But after Clyde Miller stared Scott down with a piercing gaze, his face broke into a smile, and he extended his hand. “I’m glad to meet you, Ambassador Galloway. Thanks for coming to visit me. Denise and my wife have kept you a secret from me because they know that I ask a lot of questions. I hope you can stay for a while.”
Scott shook Clyde’s hand. “I’m happy to meet you, sir. Denise issued an order. So I didn’t dare not come.”
After getting their bags, they drove forty miles to Waverly, Texas, in Clyde’s custom Cadillac. “Did Mom come home last night?” Denise asked her father.
“You bet. Unless they have a special session, Katherine is here with me every weekend.” Scott heard the pride in the man’s voice and concluded that Denise grew up in a loving home. He reached for her hand, and she looked at him, her eyes shining with love. He eased an arm around her shoulder and drew her closer to him.
“My dad likes you,” she whispered. “I thought he was going to be a pain in the neck, but apparently it doesn’t seem so.”
He caressed her cheek. “That’s because you brought him a real gentleman.”
She ran her fingers along his cheek and smiled. “And Mom did your work for you,” she said, more than a little pleased.
Katherine Miller greeted them at the door. “Welcome, Scott. Clyde and I are glad you could visit us. Come in.”
Scott knew Denise’s family was well-off, but he hadn’t imagined that they lived in such opulence. He loved Persian carpets, and from the foyer to the living room, elaborately patterned ones covered the floor. Velvet cushions and leather furniture in earth tones that he loved and fine walnut woods made him feel very much at home.
Nina, the family cook and housekeeper, served a meal of roast Cornish hens, saffron rice, string beans, a green salad and apple pie à la mode. Later, Scott enjoyed an after-dinner port and espresso coffee in the den with Denise and her parents. Her parents wanted to know Scott’s intentions toward Denise, and he wasn’t going to wait until Clyde Miller asked him and he found himself on the defensive.
He put the coffee cup on the coffee table and leaned forward. “Denise and I are in love, I’ve asked her to marry me and she has agreed. I want us to have your blessing. I’ll be as good a son to you as I am to my father, and I’ll do everything in my power to see that Denise and our children want for nothing. I’ll be faithful to her, and to my family, and they will always have my love and support.”
Scott stood when Clyde walked over to him and extended his hand. “Well, Scott,” Clyde said, “from what my wife told me about you, I was hoping that you and Denise would make a life together. As soon as I saw you, I knew you’d do just fine.”
“Welcome to our family, Scott,” Katherine said. “I couldn’t be happier.”
“Thank you. I’d like you both to meet my father, my grandmother and my twin brothers as soon as I can arrange it. They are my family. They all live in Baltimore, of course.”
“We’ll definitely look forward to that,” Clyde said. He left the den and a few minutes later returned with a bottle of vintage champagne. “This calls for a toast. My daughter’s happiness is all that I want, Scott, and her happiness is bound with yours. If you ever need Katherine or me for anything, you have only to ask. We will always be here for you.”
“Thank you.” He stretched out his legs, glanced at Denise and grinned. “Don’t you think we should seal this with a kiss?”
A frown clouded her face. But that didn’t surprise him since Denise was, if anything, circumspect. She looked at her mother. “I’d better warn you both. Scott has a wicked streak.”
Katherine raised an eyebrow. “I don’t see anything wicked about wanting a kiss. I’ve enjoyed quite a few.” She looked at Clyde and winked. “Wouldn’t you say so?”
“Mom, will you call me when you get up?” Denise said, changing the subject. “I’m ready to call it a night.”
Scott pretended to pout. “And no kiss?”
She walked toward him, kissed him on the cheek. “You behave.”
“There is little likelihood that I’ll get a chance to do anything other than behave,” he muttered. “Good night, love.”
“I see she’s capable of giving you a hard time,” Clyde said.
“A hard time?” He thought for a minute. “Sometimes she does, but she knows how far to take it,” he said pointedly and looked Clyde in the eye. “She’s told me that you’re a rancher,” he said, “so I hope you’ll show me around tomorrow. I’ve never been on a ranch.”
“I was hoping you’d want to do that. I raise Herefords and Angus cattle, and I have ten horses and several colts. I plan to sell them.”
“How do you keep the pack young if you don’t keep any of them?” Scott asked.
“I keep those that are born every three years. Katherine will sleep late tomorrow, and Denise will wake up when somebody shakes her. So why don’t you and I get some breakfast around six-thirty and look the place over before the sun is too high? I take it you ride. I’ll take along a couple of rifles, and we can skeet shoot.”
“I love to ride, but I’ve never been skeet shooting.”
Clyde smothered a smile. “If you caught Denise, you must be pretty good at handling moving targets. I’m amazed that she stood still long enough for you to get to know her.”
“This has turned into a conversation that I’m not sure is meant for me,” Katherine said. “Sleep well, Scott. I’ll see you in the morning, provided Clyde ever brings you back.”
Scott didn’t relish the idea of sleeping across the hall from Denise, but he supposed the discipline wouldn’t hurt him. The following morning, reflecting on his comfortable night’s sleep, he told himself that having her as close as she was must have made a difference, because a solid night’s sleep had begun to elude him lately. When he walked into the kitchen, Clyde had breakfast ready.
“You can set the table for the two of us,” he told Scott.” We’re having a fresh fruit cup, grits, waffles, sausage, bacon and coffee. For me, breakfast and grits are the same word, but I didn’t know about you, so I made you some waffles.”
“Great! If you’ve got any eggs, I’ll scramble us some to go with the grits. This is what I call a real breakfast,” Scott said.
Clyde shook his head slowly. “Tell me about it! Denise and Katherine will have half a grapefruit, whole-wheat toast and black coffee, and both of them will be after me if I gain half an inch in my waistline.”
Unperturbed at that news, Scott put the scrambled eggs on the table, sat down and looked at the food laid out before him. “That’s terrible,” he said. “Thank God I know how to cook.”
“Same here. And it’s come in handy many times.”
By the time they finished eating, they had developed an easy camaraderie, and Scott began to look forward to their morning ride. Clyde’s pride in his twenty-seven thousand acres, his large herd of cattle and his horses showed in his face and in his stride. As they strolled through the barns, Scott became aware that Clyde’s hands invariably rested on his shoulder in a fatherly gesture.
“I wasn’t born to wealth, although my family lived very comfortably. After I finished Texas A&M University and went to work on a ranch, I quickly discovered that in order to get where I wanted to go, I needed some skill in business. I went to Harvard, got an MBA and two years later, I bought the first few acres of this ranch. Heating and cooling these barns was an enormous investment, but I never lose livestock due to extreme weather or tempertures. One steer is worth at least thirty-five hundred dollars.”
My goodness, Scott said to himself. This man is grooming me to be a rancher. He’d better live ’til he gets some able-bodied grandsons.
“Over there beyond that grove of trees is a creek that’s more like a river. It’s the lifeblood of the ranch. Let’s get back to our mounts,” Clyde said, “and try out these rifles. I have a practice range south of here.”
Clyde hit six of the ten clay disks flying through the air. “Now it’s your turn
,” he said. Scott took aim, eventually hitting the disks three out of ten tries. “You’re a quick study, son. Some fellows try it every weekend and have yet to hit the target. Denise has hit once or twice, but it was pure luck. She doesn’t approve of guns, and her skeet shooting shows it. If you’d like, we can play a round of golf.”
“I’m mediocre at best, mainly because I almost never play,” Scott told him, “but if you’re patient, I’d love to play a round with you.”
Clyde glanced at his watch. “Goodness, it’s a quarter to twelve. I expect they’re up and already had their breakfast by now. We’d better get back.”
“You think they’ll be mad at us?” Scott asked him.
Clyde headed his horse toward the barn, and Scott joined him. “You bet. They want us close by while they do whatever they want to do. They’ll pout, but ignore it. Put your arms around them, tell them how sweet they are and how much you love them. It works every time.”
Scott couldn’t help laughing. “Are you sure that won’t get me into trouble?”
“Trust me, Scott. It works every time.”
“I’m sure you’re right, but I’m not certain I want to try it. By the way, is it all right if I swim in that creek?”
“It wouldn’t be a good idea, since there might be poisonous snakes in that creek. Anyway, we have a nice pool. You’ll see it when we get back.”
True to Clyde’s prediction, Katherine and Denise met them at the door when they returned. “Hi, sweetheart,” Scott said. “Want to go for a swim? It’s gotten hot.”
“And it’s going to get hotter. The day’s almost half gone, and you haven’t said beans to me.”
From the corner of his eye, he could see from Katherine’s expression that she was letting Clyde know of her displeasure. On the verge of asking Denise what time she got up, he remembered Clyde’s advice, pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
“You could at least explain yourself,” she said.
“You’re just like my dad. Tell him he’s done something wrong, and he gets sugary sweet. It may have worked with Mom, but it has never worked with me.”
Scott dropped into the nearest chair, shaking with laughter that he didn’t try to control.
“What’s so funny?” Denise asked him.
“You don’t want to know. I can see that I’m going to love this family.”
Chapter 11
That afternoon, Denise walked out to the patio, where Katherine lounged in a chair, reading legislation that she was supposed to vote on that Monday. “They’ve been gone since right after lunch, Mom. Where do you think they went?”
Katherine put the proposed bill aside, took a sip of the sweetened iced tea on the table beside her and looked at her daughter. “I don’t know where they went, and I’m not worried about it. If you get bent out of shape whenever you’re not looking at your man, pretty soon you’ll look like a pretzel. Give a man his freedom, and he’ll always come back.”
Denise bristled at that, though she knew that her annoyance with Scott was hardly warranted. “I’m not trying to tie him down—in fact, I like my freedom, too. But he should have at least told me where he was going and asked me if I wanted to go. We’re supposed to be spending the weekend together.”
“I thought you wanted your father and me to get to know him, and I’m sure he wants to know what he’s getting into. If Clyde didn’t like Scott, you’d be furious with you father. He likes your fiancé, and you’re furious with him for showing that.”
“You make it sound awful, Mom. You’re accustomed to the way Daddy acts, but I’m not used to not having Scott around.”
“I imagine you aren’t. Your father wanted a son. But after you were born, I didn’t have another child. He’s got one now, and he’s happy. I’m going to swim. Your father’s planning for us to go into San Antonio for supper. I hope you brought something lovely to wear.”
“I certainly did.” She went up to her room and debated joining her mother in the swimming pool. She’d always thought of her mother as an independent woman, but she had some old-fashioned ideas. She didn’t mention it, but changed into a bathing suit and was about to jump into the water when she heard Scott’s voice.
“Next time we come, I’m going to bring my fencing gear. Your dad used to fence, but he hasn’t had anyone to spar with. We’ve been playing golf. I could get used to it if I had an opportunity to play more often. Your dad’s a really good coach.”
“I’m glad you’re having so much fun.”
He stared at her. “What’s the matter, Denise? Are you unhappy about something?”
“Since we got here, I’ve rarely had time with you alone. I thought we were spending the weekend together.”
A frown clouded his face. “Look, sweetheart, I’m so happy to discover that I like your father and have a lot in common with him that I didn’t consider the possibility that you might feel left out. He’s just as surprised and pleased that we get along so well. I thought you’d want us to like each other.”
“I do, but you haven’t kissed me since we got off that plane.”
With a flash of white teeth, a grin illumined his handsome face. “I offered last night, but got the brush-off. Come here.”
She held up both hands. “Get that look off your face. My dad’s over there.”
“Really?” He pulled her into his arms, wrapped them around her and covered her mouth with his. When she parted her lips, he released her and stepped back. “Did you forget where your dad is? Let’s walk over to the creek or down to that pecan grove around five or five-thirty. We aren’t leaving for San Antonio until seven-fifteen. What do you say?”
“I’d love it. Meet you in the foyer at five and we can be back here at six-thirty. That’ll give me time to dress. I have a few things to do in my room. I’ll see you at five.” She kissed him quickly on the mouth and went inside. As she climbed the stairs, she met her mother.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you what’s going on with Second Chance and what was the outcome of your meeting in Oakland?”
“There’s some concern about the direction of the new immigration policies, but most board members want to wait and see what happens before we make any decisions.”
“Is this going to cause a problem between you and Scott?”
“I shouldn’t think so. We haven’t discussed it since he got that appointment.”
“Be careful, Denise. You may have to decide what’s more important. Whatever you do, don’t oppose him publicly. He will never forgive you.”
She cared deeply about the plight of children of undocumented immigrants, but she recalled her passion for the environment and her attack on Scott. At the time she didn’t know him or his views on environmental issues. She also knew that it would be hard to be quiet if the administration put forward a policy that hurt the interests of Second Chance. Why couldn’t he have been given a different assignment?
“I don’t usually shoot myself in the foot, Mom, and I don’t intend to start doing it now. We’ll find common ground. We’ll have to.”
“If you’re stubborn, that may prove to be difficult.”
In her room, Denise showered and looked at the dress she planned to wear to San Antonio. Her cell phone rang, and she dashed to answer it. “Hello.”
“Hi, sweetheart. It’s still very warm out here. Are you sure you want to walk?”
“We can go down in the basement. I’ll play the piano for you, and that ought to let my folks know that we’d like some privacy.”
“We can try that, but if I hear footsteps, I’ll start kissing you. And whoever it is can turn around and go back.”
“You mean you spent all that time with Clyde Miller, and you think he’d do that? Not hardly.”
“Meet me at the basement door.”
Scott watched Denise bounding down the stairs in front of him, and wondered when his bubble would burst. Happiness suffused him. He remembered that his grandmother hadn’t met Denise, and realized that he’d better amend that
at once. As soon as he could get their families together, he’d press Denise for a wedding date. But the thought gave him a peculiar sensation. What if she wanted a long engagement, or if she had some other excuse to postpone marriage? No point in dredging up doubts, he told himself just as his cell phone rang. He opened the cell phone as he reached the bottom step.
“Galloway.”
“Hi, Mr. Scott. This is Tara Harrington. My piano teacher is presenting her students in recitals Friday at six-thirty, and you have to come, because Mr. Henry said you’re probably going to be one of my uncles.”
“Hello, Tara. I’ll be glad to attend your recital. Where will it be?”
“Gee, I don’t know the address, but my daddy will tell you. What? Oh. Mr. Henry said you can leave from here with us. Okay?”
“Yes. Thank you for inviting me. Let me speak with Henry.
“Hi, Henry. What time do you think the family will be leaving for that recital?”
“Tel said they’d leave here at five-thirty. If ya can’t make it to the house here, ask Tel for the address. It’s the same school where he teaches violin on Saturday mornings. I’m glad yer coming, Scott. Yer a member of the family, and ya oughta be there.”
“Thanks. Give Tara a hug for me. I’ll see you Friday.”
“Is everything all right?” Denise asked him.
“Seems so. Tara wants me to go to her recital Friday. If she doesn’t invite you, don’t take it personally. If she doesn’t call you, come with me as my date.”
To his mind, Denise seemed to have difficulty warming up to that scenario. “Well, okay,” she said. “You’re right about Tara. She practically worships Telford, his brothers and Henry.”
A Compromising Affair (The Harringtons) Page 19