by Sara Orwig
He stretched out his hand, his forefinger drawing circles on her shoulder, trailing down in loops to run across the top of the towel. He shifted her away from him, his legs closing and thrusting between hers as he pulled her down on his lap. “Tell them we realize we love each other.”
“Do we?” she asked, suddenly wanting him to say it. In spite of his declarations, she had yet to hear an “I love you.”
“Yes, we do,” he said solemnly. His arm banded her waist and she sucked in her breath. She straddled him, the towel pulling open. She wore nothing beneath it and he only had the sheet across him and she could see his manhood pushing above the strip of white.
“Now, baby, I’m going to do my damnedest to get my way with you again. You’ll see. They wake up and find us in here together and it will save multitudinous talking. I’ll just say, ‘Guys, I love your Aunt Juliana—’”
Something seemed to crack within her, her last defenses coming down as she threw her arms around his neck and leaned forward to kiss him with all the heart and passion she felt. His arms tightened around her and pulled her up close against his body, spreading her legs wide.
“Here we go again,” he said in minutes as he kissed her throat and his hand slid over her bottom and down be- tween her legs.
It was sunrise when Juliana fell asleep in his arms. Con- tentment filled her and he had finally convinced her to stop worrying. The next thing she knew, she opened her eyes to find bright sunlight streaming over her. She sat up, looking around. The bed was empty and she glanced at the clock.
“Eleven!” She threw back the sheet and scrambled out of bed. “Dammit, dammit!” She tried to remember what day it was, what she was supposed to be doing. It was Wednes- day. She tried to think where she should be while she scrambled up and dashed to shower and dress. As she stuck the last pin in her hair, she heard a light knock on the door.
“Yes?”
The door swung open and Quin stood there holding Snookums. “Cal said you didn’t feel like getting up this morning and not to bother you, but I heard you moving around.”
“Come in, honey.”
He came inside and crossed the room to sit in the rocker and settle Snookums on his lap. “Juliana, Cal said he’s go- ing to be a dad like you’re our mom now.”
“That’s what he wants,” she answered, her heart miss- ing a beat to hear Cal’s declaration. She picked up navy pumps and slipped her feet into them.
Quin smiled. “I’m glad.”
“That’s good, honey,” she said, feeling a squeeze to her heart and praying that Cal meant what he said. She would survive a hurt, but she couldn’t bear for the boys to get hurt.
“The lumber’s here for a corral and we get to start build- ing it soon. I’m going to help.”
“That’s good.”
“Cal has gone to work. He said to tell you he’d be home as soon as he could get here.”
“Thank you. Message delivered.”
“He’s going to take us canoeing Saturday.”
“Good, sweetie.”
“Some flowers just came for you. They’re downstairs. Cal said he’s moved to this room.”
“That’s right,” she said, wishing people could control blushes as she thought about the night they had shared.
Quin rocked and stroked Snookums. The cat purred loudly, his eyes closed in serenity. “Cal said he loves me as much as I love Snookums and then more besides.”
“That’s good.”
“I’m going with Chris in the boat in a little while.”
“You two be careful. The highway bridge is as far as you can go.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, picking up the cat and leaving the room.
She went downstairs and spotted the bouquet of two dozen red roses on the credenza just inside the front door. She crossed to them to pick up the small white envelope and remove the card.
Cal’s message was scrawled in black ink. May we have a lifetime of nights like the last one. See you tonight. My love, Cal.
She tucked the card into the pocket of her navy-and- white-striped cotton suit and went to the kitchen.
“Good morning,” Gladys said cheerfully. “Mr. Duncan said to leave you undisturbed. He said you helped him pull the poplar out of the sun room last night. There’s your or- ange juice and I’ll pour you a cup of coffee.”
“Thanks, Gladys,” Juliana said, relieved Gladys didn’t give her the scrutiny Mimi would have. She picked up a phone book to call to get the windows repaired and then re- alized Cal might have already called someone. She called his office and in minutes he was on the phone.
“Hi, sleepyhead,” he drawled in a husky voice that made her think about their intimacy.
“The roses are gorgeous.”
“So are you.”
“Thank you.”
“Thinking about us?”
“Too much,” she said, and heard his deep chuckle.
“Yeah. I’m having a hell of a time concentrating on any- thing. I keep remembering.”
She inhaled, feeling weak-kneed, wanting him home and his arms around her again. “I started to call someone to get the windows repaired.”
“I already have and he’ll be out anytime now. Anything else you want me to do?”
“I’ll tell you when you get home,” she said softly and listened to his groan.
“Woman! I wish I could cancel work and come home right now.”
“You can’t.” She closed her eyes, feeling her pulse jump at the suggestive tone in his voice. “I’m late for work. I’m leaving as soon as I eat a bite.”
“Go out with me tonight. Gladys and Stoddard will be there with the boys.”
“Yes,” she answered. “Gotta run.”
“Love you, babe. I’ll show you tonight.”
She replaced the receiver and looked out the window, re- membering the night and Cal’s hands and kisses. She felt like singing and dancing and she wanted to be back in his arms.
Three hours later, she began to wonder what was the matter with her. She had never been this way when she’d dated Barry, even in their most intense time. She couldn’t concentrate on work, kept glancing at the phone in her of- fice and wishing Cal would call her. Between glances at the phone, she continually looked at the clock, counting the hours and minutes until she would be with him again.
Three days later, she wondered if she had lost all good sense. As she drove down the driveway, she glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Cal standing there with his hand on Quin’s shoulder. She waved and watched both of them wave back. Quin headed toward the dock and Cal turned to fol- low.
She was wildly in love, so much so she could barely think straight. And the nights—at the thought of the nights with Cal, she felt her body heat and her cheeks grew pink. Even in the solitude of the car, she blushed to think about their nights. He had driven her to abandon all inhibitions. He was a sensual lover, leaving no barriers between them. She turned off the long driveway onto the road and in minutes swung onto the highway toward the new supermarket built on the edge of Colby in the direction of Cal’s house.
In five minutes, she approached the bridge over Rainy Creek. She saw Cal and the boys in the canoe, and as she slowed to cross the bridge, she waved, watching them all wave back.
Pressing the accelerator, she tried to get her thoughts on the errands she needed to run, knowing that by ten o’clock tonight the boys would be in bed and she would be alone with Cal.
Cal turned to help Josh and Quin get bait on their hooks and drop their lines into the water.
Cal watched the bright red cork on Josh’s line, his thoughts on Juliana. As exasperating as it was, he had to admit that Elnora had been right all along and he shouldn’t have resisted her suggestions about dating Juliana. Juliana was warm, giving, passionate. Hot in bed. He inhaled, feeling the sun beating on his shoulders. Yanking off his shirt, he felt even hotter inside as he thought about Ju- liana.
And he thought about Webb. He needed to tell Juliana t
he truth and the sooner he did, the better. His jaw clenched and he wondered how angry she would be because he hadn’t told her from the first about his brother and why he really needed Elnora’s bequest.
He was taking Juliana out to dinner tonight, and it would be the time to tell her if he could just keep his mind on it. He had no idea falling in love could leave him counting the minutes until he was with her again, losing track of what he was saying at the office in the middle of his conversation. He glanced at his watch; three hours until she would be home.
That night, as he feared, Cal forgot his decision to tell Juliana about his brother. He was dazzled by her, taking her to a hotel suite high above the city where the twinkling lights of Dallas went unnoticed as he gathered her in his arms.
Tuesday, as he marked a date to go to court with Webb, he thought about his brother again. He turned his chair, swiveling to stare out the window, knowing tonight he had to take Juliana to dinner and tell her the truth. If he took her to a hotel, he would never get around to it—it would be like last Saturday night. And if they stayed home, they would be interrupted constantly by the phone or the boys.
Swinging his chair around, he picked up the phone and made reservations at a steak house. As soon as he replaced the receiver, he turned to look out the window again. When he told her, how much would it affect their relationship?
Guilt nagged him; he should have let her know long be- fore now that he had a brother with a prison record. He swung around again, leaning forward and looking at his calendar. He would represent Webb in court in five weeks. If only he could keep his brother from going to prison. That was one more blow their parents shouldn’t have to suffer. This time, his parents hadn’t known Webb had been ar- rested for forgery. If Cal could shelter them from finding out and get Webb off, then it would save them another heart- ache.
Cal ran his fingers through his hair. It was Juliana he worried about the most. He should have told her about Webb before the wedding. She set such stock in frankness and trust—how would she take learning the truth this late?
He glanced at his watch and pushed back his chair as he stood. He had an appointment in Dallas at court. Yanking up his coat, he rushed out of the office, forgetting about Webb for the moment.
“And the wolf huffed and he puffed and he—” Juliana paused and looked at the eager faces sitting on the floor in a semicircle around her. “What did he do?” she asked.
“Blew the house down,” several children cried.
“Right,” she said. “It came tumbling down,” she said, waving her hands.
“Juliana.” Kathy Newton, her assistant, approached. “Excuse me,” she said in a soft voice. “There’s a woman here to see you. It’s your mother-in-law. I showed her to your office.”
Juliana was surprised. She had talked to Sylvia Duncan only a few times on the phone since the wedding. Fear stabbed her as the idea dawned that Cal might have been hurt.
“I’ll be right back, boys and girls,” she said cheerfully, giving Kathy a questioning look.
The diminutive redhead smiled and moved to take Ju- liana’s place on the small red chair. Juliana handed her the children’s book and crossed the large room, smiling at a lit- tle boy who sat on the floor pushing a wooden train on a track.
“Toot, toot, Mrs. Duncan. Watch out or the train will run over you.”
“I’ll watch out, Jimmy,” she said, stepping over bright blocks and entering the cubicle that was her office. Ani- mals were painted in primary colors on the walls and her desk was placed on a bright red square of carpet. Sylvia Duncan stood looking at the children through the large window. “What a lovely place you have.”
“Thank you. Won’t you have a seat?”
Sylvia’s face was paler than Juliana remembered, with a dark blush staining her cheeks. Her knuckles were white as she gripped her cane, and Juliana’s fears deepened.
“I’m downtown because I’m looking for Cal. I went by his office and the courthouse. His receptionist has gone to lunch and until one of them gets back, his office is locked. I thought I would see if he’s with you.”
“No. He was going to Dallas for a case this morning. I’m sure he’s in Dallas now. Is his father all right?”
“Yes.” Sylvia bit her lip in uncertainty. “It’s his brother, Webb. The police called me. They think Webb robbed a convenience store today.”
Eleven
“Oh, no!” Shocked, Juliana realized why Sylvia Duncan was distraught. “Sit down, Mrs. Duncan.”
“You must call me Sylvia. And I’d love to stay with him but I should get back home to my husband, Harris. He was calling some people, but we need to get in touch with Cal. Webb needs his help.”
“I’m sure,” Juliana said, thinking about Cal’s busy schedule. “I’ll try to get word to him to call the moment he gets out of court. I expected him to call, anyway.”
“Thank you,” Sylvia said, heading toward the door. Ju- liana walked beside her. “You have a lovely preschool here,” Sylvia repeated. “Our friends who have a grand- child here say they are so happy with it. She’s little Chelsea Martin.”
“Yes. Chelsea’s here today, in fact,” Juliana said, spot- ting the blond four-year-old. Then, noticing again the woman’s flushed face, she asked, “Are you sure you don’t need to sit for a moment?”
“No. I’ll run along, but please have Cal phone as soon as he possibly can. We need his help.”
“Of course. I’ll try to get in touch with him right now.”
“Thank you,” Sylvia said, looking relieved as she paused at the door. “I knew you would be good for him. He sounds happier than he has in years.”
“He’s good for me, too,” Juliana said quietly, knowing he had brought so much vitality and joy to her life.
“He talks about your nephews as if they were his own boys. I’m glad. So very glad. Cal will be good with them.”
“They love him.”
Sylvia frowned. “I wish we could all do things over. I wish Harris had known how to be as patient as Cal.”
Juliana felt at a loss, suddenly wondering about Cal’s childhood. They had been so in love and wrapped in a co- coon of passion, as well as busy with the boys, that they had spent little time talking about the past.
“Thank you, Juliana.”
Juliana held the door open and watched Sylvia limp along the sidewalk, leaning heavily on the cane before stopping to unlock her car and climb inside. Without waiting to watch her drive away, Juliana went back to her office to call Dal- las. Why had Webb been accused of robbery? Mistaken identity? Or could Cal’s brother have actually committed such a crime?
She couldn’t imagine the latter. Cal himself seemed to have a high sense of right and wrong and fairness, espe- cially in his dealings with the boys. Certainly Cal’s brother would have the same values.
If it were mistaken identity that was causing the police to search for Cal’s brother, then Cal needed to get involved as quickly as possible. She picked up the phone to place the call.
It was two hours later when she received a call in return. Relief swamped her at the sound of Cal’s voice.
“Hi, babe. What’s wrong?”
“Your mother was here. Cal, the police think your brother might have been involved in the robbery of a con- venience store. Your mother is so distraught. Can you call her right away? She thinks your brother may need your help.”
“Well, damn. Yes, I’ll call Mom and get back to you. Okay?”
“Yes. Thanks for calling back.”
The connection was broken and she replaced the re- ceiver, knowing now his parents would be relieved and his brother would get the help he needed. And by this time, if Webb was innocent, he had probably been cleared.
Her concern vanished because she felt Cal would turn his full attention to it immediately. She left her office to return to the children.
At half-past six, as she was kicking off her shoes in the upstairs bedroom to change clothes, Juliana heard foot- steps in th
e hall and Cal entered the room. He closed the door behind him.
“Did you just get home?” he asked. He was wearing his navy suit and a deep red tie and he looked incredibly hand- some. He shed his jacket, tossing it over a chair and loos- ening his tie to unbutton his shirt.
Nodding, she became aware of her hair clipped behind her head and the red cotton sundress she had on. By the end of the day, after dealing with three- and four-year-olds, she felt slightly frazzled, yet Cal looked as fresh as he had that morning.
“I want to talk to you,” he said.
From the solemn tone of his voice, she guessed that he had discovered his brother had been involved in the rob- bery. She crossed the room to him to slide her arms around his waist.
“Cal, I’m sorry about your brother. I know you’ve had a shock.”
He stared at her wordlessly and then moved away from her, pulling off his tie to drop it on the bed. He turned around. “The police still haven’t found Webb.”
“Then you don’t know whether or not he was involved.”
Cal gave her a direct look. “Webb was involved.”
She stared at Cal as realization dawned that he was not only certain his brother was involved, he also did not seem to be surprised. “How do you know?”
Cal inhaled deeply and raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m his lawyer. He’s been in trouble before.”
Dismayed, she thought about his answer. “Your brother has been in trouble with the police? You said he worked in Houston as a car salesman.”
“Juliana, I should have told you.”
“Why didn’t you?” she asked, realizing again how much he kept things to himself, shocked that he still did after the intimate moments they had shared.
“At first, I didn’t want to tell you for obvious reasons. Then it was easy to put off telling you. Lately, I’ve meant to and have just forgotten about it.”