by Janet Dailey
Barbara couldn't remember now exactly how she had responded. Something to the effect that she couldn't be friends with someone like him, so why not just make it a clean goodbye. It was fun while it lasted, but it was over.
The rest was a blur of pain. Jock had mentioned calling her the next time he was in Miami, but Barbara wasn't going to become a name and phone number in his black book. So she said, "Don't call me, I'll call you." A trite phrase, but she had meant it.
All of that she explained to Todd in considerably less detail. "I never meant to come between you and Jock. Please believe that," Barbara concluded.
"I do," Todd assured her.
"Jock was right about one thing, though," Barbara sighed. "You can't marry me. How could you face him knowing that he and I—"
"No. Don't think about me," he interrupted, catching her chin and lifting her face for his examination. "Could you face him as my wife?"
"I thought I could. But now…I'm not sure."
"We have never been lovers, Barbara. Perhaps if we—"
But she suddenly jerked away from his hand. She knew what Todd was about to suggest and she couldn't. If he made love to her now, she knew she would compare him to Jock. She knew she would come away from it dissatisfied and wanting. Before she had thought it was the commitment she was afraid of, but now she realized she had avoided intimacy with Todd because she instinctively knew the enjoyment wouldn't be there. Without love, sex would be simply a physical act.
Didn't she love Todd? She needed him desperately. She needed his kindness, his gentleness, but did she love him? The emotion he aroused in her was insipid compared to the thundering glory Jock caused. Barbara doubled her hands into fists. She cared enough about Todd to learn to love him. Maybe never as wildly as she loved Jock, but she didn't want to be that crazy about anyone again. It hurt too much.
"It's too soon, Todd," Barbara protested brokenly.
He caught her by the arms and held her when she tried to turn away. "I have never asked you to do anything for me, but I'm asking now. I want you to stay here for these two weeks and get my brother out of your system once and for all."
"What if I don't, Todd?" She voiced the fear that was so strong within her.
"Then you can give my ring back," he said flatly. "It will be a trial period, a testing period if you will. In the meantime we'll carry on as usual. Which includes lunch with Ramon and his wife."
"Todd…" Her dark head made an uncertain movement.
"Two weeks isn't a lifetime."
But it will seem like it, she thought. "No, of course, it isn't," she agreed for his benefit.
"Come on. We'll walk over to Ramon's house. It isn't far from here." He put an arm around her shoulders and started walking back the way they had come.
Ramon Morales and his wife, Connie, were a warm, friendly couple who welcomed Barbara into their home as if she was already a member of the family. She could well understand why Todd and Jock regarded it as their second home. The couple naturally regaled her as Todd's fiancée, with tales from his childhood. It was inevitable that Jock's name would be included in the stories.
After lunch, Barbara volunteered to help the older woman wash the dishes while Todd and Ramon walked out to the groves behind the simple wooden structure. The warmth of the kitchen made Barbara feel at home, less of an intruder.
"You are lucky, Barbara." Connie Morales rinsed a plate under a faucet. "Todd will make a very understanding husband."
"Yes, I think so, too," she agreed, ignoring the twinge of guilt she experienced.
"Two brothers couldn't be more different than Jock and Todd. As boys, the differences were much more striking. Jock never learned to share his toys, what was his was his," she declared with a raised eyebrow for emphasis, "and woe to those who tried to play with something that belonged to him. The Malloy wrath fell on them with a vengeance. Todd gave his toys away. He had the softest heart. Stray animals found their way to his doorstep. If they were hurt, Todd took them to Jock and—"
"To Jock?" Barbara interrupted with surprise.
"Oh, yes, he has healing hands. Todd found the hurt animals, Jock cured them, and Todd loved them. All except once," the woman remembered with a pause. "Jock accidentally backed the car over a puppy one time. He set its broken leg and took it home with him. It's the only dog I've ever known that was allowed to sleep in the house. It had a rug at the foot of Jock's bed. The two were almost inseparable until the dog finally died of old age."
"When was that?" she asked curiously.
"It must be almost four years ago now. When Blue died—that was the dog's name, a blue heeler—Jock wouldn't take another dog with him when he went out to check cattle. As far as I know, he still doesn't. I never really thought about it until this moment." Connie Morales paused in her dish washing to look at Barbara.
"Todd always had a menagerie of pets around him with love enough for all, but Jock had only the one." With an unconcerned shrug, she returned to her washing. "As I said, they were as different as night and day. And still are."
Totally different. Barbara couldn't agree with the woman more. It showed in other ways, too. Todd loved the hotel business, constantly meeting new faces, the atmosphere changing with each convention. The variety, the whirl, the social life were important elements in his life. And Jock ran this small empire, a caretaker of the land and its people. He followed the deep-seated tradition of the soil.
Barbara wasn't certain she wanted to learn this much about either man. In two weeks she might have to walk away from both of them. In two weeks she could carry a lifetimes of memories away with her. She wished she hadn't agreed to stay, but Todd had asked so little from her and had given so much.
After the dishes were washed, Todd came in and Barbara bade the couple goodbye and promised to see them again before she left. She received the tour through the sorting and shipping sheds. When Todd explained about the different grading of fruit, she appeared to listen, but her mind was miles away. If Todd noticed her lack of attention, he didn't comment on it.
Her chestnut horse and a mahogany bay were tied outside the sheds when they completed the tour. The route Todd took her on back to the house was different from the way Jock had brought her. It was longer, more scenic, abundant with wildlife and colorful birds stalking marshland pools. With Todd, Barbara was able to relax. When she was with Jock, she was never sure when the world would erupt around her.
Chapter Five
AS BARBARA DESCENDED the stairs to the first landing, she met Lillian Gaynor on the way up. She hadn't seen the woman all day. Lillian hadn't been in the house when she and Todd had finally returned. Barbara had gone directly to her room and taken a leisurely bath to soak away the horsey smell and dress for dinner.
"You look lovely, Barbara." Lillian paused on the stairway to admire the accordion-pleated caftan of wild silk.
"Thank you." It was a little dramatic, but it fit her mood.
"I understand from Jock that you've had a busy day—lunch with Ramon, a tour of the citrus operation and a horseback ride," she remarked with a broad smile.
"Yes, I have." Barbara didn't have to ask when Lillian had seen Jock. She'd heard him come upstairs an hour before and the rush of water running in a shower. And she had recognized the sound of his footsteps when he'd left his room to go downstairs. She expected that he was out on the veranda now.
"I hope you like Connie. She is a dear friend, and like a second mother to my sons," Lillian explained.
"Both Connie and Ramon made me feel like one of the family already," Barbara admitted.
"They seem like family. John and Ramon were like brothers. John was Jock's father, John Randolph Malloy," Lillian explained. "Ramon provided me with a very strong shoulder to lean on when I lost John so suddenly. And Connie…well, she simply took over running the house and looking after Jock until I could handle it again."
"I can imagine."
"Goodness, what am I thinking about, keeping you talking on the stairs l
ike this," Lillian admonished herself with a laugh. "Here comes Todd downstairs and I haven't even made it to my room yet. You will all have a head start on me if I don't hurry."
"Hello, mom. Are you coming or going?" Todd stopped on the step behind Barbara, casually resting a hand on her shoulder.
"Going," she laughed. "I'll see you two on the veranda in about twenty minutes. Save me a drink."
"We will," Todd promised. As his mother passed him to climb the last flight of stairs to the second floor, Barbara started to proceed down them. Todd's hand tightened on her shoulder to stop her. She glanced back at him in surprised question. His dark head bent to nuzzle her neck. "You smell delectable, darling."
Darling? He'd never used any term of endearment before, Barbara thought with a start. She could hardly object, being his finacée. So why did it make her uneasy?
"I found some perfumed bath salts," she said, to explain the musky scent that clung to her skin. "I got a little carried away."
"It's very provocative," Todd murmured. "But so are you."
His mouth teased her lips with a feather kiss, but they didn't tremble in response. Barbara felt almost guilty at that. Todd had always been affectionate, but never as loverlike as he was behaving at the moment. Was he putting his suggestion of the morning into deed?
The irony of it suddenly struck Barbara. One brother, who was her dearest friend, wanted to become her lover and husband. The other brother, who had been her passionate lover, had wanted to become her friend. There was some twisted humor in that somewhere. It was a pity she couldn't find it.
It was impossible for Todd not to sense her lack of participation in his attempted caress. Concealing a sigh, he lifted his head and flashed her a forgiving smile. Then he was releasing her shoulder so she could continue down the steps while he followed.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look?" His hand curved possessively on her waist then they reached the foyer.
"No, but my ego would love to hear it." She needed some bolstering, she thought, as she turned toward the veranda doors.
"You do look beautiful. And if I'm lying, may I turn into a frog," Todd vowed and made a muted croaking sound in his throat.
Barbara laughed, as she was supposed to do, the tension flowing out of her for a few short minutes. Todd reached in front of her to open the veranda door and Barbara walked through, a smile remaining on her face as a result of the laughter he had induced. It started to fade when she came under the glittering scrutiny of a pair of tawny eyes. She had the feeling she had become the target of some predatory beast about to spring on her at any second. Todd's arm was around her waist again, protecting her from attack. When she looked up at him, the smile came back, born by the feeling of relief and safety.
"Isn't it a rule of the house, J.R., that the first one at the drink cart has to play bartender?" Todd's gaze pointedly noted the fact that Jock was standing in front of the cart with a drink in his hand.
On the surface Jock appeared relaxed and at ease, enjoying an early-evening cocktail while a slowly setting sun left a crimson stain in the sky. His hair glistened from the dampness of his shower, its rich chestnut gold thickness faintly unruly in a sensual sort of way. Unlike Todd, Jock didn't bother with a sports jacket. The brown silk shirt was unbuttoned at the throat with the sleeves rolled up to expose tanned forearms. Cream-colored trousers molded his masculine length, his feet slightly apart in a stance that suggested command and readiness. Beneath that indolent facade, Barbara sensed violent, coiled energy waiting to be released.
"Your drinks are fixed. Scotch and water. Rum and Coke." Ice clinked against the sides of the glass in his hand as Jock swung it toward the drink cart to indicate the filled glasses on the tray.
"Now that is service," Todd declared.
"I heard Barbara laugh and knew you were coming,'' Jock explained his foreknowledge with a dryly sweeping look at her.
"Thank you. It was a thoughtful gesture." A response seemed to be expected from her so Barbara gave a courteous one.
The languid, balmy air suddenly felt very warm and heavy, crushing at her lungs to make their efforts labored even if it didn't show. The closeness of the atmosphere reminded Barbara of the way it felt before an approaching storm front moved in, oppressive, sticky and much too still.
Jock didn't move out of the way as she walked with Todd to the decorative wrought-iron cart. The intimidation of his presence was strong. She wished for some armor to shield her from his piercing eyes, their force not affected by the thick veil of masculine lashes. Picking up her drink, Barbara turned and came in full contact with his gaze.
Her head came back in protective defiance. "Stop looking at me that way, Jock. Todd knows. I told him," she said stiffly.
His sharp gaze made a quick scan of her features, then swept down to the diamond glittering on her left hand before it shot swiftly to Todd. Cool and alert, Jock took a sip from the drink in his hand.
"How did you take the news, little brother?" he taunted him over the rim of the glass.
"It didn't change anything." Todd shrugged smoothly. "Whatever there was between you and Barbara was six months ago. It's in the past and had nothing to do with today."
His lip curled derisively. "You must have told him one hell of a story, honey," he jeered.
"I told him the truth," Barbara retorted, stung by his insinuation.
"I know all about it," Todd confirmed her statement. "When you met and the time you spent together. You gave her a pretty raw deal, but it's over."
Jock tipped his head at an angle to study her through half-closed eyes. "I gave you a raw deal, did I?" Within that drawling comment there was something hot and biting. "Is that what you told him?"
"I'm sure it is a matter of definition and point of view." Her fingers tightened around the glass, its chill matching the one inside her. She stared into the dark surface of the liquid rather than continue to hold Jock's gaze. She knew the exact second his eyes left her. That tingling sensation of danger went away.
"She belongs to me, Todd. I want her back," Jock stated.
Just like that. As if she were some object a pair of children were squabbling over. Her head came up with a start, indignant fires glittering in her blue eyes. But neither man took any notice of her.
"You couldn't keep her so you lost her," Todd said. "Now it's a case of finders keepers. Your prior claim doesn't mean anything anymore. I found her. And I'm not going to let her go."
"This isn't a game!" Barbara protested angrily. "You aren't going to play tug-of-war with me. Neither of you!"
"Stay out of this!" Jock ordered sharply.
"No!"
"Barbara is right," Todd sided with her. "You can't have her back because she isn't mine to give. It's her choice to make."
"In that case, you might as well give his ring back to him now and save some time," Jock instructed with a flicking glance at Barbara.
"How typically arrogant of you!" she breathed in anger. "What makes you think I would prefer you?"
Jock made the half turn to confront her squarely and bring himself within a foot of her. That powerful magnetic aura that surrounded him sucked Barbara into its force field, trapping her as securely as if he'd taken her into his arms. The warm, clean smell of him suffocated her lungs while his dangerous virility sent the adrenaline surging through her veins, heightening all her senses.
"You don't really want me to answer that question in front of Todd, do you, honey?" His low voice was a husky taunting caress. "You don't want me to remind you of that first time we made love. Afterward you had bright, beautiful tears in your eyes because it had been so wonderful. Do you want him to hear how we made love outside with only the stars of a soft, southern night for company?"
"That's enough." It was a gasping plea for him to stop seducing her with memories. The wild yearning to be possessed by him again was throbbing through her veins and she couldn't let it take control.
A tigerish gleam of satisfaction glowed in his eye
s. He had accomplished his objective—to make her cry out for mercy because he still had the power to make her want him without even having to touch her. All Jock had to do was make love to her in his mind, promise her with his eyes and tease her with his voice and she was trembling with searing desire.
"You have your answer, J.R.," Todd said calmly, putting an arm around Barbara and pulling her out of the invisible circle of Jock's attraction. "She doesn't want you so don't humiliate her anymore with memories of an affair she wants to forget."
"I'm not convinced that's what she wants. And neither is she," Jock replied lazily.
Barbara shivered, but Todd's arm absorbed the action. "I will want you to be best man at our wedding."
"You have to be out of your mind!" was the astonished and angry retort Jock issued.
"You'll have a year to get used to the idea," Todd countered and Barbara marveled at his calm. "You are my brother. I wouldn't want anyone else to be my best man."
"If you think I'm going to stand beside you while she walks down the aisle—" His mouth snapped shut on the sentence, his lips thinning in savage anger. Jock took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. "If she does marry you, you can be certain I'll have urgent business elsewhere on your wedding day, no matter what date you set. I'll never be able to accept her as a sister-in-law, Todd. Understand that now."
There was no reply forthcoming from Todd as Jock's warning hung heavy in the air. The spiked fronds of a leaf on the palm tree by the pool made a rustling sound, stirred by the first breath of the evening breeze. The door to the veranda opened and Lillian Gaynor walked through to join them.
The smile didn't leave her face as she walked toward them, but Barbara noticed the sudden alertness that leaped into her eyes. Her glance darted between the two men that were her sons.
"I have the feeling I'm entering a combat zone," she declared in a deliberately lighthearted tone. "Are you two arguing about something? Todd, fix me a planter's punch."