"My help! That blow to the head must have really befuddled you, my friend. I'm afraid I was the one who caused it."
"That's not the way Dad explained it. You probably saved us both from a serious, perhaps even fatal, collision."
Penny couldn't think of anything to say. She glanced around the room, then back at him. "Has the doctor said when you're going to be able to get out of here?"
"Hopefully tomorrow. He said I would have to take it easy for a few days, but since that was the way I'd intended to spend the week anyway, I'm not going to have much trouble following the doctor's orders."
"Are you sorry you came back?" she asked quietly.
He waited until her eyes met his. They stared at each other for an indeterminable length of time. "No, I'm not sorry. My only regret is that I didn't come back sooner."
"Why do you say that?"
"It doesn't matter. Now you're deliriously in love with your handsome lawyer and soon you'll be a blushing bride and will live happily ever after." He took her hand and held it between both of his. "You know, Penny, that's all I ever wanted, for you to be happy. I've enjoyed our time together this week—the visit to the park, the fun we had yesterday."
"Some fun."
"It was, most of it. Sharing those things with you, one last time, helped me to say goodbye to our shared past. I needed the transition time, a chance to be with you before you become the oh, so proper wife of the esteemed and honorable Gregory Duncan."
"Now you're making fun of us."
"Not at all. I'm trying like hell not to envy what the two of you have."
"You'll find it for yourself, someday."
He nodded. "Of course I will."
She made a face. "And I'll hate her on sight," she admitted with a slight smile.
His eyebrows arched slightly. "Without even knowing her?"
"Without a doubt. You always had such lousy taste in women, you know."
"Oh, really?" he said in a dangerous tone.
"Yes, really! Have you forgotten dating Diana during our second year at college?"
"How could I ever forget the lovely Diana? She was a knockout."
"True. And she was also sleeping with every guy on the campus."
"Yeah, well, no man's education is quite complete without a Diana in his life," he said with a grin.
"What about Beth?"
"What was wrong with Beth?" he asked with surprise. "I thought you liked her."
"Liked her? I felt sorry for her. How she ever managed to get out of grade school, much less find her way into college, always remained a mystery to me."
"So she wasn't the brightest person we've ever known. She was very sweet."
"Yes. And she adored you."
"Can't fault her taste."
"Only her intelligence."
They paused and grinned at each other.
Brad squeezed the hand he still held. "God, I've missed you. Nobody has ever given me such a bad time, or led me in such intricate circles as you."
"Moi?" she asked in mock surprise. "Surely not."
"Why didn't you ever come to New York to see me, like I wrote and asked you to?"
Penny gazed out the window, thinking back over the years. "Because I was still too angry with you."
"Angry! What had I done?"
"You left me here and went off to continue playing at life."
"Is that what it seemed to you?"
She nodded. "I guess I had always assumed you'd come back to Pay ton and go to work with your dad. It never occurred to me that your talk of New York was anything but the usual chatter we all had. About the time when we'd be discovered and cast in a starring role. Or being understudy one night, stopping the show as the lead the next."
"You could still do that, you know."
"Not me. I can't see Gregory content to have a wife living half a continent away."
"There is that."
Penny slipped from the bed and brushed the wrinkles from her skirt. "I don't want to keep you from your coloring, my dear. Maybe the nurse will help you if you get too tired to finish by yourself."
Brad didn't smile but continued to look at her. His hand still grasped hers and he slowly loosened his hold. "I love you, Penny," he said, his voice so low she almost didn't hear him. "Thank you for being a part of my life."
In all the years she had known him, he had never said those words to her before. Hearing them now did something strange to her. She wanted to laugh. She wanted to cry. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck. She wanted to go running down the hall.
"I love you, too. Brad," she finally replied.
"Now's a hell of a time to let me in on that little secret," he pointed out rather grimly.
"You haven't exactly been forthcoming yourself, you know."
"I know. Words of love are too special to use lightly. But then, you're a very special person in my life. You always will be."
Penny couldn't control the tears that suddenly flooded her eyes. "You are, too."
"Remember, if you ever need me, for anything, I'll always be there for you. That's what friends are for."
She couldn't say a word. Not one. For if she did, she would end up making a complete fool of herself. So she squeezed his hand, then turned away and walked out of the room.
❧
When Gregory called her that night she was able to report that Brad was rapidly improving and due to come home the next day.
"That's good news, I'm sure."
"Yes," she said, a little abstracted. Penny had wandered around the house all day, like a lost soul trying to find its home. "How are things going for you?" she asked, determined to concentrate on Gregory.
He filled her in on some of the complications he'd run into and she found her thoughts wandering once again. She loved Gregory; there was no way to deny what she felt for him. But it was so different from the way she felt for Brad.
Would she ever be able to forget how she felt for those few moments when she thought Brad was dead? Penny never wanted to suffer through anything so traumatic again. She couldn't begin to picture what life would be like for her if she didn't know that Brad Crawford was somewhere in the world.
"Penny?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Gregory, I was distracted for a moment."
There was a silence for a moment before Gregory responded. "I'm not surprised," he finally said. "You've had so much on your mind, lately."
"No more than you, I'm sure."
"Yes, well, different things affect us different ways. I've got to let you go for now. I'll see you Friday night."
"Fine. Take care now."
''You, too."
Penny hung up the phone, feeling oddly restless and discontent.
For a moment she wished she could lie down and go to sleep and wake up Saturday morning in time for her wedding. The pre-wedding jitters were getting completely out of hand.
❧
Brad had been home for three days when his mother called him to the phone. He assumed it was Penny checking to see how he was feeling, although she generally came over. In fact, she had promised him a game of chess sometime that day before she had to go to the church for the wedding rehearsal.
"Hello?"
"Good morning, Brad. This is Gregory Duncan. How are you feeling these days?"
To say Brad was surprised to hear from Penny's fiance would be a definite understatement. He had assumed that Penny was reporting his progress to Gregory whenever they spoke to each other. For some reason Brad didn't feel as though he had made Gregory's best friends' list.
"I'm feeling much better, thank you."
"I was wondering if you'd feel up to meeting me somewhere. There's something I would like to discuss with you."
"Today?"
"Yes, if at all possible. Penny may have told you I've been in St. Louis all week. I just got in."
"I see," Brad said, automatically. Actually, he didn't see at all. Why was Gregory calling him? More important, why would he want to meet with him?<
br />
"Brad? Are you there?"
"Oh, sorry. I was thinking. Yes, I suppose I could meet you at your office, if that would be convenient."
"Fine. I'll see you whenever you can get here."
Brad hung up the phone, still puzzled. Maybe Penny had told Gregory about their conversation at the hospital. Was Gregory going to tell him to keep away from his wife? That was a httle dramatic, but then trial attorneys had been known to use a little drama to get a point across.
Brad absently touched his head, where a small bandage covered the blow he'd received.
Perhaps the blow to his head had caused him to feel all of this confusion. Maybe he was Drew Derek, recovering from his stay at the hospital. This visit home certainly had all the elements that could be found in a soap opera.
He could almost hear the strains of music in the background while the announcer intoned—"Tune in tomorrow to find out... What does Gregory want to say to Brad? Does Gregory know that Brad is in love with his fiance and had hoped to break up their engagement? Will Gregory denounce Brad to Penny? Will Brad be barred from the church for fear he might try to stop the proceedings? Stay tuned..."
Brad shook his head. Obviously his vacation had been long overdue. He must be cracking up.
Brad had never seen the building where Gregory Duncan had his law practice. He was impressed. The office itself was even more impressive. A middle-aged woman sat at a secretarial desk in the reception area.
"May I help you?" she asked pleasantly.
"My name is Brad Crawford. I—''
"Oh, yes, Mr. Crawford. Mr. Duncan asked that you be shown in immediately." She came around her desk and led him down a hallway lined with law books. Tapping on the door at the end, she announced, "Mr. Crawford is here," and stepped back, allowing Brad to enter.
The office was a comer one, so two walls were almost entirely made up of glass. Since the building was located on the edge of town, the view from the windows was of meadows, rolling hills and a distant glimpse of the river.
"Fm impressed," Brad said quietly, standing in the doorway.
Gregory had stood when he walked in. Now he walked around his massive desk toward Brad. The room seemed large enough to hold a basketball court. All the furniture, furnishings and the well-dressed man coming toward him spoke of dignity and wealth. How could Brad have been so stupid as to suggest Gregory might be marrying Penny for her future prospects? He could probably buy and sell the Blackwells from his petty cash.
Gregory stuck out his hand. "I appreciate your coming in on such short notice, Brad." He motioned to the chairs that were arranged in front of his desk. "Won't you have a seat?"
"I don't mind. I haven't been all that booked up this week," Brad said casually.
'Tm sure that Penny has kept you company during your convalescence."
Brad tried to read something into that statement-sarcasm, anger, jealousy. He heard none of those things. It had been a simple statement. Brad looked at the older man who had seated himself behind the desk once more. "Yes, she has." He raised one brow slightly. "Does that bother you?"
"To the contrary," Gregory said with a brief smile. "I fully expected to hear it, which is why I called you. There's something I need to say to you."
Feeling as though he were in the middle of a play and had forgotten his lines, Brad waited for Gregory to continue.
Gregory leaned his arms on the desk blotter lying in front of him, clasped his hands and met Brad's gaze with his own. "You're in love with Penny, aren't you?"
He'd been right. Gregory was going to see that he was removed from Penny's life. Brad wished he found the situation a little more amusing. How could he convince the man that his love for Penny was the very thing that would prevent him from doing anything to hurt her marriage to Gregory? Searching for the right words. Brad finally shrugged and admitted, "Yes, I am, but you're the man she's marrying."
"No, Vm not," Gregory replied quietly.
Brad was convinced something was wrong with his hearing. Perhaps the blow to his head had... "I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me."
"Of course you're marrying Penny. The rehearsal is tonight and tomorrow—"
"Tomorrow I will be in California. I discovered earlier today where a key witness is located. I'm flying out tonight to take his deposition."
"But the wedding?"
Gregory leaned back. "Ah, yes, the wedding." He placed his hands behind his head. "An interesting situation, isn't it? Two men who love Penny, discussing a wedding that isn't going to come off."
"Couldn't you postpone your deposition or whatever? Surely Penny is more important than—"
"I understand your concern. Now you need to understand mine. I've had a great deal of time to think this week and I've come to the conclusion that Penny seriously misled me."
"What are you talking about? Penny doesn't lie!"
"Please don't put words in my mouth," Gregory responded.
Brad was now facing the courtroom lawyer and recognized he could be a formidable foe.
"When I met Penny I thought she was everything I wanted in a wife. Since then I've come to know her better, and I've had reason to revise that opinion."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I've decided that marrying Penny would be a mistake on my part."
"Why?" Brad demanded to know.
"For over a year I've spent time with the quiet, organized, unflappable woman I knew as Penny Black-well. Yet in three days a volatile, passionate woman I never knew existed emerged as a result of your presence. I'm not comfortable with that person. I have no room for her in my life." He nodded to the younger man. "I believe I have you to thank for the transformation. As far as I'm concerned, I've had a very narrow escape."
Brad came to his feet. "That's a hell of a thing to say! You wait until the day before your wedding to decide you don't know the woman you intend to marry so you're backing out? How can you do this to Penny? When do you intend to tell her how you feel?"
"I don't."
Brad had never felt such a murderous rage in all of his life. Gregory was calmly explaining that he intended to destroy Penny's life without even bothering to warn her?
"You really are a no-good, son-of-a—"
"Yes, I probably am. However, I did not reach my age or gain the experience I presently possess by being quixote and foolish. I don't believe Penny understands what it is she feels for me. Whatever she feels, I don't think it's what I want from my wife. It's better to make a clean break now."
Gregory watched the younger man as though evaluating his reaction to what he'd just been told.
He got an immediate response. "You really are cold-blooded, aren't you? You don't care what you do to Penny, how you hurt her. She didn't measure up to some ridiculous standards you seem to have, so you're going to abandon her at the church."
"I don't intend to be that dramatic. I'll leave that sort of thing to you. You seem well-trained for it."
"If you don't intend telling her you've changed your mind, how the hell is she going to know?"
Gregory met his gaze and deliberately smiled. "Why, you'll tell her, of course. Why do you suppose I asked you to come in today?"
"Me? Are you out of your mind? It isn't my place to-"
"You're her friend, aren't you?"
"You're damn right I'm her friend, but—"
"I'm sure she'd rather receive such news from you."
"You're wrong! She'd rather hear it from you!"
"Somehow, I doubt that very much," Gregory said in a dry voice.
"Well, of course, you're right. Nobody wants to be told on the eve of their wedding that the other party has backed out."
"I have to agree."
"But it's none of my business. This is between you and Penny," Brad protested.
"Not any longer. I am here only long enough to pick up some papers I need. I'm leaving as soon as we're through here. How you want to handle everything from now on is up to you."
&
nbsp; "Well, thank you very much. For nothing. How in the hell can I help her face this?"
Gregory rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You could always take my place at the church tomorrow."
Chapter 6
By the time Brad reached home his head felt as though it were going to explode. He didn't even remember leaving Gregory Duncan's office or driving home. Only the intense pain in his head held his attention until he realized he was sitting in his room, staring at the wall.
He had to find Penny and tell her. But how was he going to break the news? Damn the man, anyway. How could anyone be so unfeeling as to walk out on someone the day before the wedding?
It would break Penny's heart.
Forcing himself to go in search of her, Brad started through the kitchen of his home.
"Your head must be really bothering you," his mother said when she saw his expression. "Why don't you lie down and rest awhile?"
He turned, wincing at the sudden movement. "I've got to talk to Penny."
"She should be over here before much longer. Why don't you rest until she gets here?"
Perhaps that was good advice. He would take some of the pain medication the doctor had given him when he left the hospital. He hadn't used it before, but at the moment he was willing to do whatever he could for some relief.
After swallowing the tablets he stretched out on the bed and waited for Penny to come.
Oh, God, Penny. If only you didn't have to go through all of this.
By the time Penny peeked in to see if he still wanted to play chess, she found him sound asleep. His mother had told her that he had gone out for a while and was concerned that he had tried to do too much, too soon. She mentioned that he wanted to see Penny, but they both agreed it would be better to leave him alone and let him rest.
Penny had enough on her mind. She hadn't talked with Gregory since Monday evening, which wasn't like him at all. And he hadn't called to let her know he was back today. What if he was late for the rehearsal, or even worse, unable to make it?
She wouldn't let herself think of that. If he was delayed too much, she was certain he would call. Gregory was an honorable man and dependable. If she hadn't been in such a turmoil all week she wouldn't have worked herself up to such a state now.
1. That's What Friends Are For Page 7