ruefully. Colby was right. Being pregnant changed everything. Nothing would ever again be the same in her life. She couldn’t even make career decisions the same way she had in the past. There were new factors to take into consideration.
“I hear Colby Savagar is getting ready for another shotgun wedding.“ Margaret Fulbrook’s loud voice filled the post office, mesmerizing everyone inside.
Diana looked up and saw the matriarch of Fulbrook Corners standing in the doorway. Her gray hair was in its customary regal chignon. Her fine brown eyes were as piercing as ever, and her face was set in its usual rigid lines of disapproval and bitterness.
“Good morning, Mrs. Fulbrook. How are you today?“ Diana smiled with cool politeness.
“As well as can be expected. What about you. Miss Prentice? Is it true you’re marrying Savagar?“
“Word travels fast around here, doesn’t it?“
“Saw Evelyn Thorp at the grocery store,“ Margaret Fulbrook explained impatiently. “She told me all about it. I couldn’t believe it at first. You look like a reasonably bright young woman. Why on earth would you want to marry Savagar? Has he gotten you pregnant the way he did my daughter?“
For some reason the blunt question got to Diana. She had thought she was ready for anything Margaret Fulbrook could dish out, but in spite of herself, she turned pink.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Mrs. Fulbrook. If you’ll excuse me, I have a few other errands to run.“
Colby appeared on the other side of the glass doors. He strode into the small lobby just as the old woman’s sharp eyes widened and then narrowed in open speculation. She studied Diana’s blushing face, “So that’s it, is it?“ Margaret Fulbrook said with grim satisfaction. “Forty years old and the man still hasn’t learned how to keep his jeans zipped up.
You have my sympathy, Miss Prentice. But not much of it. I warned you to stay away from that man.“
Diana came close to losing her temper. She had always felt sorry for the bitter woman who had denied herself her own grandson for nearly twenty years, but this was going too far. Colby was already moving forward, a dangerous expression on his face. In another moment there would be fireworks.
Diana smiled serenely at Margaret Fulbrook. “The wonderful thing about being my age is that one gets to make one’s own decisions. One needn’t listen to the warnings of others.“
“Diana?“ Colby came to a halt, no longer certain he had an adversary. “What the hell is going on here?“
“There you are, Colby.“ She went to him and stood on tiptoe to kiss him lightly. “I’ve got the mail. Shall we leave?“
Colby scowled at Margaret Fulbrook. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.“
“Just a moment, you two,“ Mrs. Fulbrook snapped. “I hear you’re getting married here. Is my grandson going to be coming up from Portland for the wedding?“
“Not that it’s any business of yours, but, yes, Brandon will be here on Friday,“ Colby growled as he shouldered open the glass doors. He let them swing shut on the older woman’s next remark. “What was that all about?“ he demanded.
“Margaret Fulbrook was speculating on the reason behind our hasty marriage plans.“
“Yeah, that figures. The old witch.“ Colby came to a halt beside the Jeep and captured her face between rough palms. “Are you okay, honey?“
“I still feel a little dazed whenever I think about being pregnant,“ she answered truthfully.
“You’re going to make a good mother once you settle down and get your priorities straight. You’re still panicked, but once you’re past that part, you’ll be fine.“
“How do you know?“
“Because I’ve been there, remember?“
Diana clasped his wrists and looked up at him with anxious eyes. “Oh, Colby, I know you have and it’s not fair for you to have to go through this again.“
“If you bring up the subject of fairness again, I’m going to get really angry. There’s no going back for either of us, so we don’t talk about it. I thought I made that clear?“
She nodded, her smile tremulous. “You did. And you’re right. I won’t bring up the subject again.“
“Good. Let’s go pick up those groceries.“ Colby glanced into the Jeep. “Stay put, you idiot dog. We’ll be right back.“
Specter gave him a bored look.
“You and my dog have made some headway toward detente,“ Diana observed. “At least the two of you don’t growl openly at each other any longer.“
“I wouldn’t trust that mutt as far as I could throw him, and what with the way you overfeed him, that’s not far. If he
’s behaving himself around me these days, it’s only because he knows he’s living under my roof and he’ll get kicked out if he tries anything really nasty. This isn’t detente, it’s a power struggle. Specter’s gone underground for the time being,“
“I think you credit him with a little too much deviousness. He’s only a dog, Colby.“
“Hah. He’s jealous of me. Before I came along, he was the only male in your life.“ Colby glanced down at the letter in her hand. “Except for that damn boss of yours. What’s he writing to you about this time?“
Diana opened the envelope as they walked toward the grocery store. Quickly she scanned the contents of the letter. “He says my position is still waiting, work is piling up, and they could really use me. He thinks he could wangle a raise for me if I return from my leave soon.“
“Forget it.“
“I’m not so sure, Colby. I was thinking that going back to work for Carruthers and Yale might be the perfect solution until the baby arrives. I’d feel strange about starting a brand-new job with another company and then having to take maternity leave within the first year. But I’ve worked for Carruthers and Yale for several years now, and as far as I’m concerned they owe me.“
“They do owe you after the way they refused to promote you because of the fact that you’re a woman.“
“Don’t you see? I could use my old position as the perfect fill-in job until the baby arrives, and then I could quit. It would serve those old fogies right, and it would give me a well-paying job for the next few months. After the baby gets here, I can start hunting for a permanent position with another firm.“
“You don’t have to work at all until the baby arrives,“ Colby said irritably. “There’s not much point. I can support you, and you can spend the time getting ready to become a mother. You’ve got a lot to learn on that subject.“
Diana slid him an uneasy glance. She did not want to start a quarrel but she also wanted Colby to understand.
“You know how I feel about working.“
“I know you’ve got this thing about not becoming financially dependent on a man, but that’s hogwash in this situation. You know damned well I’m not going to run off and leave you stranded.“
“I know that, but…“
“But you still don’t quite believe it, do you? Forget finding another job for the next few months. Trust me, Diana. Ill take care of you. After you’ve settled down and gotten comfortable with motherhood, you’ll have plenty of time to find another job.“
He didn’t understand, and she didn’t want to argue about it just then. Diana said nothing as they walked into the small grocery store.
“Hey there, Savagar, I hear congratulations are in order.“
“Morning, Brian.“ Colby smiled wryly at the man behind the checkout counter. “You heard right.“
“Well, that’s great. Just great. Good luck to both of you.“ The dark-haired, slightly plump man behind the counter was close to Colby’s age, perhaps a few years younger. He wore glasses and his hair was thinning. He had an open, cheerful expression. His name was Brian McDonald, and although he seemed cautious around Colby, as if uncertain of his welcome, he was one of the handful of people in town who treated Colby like an old friend.