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Authors: Susan Tracy

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BOOK: Yesterday's Bride
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"He saw Jason's ad in the newspaper, and here we are," Betty explained with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "If Jim has his way, we'll be here forever. This farm is his idea of heaven."

Her personal narrative finished, Betty turned candidly to Leigh.

"You were certainly a surprise to us. We were bowled over when we heard that Jason had brought a bride back from Raleigh." Her wide mouth turned up in a grin. "Of course, Jason keeps his business to himself and he's never been one to waste any time."

Nodding, Leigh busied herself with the coffeepot, offering Betty a refill. She was uncomfortable, feeling more than ever in a false position with this pleasant woman. Leigh hated the thought of deceiving anyone and yet, here she was, forced to act the part of Jason's new bride when in reality she was not much more than a baby-sitter, with the so-called marriage between her and Jason soon to be dissolved. What would Betty think when she discovered the truth?

"You were a fashion model?" Betty queried, and then shook her head ruefully. "I'm sorry. I must seem very nosy. This is such a small community that everyone knows all about everyone else. Sort of a local pastime. When someone new arrives, well, you can imagine the talk." She spread her hands expressively.

Leigh forced a laugh and tried to relax. "I understand, but I doubt if small communities have a monopoly on curiosity." She sat back in her chair. "Yes, I am, er, was a fashion model."

"It must have been exciting—parties, discos, meeting celebrities." Betty's voice betrayed a trace of wistfulness.

"Oh, it wasn't as glamorous as all that," Leigh disclaimed honestly. "At least, not for me. I wasn't one of the swinging set." She wrinkled her small, straight nose. "As far as my photographic assignments went, I usually got the early morning ones, for some reason." She gave Betty a gamin grin, an engaging change from her normally cool expression. "I hate to disillusion you, but a model has to go to bed early so she won't look like a hag the next morning. She has to watch her weight. And I could tell you horror stories about posing for hours on a hot summer day wearing a fur coat."

At the expression on Betty's face, she relented. "Of course, it can be lots of fun. Especially the travel."

Absently winding a lock of silver hair around her finger, Leigh let her thoughts drift for a moment. On the whole she was satisfied with her job. It had its compensations and she wasn't really trained for anything else. But Leigh had never had any illusions about her success, or her looks, on which that success depended. She knew she was in demand now because the blond, Nordic type was in vogue. Tomorrow, fashion might decree dark, sultry looks. Realistically, Leigh accepted that her good bone structure made her highly photogenic, more so than more truly beautiful girls.

Her musing was suddenly interrupted by Jody, who ran into the room followed more sedately by Karen. Each held a rather soggy picture which was presented in turn to the two women. So lavish was their praise that the children decided to go back to the kitchen to make another creation.

Betty watched them go and then returned to their previous conversation.

"You must find the countryside around here a lot different from New York."

"Yes, it is different, but nicely so," Leigh answered spontaneously. "I like it here." She realized with a start that she wasn't saying that just for appearance sake or to be polite. She did like it here. It had a quiet beauty that strongly appealed to her and somehow she was more content now than she had been in a long time. They talked for a while longer until the children called them into the kitchen. There were two more works of art to show off. Exclaiming over the one that was solemnly presented to her, Leigh found a roll of tape and attached it in a place of prominence on the wall.

With a sparkle in her gray eyes, she told Betty, "I doubt if the tape will do this wall any harm, do you?"

Eyeing the peeling object, Betty mused, "I guess the remodeling on Jason's house will be finished soon. You must be anxious to move in."

Leigh laughed. "Believe it or not, I'm getting rather fond of this place."

"Of course, you are," Betty answered pertly. "Jason's here. When you're in love, you don't care where you live. I expect you and Jason spend most of your time in the bedroom anyway."

Disconcerted at such plain speaking, Leigh quickly said that she had been thinking of fixing the cottage up a bit.

Although the remark had been made merely to cover her embarrassment, Leigh continued to consider it long after Betty and Karen had left. Why not? She liked to keep busy. She could easily put a coat of paint on the living room walls while Jody was napping. She would check with Jason as soon as possible, she decided.

Her opportunity presented itself that evening.

Jason came to the dinner table straight from the shower, his thick black hair slightly damp and slicked back. He had apparently shaved as well, because when Leigh leaned over to place a bowl of mixed green salad on the table in front of him, she caught a whiff of tangy shaving lotion. A soft, short-sleeved shirt of navy blue stretched across his wide shoulders, the top few buttons undone to reveal the strong column of his throat.

He seemed to be in a better mood than usual and even complimented Leigh on the food. "This is delicious," he told her, after biting into a thick slice of the mushroom quiche that she had made that afternoon. "I can't remember you cooking before. Did Flora teach you?"

Before answering, Leigh reached over to help Jody with a brimming glass of milk, catching it just before the white liquid spilled over the sides.

"No, Flora didn't like me messing about in her kitchen. I taught myself after I went to New York. I didn't want to eat all my meals in restaurants, even if I could have afforded it, so I bought a cookbook and learned by the trial and error method." Her soft mouth lifted at the corners. "Mostly error."

Leigh told him that Betty Pender had come by.

"That was neighborly," he commented. "What did you think of her?"

"I liked her very much, Jason. She's nice. But…" Leigh's fork toyed with a piece of quiche.

"But what?"

"Well, I was a little uncomfortable with her. I don't like pretending to be something I'm not, and besides that, I wasn't sure I was supposed to be meeting the neighbors like any ordinary wife. Won't it be embarrassing for you when I leave in a few months?"

Jason's lips tightened at her words and she could tell that he was angry.

"That's not your concern, is it?" he answered her coldly and transferred his attention back to his plate.

They ate in silence after that, but Jason's good humor seemed to return by the end of the meal, helped by Jody's innocent jabbering. Considering it as good a time as any, Leigh broached her idea of painting the living room.

Impassively he heard her out, his eyes on her delicate, expressive features.

"It's all right with me as long as you don't neglect Jody. She's why you're here, not to interior decorate."

Leigh was not at all deflated by his dampening words. "When can I buy the paint?" she asked eagerly.

Jason said that he would take her and Jody to Harrellsville with him the next day.

"But I have work to do, so be ready to leave when I am," he warned before turning to ask Jody about the intriguing paste-picture hanging on the kitchen wall.

Determined not to keep Jason waiting, Leigh was up and about early the next morning. She dressed Jody in a pretty pink cotton frock and gave her a picture book to look at while she examined her own wardrobe. Some choice, she thought, surveying the two dresses hanging in the closet. The black dress was much too formal for a morning's shopping, so it would have to be the green again. Sighing, Leigh took it off the hanger and slipped it over her head. The dress was plain, but well cut and the soft jersey fabric clung attractively to her slender figure. She touched her mouth with pale pink lipstick, brushed her hair until it was smooth and shining and turned to see if Jody was ready for breakfast.

The little girl was excited and happy at the prospect of an outing, and she asked Leigh if she might be allowed to buy something for herself.

"Of course, darling," Leigh assured her with a wide smile. "Oh, wait." She picked up her handbag and rummaged around inside it for some coins. These she put into Jody's own tiny purse of yellow quilted cotton and pulled the drawstrings tight before hooking it onto the child's arm.

Jody chattered all the way into town, asking Jason a thousand questions and speculating about what she would purchase. The big, luxurious car ate up the miles and before much time had passed they were there.

Harrellsville was not a city like Raleigh, but rather a large town. Jason dropped Leigh and Jody off at a hardware store and gave them instructions on how to walk to his office when they had finished their shopping.

Leigh wasn't sure what kind of paint to buy, but a clerk helped her. Accustomed now to New Yorkers' rapid speech, Leigh liked the man's slow drawl and his long pauses between phrases, as if he were thinking carefully about each word before he uttered it.

After selecting three gallons of cream-colored paint, a brush and roller, some sandpaper and a can of turpentine, Leigh asked the clerk if she might leave her purchases there until she could return later with the car. He smilingly assured her she could, so she extricated Jody from the stack of folders she had been playing with, straightened them into a neat pile once more, and off they went.

A few yards down the street, they came to a drugstore, and knowing that Jody was anxious to spend her nickles and dimes, Leigh ushered her inside. There Jody found a whole shelf full of items in her price range. With careful deliberation, she chose a tiny rubber baby doll in a wicker carriage, a string of orange plastic beads and a grape lollipop. Leigh, in order to be prepared for rainy days, bought some crayons, coloring books and water paints after she had helped Jody pay for her purchases.

According to Jason's directions, his building was several blocks away, down streets, Leigh found, that had character, where the old rubbed elbows with the new. She especially liked the red brick Victorian buildings they passed, with their elaborate false fronts that made them seem taller than they actually were.

Jody got tired before they reached their destination, so Leigh transferred the two small parcels to one hand and swung the child up on her hip until they reached a small park. There they bought lemonade and a bag of peanuts from a vendor and sat on an empty park bench to rest and feed the pigeons that hovered nearby. They didn't linger long, however, because Jason had made it plain that he was busy.

The address to which he had directed them proved to be an imposing modern structure of glass and brick that blended in well with its surroundings. Letters cut into the stone above the entryway proclaimed it to be the Randall Building. Leigh was slightly shocked. She had had no idea that Jason owned an entire building.

His office was on the top floor, the reception area a wide expanse of champagne-colored carpeting that stretched to a wall of glass. Somewhat intimidated by the grandeur, Jody crept behind Leigh while retaining a tight hold on her hand.

"May I help you?" inquired a cool voice.

A woman of exceptional beauty sat behind the desk, her jet black hair pulled severely back to reveal perfect features in a creamy magnolia complexion.

Leigh's hand went up to smooth her own hair, and then to brush at her dress. She knew she was rumpled from carrying Jody about.

"I'd like to see Mr. Randall, please."

The woman nodded and lifted a perfectly arched brow. "Did you have an appointment?"

"No, er…" Before Leigh could explain, the woman spotted Jody, who was peering around from behind Leigh.

"Why Jody, darling," she said, rising from her chair. The cool tones became a shade warmer. "What are you doing here?"

Suddenly the woman was looking directly at Leigh, her blue eyes narrowing. "You must be the new Mrs. Randall." She extended her hand. "I'm Paula Knight, Jason's secretary."

Leigh shook hands, painfully conscious of her own dishevelment under the scrutiny of this perfectly groomed woman.

"I'll tell Jason you're here. He's been overloaded this morning, so it may be a few minutes. Why don't you and Jody wait over there." She directed them to a grouping of black leather chairs at the side of the room and disappeared through heavy double doors.

Before Jody had time to bounce more than twice on the soft leather seat, the woman was back.

"Jason will be out as soon as he finishes a telephone call. In the meantime, may I get you some coffee?" she offered politely.

At Leigh's refusal, she hesitated a moment and then gracefully leaned against the arm of one of the chairs, carefully arranging the folds of her deep pink skirt.

"May I offer my, ah, congratulations, Mrs. Randall," she said in a careful way that had Leigh wondering if her slight breach of good manners had been deliberate, for she had congratulated Leigh rather than extending her good wishes.

"The wedding was rather sudden, wasn't it?"

Leigh took a deep breath. "No," she answered calmly. "Jason and I have known each other for quite some time."

"I see." Paula Knight was studying Leigh closely, assessing the direct look in her clear gray eyes, the sweet mouth, the seeming fragility of her slender figure.

"I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long," said Jason in a perfunctory, polite voice as he entered the room. He looked unfamiliarly formal in his dark, pinstriped suit.

Before Leigh could answer him, Paula had risen and placed a beautifully manicured hand on his arm.

"Did you get everything arranged with McCurdy?"

He nodded briefly and once again directed his attention to Leigh and Jody.

"How would you two like me to take you out to lunch?" he asked.

Once again Paula intervened. "Jason, you have an appointment to see Mr. Stone at one o'clock," she dutifully pointed out.

"Call Howard and ask him if he can come at four instead. He won't mind. If there's a problem, put it off until tomorrow." Jason sounded irritated.

BOOK: Yesterday's Bride
3.31Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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