Dreams: Part One (20 page)

“Is that right?“

“You needed me. You were probably scared to death, and all I did was rage at you and then storm out the door. A lot of sound and fury, but not particularly useful when the crunch came. Is that what all the men in your life have been like, Diana?“

“I was not frightened of you,“ she said with great dignity. “I have never been frightened of any man.“

“Is that right? You were frightened of whoever moved that table in your hall.“

She dropped the bottle of mustard she had been about to place in the box. For an instant there was silence.

“I didn’t think you’d noticed,“ Diana said at last, not looking at him.

“I was too damned mad to notice it right away. But then I drove out to Chained Lady Falls to think, and after a while I remembered there was something different about the hall table. Something that reminded me of a scene out of one of my books.“

“Shock Value.
Page fifty-six.“

Colby nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving hers. “When did it happen?“

“The table being moved? I don’t know. While Brandon and I were in town, I guess. It was like that when I got back.“

“It was a shock, wasn’t it?“

“That’s putting it mildly. Someone around here doesn’t like me, Colby. And your theory that it might be Margaret Fulbrook is wrong. She was having coffee with Brandon while my table was being moved.“

Colby eye’s narrowed. “Harry could have done it.“

“No. Harry sat out in the Cadillac the whole time Brandon and Margaret were in the café.“

“That leaves a town full of possibilities,“ Colby mused.

“Well, whoever did it will have to find a new hobby. I’ll be safely back in Portland tonight.“

“You’ll be safely over at Aunt Jesse’s place tonight,“ Colby said flatly.

Diana eyed him warily. “No, thanks. I’ve had enough of Fulbrook Corners.“

“And enough of me, is that it?“

“To be perfectly frank, dealing with a nasty prankster and a man who thinks I’ve committed the ultimate act of disloyalty is a bit much to handle. Even for me.“

“You didn’t commit the ultimate act of disloyalty,“ Colby muttered. “Just a minor indiscretion. The ultimate act of disloyalty would be for you to sleep with another man.“

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that my sin was not a mortal one. Will you please go away and let me pack?“

He didn’t move. “Diana, I had a right to be furious with you.“

She shrugged, pulling more items out of the cupboard. “Maybe. It’s a matter of opinion. Your son wanted to meet his grandmother. He’s an adult and he has some rights, too, you know. When I saw her standing there on the street, staring at him, I simply made the introductions. As far as I was concerned, the issue was Brandon’s to decide. Not yours and not mine.“

Colby drew a deep breath. “Maybe that’s why I was so mad,“ he said slowly. “Maybe I didn’t want to admit that the decision was Brandon’s. I told you I’ve made a lot of mistakes as a father. No reason to think I’m not capable of making a few more.“

“Tell Brandon that. I’m sure he’ll understand. He’s a very sensitive, understanding young man.“

“Unlike his father?“

“You’re a lot more cynical than he is, but then, you went through a far tougher childhood and adolescence. And don’t be too hard on yourself, Colby. You’re the one responsible for turning Brandon into the fine young man he is.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to finish this packing.“

“Diana, you’re coming over to my place for the night. You’ll be safe there.“

“I’ll be safer in Portland.“

There was a loud crash as Colby shot to his feet and sent the chair spinning backward against the wall. “Damn you, you stubborn, thickheaded, self-contained female. You don’t think you can even rely on me enough to let me protect you, do you?“

Diana clenched her hands to stop her fingers from trembling. “Why should you want to protect me?“

“Because you belong to me. Haven’t you figured that much out yet?“

“You mean because we started a brief summer affair you feel you have some responsibility toward me?“ she mocked. “Forget it, Colby. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it a long time now. Besides, the affair is over. Your sense of obligation can take a hike.“

He reached her in two long strides and caught her deftly by the nape of the neck. His touch was astonishingly gentle but there was too much strength in his hand for her to successfully resist him. His eyes softened a little as he looked down at her. “The affair is a long way from over and you know it. As for my sense of obligation, we can discuss that later. At Aunt Jesse’s place. Don’t fight me on this, honey. You know I’ll go out of my mind if I have to worry about you staying here alone, and I can’t let you drive back to Portland. Not yet. There’s too much between us.“

“Is there?“ She could hardly get the words out. She was ensnared in his glittering, determined gazed.

“Yes,“ Colby stated. “There is.“

The fact that he understood that, much was what made Diana keep her mouth shut as she went down the hall to get her overnight things.

“Dad blew up when I told him about meeting Grandmother today,“ Brandon said an hour later. He and Diana were sitting in two of the decrepit chairs on the porch of Aunt Jesse’s old house. Robyn was upstairs sulking, and Colby had gone back to work. “But he’s seriously angry about these stupid pranks someone’s playing on you.“

Diana sipped iced tea and regarded her companion with a skeptical expression. “Seriously angry? You think he’s more annoyed because of the pranks than he is because I introduced you to Margaret Fulbrook?“

“Definitely.“

“I think you’ve got that backward. Colby’s not happy about the pranks, but I would say that he was definitely, seriously angry about your meeting your grandmother.“

“Nah. You don’t know Dad as well as I do. When he starts yelling, he’s mad, all right. But he cools down after he’s let off steam. On the other hand, when he gets quiet, that’s when you know you’ve got a problem.“

“I’ll try to keep the distinction in mind,“ Diana said with a wry smile.

“Were you really on your way back to Portland?“

“Yes.“

“Dad must have come unglued.“

“No,“ Diana said reflectively. “He just got madder.“

“I’m glad you didn’t go. He’s really hung up on you, you know.“

“No, I don’t know. I can’t always figure your father out, Brandon.“

“Most people can’t. I know him better than anyone, and I still have problems figuring him out at times. But he’s okay when the chips are down, you know what I mean? He takes care of things.“

“I think you’re a lot like him in that respect, Brandon,“ Diana said gently. She was about to say something else but Robyn wandered out onto the porch at that moment. The young woman gave Diana a baleful glance and turned to Brandon.

“I’m bored. There’s nothing to do around here. You want to take a walk or something, Brandon? I need to talk to you.“

“Sure.“ Brandon got to his feet. “See you later, Diana. Want to come along, Specter?“ He slapped his thigh encouragingly.

Specter lumbered to his feet and cast a questioning glance at Diana.

“Go on,“ she said to the dog. “I’ll be fine.“

Specter trotted happily along after the pair, his shaggy tail waving cheerfully.

“Look at that fool dog,“ Colby said through the screen door. “Acts like he and Brandon have been best buddies for years. While I, on the other hand, get treated to bared teeth and salivating jaws.“

“I guess something about you just irritates him,“ Diana said as she poured herself more iced tea and watched Brandon and Robyn disappear into the woods. “Do you want some tea?“

“Thanks.“ He pushed open the screen door, walked out onto the porch and dropped into the chair Brandon had been using. He took the cold glass from her hand and gazed after Brandon and Robyn. “I get the feeling dear little Robyn has about had it with Fulbrook Corners.“

“I can empathize.“

“You still mad at me?“

Diana thought about it. “Yes.“

“You’ll get over it.“

“You think so?“

“Sure. I got over being mad at you, didn’t I?“ Colby pointed out with unarguable masculine logic.

“Did you?“

“Yes, damn it, I did.“ Colby set down his glass and reached over to snag her arm. He deftly removed the glass from her hand and pulled her out of her chair and across his lap. “Now stop trying to provoke me.“

“What is this? You get to be mad as long as you like, but as soon as you’re finished everyone else is supposed to go back to normal, too?“

“Works better that way.“ He cradled her close, his hand on her thigh, his lips in her hair.

“Colby, I want to talk to you.“

“Talk fast.“ His hand traveled up her jean-clad thigh and settled on her hip.

“I don’t think you’ve given this whole situation much thought.“

“What situation?“ His lips were on her throat.

Diana shivered and touched his shoulder longingly. “Me. Here in the house.“

“As long as I’m willing to tolerate that stupid mutt of yours underfoot, Where’s the problem?“

“Well, the sleeping arrangements for one thing. Do you have a fourth bedroom?“

“Nope. Only got three.“

“That’s what I thought. So where am I supposed to sleep?“

He drew back for an instant to look down at her with genuine surprise. “You sleep With me, naturally. Where did you think you were going to sleep?“

“But what about the kids? Do you think they ought to see us, uh, going off to bed together?“

“As you and my son have both taken pains to point out to me lately, Brandon is no longer a kid. He already knows I’m sleeping with you and he approves. What more do you want?“

“What about Robyn?“ Diana asked anxiously.

“If she’s old enough to sleep with Brandon, she’s old enough to handle the concept of a couple of genuine, grown-up adults sleeping together. Now stop worrying about it. The decision has already been made.“

“By you?“

“Yeah. By me.“ His hand slid up just under her breast, his thumb sliding into her cleavage. “Now, tell me what you picked up for dinner tonight.“

“I can’t seem to remember at the moment. All I can think about is dessert.“ She smiled up at him, her fingertips trailing teasingly down the front of his shirt to the waistband of his jeans.

He grinned. “Does this mean I’m forgiven?“

“It means I’m prepared to let you prove just how remorseful you really are.“

“Good idea. I’ll start proving it right now.“

Diana laughed and caught his exploring hand. “No, you will not. It’s almost time to start dinner, and Brandon and Robyn will be back soon.“

Colby muttered something under his breath and wrapped her so tightly to him that she squeaked. The sexy laughter faded from his eyes to be replaced with something more intense. “I think we can safely say we got though our first major quarrel today.“

“Is that something to celebrate?“

“Yeah,“ he said. “I think it is. With any luck, you learned a few things today.“

She gave him an indignant glare. “I learned a few things? What was I supposed to learn?“

His gaze was brilliant and grimly intent. “That I won’t let you walk out of my life just because of a disagreement.

Remember that, Diana.“

She said nothing, touching his hard jaw with her forefinger in an unconsciously gentle action. Privately she wondered what it would take for him to let her walk out of his life.

Would he let her go if it turned out she was pregnant?

Colby waited until Brandon and Robyn were deeply involved in a board game that night before he took Diana’s hand and led her toward the stairs.

“Good night, you two. See you in the morning,“ he said as he started upstairs with Diana in tow.

Brandon looked up from the board and smiled at Diana. “Goodnight.“

Robyn looked up briefly but said nothing. She had said very little all evening.

At the top of the stairs Diana said softly, “I don’t think that girl likes me.“

“Don’t worry about it. I’m the one who has cause for worry. The thought of having her for a daughter-in-law sends chills down my spine.“

“I think Brandon has definitely postponed thoughts of marriage. But I’m not so sure about Robyn. She really wants to get married, and she doesn’t like being asked to wait.“

“I just hope she doesn’t do something really stupid like get pregnant.“

Beside him, Diana fell silent. Too late he realized the stupidity of his last remark. Diana, of course, would take it personally. If she was pregnant…

Damn, but women were complicated creatures.

Colby opened the door of his bedroom and urged her inside. A surge of possessiveness and satisfaction went through him as he closed the door and watched her standing in the middle of his very personal domain. He leaned back against the door and drank his fill of her as she wandered curiously to the window, over to the dresser and then to the bed.

“Was this your room as a child?“ she asked as she touched a model of a Corvette he had once painstakingly built from a kit.

Colby nodded. “Yeah.“

She examined the model car. “It’s hard to imagine you as a little kid.“

He shrugged. “My big dream, aside from escaping Fulbrook Corners, was to own a Vette.“

“Did you ever get one?“

“Senior year in high school. A used one. Got it for a song because some guy had crashed it. Eddy helped me work on it. By the time we were finished, it was a teenager’s dream. Black as midnight and faster than a bat out of hell. I beat everything I ever went up against out on River Road in that car. It was the pride and joy of my life.“

“What happened to it?“

“I had a great time with it for a while.“ He took the model from her hand and studied it with a reminiscent smile.

Then he shrugged and put the little ‘vette down on a shelf. “Then I got married, and Brandon came along and I needed money for baby food and diapers and all the other things that a baby needs.“