What Matters Most (23 page)

“Come on in, and be at home,” Telford said, leading them out of the foyer. He looked at Jack and winked. “You hit the jackpot, man. Glad to have you both. Alexis will get you settled.”

Tara looked up at Henry. “Mr. Henry, can I give them some of the lemonade you just made? It’s real good.”

Henry took Tara’s hand. “Sure you can,” he said and headed for what Melanie assumed to be the kitchen. As they walked away, Melanie’s gaze lingered on the little girl, and her thoughts were of what her own life might have been if she had grown up in an environment of love as that child obviously had.

“Forgive me for not greeting you when you arrived.” Melanie looked in the direction from which that silvery voice came and saw Alexis Harrington gliding toward her.

“I’m Alexis Harrington. I’m glad you’ll be with us this weekend, Melanie. How nice to see you again, Jack.” She took Melanie’s hand. “Come with me.”

Alexis walked with her a few paces and stopped. “Do you want a room with Jack or without him? We aim to please.”

Melanie knew her eyes increased to twice their size. Then, recognizing a true sister, she grinned. “I should tell the truth and say I want a room with Jack, but I wouldn’t like to give him a heart attack. We haven’t gotten that far, but I wouldn’t mind if he was within walking distance.”

“Woman after my own heart,” Alexis said, “but I may be able to do better than that.” If she was surprised, she didn’t show it. “I think what you need is privacy. He’s a smart man, and he can find you. All right?”

At that point, Tara appeared carrying a pitcher of lemonade and two glasses on a tray and presented them to Jack. Melanie had a sense that Tara liked people but much preferred men, the taller the better.

“Mr. Henry makes good lemonade, and I helped him make the cookies,” she said.

Jack took the tray and poured a glass of lemonade for Melanie and one for himself. “This really hits the spot, Tara. Thank you,” he said. “If I had a little girl like you, I’d feel like a king.”

Melanie couldn’t believe it when Tara blushed with all the coyness of an adult female. “Thank you, Dr. Ferguson. Maybe if you ask my daddy, he can find one for you.”

He walked right into that one, Melanie said to herself, but laughter poured out of Jack. “Thanks, but I know how it’s done, sweetheart.”

Alexis’s face bloomed in a grin. “Tara thinks Telford hung the moon. I’m surprised she hasn’t managed to get him nominated for president. Come with me, Melanie.” They walked down the hall to a large suite that consisted of a bedroom, sitting room and bathroom. “It’s perfectly safe,” she said after opening the curtains to disclose a garden surrounded by a fourteen-foot-high, metal, mini-wire fence topped with barbed wire. “If the barbed wire wouldn’t work the electric sensors would certainly do it.”

“This is a beautiful room,” Melanie said as her gaze took in the elegant furnishings.

“I’m glad you like it. I’ll put some candles on the mantelpiece in case you want to use them. I hope Tara didn’t embarrass Jack,” Alexis said.

“She may have pulled his chain a bit, but she certainly didn’t embarrass him. He’s enchanted with her.” The thought of Jack asking a man how to make a baby brought a laugh from Melanie. “Imagine Jack asking a man how to do that! I enjoyed it immensely.”

“Be careful, Melanie, unless you’ve decided you want him for keeps. Have you?”

Melanie sobered at once. This was girl-to-girl talk, and she wasn’t used to it. Still, it was her nature to be honest and truthful. Besides, nobody had to tell her that Alexis Harrington knew what side was up when it came to male-female relations.

“I think he’s wonderful, Alexis, but I don’t fool myself. Jack Ferguson is out of my league. My background is nothing to brag about. Whatever I’ve accomplished, I’ve done it in spite of my background. Jack was born with a gold spoon in his mouth, and the whole world as his oyster.”

Alexis stat down on the bed and crossed her knees. “Now, wait a minute here,” she said. “If he had everything at birth and you had very little, who is the more to be admired for having achieved success? You’re a credit to any man, and Jack Ferguson knows it. That’s one reason why he’s so proud to be with you, and let me tell you he is proud of you. That man stood beside you like a peacock in a yard full of peahens. He’s crazy about you, and he doesn’t care who knows it.”

The muscles in Melanie’s legs seemed to turn to rubber, and she stumbled to the chaise lounge and dropped herself onto it. “Alexis, I don’t need that kind of encouragement. I’m in deep enough as it is.”

“You love him.” It wasn’t a question. Melanie nodded. “Then you’re blessed,” Alexis said. “Go for it. To love a man who truly loves you and to share your intimate self with him is heaven on earth.”

She hadn’t expected to have such a personal conversation with another woman, and especially one she’d known for less than an hour, but she was a fledgling in the arena of love, and she needed all the insight she could get.

She leaned toward Alexis, propped her elbows on her thigh and supported her chin with the base of her hand. “Jack told me that when he was here before, he realized what he missed by not having a brother or a close male friend, and now I know what he meant. You’re the first woman with whom I’ve ever had such a personal conversation. I’ve missed so much. Thank you for talking with me.”

“I was lucky,” Alexis said. “I have an older sister, and she’s married to Telford’s brother Russ. You’ll meet both of them. You’ve met Drake, my youngest brother-in-law. He figured out right away that you and Jack were in love.”

“He did what?”

“Oh, don’t be so surprised. Drake has an uncanny sense about people. He told us we’d like you.”

“Well, I’ll be darned. I never would have guessed that about him. Do you dress for dinner?”

“Let’s say I try to look better than I’ve been looking all day,” Alexis said and stood. “Your bag will be beside your door.” A grin spread over her face. “Jack’s upstairs, but I plan to give him a tour of the house.”

Melanie got her bag and unpacked it, all the while musing over what Alexis had said. She had never met such a self-confident woman. Could she be right? Was Jack Ferguson really crazy about her? She made up her mind to give him an opportunity to clarify it one way or the other. Resolute, she unfolded her red string bikini and threw it on the bed. She’d never worn one of those things, but she hadn’t previously gone away with a man for the weekend, either.

Telford knocked on Jack’s door. “We’ll congregate around the pool shortly for a swim prior to cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. So if you’d like to swim, I suppose you know to do that before cocktails. I remind everybody of that, including my brothers. When you’re ready to come out, stop by and get Melanie.”

“I’d be glad to, if I knew where she was.” He heard the testiness in his voice, but he didn’t like not knowing where she was and suspecting that she was miles away from him.

“Not to worry, man,” Telford said with what seemed to him like a muffled snicker, “Alexis is planning to give you a tour of the house. Tomorrow morning, we’ll take you both around the Harrington estate. My brothers have built their homes on it not too far from here, but we’re widely enough separated to ensure complete privacy and still be reasonably near each other.”

“Sounds like a good plan. I’ll look forward to it.” Telford left, and Jack finished unpacking. Surely, a family as sophisticated as this one wouldn’t deliberately separate him from Melanie to keep them out of bed together. He put on his bathing suit and the white terrycloth robe that hung in the closet and strolled down the winding staircase.

“I was waiting for you,” Alexis said. “I wanted to show you the house. I guess you’ve seen the four bedrooms and baths upstairs. The master bedroom also has a private sitting room that we use for the baby’s room.” She guided him through the living room that was decorated with matching blue silk fabric on the walls, at the windows and on all the chairs, except two leather, overstuffed ones. He liked the formal dining room that was already set for a formal dinner for ten, which he took to be the Harrington men and women, Melanie, himself, Henry and Tara. You’ve seen the breakfast room,” Alexis said, “and this is the family room or den as we sometime call it.” She smiled, a bit mischievously, he thought. Then she said, “You’re getting nervous, but not to worry.”

He followed her down a long hall. “There’re several bathrooms on this floor, and that’s one,” she said, pointing to a closed door. She stopped, and knocked on another door.

“Yes?”

“It’s Alexis with Jack. If you don’t want company right now, we can come back later,” Alexis said. “Jack’s dying to know where you are, and we’re all getting ready to go out to the pool for a swim. I have to go change. See you in half an hour?”

Alexis walked off and left him standing there in what he regarded as an invitation to do as he pleased. He knocked lightly. “Open up, Melanie, I want to see you for a minute.”

The door opened at a snail’s pace and she peeped up at him. “Hi.”

He stared down at her, wrapped in a robe that matched his own, and laughed. “What on earth are you scared of? Can I come in or not? If you’d rather I didn’t, I don’t mind standing out here.”

“Where’s Alexis?”

“She went to put on her bathing suit.”

“Oh. This is a really nice room. Want to see it?”

“Why did they put you so far from me?” Jack asked her. “We’re grown, and we don’t need anybody to oversee our morals.”

She pulled the robe tighter and opened the door wider. “I think you’ve got it wrong. Alexis gave me the choice of a room with you or one of my own. I told her not to put you too far from me, and I guess she decided to give me the privacy to do as I pleased. She can’t be guarding your morals if she brought you here.”

What was she telling him? At times, he didn’t understand women one bit. “Okay. I was wrong, but, when I didn’t know where you were and there was nobody to ask, I got hot under the collar.”

He looked around the room, walked through it to the sitting room and then strode over to the window and looked out. Melanie raised both hands as if attempting to ward off an attack.

“Don’t get upset. That fence has a sensor, and it’s topped with barbed wire. Besides, only a pole vaulter could jump over it.”

He pushed his fingers through his hair, punishing his scalp. “Oh, hell! Come here to me, baby.”

For almost a minute, she stood there, as still as a statue, pulling the white terry robe tighter and tighter, as if warding off the cold in freezing temperatures. He spread his arms and reached out to her. She let the robe fly open as she sprang into his arms. She spread kisses on his jaw and cheek, and he thought he’d die of pure joy.

Holding her away from him, he gazed into her eyes; though he was attuned to her actions, he had to read her emotions. For once, she looked straight at him, deliberately opening to him the door to her feelings, exposing herself. Stunned, he pushed his hands inside her robe and immediately jerked them away when they caressed her naked flesh. Seeing that her gaze didn’t waver, he gripped her to him and lowered his head. Her lips, soft and sweet, opened to him and, trembling from the awesome power of his passion, he plunged his tongue into her mouth.

He tried to hold off what he knew was coming, but his erection was swift and complete. When he attempted to move away from her, she held him with more strength than he would have thought she had.

“I’m sorry about that. It’s the first time that ever sneaked up on me.”

“You weren’t the only one responsible,” she said. “Ready to go? They probably won’t swim long, because Alexis said they swim before they have cocktails.”

“I know. Telford said the same.” He knew that a frown covered his face. “Aren’t you going to finish dressing?”

“I’m wearing the only bathing suit that I brought. In fact, it’s the only one I have.”

“But, you can’t…I mean, there’re men out there.”

“Oh, Jack. Look at
you.
Do I want those women seeing you like that? I do not! Besides, nobody will pay the least attention to this bathing suit. This is what women wear when they’re planning to swim or just relax near water.”

He didn’t want to appear grumpy, but he felt worse than grumpy, so he made an attempt at being funny. “I had my arms around you, and all I felt was flesh. That must be the skimpiest bathing suit ever made. Can I get a preview?”

“No, sir,” she said, tightening the robe. “You’d censure me in a New York minute.” Taking his hand, she smiled at him, heating the blood that rushed through his veins. “Let’s go. They’ll think we’re making out.”

“That’s precisely what we should be doing,” he said.

If I want to hang out with Jack, I’d better get used to this,
Melanie said to herself after meeting Russ Harrington, his wife, Velma, and Pamela, Drake’s wife. Russ appeared as self-possessed as a person could be, and she thought Velma and Pamela equally as self-confident and at ease as Alexis.

The entire Harrington clan had gathered for a swim and drinks and, from her observation of the dining room table earlier, she assumed that they would also eat dinner with them. She got a wonderful sense of belonging when Tara took her hand and said, “Miss Melanie, I have two uncles and two aunties. Are you and Dr. Ferguson going to get married so you can be my auntie and uncle?” Every adult present looked at her.

She grinned, hugged Tara and said, “I don’t know the answer to that, Tara, but as soon as I do, I’ll let you know.”

“Maybe I’ll ask Dr. Ferguson.” Tara moved as if to go to Jack, but Melanie detained her.

“I wouldn’t do that, Tara. He’s shy.” A roar of laughter filled the air, and because everyone around her was laughing, Tara laughed, too. Melanie blew out a long breath, glanced at Jack and read his unspoken threat:
I’ll get you for that.

Alexis dived into the pool, and Melanie knew she did it then in order to take the heat off her. Others followed Alexis, but Jack continued to lounge on a beach towel beside the pool, looking up at her, and she knew he wouldn’t move until she removed the robe.

All right. She’d give him an eyeful. She didn’t swim well, but she’d taken a few lessons at school and figured she could manage the breaststroke. Anyway, Jack and the Harrington men wouldn’t let her drown. She stood, dropped the robe and, without glancing toward Jack, strolled to the pool and jumped in. His sharp whistle split the air, and the splash told her that he’d jumped in right behind her.