Theresa had told her things had cooled off considerably since the tree cutting expedition. It wasn't the way things were meant to be and Hannah intended to nudge them back on the right track. A little `turning on' seemed to be in order.
By the time Luke returned dressed in tan Levis and a red open necked shirt, Gordie was on his exercise mat in the sun room with Rachel, his needs temporarily satisfied. Later Hannah would give him cereal and fruit.
About to sit down at the table, Luke was arrested by Hannah's words. "Never would have thought you were slow. Stubborn, yes. Slow, no."
Luke looked around. He was the only one in the kitchen with her. "I beg your pardon?"
Maybe Hannah was talking to herself.
"You." Turning from the stove Hannah pointed a wooden spoon at him, clearing away all doubt whom she was addressing. "Slow. Stubborn. Mulish." Each word was emphasized by a wave of the spoon. "Are you just going to let Rachel leave? I thought you had more sense than that."
Luke's face closed up. "The decision to stay has to be hers," he said stiffly.
"What's wrong with a little coaxing?” Hannah demanded, "A little of, `I won't let you leave'?"
"No." Luke mind was evidently made up. "For a marriage to have a good chance, the decision has to be made by two people, not one."
That was it?
"Hmph!" She placed the teapot on the table but said nothing more as Rachel came in.
All this modern psychology was so much nonsense. Thank God, Carlos hadn't suffered from any of it. He'd kissed her senseless, looked her straight in the eye and said, "We're getting married in the fall. You're mine."
Hannah decided to give Luke one more week to make his move. If he hadn't cleaned up his act by then, a diet of boiled carrots might help clear his brain.
Breakfast was a quiet meal, each of them busy with their own thoughts.
"You two have a good time and don't worry about anything here," Hannah ordered, as she stood on the verandah to see them off. "Jason's going to sleep in the house tonight. As its Saturday, Marie and Theresa won't come over, but Angela and I will manage just fine."
Rachel knew that was true and yet the thought of leaving Gordie, even for twenty four hours, created an empty ache inside. The memory of his scrunched up face went with them, and she turned in her seat to wave and catch a last glimpse.
"He'll be fine." Luke said easily. "Don't worry."
But she did. What if he was cutting another tooth? What if Hannah couldn't find the white cow he had become so attached to in the last few days? What if...
"Rachel, you've got frown lines on your face," Luke chided gently. "Gordie's going to be fine."
"I know. It's just that..." her voice trailed away.
"I used to feel the same way in the beginning. I'd call home half an hour after I left, to be told it had taken a second after my car disappeared for Gordie to be back to his normal cheery self."
That sounded right. Gordie was too happy a baby to fret for long.
After a moment's pause Luke said, "The drive shouldn't take more than two and a half to three hours. Have a nap if you want to."
Instead of the pickup, Luke was behind the wheel of a white Mercedes today. She hadn't seen it before but then she expected the six car garage to the left of the house had more than just the blue pickup in it.
The land changed as they neared Los Angeles. Here mountains were shaved to make way for developments. New and ugly, without the softness of trees to blend them into their natural background the houses looked like alien invaders making Rachel fiercely glad she didn't have to live in the city.
Luke dropped her off at MRA headquarters in the heart of downtown saying he'd pick her up at noon. Rachel nodded. Two hours would give her plenty of time to see Dr. Smith, have her blood tests, maybe even her other shots.
She had barely enough time. Dr. Smith insisted on giving her a tour of headquarters, treating her like some sort of visiting dignitary, introducing her to MRA personnel as one of their most valuable field workers. He showed her the video room and the new training wing, talking all the while about their need for a director for their volunteer education program. Rachel began to feel slightly light headed. Was there a reason behind the tour? Dr. Smith seemed to be under the impression she had changed her mind about returning to Bangladesh. She would have to set him straight on that.
"When do you think I can go back to Bangladesh?' They were back in his office seated across from each other. On the table between them rested a tray with two coffee mugs and a plate of cookies.
"Well," Dr. Smith pulled a file reluctantly towards him. "If that’s what you still want, how does the New Year sound? We have a group going out the end of January."
"I'd like to go earlier if possible, please."
Dr. Smith looked at her over his glasses. The steadiness of her clear grey eyes seemed to bring him to a decision. "Very well. If you insist on returning earlier I can make arrangements for you to leave on the thirty first."
Start the New Year as she meant to go on. Alone.
Ignoring the tremendous band of pressure around her heart, Rachel got to her feet, held her hand out. "Thank you Dr. Smith. I'll get my blood test done here today." A glance at the clock over his head showed she was running out of time. "I'm short on time, so I'll have Dr. Kenton give me the required physical and the necessary shots."
"Before I forget," Dr. Smith peered at her over the edge of his glasses again, "would you please thank Mr. Summers for his generous donation to MRA?'
"Donation?" It was the first she had heard of it.
"Yes." Taking off his glasses he wiped the lenses and replaced them on his nose, beaming at her over the top of them. "He sent us a check for twenty five thousand dollars."
"I...I...see." Thanking Dr. Smith for his time Rachel wished him goodbye.
The reminder to ask Dr. Kenton to bill MRA for his services ringing in her ears, Rachel hurried out of the office and to the medical wing.
Luke was waiting for her when she came out of the blue and white building. Rachel's heart gave a mighty bound at the sight of his lithe frame easing out from behind the wheel of the Mercedes to open the door for her. Twenty five thousand dollars! Why had Luke given such a large amount?
"How did it go?" He didn't make any effort to start the car though it was in front of a No Parking sign. Rachel's nerve endings quivered with awareness as she faced him. It wasn't such a big car after all, and it seemed to shut out the rest of the world.
"Dr. Smith gave me two options to consider. I need time to think about them. The blood test delayed me. I hope you didn't have to wait long?" Her sentences came out the way she felt. Unsettled, disturbed, edgy.
With a shake of his head Luke negated the fifteen minutes he had waited. He had picked up the nervous rasp in her voice. "What are the options?"
"One, I stay here and oversee the volunteer training program. Two, I go back to Bangladesh."
"Three, you marry me and live at the Diamond Bar." Smoothly Luke turned the key in the ignition and merged into the downtown lunch hour traffic.
Stunned Rachel looked at Luke. He didn't look unduly disturbed... he had tossed the proposal out so casually. As if it was just something to think about like which clothes to wear for a special occasion.
"I b...beg your....." Maybe he hadn't said it...maybe it was just the rush hour traffic whizzing past them in five parallel lanes that had made her imagine the words.
"You heard right," Luke threw her a quick glance. "You have three options, not two."
So much for trying to get a message across, thought Rachel. Why was he so stubborn? Didn't he know there were much bigger, better fish in the ocean? All ready to jump out to meet him?
The ache within her intensified into a nagging pain at the thought. Being a dog in the manger wasn't easy. If she didn’t want him, she had to let go.
Luke didn't seem to expect an answer right away and Rachel let the silence grow while she mulled over her options. Her heart had
chosen instantly but her head wouldn't agree.
Ten minutes later they were out of the traffic, sitting in a small, elegant restaurant. Family owned, everyone knew Luke and came out to ask how Gordie was. Informed she was Chris' cousin, Mama and Papa Patrini's beaming smiles intimated happily ever after was in sight after all.
Rachel stole a glance at Luke as he talked to the younger Patrinis, wondering if he was upset by the innuendos. His face gave nothing away. He had done his chameleon act again. No one would take them for anything other than good friends, who wanted nothing from each other except enjoyable companionship.
"Do you like Italian food?" Luke queried over the top of his menu when they were alone at last. "They offer a few American dishes as well, if you'd rather have that."
"I don't know much about Italian food." She couldn't remember ever trying any except for spaghetti sauce out of a jar and garlic bread from the grocery store, when she was younger. "I'd like to try some though."
Their tossed salads came with the best garlic bread Rachel had ever tasted, and to follow she had the shrimp fettuccine.
"That was delicious," she told Luke a little while later staring at her empty plate in surprise.
He grinned and raised a hand to the waiter. "Try some of their gelato. It has quite a reputation."
Rachel nodded weakly, wondering if she would be able to do any shopping after such a large meal.
The ice cream was smooth and had a wonderful flavor. "Mmm. Want to try some?"
Luke hadn't ordered any dessert, just tea. Now he looked up and the little flares in the center of his navy blue eyes set quivers leaping in her stomach as he nodded, "Yes."
There was something in the way he watched as she scooped up a teaspoonful and held it out to him that set butterflies dancing in her stomach. Manacling her wrist gently to steady it, he bent to the spoon and closed his mouth around it, his eyes sliding to her lips, their message unmistakable.
"Delicious."
Rachel felt as weak as a new born foal. Getting through the rest of her ice cream placed a severe strain on her throat muscles.
"Shall we go?" Luke picked up his credit card, opening a soft brown wallet to slip it into. "Before I forget, let me give you this."
This was a credit card, shiny gold, with her name on it. Rachel stared at it transfixed. "What's that for?"
"Your shopping spree."
"I have my own money," she said stiffly.
"I know," Luke said easily, "but unless you're carrying it all around with you, you're going to need some other kind of guarantee for cashing your checks."
"I see." She hadn't thought of that. She didn't have a valid driver's license or even a local address on her checks. That might be a problem in some stores.
"If anyone gives you a hard time about accepting a check, just use the credit card and later you can make out a check to me for the amount you've spent."
He always made everything sound so cut and dried. Yet for a simple, straightforward man he was responsible for creating endless confusion within her.
Rachel picked up the shiny slip of plastic. It felt like lead in her hand. "Thank you."
A hand on the small of her back Luke guided her out. Her body burned where he touched it. Holding herself stiffly, Rachel hoped Luke wouldn't guess the desire to turn to him was overwhelming her.
As they drove to the Glendale Galleria, he told her about the rooms he had booked in Pasadena, the show he thought she might enjoy. The hotel he named was one of the best. Rachel wondered if her bank account held enough money to pay for her room.
"We have about four and a half hours here," Luke said as he pulled up in the parking area. "We can come back tomorrow if you aren't done."
Rachel felt her mouth drop. Four and a half hours? Did Luke think she was buying marble to repair the Taj Mahal with? An hour, tops, should get her everything on her list and Hannah's.
Inside the Galleria, Rachel felt her lower jaw drop again. It was like a multi-storied Ali Baba's cave. There were people everywhere. Everyone seemed to know exactly where they were going. Two muscled youths with spiky hairdos passed them, looking at her curiously and without being aware of it Rachel moved closer to Luke.
Luke splayed his fingers and linked them with hers. Immediately Rachel knew he had no intention of leaving her alone. Tugging her gently forward he said, "Let's start right here."
He left her in the Misses section of the large department store, saying he'd be back in a while. Rachel looked around, her head whirling at the selection around her. Walking around she just looked at all the racks for a while, now and then touching something.
Luke returned with a packet to find her still looking, "If you don't like anything here we can always go into the mall. There are dozens of other shops to choose from."
"It's not that," Rachel said quickly. "It's just that there's so much to choose from I don't know where to start."
She looked like a child in a toy shop and Luke laughed. "Take your time. I'm going to the hardware section to look for a couple of things."
Rachel finally chose a silky red dress with a grey sequined flower on one shoulder, a slip to go with it, and an emerald green velour pant set. There really wasn't any point in buying more. Soon she'd be back in Bangladesh and have no use for these clothes. But at least for the time being she wanted to do Luke and Gordie proud. Hannah had said they had lots of visitors dropping by Christmas week. Rachel didn't want any of them to think she was a hanger on.
Selecting warm velour robes for Hannah and Theresa, both of whom had complimented her on hers, a pair of outsize earrings for Angela, and a handbag for Marie didn't take too long. In the children's section she picked out a Winnie the Pooh outfit, a pair of yellow dungarees with a striped shirt, a navy sweater with a red airplane on the front and two sleepers. There was something deeply satisfying about shopping for Gordie. The thought that even when she wasn't there he would use the outfits she had got him was a nice one. She was paying for her purchases when Luke returned. He looked at the pile of clothes on the counter but said nothing.
"Where to next?' he asked relieving her of her shopping bag.
"A bookshop and then a craft store."
They strolled the length of the mall. Luke's hand around her shoulders steered her through the crowd, kept her safe from being brushed against. The contact sparked off so much heat Rachel almost expected to see smoke coming out of her ears.
A few minutes later, Rachel stopped in front of a shoe store. On the pretext of looking at a pair of high heeled sandals with delicate straps, she moved away from Luke. Any more of those tantalizing brushes against him and she would self-combust.
"Want to go in and try them on?" Luke asked.
Rachel shook her head. None of those ultra feminine, dainty shoes would be any good where she was going and the black heels she had bought the first day would do with her dress.
At the bookstore she got a book on hummingbirds for Juan and a light paperback cookery book for herself. After finding the macrame book and the latest historical romances on Hannah's list, Rachel picked up four cloth books for Gordie. She had found a National Geographic with pictures of animals and showed it to him one day, and he had astounded them all by pointing to it the next day and jumping up and down: his way of asking for something. With the exception of Luke, her gift list was complete. She had ordered a video game for David, a pen for Jason and a canteen for Mojo out of a catalog. Maybe Jason would take her to Santa Barbara with him one day and she would find something there for Luke.
The craft store didn't take long. A helpful assistant took Hannah's list and the samples and found everything in record time, while Rachel looked at the intricate cross stitch designs on the wall, wishing she could do things like that.
"That's the last of my shopping," she announced as she was handed her package.
"Are you sure?" Luke seemed taken aback.
Rachel nodded, "Yes, but you go ahead and get the rest of your things."
They walked to another store and Luke said, "Let's go in here for a minute. I need a couple more gifts."
Rachel wandered over to the cosmetics section. She could tell this store was different. The plushy carpet, the quiet elegance, the salesgirls who looked like models. Her first check of a price tag made her think she would be paying for the rarified atmosphere if she bought anything in the store, but a look at the quality of the merchandise and Rachel knew it would be worth every penny she spent.
"May I help you with anything today?"
Rachel looked at the woman her own age dripping with sophistication and stammered, "N...no thank you. I'm just looking."
Rachel looked at the display in the glass case. She wouldn't know what to do with a tenth of these things.
"We're doing makeovers today. Would you like one?"
She looked up at the older, perfectly made up woman across the counter and then glanced doubtfully down at the cosmetics on top of the counter.
"It's free. You don't need to buy anything," the woman coaxed.
About to shake her head, Rachel stopped. Why not? There wasn't any harm in knowing the right way to do her face, even if where she was going she was lucky if she got the time to wash it twice a day.
"All right."
The woman introduced herself as Helen and talked non-stop as she went through her routine. "You have an excellent complexion. It's just a little dry. Be sure and use plenty of moisturizer. Do you use foundation? Well, I'm not going to either. A dab of powder will do. These new powders are a combination of foundation and powder actually. Now, a little blush just so. Do you see how that highlights your cheekbones? What excellent bone structure you have. All you need is a tinge of color. I'm going to use a little more shadow on your eyelids. Your eyes are so beautiful. What's your favorite color in clothes?'
"Red." Since when, a tiny voice mocked. Since Luke's eyes took on a glow every time he looks at you in your red sweater?
Faith Hope and Love (A Homespun Romance) Page 13