A Moment in Time (36 page)

Maybe I'll take a bubble bath
, she
thought. Then she laughed aloud.
This is really fun. This
gleeful anticipation of the evening. Now I finally know what all
those other women over the years were talking about before their
big dates.

Outside, the car cruised by again, slowly,
but not so slowly as to look too suspicious to anyone who happened
to notice it. Not that there was anyone about to see anything.
There were only the two houses on this country lane. Then suddenly
there
was
somebody.

The driver sped up slightly, but not before
seeing Colette come through the garden gate that led to Valerie's
and noticing her take something from the pocket of her smock,
holding it up to her face, and making as if to kiss it before
replacing it in her pocket.

What the hell?
the driver wondered.
Does she think a creepy little thing like that even knows who
she is? She must be crazy, the old coot, but at least she never saw
me.

Chapter Twenty-Four

They had dined together on the candlelighted
terrace again tonight, but Gerda Reinhardt hadn't had a hand in
preparing the food. With some assistance from Valerie in the
mansion's big kitchen, the two of them had done everything
together, sipping a dry white wine as they worked. Valerie gathered
up the condiments— ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and pickle
relish—then sliced tomatoes and onions and cheese and washed
lettuce, while Wyn piled charcoal in the grill outside and lit a
fire, then made big patties out of the hamburger meat and peeled
and sliced potatoes for French fries.

"I'm not going to deep-fry these," Wyn said,
"if you don't mind."

"What are you going to do with them?" she
asked.

"Spray them with Pam, then put them in the
oven," he replied. "I swear they're almost as good as the real
thing."

"It sounds good," she said, "and healthier,
too. I guess we should make
some
concessions to healthy
eating, shouldn't we?"

"Well," he said, "a little here and a little
there. I don't obsess about it."

"Good," she said, "because I don't think I
could stand it if you did."

He laughed. "That's what I like about you,"
he said. "A woman who speaks her mind."

"If I don't," Valerie replied, "nobody's
going to do it for me."

Out on the terrace, they enjoyed their
hamburgers and French fries, and had fresh peaches for dessert.
Then they sprawled out in the library with the four dogs and the
cat, who'd decided to pay a visit. They were sipping coffee laced
with a dollop of brandy.

"That was really perfect," Valerie said. "I
love simple food."

"I do, too," he said. "I didn't realize how
much I liked it until I went to one too many fancy parties in Palm
Beach. All the hostesses try to outshine each other with delicacies
and exotic ingredients."

"I think that trend has even hit the
provinces," Valerie said.

"I finally decided I had pretty simple
tastes," Wyn went on. "Not just meat and potatoes, but fish and
fowl and veggies, too, only not played with so much. You know what
I mean?"

Valerie nodded. "It's become almost like an
obsession with some people, and I'm worn out with it. At first I
thought it was funny, but I'm really tired of going to restaurants
with micro this and baby that and infused the other." She stopped
and looked at him. "And I'm really sick of the pyramids."

"Oh, yeah," he said, laughing. "Now
everything on your plate has to be arranged in a pyramid. Whether
it's an entree or dessert or whatever. I'm glad you noticed that,
too."

"I guess it's just another fad," she said.
"Something else will come along soon—maybe trapezoids?—but I'll
still love hamburgers and French fries."

"You're my kind of girl," he said, looking
into her eyes.

"You think so?" she asked.

He nodded. "I know so." He took a sip of his
coffee, then said, "Which brings me to a ticklish subject."

"What's that?" she asked. "My feet?"

He grinned. "No," he said. "That's later."
Then his face became serious. "Did you talk to that fiancé of yours
yet?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. By default
actually," she replied, her eyes sparkling with liveliness. She had
hardly been able to restrain herself from telling him what had
happened this morning, but had wanted to wait for the right moment.
Now, she decided, was definitely it. "You're not going to believe
it."

"Try me," he replied.

She repeated for him the events at breakfast
that morning at her mother's. When she was finished telling the
story, she looked over at him and said, "So you see, Mr. Conrad,
I'm a free woman."

His dark eyes were boring into hers intently.
"I don't know when I've ever heard better news," he said. "And I
mean that, Val."

He slid an arm around her shoulders and
pulled her closer to him on the couch. Then he tenderly kissed her
on the cheek. "I've never meant anything more," he said. "You
sparked my interest the very first time I saw you, then, well . . .
you set off fireworks inside me. I didn't know it could ever be
like this."

"I know exactly what you mean," she replied.
"I- I've been . . . experiencing the very same thing. I guess ... I
don't know what to call it, but..." Her words trailed off into
silence.

He kissed her cheek again, then whispered, "I
think it's safe to say it's what they call love, Val."

She almost shivered with the thrill of
hearing the word. It was a thrill mixed with fear, for she knew
that with love came commitment and compromise, and having to give
up a degree of the independence she'd fought so hard for. But she
also knew that for this man she could overcome any fears. Every
fiber in her being told her he was right for her, there was no
mistaking it, that he was the one.

It is love
, she thought,
plain and
simple
. There was nothing else to call what she was feeling for
him, or he her, if what he said was true.

"You can say it, Val," he whispered. "I
will."

She felt his arm tighten around her, and she
looked up into his dark eyes.

"I love you, Val," he said. "It may be crazy,
but I know I really do love you."

She felt her face flush with heat, and she
nodded slightly. "I'm-I'm in love with you, too, Wyn," she said
softly.

"There," he said. "That wasn't so difficult,
was it? We're in love with each other." He hugged her closer still,
then kissed her lips gently, staring into her eyes.

Valerie returned his kiss, hungry for him as
she had never been for Teddy or anyone else. She put her arms
around him, gingerly stroking his back, wanting to hold on to him
with all her might, but afraid that she'd hurt some tender spot on
his body unknowingly.

He seemed to sense her cautious restraint and
leaned back and looked at her, a smile on his lips. "I'm not
glass," he said. "I won't break."

"I-I'm just not sure how delicate you are,"
she said.

"Me?" he said. "I'm tough as leather, young
lady, and don't you forget it." He smiled again. "Well . . . except
maybe for my face right now."

"Aha!" she said teasingly. "So you've got a
soft spot."

"For you," he said, "I've definitely got a
soft spot."

He gently drew her to him again, and she felt
herself melt into his arms. They began kissing once more, their
hands exploring one another's bodies, their passion blossoming into
urgency. Valerie forgot her concerns for any pain she might cause
him and enjoyed the feel of his body, stroking him as he stroked
her, wanting to get to know every inch of this man. She'd never
felt the desire to merge with another as she did now. To become one
with him.

When at last they parted, they were
breathless.

"You look so beautiful, Val," he gasped.
"You're glowing."

She suddenly realized she'd never seen his
entire face at once without any bandages, except in the photographs
hanging in the stable's tack room. "I'm glad I can see more of
you," she said. "More of your face, I mean. I think that you glow,
too."

"You're sure you like the way I look?" he
asked.

"I love the way you look," she replied.
"Besides, I wouldn't care if you looked like Freddy Krueger."

"You're certain about that?" he asked
seriously.

She stared into his eyes. "Wyn, that's not
the case, so it doesn't matter. You were handsome before, and
you're handsome now."

He looked at her for a moment. "I'm still
going to need some more operations," he said. "It'll take a long
time. Do you think you could handle that?"

She playfully slapped him on the arm. "I'm a
vet, remember?" she said. "Give me credit for knowing something
about these things and being able to deal with them."

"Yeah," he agreed, "but you might enjoy
leaving all that at work when you come home at night. You might get
tired of coming home to more of it."

She shook her head. "Never," she said with
fiery determination in her voice. "Not for a single minute. Not if
I come home to you."

"You're very brave," he said. "Or very
stupid." Then he grinned. "But I know you're not stupid."

"I'm neither," she said. "I'm in love."

He kissed her lips gently. "And I'm in love."
He drew back and gazed at her steadily. "You know how I first
knew?" he asked.

"When you saw me in my lab coat?" she
joked.

He shook his head. "It was the
stethoscope."

They both laughed, then he said, "I was
certain when I stopped taking the shots."

"The shots?" she asked.

He nodded. "I was taking a lot of pain
medication." He paused a moment, his eyes cast down, choosing his
words carefully. "I think ... I know . . . that I was overdoing it.
I was lonely and depressed. And I felt like some kind of freak. The
painkillers took me away from it all." He looked back at her. "Then
you came along." He took her hands in his. "You changed everything,
Val," he said. "You made me want to live again. To feel life again.
Even if some of it is unpleasant and painful."

With his words, Valerie's heart surged with
love and, she had to admit, a measure of pride. To think that she
could have that sort of effect on a man was empowering.

"I was at a turning point in my life," she
said, "or low point, I guess. I knew that I wasn't in love with
Teddy, but in all honesty, Wyn, I was actually tempted to go
through with the marriage anyway. It seemed easier than arguing,
and I didn't want to be alone forever. I don't think anybody does.
Then, guess what?"

"What?" he asked.

"You came along from out of the blue," she
replied, looking at him and smiling. "The last thing I ever
imagined."

"The old white knight or Prince Charming,
huh?" he said.

"Well . . . ," she said, "more like
Frankenstein."

He grabbed her and held her as she laughed.
"You mean, mean woman." He kissed her passionately, almost roughly,
wrapping his arms around her tightly. Within moments, they were
breathlessly kissing, stroking, massaging, delving, probing, and
exploring.

They finally parted, and it was Wyn who spoke
first.

"I-I don't know . . . how you—how you feel..
. about waiting," he stuttered, looking into her eyes, "but it's
making me crazy already. I want to make love to you, Val."

"I may be a free woman," she said laughingly,
still breathless, "but-but. . . you're still a married man, Mr.
Conrad."

"You won't hold that against me, will you,
Doc?" he asked.

"I might," she said. "I think I really should
know what's going on in that quarter."

"You're right," he said. "It's only fair.
After all, you've told me all about your ex." He paused. "Arielle
and I are getting a divorce, you know, but we haven't arrived at a
final settlement yet."

Valerie nodded. "And?" she said, coaxing
him.

"And I'm playing hardball because I'm really
pissed off with her," he admitted.

"I see," she said. "I would've suspected as
much from you."

"You already know me pretty well,"

"I think so," she said. "You're a wronged
man, and mean as a snake."

He nodded. "You bet. I could get it over with
quickly," he said. "All it would take is one little phone call to
the lawyer, but I've been torturing her. Deliberately."

"Of course, just what I would've guessed.
But!"

"But what?"

"Does it make any sense to go on torturing
Mrs. Conrad if you want there to be a new Mrs. Conrad?"

"Are you proposing to me, Doc?" he asked,
smiling.

"Darn right, I am," she said. "So you've got
to unload some of your riches on the first Mrs. Conrad and tell her
good-bye. Besides," she went on, "I think it'll improve your
disposition considerably when she's out of your hair—and I'll have
you all to myself."

"You think so?"

"I do," she replied.

"Well, Doc," he said, "I think you've got a
point, but are you sure you want me to make an honest woman out of
you?"

"I don't think either one of us wants to live
life any other way. Honest living is the only way to go."

He sat grinning at her like a boy. "I'm going
to call the lawyer tomorrow," he said, "and tell him to get it over
with ASAP. Give the woman what she's asking for and get rid of her
once and for all."

She stared at him through slitted eyes.
"Honest injun?"

"Scout's honor," he said, holding a hand
up.

"Cut your finger and sign it in blood?" she
asked.

"For you, Doc, I would," he replied. "But
somehow I don't think you're so mean you'll make me lose blood over
this." He fell on her body again, tickling her until she shrieked,
then he began kissing her until they were both moaning with
passion.