Love With A Stranger

by Taylor, Janelle

  In January, she had learned from Kristy that Bradley Stillman was in therapy both alone and with wife number three, who had promised to give him another chance if Brad would straighten out himself; and he had vowed to do so.

  Stacey had arrived on Friday evening for a weekend visit and was playing golf with his father this afternoon, before he went on an evening date with Linda Carnes. The two had mingled at the wedding, as both had been involved in it with Stacey as a groomsman and Linda, her maid of honor.

  Stacey had decided to switch from surgery and a future practice in Atlanta to family medicine and a partnership with his father when he finished medical school and his internship. That union would be good for her husband and his son since Jason had to turn down new patients almost every week. With Stacey’s help, Jason could increase the size of his patient list and Stacey could take over an established practice when Jason needed time off and when Jason retired. Cass knew that Stacey’s decision had come before he got deeply involved with Linda, but still it added practical fuel to his new. romance.

  Linda was working for Jason now, as one of his three nurses had quit last October due to her husband’s job transfer to South Carolina. She and Linda were still best friends and she wished Linda was joining them tomorrow, but the blond was going to Jacksonville to see her mother. No doubt Stacey and Linda would be out late in order to spend every minute possible together before their separation when Stacey returned to medical school in Augusta the next afternoon.

  Jason’s parents were flying in from Richmond this afternoon so Jason could spend time with his mother, a delightful woman whom Cass adored. The same was true for his father who had been Jason’s best man. The four of them were going out to dinner tonight so Cass could reserve energy for the busy day tomorrow.

  Traci, her husband, and their twin sons were driving in from Savannah the following morning, as they were spending an early Mother’s Day with Christopher’s mother today.

  Cass glanced around the kitchen which was clean from Mary Ellis’s labors yesterday. Mary had not filled the two-day void she had made in the housekeeper’s schedule after her marriage to Jason because her son had emerged from his coma and was recovering steadily in therapy. As a gift more than a tax break, she had set up a medical fund for the boy, and Mary could not seem to express her gratitude enough to her and Jason.

  As she sat down to rest and sip warm herbal tea, Cass’s thoughts drifted to other people who had been parts of her life many months ago. They had not heard from Inez Doughtery again, as if her ex-housekeeper had vanished off the face of the earth. The scandal involving Dr. David Hines had quieted down rather fast following his burial; now, she heard only an occasional whisper of gossip about that tragic event.

  As for Peter Wesley Grantham, he might be in big trouble. She and Jason had read newspaper accounts and seen television clips about him being under investigation for illegal business imports and exports, fraud, and income tax evasion. Cass could hardly believe that with all the money Peter had that he craved more at any cost; perhaps Peter was as much of a money addict as Tom had been a sex addict.

  Yet, she felt sorry for him and presumed he had reasons for being like he was. Maybe she just had a tender heart and a forgiving and compassionate nature, because she couldn’t help pitying him. At the end of their stormy relationship last year, he had been civil and a smidgen kind to her in his deeds and words, and he’d never contacted her again.

  Of course, she had no way of knowing how much, if any, of what Peter had told her about himself was true. It was a shame, Cass reasoned, that someone with his many physical and material blessings was such an awful person. Perhaps he had spoken the truth to her at least once when he said those things were often more of a curse than a blessing.

  After the shocking news broke, she and Jason had spoken with their attorney to make certain none of Peter’s troubles could rub off on them. The lawyer had assured them that even before she remarried and Peter collected the balance of the estate which Tom had bequeathed to her, she had relinquished all claims to it and severed all ties to the Grantham holdings.

  On a few occasions, she had worn the diamond initial pin Peter had given to her upon his departure from this island; and sometimes, she simply held it and gazed at it to remind herself what she had lost and gained at the hands of the two Grantham men.

  As for Tom, she rarely thought about him, and when she did, she tried to tell herself he had been mentally ill and was at peace now. It was true Thomas Ethan Grantham had possessed enormous flaws, and weaknesses, but he hadn’t been entirely evil, and she concurred with Jason that hardly a wicked person existed that didn’t have a little good in him. Tom’s goodness shone brightly in the generous donations he had made to the hospital wing, free clinic for the poor, local and national arts, college scholarships for the underprivileged, and funds for conservation and ecology. She had even used some of the money from her Grantham settlement to set up that medical trust fund for Mary Ellis’s child.

  She had destroyed all of the sordid materials exposing Tom’s dark side, and that was the only secret she had withheld from Jason. She felt it should remain buried in the past with Tom and revealing it wouldn’t accomplish any good purpose.

  Cass thought about the wrong and tragic choices she had made in the past, but she couldn’t curse them because they had made her stronger and wiser and kinder, and they had propelled her toward a meeting with Jason and enabled a bright future with him.

  She was no longer afraid or reluctant to trust her emotions, decisions, and herself. Three times she had fallen in love with strangers; twice she had struck out in that game; but the third time was a surefire winner.

  Cass looked toward the kitchen archway as her husband and stepson entered the room, laughing and joking about their golf game at the St. Simons Island Club. Their sounds warmed her heart, her very soul. The only thing she missed in her life was for her parents to be alive and to share with them such blissful events: their only daughter’s marriage to a fine man, her becoming a part of a wonderful family, and the impending birth of their first grandchild. News about her pregnancy would be revealed to the Burkmans tomorrow, and she knew each of them would be elated and excited by that revelation.

  After they greeted each other and chatted for a few minutes, she asked with a smile, “Well, did we have any eagles or birdies today?”

  “I had a couple of birdies, but that son of mine had an eagle on the seventeenth hole. He smashed a three wood just in front of the green and sank his wedge shot. Playing like he did, he’ll never convince me he spends all of his time in class, studying, or at the hospital.”

  Stacey chuckled before he said, “It was just a lucky shot, Dad, and we both know it. If the wind hadn’t died down at the right minute, I’d have sliced and been in that water hazard. And if you hadn’t been so distracted by the company that was coming soon, you would have licked me good, as usual. Just wait until I’m out of med school and playing regularly like you are and I’ll give you a run for your money.”

  “Careful, Jason, or he’ll be sneaking your weekly allowance out of your pocket with winning bets,” Cass quipped to her grinning husband.

  “Don’t worry, Cass, Dad’ll make me earn every dime I collect.”

  As Stacey was talking, Jason walked to where Cass was sitting and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then another one on her lips. He smiled and caressed her cheek as his blue gaze roamed her tranquil expression.

  “All right,” Stacey jested, “if you two are going to get lovey-dovey on me, I’m going to take a shower and get dressed to give you privacy.”

  Jason teased him in return, “You don’t fool me, Son; I know you’re just eager to go see Linda. Since she’s one of our best friends, we don’t mind at all, do we, sweetheart?”

  “Not in the least, Stacey, so get moving before she comes after you.”

  Stacey grinned, shrugged playfully, and left the room.

  Jason squatted beside her chair and reached out
his right hand to stroke her stomach. With a beaming smile and in a whisper, he asked, “How are we both doing today? You haven’t been working too hard, have you, sweetheart? You don’t have to get everything done today; Mom and Traci will help out after they get here. I will, too.”

  Cass placed her hand over his. “We’re both doing fine, and I’ve just been getting a few things done in the kitchen so we’ll have more time to visit tonight and tomorrow. I can hardly wait for Mom and Dad to get here soon and for Traci, Chris, and the boys to arrive tomorrow. You, I mean, we have such a wonderful family. I’m so lucky to be a Burkman now.”

  “We’re the ones who are lucky you joined us. I love you, Cassandra Burkman, more every day, if that’s possible.”

  As she stood and hugged him, she replied, “It must be possible because I feel the same way about you.”

  Jason gave her a long and tender kiss. Afterward, his mouth made a path across her cheek and his lips nibbled at her earlobe. His hands drifted up and down her back with gentle strokes.

  Cass quivered in desire and murmured, “Careful, Doc, or you’ll have me needing one of those special treatments of yours at a most inconvenient time. Mom and Dad should be arriving any minute now if they landed in Atlanta and took off on ASA for Brunswick on schedule. Shouldn’t we head on over there so they won’t have to wait around for us?”

  “You heard what Dad told us this morning, to stay here until he phones us in case either of their flights is delayed.” As he embraced her, he hinted, “We might have time for a quickie in the lanai bathroom; I hear Stacey’s shower running, so he won’t interrupt us before I can get you hot and bothered and—”

  Cass laughed in amusement as the phone rang and Jason frowned and glanced in its direction.

  He lifted the kitchen receiver and said, “Hello, Jason here.” As he listened to the person on the other end, he grinned, at Cass winked, and mouthed, “Later?”

  Cass smiled and nodded, because she knew there would be many glorious make-up sessions for them in the coming months and years.

  eISBN 978-1-4201-2750-8

  ZEBRA BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  850 Third Avenue

  New York, NY 10022

  Copyright © 1996 by Janelle Taylor, Inc.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  First Printing: October, 1996

  10 9 8 7 6 5 4

  Printed in the United States of America