Trading Secrets (32 page)

“Did you really pick him up as a souvenir of Acapulco?” Mary asked with an engaging grin.

“It’s a long story.” Sabrina sighed.

“Well, I for one want to hear every last detail.” A cry sounded from a back bedroom. “
Ooops
, excuse me. That will be James wanting his dinner. Don’t start until I get back, okay?”

Sabrina watched her sister-in-law hurry off to fetch the complaining baby. “When are you and Jeffrey going to start your family, Liz?”

Liz smiled serenely. “We already have.” She patted her still-slender stomach. “But we’re going to wait a bit before we make the announcement. We want Nolan and Mary to enjoy their time in the limelight.”

“Congratulations,” Sabrina said in surprise.

“Thank you. And what about you?”

“What about Sabrina?” Mary asked as she returned with the infant. She sat down at the dinner table and opened her blouse.

“I was just asking her when she intended to start a family,” Liz explained.

Mary lifted James Bennet to her breast and smiled. “It looks to me like she’s already got a head start.”

Sabrina considered that. “Do you think so? I’ve never really thought too much about forming a family of my own. It seems like I’ve spent most of my life trying to put some distance between myself and the family I was born into. I don’t know how you two stand living with Nolan and Jeffrey. I mean, I love them both, but there are so many times when I would have cheerfully strangled them. Tonight being a prime example,” she observed, wondering what was going on in the den.

“There are times when I could strangle Jeffrey, too.” Liz grinned. “But there are compensations. You must have discovered a few yourself or you wouldn’t be thinking of marrying Matt.”

“I’m not really thinking of marrying him,” Sabrina said in surprise. “At least not for a while. Not until … until I know for sure that he knows his own mind.” She lounged back in her chair. “It’s all very confusing.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you confused before, Sabrina.” Mary chuckled. “But maybe that’s because it’s always simpler and more straightforward to move away from things. When you find yourself moving toward something, complications arise.”

“I gather there are some real complications in this situation between you and Matt?” Liz pushed gently.

“A few.”

“Do you love him?” This, very casually, from Mary.

For some reason the simple question took Sabrina by surprise. She frowned thoughtfully. “Yes,” she said finally. “I do.”

“It figures.” Liz sighed melodramatically. “He’s unemployed, got himself kicked out of the Army, has an ex-wife and a kid. You found him on the beach in Acapulco—”

“A bar,” Sabrina corrected. “I found him in a hotel bar.”

“Ah, yes. A bar,” Liz continued. “And he followed you back to Dallas like a stray mongrel?”

Sabrina drew in a breath. “Not quite. Perhaps if he had…”

“Why did he show up in Dallas, then?” Mary demanded.

“Actually, he went to Houston to collect Brad for the summer. He was in the neighborhood, so to speak, so he dropped by.”

“And stayed,” Liz finished.

“And stayed until someone offered him a job down on Buena Ventura.”

“After which he immediately returned,” Liz pointed out.

“Sort of. I had Brad, you see, and he had to come back for his son.”

“But you’re not sure he came back because of you?” Liz murmured perceptively.

“I think I’m somewhere on his list of things he wants. I guess I’m just not sure where. I know Brad is at the top, which is only right. And I think Matt definitely is through with whiling his life away in Mexico. I know he wants me and I think he wants a home. But there are other things he wants, too.”

“Such as?” Mary asked.

“Well, he’s bitter about what happened two years ago when he had to resign his commission. Going to Buena Ventura was supposed to be a way of working that out of his system. But the job didn’t accomplish that, as far as I can tell. The job also didn’t give him the stake he thinks he needs to stay in Dallas. But I told him I don’t want him taking any more offers of work in that, uh, field.”

“You’ve given him an ultimatum?” Liz inquired curiously.

“I don’t want him chasing off on secret missions for the government whenever he gets an offer and an urge!” Sabrina exploded tightly. “I want him home where he belongs, doing the laundry and the grocery shopping.”

Liz smiled blandly. “You want a family.”

Sabrina lifted one shoulder helplessly. “I suppose you could say that. At any rate I want Matt.”

“And Brad?”

“Brad’s part of the package. I understand that. I like him and I think he’s learned to tolerate me.”

“But you don’t want marriage?”

Sabrina hesitated. “I just don’t know.”

“I think,” Mary said calmly, “that you’re scared of taking the final step.”

“No. I’m just not sure enough of Matt’s feelings.”

“What do you want from him?”

Sabrina’s mouth curved wryly as her sister-in-law echoed Matt’s own question. “Something he says he can’t give. Proof that I’m the most important thing in his life. You must have had that from Nolan, Mary, or you wouldn’t have married him.”

“Nolan and I started out differently. There wasn’t the complication of a child from a previous marriage or worries about a past that hadn’t been cleared up. It was simpler for your brother and me. But even when it starts out simple it gets complicated in a hurry. Now there’s James, here, for example. And I’ve been thinking of going back to work. Nolan has plans for his career that might make it awkward for me to take a job. Lots of complications.”

“Mary’s right,” Liz agreed quietly. “Even when a relationship starts out in a simple, straightforward fashion, it doesn’t stay that way. You just got hit with all the complications right from the beginning. You didn’t have a chance to absorb them at a slower rate. No wonder you’re feeling confused!”

Sabrina turned that over in her mind. Just how confused was she? When the chips were down a lot of things had appeared very clear. She had known, for example, that she had to give Matt his chance down on Buena Ventura. She had known, too, that she had to protect his son when the threat materialized.

And there was no denying the passion in him. Whatever else he felt for her, that much was real. Furthermore, she trusted him and he said he trusted her.

For God’s sake, Sabrina thought, what more do I want?

The conversation around the table continued along different lines after that. James Bennet went back to sleep in his mother’s arms. Brad wandered in to see if there was any more pie left and Liz and Sabrina did the dishes.

The men didn’t emerge from the den until nearly eleven o’clock. The women were seated around the cleared table when the door opened. The first to appear was Matt. He was cheerfully drunk.

“You didn’t tell me your Dad and brothers liked good whiskey, honey,” he announced in a pleasantly slurred tone.

Sabrina stared at him. She realized that the last time he’d had this much to drink had been that first night in Acapulco. Warily she got to her feet. Before she could say anything, however, Bennet Chase, followed by his sons, ambled into the dining room. They appeared to be every bit as intoxicated as Matt.

“What have you four been doing in that den?” Liz demanded severely.

“Plotting,” Jeffrey assured her thickly. “Came up with a fantastic idea for getting that guy Sheffield in California, didn’t we?” He looked to his companions for support.

“Wonderful idea,” Nolan enthused. “Don’t know why we didn’t think of it before.”

“Over a bottle of whiskey?” Sabrina clarified archly.

“More creative that way,” Jeffrey confided.

“I see.” Sabrina eyed Matt, who was grinning with wicked satisfaction.

“It’s a brilliant plan,” Bennet enthused, smiling fondly at his daughter. “And all perfectly legal.”

“Absolutely,” Matt echoed, lounging happily against the wall.

Sabrina shook her head, amusement in her eyes as she regarded the faces of the four smug men. “I’m sure the plan is a total stroke of genius,” she murmured gently. “But there’s no need to go ahead with it.”

Matt’s eyes narrowed. “Sure there is. It will be the perfect revenge, Sabrina. Banker’s justice and all that. Get the whole episode out of your system.”

“It’s not in my system. Not anymore.” Even as she spoke the words aloud, Sabrina realized they were the truth. “Forget the brilliant plan, men. I’ve got more important things to worry about these days.”

“For instance?” Matt inquired.

“Wondering if you’re going to get drunk like this and embarrass me frequently after we’re married,” Sabrina informed him.

Matt’s mouth opened, but no words came out. He closed it again immediately, his eyes riveted on Sabrina.

“On that note,” Liz said firmly, “I think we will take our leave. Come along, brilliant banker, let’s get going.” She reached into Jeffrey’s pocket and removed the car keys.

“Time we were running along, too,” Mary said smoothly. “The keys, Nolan?”

Sabrina’s brother fumbled in his pocket and meekly turned over the car keys. “Good night, Sabrina. See you tomorrow.” He sounded disappointed.

“Good night, Nolan.”

“I believe I will retire for the evening myself,” Bennet Chase informed everyone grandly, and walked a little unsteadily, but with great dignity, out of the room.

Within a few minutes Sabrina found herself alone with Matt, who was still staring at her.

“That’s what I said to Valdez,” he explained thickly.

“What did you explain to Valdez? Who’s Valdez, anyway?” Sabrina was firmly leading Matt toward her bedroom. It wasn’t an easy task, because he was concentrating more on talking to her than on walking.

“Friend of mine. And I told him it didn’t matter anymore. Got more important things to worry about.”

“What didn’t matter?” She had him almost through the bedroom door now.

“Evening the score; settling things.”

“When did you realize that?” she asked mildly, pushing him gently down on the bed. He watched intently as she knelt in front of him to untie his shoes.

“The night I left Buena Ventura.”

“What’s wrong with Dad?” Brad appeared in the doorway, looking uneasy.

“I’ve disgraced myself, but Sabrina’s going to marry me anyway,” Matt said genially. “Aren’t you, Sabrina?”

“Your father’s had a little too much to drink,” Sabrina told Brad as she tugged at a shoe.

“Are you going to marry him?”

“It looks like it.” The shoe came off. Sabrina went to work on the other one.

“
Wait’ll
I tell Cindy.”

“What’s Cindy got to do with any of this?” Matt asked.

“Cindy has a home computer and apparently has some strong notions of propriety among adults.” Sabrina stared down at Matt’s bare foot, wondering what to do about the knife sheath strapped to his ankle.

“That reminds me, Dad,” Brad said quickly, not wanting to miss the opportunity. “Do you think we could talk about getting a home computer for me? It would be useful for schoolwork and stuff.”

Matt leaned over, pushed Sabrina’s hands aside, and unstrapped the knife sheath. He set it carefully on the table beside the bed. “I have a feeling I should answer that question in the morning.”

“Believe me, when I explain the alternatives, you’ll probably think a home computer is the cheapest investment you can make this summer,” Sabrina warned in a low tone.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” Matt reiterated. Brad shrugged, pleased with the initial progress. “Okay. You guys going to bed now?”

“Your father definitely is.” Sabrina stood up, her hands on her hips.

“I think I will, too.”

“Don’t forget to put on that new shirt we bought today before you come downstairs in the morning,” Sabrina reminded him absently. “I don’t want you showing up in fatigues at breakfast.”

“Okay,” Brad said again. He started out the door and turned on the threshold. “You two definitely are going to get married?”

“Definitely,” Matt murmured, and collapsed back against the pillows. His eyes closed.

“Well, there’s no point standing here and yelling at him tonight,” Sabrina observed. “Guess I’ll save it until morning. Good night, Brad.”

“Good night, Sabrina. Wonder what Dad talked to your father and your brothers about all evening in the den?”

“An interesting question,” Sabrina muttered.

Matt awoke at three in the morning, feeling unnaturally alert. It took him a moment to reorient himself, and then he felt Sabrina beside him and relaxed. He had an incipient headache and was very much afraid it would be worse by morning. But he could live with that. He could live with just about anything, he decided. Sabrina was going to marry him.

“Matt?” Her voice sounded sleepy.

“It’s okay, honey. Go back to sleep.”

“As long as you’re awake, I’ve got a couple of questions,” she persevered.

“Such as?”

“What happened after you went into the den? I thought the four of you would end up in a brawl.”

“Your brothers and your father are men of reason and so am I. Why should we brawl? Besides, we discovered we all have something in common.”

“What?”

“You.”

She stirred and levered herself up on her elbow. In the shadows she looked warm and nicely sleep-tousled. But, then, Matt reminded himself, she always looked warm and inviting to him. “Matt, I want to know what happened in that den.”

He shrugged against the pillows and the movement jolted the baby headache. “Not quite what I expected, if you want to know the truth. I had this great scheme in mind utilizing reverse psychology.”

“Oh, Lord.”

“It was a very clever idea, you know. I figured that if I could antagonize your family sufficiently they’d insist you ditch me. The more they insisted, the more you’d refuse to do what they wanted. But it didn’t work out that way. I wound up telling them the details of what happened on Buena Ventura and how you took care of Brad for me. Then I explained how I felt about you. They understood my sentiments. They also understood that I didn’t intend to let them or anyone else get between you and me. We talked for a long time and in the end we all understood each other,” Matt concluded, oversimplifying nicely.