"
I
think I'm going to stop at the next town, Brandi," Greg said several hours later.
Brandi glanced at her watch, surprised to see how long they had been on the road.
"I'm sorry. I should have offered to drive. I was so involved in our discussion I didn't realize the time."
During the hours on the road they had covered a multitude of subjects and had discovered how many times their views coincided. Greg had been greatly encouraged to find how similar their perspectives and values were, although he doubted that Brandi had given much thought to what was happening between them.
She had debated several times with considerable spirit while Greg had played devil's advocate. He'd enjoyed her keen insight and incisive mind as she'd made her points. Whether or not she realized it, Brandi could have put her logic and eloquence to good use in a courtroom.
"If we stop now we should get into Payton tomorrow afternoon, which will give you an opportunity to see it during the daylight."
Brandi suddenly remembered what they were doing. Greg was taking her to his home in a small town.
"How are you going to explain my presence in your home?" Brandi asked after a few moments of silence.
"I didn't intend to make explanations to anyone. Why do you ask?"
"Surely your reputation is important to you."
He grinned. "My reputation can only be enhanced by showing up with an attractive woman."
"You know what I mean. Perhaps I should stay in a motel or something."
"Nothing doing. You're going to stay with me, including tonight. I intend to register as Mr. and Mrs. Duncan. I don't want to take any chances with you."
"Surely that's not necessary."
"Tim and I feel it is. Since you've allowed us to help you, I think you should follow our advice."
He pulled into a driveway near the famous logo of a national motel chain. Driving up to the front door, he stopped and looked at her. "I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Are you certain you should leave me alone that long?" she asked, a little waspishly.
He leaned over and kissed her on the nose. " You're right. You do get a little cranky when you're tired. Don't worry. You'll be in bed within a half hour."
Brandi was still sputtering her response when he closed the door and went inside.
Cranky, indeed. I've been the soul of tact and diplomacy, allowing the two of them to play macho saviors.
Admit it, Brandi, you needed their help.
Maybe so, but he doesn't have to be so complacent about it.
Look, he didn't complain about your crashing his vacation, or the fact that you're now going to be his unexpected houseguest. So what's your complaint?
I don't know. I just don't like this feeling of not being in control of my life. I like to make my own decisions, do what I think best. I don't need a keeper.
Maybe not. But he certainly hasn't been overbearing or shown any dictatorial tendencies, now has he?
No. Not really. He's been very kind... and thoughtful... and caring.
Watch it. You might realize there's a great deal in the man to admire, which wouldn't do at all, now would it?
What do you mean by that crack?
Think about it.
''Oh-oh. The frown's increased even more since I left. Remind me never to keep you up past your bedtime again," Greg said, sliding under the steering wheel once again.
"I'm sorry. I was just thinking."
"In that case, spare me your thoughts. I'm not sure I could handle them this late at night."
Greg drove to the back of the motel, helped her out of the car and carried their bags inside through one of the doors. She followed him down the hallway. When he found the correct room number, he shifted the bags to one hand, inserted the key and opened the door. Then he stood back and waited for her to enter.
Brandi was surprised to find a spacious room with two queen-size beds. She walked over to the window and pulled back one of the drapes.
"I didn't ask for a room with a view. I didn't figure we'd spend much time admiring the scenery."
Brandi turned around and looked at him. He'd placed the bags on the floor and was over at the wall, adjusting the thermostat.
"I'll be a gentleman and let you have the shower first, unless you need help scrubbing your back." His gaze met hers, an expression of innocence on his face.
Brandi grabbed her bag and headed to the bathroom. "I think I can manage on my own, thank you."
"I was afraid of that," Greg said with a grin.
As soon as the bathroom door closed, Greg sat down on the side of the bed and sighed, his smile forgotten. He was trying his best not to think about the provocative situation they were in. Even though they had been alone at the cabin, this bedroom seemed to emphasize their present intimacy.
If Brandi had deliberately devised a way to torture him, she could not possibly have come up with a better method than this. However, he'd made his own decision. He had to know that she was safe. He'd rather be unable to sleep because she was only a few feet away from him than because he was concerned about her being alone.
When she came out of the bathroom, he almost groaned aloud. The soft scent she used seemed to waft around him, taunting and teasing him. He took a deep breath and stood. "Sleep well. We shouldn't be disturbed tonight."
She nodded and crossed over to the other bed, pulling back the covers without looking at him.
When she heard the door close behind him, Brandi sighed. Did Greg have any idea how difficult it was for her to continue to be this close to him night after night? She wasn't some saint without feelings. He had caused her to get in touch with emotions that she'd never known she had. Never before had she been tempted to make love.
The truth was that she knew she wanted to make love with Greg. What shocked her was the realization that she wasn't shocked at the thought.
She had a scary feeling that what she felt for Greg Duncan wasn't going to go away, at least not anytime soon. She kept getting sudden mental flashes of what their life together could have been like if she hadn't been so quick to turn down his proposal.
Would he want children? Brandi had never thought about having a child before, since she had never considered the possibility that she might decide to marry. Thinking about a child now seemed different, somehow. There was nothing abstract about thinking of having Greg's child—a blond-headed little girl with smoky gray eyes, or maybe a towheaded little boy with her dark blue eyes.
She shook her head, trying to dispel the images. What was the matter with her? Brandi was no longer certain that Greg had been serious, anyway. Hadn't he made a joke of his proposal with Tim? Surely he wouldn't have done that if he'd been serious.
The bathroom door opened, and she quickly closed her eyes. She'd left the bedroom lamp on so that he could find his way to his bed. Peeking beneath her lashes, Brandi discovered that Greg had tied one towel around his waist and was using another one to briskly dry his hair.
He had such a beautiful body. Her fingers itched with the longing to touch him. She must be losing her mind. How could she be wanting to touch and love this man after she'd made it clear to him that she didn't want any kind of permanent commitment with him?
The light went off, and she opened her eyes. She watched his shadowy figure crawl into bed and settle under a mound of covers.
"Good night, Greg," she whispered.
"Good night, love."
Brandi knew at that moment that there was nothing she would rather be than this man's love, if only she weren't too much of a coward to accept the challenge that he offered.
They were on their way early the next morning after having breakfast at the motel coffee shop. The weather had warmed considerably, and Brandi began to think about springtime and her plans for the craft shows.
Greg noted Brandi's absorption in her own thoughts, which suited him, since he had several things to think about. He wondered how long she would be staying with him.
He recalled that he had a trial coming up the week after next in St. Louis that he would have to prepare for.
Very seldom did he get involved in domestic-relations matters. In this case, the sister of the president of one of his corporate clients had come to hun for help in getting a divorce. After hearing what she had been going through, he had decided that he could not turn her away. It was going to be a messy suit. The woman's husband was a powerful figure in the city and had strongly resisted the idea that his wife wanted a divorce. According to his wife, he had a history of being abusive to her and had a definite drinking problem. The man denied all his wife's accusations, insisting that she was hoping to blacken his reputation.
The case was going to take a great deal of preparation during the coming week, and Greg would have to go to St. Louis to try it the following week.
Would Brandi want to go with him or stay in Pay-ton? He didn't like the idea of her staying alone, but he knew that she was chafing at the restrictions he wanted to place around her.
Greg recognized that he was at a definite disadvantage because he couldn't tell her all that Tim had related to him. As long as Tim didn't tell his colleagues
Brandi's name or where she was, no government agency people would be looking for her. But what if the men now searching for her—the military—continued their search? If those men had found her in southern Colorado, they might be able to find her in Missouri.
He smiled as he thought about kidnapping her and forcing her to marry him, surprised that he could be so cavalier about the matter. As a rule, he wasn't much for fantasies, but somehow he could see him whisking Brandi away to some forgotten island, coaxing her to come be his love and share with him all the treasures that life had to offer.
Greg never noticed that the divorce case looming on his calendar had been erased from his mind and pleasurable fantasies of Brandi had taken over.
❧
When they pulled into Greg's driveway the next afternoon, Brandi could scarcely believe her eyes. Somehow she had thought that Greg either lived in a luxury condominium or a modem, high-tech type of home. What she saw instead was a large Victorian-style house, the last thing she would have expected to find.
"What a beautiful place," she said as he helped her out of the car.
He grinned. "I'm glad you approve."
"I wasn't expecting something this large."
"I have to admit that it was an impulse buy on my part. I happened to see the For Sale sign the first time I drove the streets of Payton, not long after I had decided to move my practice here. I looked at other places, but kept returning to this house. There was such a sense of peace and permanence, as though I were a part of a family who had spent generations in the town."
They walked up the sidewalk, climbed the steps and stood on the wide porch. A swing hung at the far end, and a couple of chairs were grouped around a small round table. It looked homey and very comfortable.
The house gave Brandi an insight into Greg's character that touched her very deeply. When he opened the front door, Brandi was greeted by a wide staircase that curved to the second floor.
"I feel as though I've gone back in time. This is so beautiful. I love old homes. They have so much character."
"Yes. I feel the same way."
Brandi turned at the husky sound of his voice. The afternoon sun shone through the doorway, placing a soft glow around him and causing his light hair to shine. The casual clothes he wore in no way detracted from his appearance. Rather, they enhanced his rugged good looks.
She turned away, trying to get control of her reactions. "When do I get a tour?"
"Anytime you wish. I'll get our bags from the car."
Brandi glanced at him. "You do realize that I'm going to have to get some more clothes. I can't keep wearing these," she said, looking down at her heavy woolen pants.
"There are several shops here in town, or you can wait until next week and go with me to St. Louis."
"I didn't know you were going."
"No. I haven't mentioned it. I have a trial coming up."
''Of course. I forgot that you were a busy lawyer."
He could no longer resist the temptation. He walked over and put his arms around her. ''Quite frankly, so did I. It's going to be rough getting up tomorrow and leaving you for the day."
"Greg—" She paused, uncertain of what to say. Whatever this was between them was growing stronger with every hour that passed. It scared her because she couldn't seem to hang on to any sort of control.
"I know," he said softly. "All of this is very strange to me, too. I've never felt like this about anyone. Not ever."
He leaned down and kissed her, loving the feel of her in his arms, enjoying the scent and taste of her, refusing to consider the possibility that she might not continue to be a part of his life.
"I didn't hear you come in, Mr. Duncan. I wasn't expecting you back until tonight. I told Harry this morning that—"
Brandi pulled away from Greg and peered around him. The woman who stood in the wide doorway of what appeared to be the dining room stood staring at her in shock.
"I—I'm sorry, Mr. Duncan. I thought you were alone, or I would never have—"
"That's all right, Mrs. Beasley. I'd like to introduce you to Brandi Martin. Brandi, Mrs. Beasley is kind enough to look after the place for me.'' He could hardly keep from laughing at the look of astonishment and curiosity on Sarah Beasley's face. "Everything looks fine, Mrs. Beasley. I really appreciate your keeping an eye on everything while I was gone."
Sarah continued to stare at him, then realized what she was doing. Her face turned a splotchy red. "Oh, that's all right. Glad to do it. I would have knocked if I'd known you were here. I just came in the back way, like I normally do. I wanted everything to be ready for you when you got in."
Her eyes kept straying to Brandi. Then she'd force her gaze back to Greg. Brandi could tell that Sarah was not used to finding Greg standing in his hallway kissing anyone. She carefully avoided meeting Greg's eyes.
"Do you live in Payton, Miss Martin?" Sarah asked.
"No. I'm just visiting."
"Yes. She'll be staying here with me."
If possible, Sarah's eyes widened even more than they had when she'd discovered Brandi's presence. Brandi almost felt sorry for the woman. She refused to make any explanations. If Greg felt it necessary, then he could make them.
He obviously didn't find it necessary, because he excused himself and went outside to get their luggage, leaving the two women standing there in the hallway.
"Well," Sarah said uncomfortably, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Miss Martin. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again."
"Probably," Brandi replied with a smile.
Sarah gave a quick nod and left the way she had come in.
When Greg returned to the house, Brandi met him at the door. "That poor woman. Couldn't you have said something to ease her curiosity?"
He laughed. "What? And attempt to curb her rampant imagination? I wouldn't think of being so cruel. I told you that this will do my reputation a world of good. The kind folk of Pay ton have been treating me like someone with an incurable disease ever since Penny and Brad were married. They're convinced I've been slowly pining away with a broken heart."
"I take it you don't date anyone from around here."
"No. I'm too busy to do much socializing, either here or in St. Louis."
"So my meeting you and having a chance to spend time with you was unusual."
"To be honest, I can't remember the last time I spent this much time away from work, so I suppose you're right."
"Are you going to tell Mrs. Beasley how we met?"
"Of course not. She'll have so much more fun speculating with all of her friends."
She shook her head. "You should be ashamed."
He took her by the hand and began to lead her up the stairway. "Perhaps. But I'm discovering that I rather enjoy doing the unexpected. I've lived by rules and regulations for so long that such an existence has become a habit. You showed up just in time to save me from my rut, you know. I'll be eternally grateful."
Brandi didn't know what to say. Greg paused on the landing and said, "Now you get the superdeluxe tour of my home. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to interrupt my elaborate narrative. Refreshments will be served in the parlor directly after the tour."
His heartwarming smile enveloped her in its glow. The man was rapidly becoming irresistible. Brandi could feel her resistance to him becoming weaker and weaker.
And she didn't even care.