A Convenient Proposal

by Lynnette Kent

  She smiled against his mouth. “Definitely a rally for independence.”

  The magic between them flared again and Griff could easily have surrendered to the flow. A whole night in bed with Arden, a chance to drift into sleep and then wake with her warm body against his…

  “I have to clean up the kitchen.” He kissed her cheeks, nose and forehead. “You can get a good night’s sleep.”

  “Not what I wanted,” she complained, with her arms locked around his neck.

  “Me, neither. But I offered.”

  “You talk too much,” she told him, opening the door to the wind.

  One last kiss and he walked out into the cold. “I know.”

  THE MORNING DAWNED WET as well as cold. Arden awakened early after another deep sleep, and had just poured herself a second cup of tea when the phone rang.

  “Lousy weather for a horseback ride.” Griff’s voice carried an early morning growl. “So I suggested to Dad that I come to work today and take Friday off for our ride. What do you think?”

  Her first thought was panic—what would she do for a whole day without him?

  Sanity returned with the thought that she’d only known him four days altogether. “That sounds like a good plan. Enjoy your first day back.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  As the morning progressed, Arden couldn’t deny the relief of being by herself again, not having to consider someone else’s opinion on what she ate for breakfast or what to do afterward. A long bubble bath and a conditioning treatment for her hair consumed several hours, along with a romance novel by a favorite author she found in the shelf-lined room designed as a library.

  Coming out of the bathroom after the last hair rinse, she heard the answering machine switch on.

  “Hey, Arden, this is Kathy. Um, Kathy Burton. Griff’s sister. Anyway, since he went to work today, Dana and Lauren and I thought maybe you’d like to do some shopping this afternoon. There’s the cocktail party on Friday and the dinner dance on Saturday, and I don’t know about you but I don’t have a stitch to wear. We thought we’d meet at Pirouette for lunch at one. Call me and I’ll come pick you up.”

  Shopping with the sisters. Of all the events she’d encountered so far in Griff’s hometown, this, at least, she was prepared for.

  When a vintage red Volkswagen Bug stopped in front of the cottage at twelve-thirty, Arden ran through icy rain to get inside.

  “Not quite our usual winter weather.” Kathy smoothly shifted gears as they chugged along the highway toward town. “I’m glad you had a chance to see Sheridan in the sunshine first.”

  Arden had stopped wondering how everyone knew everything about her day with Griff. “I enjoyed the tour very much, especially the park. I—” She almost said “I wish” but managed to catch herself. “I want to see it in summertime, with all the flowers blooming.”

  Kathy winked at her. “The way I heard it, you and Griff weren’t spending your time there observing the scenery.” Everyone knew everything. “Do you live in town,” Arden asked, “or near your parents?”

  “Right now we’re in a little bungalow in town. But we’re looking for a larger place we can afford. We’ll need more room soon.” She patted her waistline. “About June eighteenth, we think.”

  Arden tried to breathe, but felt as if her lungs, heart and belly had shriveled inside her skin. “You’re expecting a baby?” She swallowed hard and struggled to smile. “Congratulations.”

  Kathy’s grin brightened the gray day. “Thanks. We’re excited.”

  A black cloud of envy filled Arden’s head. What else should she say? How could she hide her own despair? “Does Griff know? He hasn’t mentioned it.”

  “I haven’t had a chance to tell him since he got home.”

  “He’ll be pleased, I’m sure.” Realizing her hands had balled into fists, Arden stretched out her fingers, though relaxing any part of her body didn’t seem possible at this moment.

  “Yeah, he does like kids. He’s the only one of the four of us who actually earned money babysitting in junior high. He’ll be a great dad one day.”

  Assuming he knew he was a father. Could Arden change the subject now? “I love your car—not many people have the original model. Where did you find it?”

  “My husband works on old cars as a hobby. This one was my wedding present.”

  “What does he do when he’s not working on old cars?

  “Didn’t Griff tell you? He’s a minister. Sermons every Sunday, Wednesday night services, always on call—that’s my Jim.”

  Arden sat in silence for a few moments, grateful that the heavier traffic in town had claimed Kathy’s attention. The prospect of spending the weeks until Valentine’s Day with a family anticipating its first grandchild was enough to send her straight back to Chaos Key right away. She wanted her own baby. Not the vicarious pleasure of someone else’s pregnancy.

  And the thought of a minister as a close member of Griff’s family worried her. He would have strong opinions about children conceived without benefit of marriage. His ideas would be probably be heeded by the rest of the Campbells. If he discovered she was pregnant and planning to leave, she doubted he would remain silent.

  And she was beginning to wonder if keeping a secret of any kind was possible in the town of Sheridan, Georgia.

  “Here we are.” Kathy pulled the Bug into a parking space in front of an outdoor shopping center. “It’s still raining and I didn’t bring an umbrella, so we’ll have to make a run for it. See the lime-green door straight ahead? That’s Pirouette.”

  They left the car and began walking quickly across the slick, wet asphalt. Arden had worn black leather boots for just this sort of situation, but Kathy had chosen high heeled pumps in a bright red.

  She laughed as she drew attention to the fact. “I won’t be wearing these kind of shoes in a couple months. I have to take advantage of every chance I get.”

  A moment later, she cried out. Arden, a couple of steps ahead, turned just in time to see her drop to the pavement.

  Rushing back, she knelt by Kathy, who was now on her knees. “Are you okay? Should we call an ambulance?”

  “No. No, I’m fine. Just give me a hand to stand up.”

  A man joined them, and helped out with a hand under Kathy’s elbow. “You watch yourself, Miss Kathy,” he warned. “You don’t want to be falling like that in your condition.”

  Griff’s sister rolled her eyes as he walked away. “You can’t keep anything quiet in this town.”

  “I believe you.” Arden offered her own elbow. “Hold on to me until we’re out of the rain.”

  Inside the restaurant, their wet shoes slipped on the marble floor tiles, so Kathy kept a grip on Arden until they reached the table. Seeing them, Dana and Lauren jumped out of their chairs. “What’s wrong?”

  “What happened? Are you all right?”

  Kathy shushed them as she sat down. “Yes, yes, I’m okay, except for scraped knees and a huge case of embarrassment. It wasn’t that bad a fall. See?”

  As they stared at her, she swept her thick, curling hair back from her face and ears. “I didn’t even lose my hearing aids.”

  Chapter Eight

  By the time Kathy dropped Arden off at the cottage, the cloudy day had given way to darkness. Standing on the porch surrounded by shopping bags, Arden watched the Bug’s rear lights travel up the drive and past the Campbells’ house. Then she opened the door and shifted her purchases to the floor of the front hall before going to fetch Igor for a predinner walk.

  Listening to him sniff among the wet leaves and grass, Arden finally had time to consider the afternoon and its implications. Lauren, Dana and Kathy could be as funny as Griff and were just as easy to talk to. After a delicious lunch, the four of them had prowled through every dress shop in Sheridan, and there were quite a few. The Campbell sisters had teased each other, but also complimented and critiqued when necessary. Arden had received what she recognized as a gentle version of the same sist
erly treatment. She had enjoyed the sense of family immensely.

  And therein lay the danger.

  She could like them too much for her own peace of mind. Depending on Griff’s sisters for opinions and advice—or just for the pleasure of their company—would be all too easy.

  The revelation of Kathy’s hearing problems further complicated the issue. Arden hadn’t asked for specifics and no one had volunteered. The sisters might think Griff would have explained to his “fiancée.” Kathy didn’t seem to have the smallest difficulty understanding conversation, even in a crowded restaurant setting. On the other hand, Arden had found herself losing the clarity of voices even more frequently than she had at dinner with the Campbell clan. Perhaps the clatter of dishware had made the situation worse. Or her condition might have deteriorated.

  She wasn’t sure whether Kathy’s pregnancy announcement or the reminder of her own impending deafness had been the low point of the day.

  With Igor walked and fed, she carried her shopping bags into the smaller bedroom to sort through her purchases. Dresses for day parties and dances and the wedding, plus some clothes for horseback riding soon hung from a rack on the closet door. She’d also indulged in a new outfit simply because she loved it—dark gray leggings and a silvery cashmere sweater to wear over them would be warm and cozy on cold rainy evenings in Georgia.

  The doorbell sounded just as she slipped the sweater over her head. Igor ran down the hallway ahead of her to stand guard at the door. Through one sidelight window she could see Griff on the porch.

  “Back to the sunroom,” she told Igor, clipping the leash to his collar and leading him away. “We’re going to have to work on peace negotiations between you and Griff. But until we do…” As she shut him in, she was pleased to see the dog settle on his bed, apparently content to observe life through the windows.

  Then she hurried back to the front door. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” she said, pulling back the panel. “I…” She hesitated, because he held a big carton in front of him, which gave off a tantalizing aroma. “What do you have there?”

  “Dinner from New Moon, the best Chinese food in Georgia.” As she stepped back, he came in sideways and headed for the kitchen. “I decided the weather discouraged taking you out, so I’d bring the restaurant here.” He set the box on the kitchen table.

  “Also champagne, because…” He shrugged. “Because we like champagne.”

  “Excellent planning.” Arden moved toward the cabinets. “I’ll get plates—”

  His arms came around her from behind, and his warm mouth pressed against the curve between her neck and shoulder, revealed by the wide cowl of the sweater. “I thought we could reheat the food later,” he murmured, stringing kisses over her skin. “What I’m really craving wasn’t on the New Moon menu.”

  Romance novels spoke of thrills—Arden now understood the sensation, like tiny streams of excitement coursing over and through her body from the places where he set his lips. She wanted so much to surrender and let desire flood through her.

  But the revelations of the day tied her to sanity. Her doubts and worries about the situation refused to be shut off.

  “Mmm,” Griff said, bringing his hands to her shoulders. “You’re tense tonight.” He kneaded gently, finding all the tight spots between her elbows and the nape of her neck.

  Arden almost whimpered. “That feels so good.” Tears burned her eyes at the intensity of the relief.

  “My dad let slip the big news today.” He wrapped his hands around her head, massaging a different place with each finger.

  She could barely think for the pleasure. “About…?”

  “Kath’s baby.” His fingers shifted, resumed their magic. “I’m gonna kill her for not telling me.” Annoyance edged his tone.

  “She wanted to.” Arden couldn’t believe she was playing peacemaker between brother and sister. “You’ve only been home a couple of days.”

  “That should have been the first thing she said. ‘Welcome home, bro. I’m having a baby.’”

  “Perhaps she didn’t want to distract attention from…um…me.”

  “Maybe. Stupid.” His hands settled quietly on her shoulders. “Feel better?”

  “Much.” She was tempted to suggest they eat now and gradually recover the mood for sex with champagne.

  Sex with Griff was, however, the only way to reach her goal. She’d agreed to this crazy plan in order to get pregnant. The more often they had sex, the more likely she would be to conceive.

  And so she turned in Griff’s arms, raising her face to his. “Now, what can we do to satisfy your appetite?”

  AFTER THREE DAYS OF RAIN, Friday served up sunny skies and warmer temperatures. Griff woke early, with anticipation, and puttered around the house for several hours until he could legitimately show up at the cottage at nine to take Arden riding.

  She met him at the door wearing breeches, boots and a heavy sweater.

  “You look great,” he said, admiring the fit of those tight pants and the line of her legs in riding boots. “But I thought you said you’d never done this before.”

  Her smile was sheepish. “I haven’t. Kathy suggested I’d feel more comfortable in the right clothes, and be safer with boots instead of sneakers. She took me to a tack shop and helped me find what I needed.”

  Griff shook his head. “That girl is an expert when it comes to shopping and spending money—other people’s money, especially.” Then he grinned. “But I love her. I’m not complaining, as far as you’re concerned. You will enjoy the ride more without a pair of jeans chafing your legs. And the gloves are a good idea—you have soft hands. So, are you ready?”

  “I’m ready,” she declared, then swallowed hard. “I think.”

  “You’ll do fine.” He led her to the pasture behind the cottage, took a couple of halters off the rack by the gate and handed her the red one.

  “This is for Dorsey. She’s the quietest, gentlest mare on the planet and pretty much goes on autopilot. All you have to do is sit there and look beautiful.” He winked at Arden. “So you’ve got this covered.”

  She smiled. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping.” To prove it, he leaned in for a quick kiss.

  And then lingered, because the truth was he could have kissed her all day long, could have turned both of them around to go back to the cottage and its warm, cozy bed. Every minute he spent holding her, every hour they spent making love, left him completely satisfied, and at the same time hungry for more—an unsolvable, delicious dilemma.

  But he banked the fire she’d ignited and called up a grin, instead. “Let’s get those horses.”

  The animals, of course, had decided to spend their morning in a sunny spot at the corner of the field farthest from the gate. They looked up from nosing the ground as the humans approached.

  “Dorsey is the dark one,” Griff told Arden, “the bay with the white moon on her forehead. Cowboy is brown and white and black—a tricolor pinto, we call him. Or paint.” He demonstrated with Cowboy how to put on a halter. “Nose through here, pull up behind the jaw, then buckle behind the ears. That’s all there is to it. Now you try on Dorsey.”

  After just a couple of false starts, Arden got the halter in place. She grinned at Griff in triumph and he nodded.

  “Good job. Now we lead them to the barn.” He pointed in the general direction. “Back across the field, through the gate on the other side and then to the left behind those trees.”

  A quick study, Arden followed his instructions about brushing and hoof cleaning without a problem, thanks in part to Dorsey’s patient nature. The saddles and bridles followed quickly, then they went back to the stable yard to mount.

  “There’s nothing to hold on to,” Arden said, staring at the English saddle on Dorsey’s back. “How do I stay on? For that matter, how do I get there?”

  “That horn you were expecting just gets in the way,” Griff assured her. “Come around here, to th
e mounting block.” Leading Dorsey, he positioned her beside the low set of steps. “Climb to the top,” he instructed Arden. “Put your left foot in the stirrup…yep. Grab her mane with your left hand—no, you won’t hurt her. Hold the saddle with your right. Now just swing that right leg up and over. Up, up…and over. Then sit. See? Not so hard.”

  “Whew.” She looked scared and excited at the same time. “It’s farther from the ground than I thought.” Wiggling a little, she settled in. “And the reins?”

  “Like this.” He showed her how to position the leather straps through her fingers. “Just leave them loose for now. Dorsey won’t go anywhere until Cowboy does. So I’ll park you right here—” he led her a few steps ahead “—until I get on, and then we’ll ride.”

  He mounted Cowboy without using the block, and found Arden staring at him when he sat down.

  “How do you do that from the ground? He’s so tall.”

  “Practice—I’ve been doing this since my head only came to the bottom of the stirrup.” He brought Cowboy alongside Dorsey. “The hard part’s done. Now we just sit and look at the scenery.”

  Griff couldn’t have asked for a nicer morning. The horses behaved, and Arden gradually relaxed until she looked as if she belonged in the saddle. He’d missed the farm in his months away, so reacquainting himself with the nooks and crannies, the hills and dells and groves, was a pleasure all in itself.

  Arden didn’t talk a lot, but a woman who lived alone would not, by nature, be a gabbler. He didn’t know any of her habits very well, although sometimes he felt as if she’d always been part of his life. Their minds seemed calibrated to fit together, so he wasn’t always explaining his jokes or why he’d made a particular comment. She simply understood.

  And though many mysteries remained hidden behind that beautiful face, they bothered him less and less. He didn’t need to know everything about her. What she brought to the here and now was enough.