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Authors: Susan Tracy

Yesterday's Bride (15 page)

BOOK: Yesterday's Bride
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Lights swung in an arc around the driveway, illuminating Leigh where she stood by the steps. With the crunch of tires on gravel, Jason brought the luxurious car to a halt and got out.

"Were you waiting for me?" he asked as he walked over to Leigh, two bulky packages lodged in the crook of his arm. He looked very pleased when she met him halfway.

"A man could get used to this treatment," he said. Throwing a casual arm across her shoulders, he led her into the house. There, inside the hall, he handed her one of the packages, which was long and narrow and covered with green tissue paper.

The paper was unraveled to reveal a dozen long-stemmed American Beauty roses.

"Oh, how lovely," Leigh breathed. "Thank you, Jason." She tilted her face up to his with a mischievous smile. "A girl could get used to this treatment."

"That's the general idea," he said briefly, depositing the other package on a marble-topped table. He pointed to it as he turned toward the staircase.

"Would you put that on ice?" he asked, with a foot on the first stair tread. "I'm going up for a quick shower."

Smiling to herself, Leigh picked up the rather heavy parcel that was covered in brown paper and went into the kitchen to unwrap it.

A bottle of vintage champagne! Jason was really doing things right. Remembering that she had seen a silver bucket in the pantry, Leigh rummaged on the shelves until she found it. She filled the round container full of ice cubes from the freezer, twisted the magnum of wine into its depths and carried it into the dining room. After she had checked the casserole of beef and potatoes that was simmering in the oven, she got out a tall cut-glass vase and arranged the roses. About to deposit them in pride of place on the table, Leigh gently touched one of the scarlet buds, her mouth turned up in a dreamy smile.

"What a beautiful picture you make, Leigh," said a soft voice from the doorway.

Flustered at being caught in such an introspective mood, Leigh murmured something about making a salad and fled into the kitchen.

When she joined Jason in the drawing room a while later, he patted a cushion on the sofa where he had stretched out. Rather reluctantly Leigh sat down, too conscious of Jason's thigh only inches away from hers.

He had changed into black slacks and a matching black turtleneck sweater, the casual clothes molded to his strong physique. He looked supremely fit and altogether too disturbing for Leigh's peace of mind.

"Dinner's ready anytime you are," she said, nervously straightening her blue cotton skirt.

"Oh, are you cooking for us tonight? Where's Smitty?"

"Smitty made the dinner, but she went out to a club meeting."

"Then we're alone," he said, watching in amusement as Leigh attempted unobtrusively to shift a few inches away from him. A touch of his hand on her arm halted her.

"I looked in on Jody when I was upstairs. She's sleeping like a baby." Leigh chuckled at his small joke, and he leaned closer to trace the outline of her lips lightly with his thumb.

Fighting the bemusement that was swiftly stealing over her, Leigh gulped out a question.

"Did you have a nice day?" As the traces of teasing faded from Jason's face, she realized how tired he looked.

"We're having labor problems at one of the warehouses. A few troublemakers trying to stir things up." Absently he massaged the back of his neck with his hand, and Leigh had an insane desire to reach over and do it for him, to cradle his head in her hands and smooth away his fatigue.

"It will work out," he said, shrugging off her expression of concern. "Nothing to worry about. How was your day?" Clearly he did not want to go into the situation in more detail.

Respecting his reticence, Leigh plunged into an animated description of the delightful visit she and Jody had made to the north meadow, and as she talked, she noted that the lines of strain were easing out of his face.

"So you used the car? What did you think of it?" he asked slyly.

"It's a beauty. The nicest car I've ever driven." Leigh's answer came enthusiastically. "I wouldn't have thought, though, that a Porsche would make much of a farm vehicle," she teased.

"Sure it does," he said, his tone bland. "All that power under the hood makes it just the thing for heavy work, like hauling logs."

Was he suggesting that he had bought it for her use?

They went in to dinner. Leigh served the steaming casserole and the salad while Jason poured the bubbling wine.

"There's nothing like a quiet dinner at home," he said complacently, sounding, Leigh thought, for all the world as though they dined together like this every night.

It was an enchanting meal. The food was good, but the company was even better, Leigh had to admit. For once, all the tension between them had melted away and they laughed and talked easily, in harmony with each other. They argued over politics, but some of their ideas turned out to be incredibly similar. Jason had a stimulating mind and Leigh enjoyed exploring it.

But there was more than talk to the evening. The balance in their relationship had shifted, the undercurrents had gone largely because Jason's attitude had changed. Gone were the sarcasm and mockery. He teased Leigh, he talked seriously with her, and not once did he retreat to the old antagonism. As for Leigh, the hurts of the past were fading.

Their relationship was much more like it had been in the beginning when they first knew each other. There was a difference, however, and not such a subtle one. For Jason had treated the younger Leigh like a child, with a patronizing tenderness. Now he was treating her like a woman. Was he courting her? She felt confused.

However much she might warn herself that a friendlier atmosphere between Jason and her was insidious, she couldn't keep any barriers raised against his easy raillery and solicitous consideration. He crept under her guard and went to her head just like the sparkling wine they were drinking.

After dinner Jason helped with the clearing up, much to Leigh's surprise, and then they returned to the drawing room to listen to some music. Again he drew her down beside him on the sofa and curved her in the circle of his arm. Neither of them talked much, just relaxed and listened to the beautiful, rich strains of a Mozart sonata. Leigh felt Jason's body relax against hers and a sense of warmth and being needed rushed over her. It was a good feeling.

When the record ended, they continued to sit in peaceful silence until Jason spoke. "I have to fly to Nashville tomorrow on business." The announcement made a sudden inroad into Leigh's contentment. "I didn't want to go right now, but it couldn't be helped. I should be back by Friday."

Unable to get any words out, Leigh merely nodded.

Jason's hand captured a strand of her silvery hair. He coiled the silken tress around his finger and lifted it to his lips.

"What makes your hair smell so delicious?"

"I rinse it in lemon juice," she said, trying to keep a hold on sanity as her senses inevitably responded to Jason's nearness.

"I don't believe you, minx. It's more like roses and sunshine." His fingers rippled through the shining mass. "You're getting white streaks," he said, his eyes on the contrast between pale hair and cheeks flushed a soft pink. "You should wear a hat when you go out." Playfully he tickled Leigh's ear with the ends of one tress.

In retaliation, she reached over and tugged at the crisp black hair that fell over his forehead.

He made a sound under his breath and in the next second had pulled her to him. How could she resist? She went willingly, her arms curving around his neck, her mouth raised to his.

The kiss was a long exploration, deep and possessive and earthshaking. When Jason let her go, when she was no longer enmeshed in the heat of his embrace, Leigh felt as if a part of her had been torn away.

"This is getting to be a habit. A nice habit," Jason strove to lighten the atmosphere, but his eyes, their irises almost as black as the pupils, betrayed his passion.

"How would you feel about our getting away for the weekend?" he asked in a voice that was just a little ragged. "Smitty could look after Jody for a couple of days with no difficulty."

At Leigh's wide-eyed expression, he shook his head. "No strings attached, Leigh. I told you I'd wait for your answer. But it might help you to make up your mind if we see how we get along by ourselves for a few days. Get to know each other again."

Somehow Leigh found herself agreeing to go with him to a lodge in the foothills of the North Carolina mountains after he returned from Nashville.

As she undressed for bed later that night, she didn't kid herself that she wouldn't miss him.

For the next few days, however, she was very, very busy. Not only was she seeing to Jody and trying to help Smitty, but she found herself in the middle of the redecorating. The contractor whom Jason had hired to supervise the project came to see her and explained that the workers had reached the stage where some decisions had to be made. So after consulting with Smitty and not without reservations, Leigh pitched in. Jason had asked her to do it, she reasoned, and besides, she told herself with a slight tremor, this could be her home she was redecorating.

She selected paint colors and wallpapers until her head was swimming, and then poured over books of fabrics to choose curtains and upholstery materials. A woman was coming from Raleigh to measure the windows and furniture and make up the finished product. Once that was taken care of, Leigh had to drive into Harrellsville to pick out carpets and odds and ends from a department store which had a special service for projects such as this, the contractor told her.

When she was finished, Leigh felt a tremendous sense of satisfaction. She had done her best to restore the beauty and elegance of the old house, but she hadn't made it into a showpiece. One of the first things that had struck Leigh about Jason's home was the sense of comfort there, despite the number of furnishings that were collector's items. The comfort she had tried to preserve.

Leigh wasn't sure Jason would approve of all her choices, and she wished he had been there to consult, but the contractor had been insistent that the decisions had to be made right away or the work would stop, so she had bitten the bullet and gone ahead. Whatever Jason absolutely hated, Leigh decided, she could replace out of her own pocket. And anyway, she hadn't chosen anything wildly frilly and feminine, she grinned to herself. The one room about which Leigh was really unsure was the master bedroom. She hadn't actually changed much, but she had lightened the masculine beige and brown color scheme with touches of off-white and apricot.

"If he doesn't like it," the acerbic Smitty had commented when she saw the color swatches, "then he can just move to another room."

On Friday morning, Leigh broached the subject of her going away for the weekend to Jody. The child took it calmly, in her sober way, but Leigh feared that she might be upset. After all, Jody had been parted from her mother and father for quite a long time, and now if her Uncle Jason and Aunt Leigh went away, that added up to a lot of separations for a three, almost four, year old to handle, Leigh reasoned. She talked it over with Smitty and then took Jody to visit Betty Pender and Karen in the hope that playing with another child would temporarily take her mind off the imminent separation and perhaps give her time to accept it. If not, Leigh decided firmly, they just wouldn't go.

The children had a riotous time on Karen's swing, while the grown-ups rested on lawn chairs nearby with glasses of iced Coke. On hearing about the proposed trip, Betty said she thought it was a terrific idea for Jason and Leigh to get away and immediately suggested that Leigh leave Jody there for the afternoon and she would bring her home later, in time to say good-bye to them. Then tomorrow, she said, she could take the girls on an outing. If they gave Jody something to look forward to, she might not mind so much that Leigh and Jason were away for a day or two.

Leigh could have hugged Betty for her consideration and went to talk it over with Jody, who nodded happily, her fat, brown curls dancing. To Jody, having a playmate for a whole afternoon was a decided treat, and two days in a row was miraculous. When Leigh left, it was with a much easier mind.

Back at the house, Leigh found Paula Knight comfortably settled in the drawing room, a tray of tea things in front of her.

"Oh, Mrs. Randall." She gave a self-conscious laugh. "Smitty said you'd gone out. I hope you don't mind my making myself at home." A beringed hand swept out in a graceful gesture.

Paula looked very businesslike today in a simple white blouse and slim black skirt, a scarf in a geometric print tied loosely at her neck.

Leigh wondered how the woman always managed to make her feel like an interloper. Besides that, Leigh's skin was damp from rushing about and her clothes were decidedly wilted. Yet, as much as she would like to go up and take a shower, Paula Knight was a guest and she was acting as hostess. With as good grace as possible, she sat down and smiled pleasantly. "Why don't you call me Leigh?" she suggested.

Paula acquiesced and returned the favor.

"I've been waiting for Jason," she explained as she sank back against the deep cushions of the sofa. "He said he'd be back late this afternoon."

"Is there an urgent problem?" Leigh asked in alarm, remembering Jason's mention of labor troubles.

"No, I have some papers for him to sign." Paula took a sip from the thin porcelain cup and looked at Leigh over its rim, assessing the simple skirt and blouse she wore.

"It's nice for us to have a chance to get acquainted," she said, taking charge of the conversation as if she really were at home. "I understand that you were a fashion model. It must be fascinating work. Do you plan to continue with it?"

Leigh was getting tired of that particular question, especially since she didn't know the answer. "I'm not sure," she said and asked Paula about herself before the woman could get in another query.

They made polite small talk, Paula revealing that she had worked for Jason for the past six months since his previous secretary had retired.

BOOK: Yesterday's Bride
8.47Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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