“Chickens?” Diana raised her eyebrows. “They’re cute now, but they’ll grow into big birds in no time. Where would we keep them?”
“Zach will build us a pen,” Allison announced confidently. “Won’t you, Zach? And I’ll help.”
“Uh, I don’t know if chickens are a good idea, Al. Beethoven would go crazy.”
“Then you put the pen up on stilts,” Laurie said, warming to the idea. “The chickens will pay for themselves, Mom. They’ll lay eggs. You won’t have to buy eggs anymore.”
“No, we’ll have to buy whatever it is the chickens eat.”
“Chicken feed?” Zach contributed helpfully.
Diana glared at him. “Right.”
“Please, Mom,” Allison begged. “Laurie and I have never had a pet of our very own. Beethoven belongs to the whole family, but Laurie and I have never had a goldfish or a turtle or anything that was just ours. Couldn’t we have these cute little chicks?”
Diana glanced questioningly at Zach, and he shrugged. “Well…”
“Allison and I will take complete care of them, Mom,” Laurie said.
“Sure you will.” Diana looked heavenward.
“Really! You won’t have to do a thing. We’ll even pay you back whatever the wire and boards for the pen cost from our allowance.”
“Yeah,” Allison agreed. “And Zach and I will build the pen, right, Zach?”
“If you say so, Al.” He studied the structures around him and shrugged. “Why not?”
“Well…okay,” Diana said reluctantly, and the girls cheered loudly. “But we can’t carry two baby chicks around for the rest of the day. We’ll have to come back for them before we go home.”
“That’s okay!” Allison said immediately, grinning at her sister. “Thanks, guys.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Laurie said, breaking her usual reserve to hug first Diana and then Zach. Allison followed suit. Quickly they picked the two chicks they wanted, and the woman supervising the incubator separated them from the others.
“They’re called frizzled Cochins, girls,” the woman told them.
“And frizzled they’ll be if Beethoven gets ahold of them,” Diana said as they walked away from the incubator.
“He won’t,” Allison insisted. “Zach and I will build the greatest cage in the world. What shall we name them?”
Laurie took her comb from her back pocket and ran it through her hair. “We’ve got Beethoven. How about Mozart and Chopin?”
“Freaky idea, Laurie,” Allison said.
Diana stared at her younger daughter. Freaky idea? Allison had actually complimented her sister and hadn’t even mentioned the fact that Laurie was combing her hair again.
“Thanks.” Laurie smiled at Allison. “Those chicks will be fun. I’m going to teach mine to eat out of my hand.”
“Me, too. Say, wanna go hear that rock band that’s supposed to be playing now?”
“Sure, why not?” Laurie turned to Zach and Diana. “You guys want to come?”
“We’ll take a rain check,” Zach said. “Meet you back at this spot in an hour, okay?”
“Okay!” The girls exchanged a look of delight and hurried toward the sound of rhythmic drums.
“I think I may faint dead away,” Diana remarked as the girls disappeared into the crowd. “They acted as if they liked each other.”
“It’s going to get better. Allison may not realize it, but she’s growing up.”
“I noticed the other day she’s almost as tall as Laurie.”
“Who is almost as tall as her mother.”
“Tell me about it.” Diana laughed. “She borrows my clothes all the time. Although it seems like yesterday that they were like those little girls over there, holding on to my hand for dear life.” She watched the toddlers wistfully.
“And this morning they were squabbling over who got the eye shadow first.”
“Allison has on eye shadow today? You’re kidding.” Her uneasiness increased. Her girls were growing up faster than she’d thought.
“Would I kid about an important development like that? She put it on real light. I don’t think she wanted us to see it.”
Diana looked into his blue eyes, warm with a combination of understanding and amusement, and she realized how nice it was to have him around. “Thanks for today,” she said simply.
“You’re most welcome.”
“I’m having a great time.”
“Me, too.” He gazed down at her. “Come on.” He grabbed her hand. “Let’s have our fortunes told.”
She laughed. “Don’t tell me you believe those things. Now they tell fortunes by computer.”
“Sure, I believe them. Haven’t you ever noticed that everything they say about you is positive? I figure we need all the good news we can get.”
“That’s one way to look at it.” She walked jauntily beside him, feeling freer than she had since Jim had died. Jim. He hadn’t crossed her mind until now. Carefully she probed the memory, gauging how much the thought of Jim bothered her right now. The sadness was still there, would always be there, but the sharp pain that had plagued her for many months was gone. And she knew why. Zachary Wainwright.
“Okay, here we are. Stick your hand in there, and the mysterious El Computero will read your palm,” Zach directed as he slipped money into the coin slot.
“What a riot.” Diana followed his directions and the machine buzzed. Then a paper containing her fortune dropped into the dispenser at the front. “The modern age.”
“What’s it say?” he asked, leaning over her shoulder.
She folded the paper to conceal the message. “That I’ll live a long and happy life.”
“That’s it?”
“Just about.”
“What do you mean by just about?” He made a playful grab for the paper, and she held it out of reach.
“You get yours done, then I’ll decide whether you can read mine.”
“Fair enough.” He dropped more coins into the machine, held his palm under the scanner, and seconds later his fortune spewed out. “Okay. Mine says—” He paused to clear his throat dramatically. “Your scholarly ambition is great and you will succeed in matters of intellect. However, practical tasks are not your —”
“Not your what?” Diana urged, catching his arm as he lowered the paper.
“Never mind.”
“Never mind? You practically dragged my fortune away from me, and you have the nerve to say never mind?” She flashed him a devilish grin. “Give it here!”
He held the paper over his head. “You promise to trade?”
She thought of the words printed on her paper. Dangerous words. But her curiosity got the best of her. “I promise.”
“Okay. Here.” He handed her his fortune.
“Practical tasks are not your strong suit. Zach, shame on you. You’re a fraud.” She smiled to show him she was kidding, but for some reason, he didn’t smile back. Instead, he suddenly looked very serious.
“That’s right, Diana. I am.”
She gazed at him, puzzled. “What?”
“I am a fraud. I’m not an accomplished handyman.”
“I never said you had to be a professional. Someone to do little odd jobs, that’s all.”
“I know, and I thought odd jobs would be no problem. But the truth is, I’ve never painted a house or fixed a sink or rebuilt a fence.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “Just what can you do?” A wry smile twisted his mouth, and she flushed. “I mean, besides that!”
“I’m a very good teacher and an excellent researcher.”
“But you repaired that fan.”
“No. I paid to have it done.”
“You paid someone? And let me believe that you—” She faced him, hands on her hips. “Zachary Wainwright, that’s sneaky and despicable and dishonest and—”
“Hold it.” He raised one hand. “I never said I’d personally fixed that fan. I’ve taken on the responsibility for whatever jobs you have, and they will be
done. Furthermore, I have been a help to you, perhaps in ways you might not realize at the moment.”
She stood in the middle of the milling crowd, under the bright lights of the commercial exhibits, and stared at him. Had she always suspected he wasn’t quite the handyman she had hired him to be? “I should put you out on your ear. I gave you a break on the rent because I thought you could be of some real use.”
“I think I have been,” he said softly.
Her gaze took in his ocean-blue eyes, his muscled chest under a faded blue T-shirt, the cutoff shorts that showed off his tanned thighs. She never tired of looking at him. Then she thought of the happiness that now pervaded a household that had once struggled to escape the gloom of tragedy. True, he presented a problem to her sense of virtue, but even that made her feel more alive than she had in months. Maybe in years.
“Yes,” she said slowly, “I guess you have been.”
“I want to stay, Diana.”
“But what about all the work that needs to be done around the house? Despite what you say, I don’t see how you’ll manage.”
“Let me worry about it. I’ll research online, talk to the guys at the hardware store. I’m willing to learn.”
“This is ridiculous. A handyman who isn’t handy. I should have my head examined.”
His smile was contagious. “I think I’m handy, in my own way. Fixing the sink isn’t everything.”
She chuckled. “No, it certainly isn’t. But when I placed the ad in the paper, that’s what I wanted. A fix-it man for the house.”
“Maybe.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I have a theory about that ad, but we’ll save it for later. I want to read your fortune.”
Silently she handed him the folded paper.
Zach opened it and began to read. “You will have a long life filled with creativity and happiness, provided you choose a mate who understands the basic sensuality of your nature.”
He looked up and she avoided his gaze. “It’s just a silly gimmick. Those fortunes don’t mean anything.”
“It came pretty close with me.”
“Your fortune could apply to a million people.”
“And probably does,” he assented mildly. “And yours could apply to a million people, too. It also fits Diana Thatcher perfectly.” He took her by the shoulders and turned her to face him. “Don’t you agree?”
Heat rose to her cheeks at his knowing smile. “Just because of last night, you think—”
“Correction. Just because of last night I’m positive. But there are restrictions on us, and I’m not going to argue on this special day. Besides, we’re on our first date, and a gentleman does not discuss making love on a first date. Instead he buys his sweetheart some cotton candy. Let’s go.” He tucked her fortune in the pocket of his shorts and steered her toward the cotton candy machine.
“How do you know I want cotton candy?”
“Girls at carnivals always want cotton candy. There’s something very feminine and sexy about nibbling pink globs of spun sugar, and girls know it.”
She laughed, and the mood became one of fun again. By the time they met Allison and Laurie, she and Zach were sticky with cotton candy and laughing over a shared joke.
After a lunch of hot dogs they toured the rest of the fair, except for the midway. Everything received rapt attention, everything but—by unspoken agreement—the tractor display. Maybe in another year that might not bother them, either, Diana thought.
Afternoon became soft evening. Colored lights blinked invitingly from Happy Hollow, where loud music competed with the screams of fair-goers whirling on the rides.
“At last, the really exciting part,” Allison said as they headed for the row of carnival games. At both girls’ urging, Zach threw softballs at milk bottles until Allison and Laurie were holding button-eyed teddy bears.
“How about one for your mom?” Zach asked the girls. “Shall we try for one more?”
“Yes, yes!” they chorused.
“No,” Diana said quietly. “I’m worried about your wrist.”
“Oh, yeah,” Allison said, a shadow of concern crossing her face. “Gee, I hope you didn’t hurt it again with all that throwing.”
“Nope. Feels great.” Zach grinned and flexed his muscles. Then he winked at Diana. “But your mother’s right. I’d better take it easy this first day without the bandage. I’ve got houses to paint and chicken coops to build.”
Allison gave him a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re here, Zach.”
Laurie added a shy “Me, too,” and Zach reached over and rumpled her hair. “Hey, watch that!” she cried, but she was laughing.
Zach glanced over Allison’s blond head and caught Diana’s eye. “I’m glad I’m here, too,” he said, gazing intently at her. “Very glad.”
“Let’s go on the roller coaster,” Allison suggested, pulling at his hand.
He reached for Diana. “Only if I can get this pretty lady to go along.”
“The roller coaster?” she echoed in protest. “You can take the girls.”
“That’s what I plan to do—all three of them. Come on, Diana. Put some adventure in your life.”
She chuckled and allowed herself to be pulled toward the ticket booth. “I believe I already have.”
Through the daredevil thrills of the roller coaster and the giant octopus ride and the rocket ships, Zach held her tight as they both screamed with the abandon of children. Diana couldn’t decide if her heart was racing more from the spinning rides or the intoxicating feel of Zach’s strong arm around her. At times she felt as though she were seventeen again, just as he had suggested they pretend they were, but at the end of each ride, when she looked into the darkened depths of his blue eyes, a woman’s desire rose in her.
“And last but not least, the Ferris wheel,” he announced, after their string of tickets had dwindled.
“Naw, Allison and I want to ride the roller coaster again,” Laurie said.
“That’s okay,” Zach said. “Which do you want, Diana?”
“Ferris wheel,” she decided. “When I was younger, I loved the view.”
Zach rolled his eyes. “Do you think someone as old as you might still like it?”
Allison sighed. “There she goes again, sounding like she’s over the hill.”
“I do not. I realize I’m no kid, that’s all.” Diana folded her arms defensively.
“We’ll work on her attitude, Al,” Zach promised. “She’ll be thinking young in no time. Why don’t you and Laurie take off for the roller coaster and meet us back here? I’ll help your tottering mother on to the Ferris wheel.”
“Great!” Laurie said. “Let’s go, Al.”
Diana turned to Zach. “Al?”
He shrugged. “Maybe Laurie’s losing some of her prim and proper ways.”
“Meaning I should, too?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“No, but you were thinking it.”
“Right now all I’m thinking about is giving you a lovely ride on the Ferris wheel. So relax.” They stepped to an open car, and the attendant locked them into the swaying seat. Zach curved his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
Her body sang at his now-familiar touch, but her mind wouldn’t let go of their problems. “You insist on making complicated situations seem simple.”
“And you insist on making simple situations complicated.” The huge wheel turned, sending them up a few feet off the ground. “Let’s get back to being high school kids on a first date. By this point in the evening, you should be putting your head on my shoulder.”
“That’s protocol?”
“You bet.”
“If you say so.” She tucked her head into the hollow at his neck. “I can hear your heart beating.”
“It’s a wonder the noise isn’t driving you crazy.” He turned his head, and his lips brushed her forehead. “Your hair is incredibly soft. Do you wash it in rainwater or something?”
She chuckled. “No. In the shower. Another romantic fantasy bites the dust.” The wheel carried them higher and higher as passengers loaded below them.
“Only to be replaced by a new fantasy—you washing your hair in the shower.”
“I don’t think a high school boy would say that on a first date.”
“Probably not. And if he did, your proper response would be to slap him and move away.”
“Do you want me to do that?”
His arm tightened around her. “Nope.”
The wheel turned once more, and they were swaying at the top. “Oh, Zach. How beautiful.”
His free hand tipped her chin up, and he gazed deeply into her eyes. “Yes. The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Is this protocol, too?” she murmured, knowing what he intended.
“Absolutely.” His lips brushed gently against hers, and her sigh of assent mingled with his soft groan of desire. But the kiss remained sweet, while the passion they both held in check made them tremble with longing.
Seven
Zach dipped his paintbrush into the can of creamy liquid suspended beside him and applied a wavering line of white to the windowsill. He welcomed this intensely physical work that left him exhausted at the end of the day. After mornings spent in his room or the library, he set up the ladder and painted with the dedication of Michelangelo. And with the skill of Dumbo, he thought with a grimace as a glob of paint landed on his sneaker.
But at least by evening he barely had the strength to hold his fork at the dinner table, and sleep came early and easily now that the humid summer heat was relaxing its hold on Springfield. His dreams weren’t as easily controlled, but he couldn’t be thrown out of the house for those.
Through the half-open window he heard the loud bleats of the Bad News Brass, and he smiled as he pictured Diana patiently directing the trio of boys. She had on a lacy white blouse today, an ultra-feminine concoction. Watching her drove him wild—her delicacy and refinement combined with an inner fire created the most irresistible creature he’d ever known.
Like him, she worked frantically these days, and they rarely talked. Whenever she wasn’t teaching music, she was compulsively cleaning house or shopping for Allison and Laurie’s school clothes.
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