Authors: Rita Clay
Check.
His eyes drilled into her.
“What exactly do you mean by that?”
“I don’t want to discuss
this anymore.
” She pushed away from the shower door, her eyes sparkling with diamond-hard hate. “I never want to be reminded of that time again.”
“No. You only want to hold on to what
horrible thing
Charles did to you, like a talisman. As long as you remember that, you’ll never let yourself get out of control, never have to give of yourself to another man. A perfect excuse. It certainly makes life easier, if monotonous
and lonely
.”
“Get out!” she gritted between clenched teeth.
“Why should I leave? You’re my wife now, remember?” His voice held a hint of amusement
“Haven’t you hurt me enough yet?” she choked.
Checkmate.
The smile was wiped from his face as he backed away to place his hand on the doorknob.
“Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes.” He left
Why didn’t she feel victorious? She had won
that
argument
hadn’t she?
Five minutes later,
Dianna reluctantly entered the living room to find June and David gone, and Tabby engrossed in conversation with Noah. Tabby was much too busy with him to notice Dianna’s silence. The two of them had been seriously discussing Tabby’s garden and had progressed to
the
point of deciding where to put which plants. Noah had drawn a sketch of the grounds, pointing out the best places to dig the beds of flowers and vegetables that Tabby wanted to try her hand at
.
They were becoming closer every minute
. Suddenly,
Dianna felt like
the
outsider.
A
fter dinner, Dianna mechanically readied Tabby for bed. Before slipping between the covers, Tabby insisted on saying good night to Noah. He promptly put the
small pile of papers back on his desk when he
saw her enter
his
office
. H
is broad smile
was all hers
as she walked toward him in her
new,
blue-checked gingham nightgown. Her face scrubbed, her hair neatly braided, she looked like the perfect picture of a
beautiful
little gir
l
. Dianna watched
her daughter proudly
from the doorway, not wanting to be drawn into the intimate family setting they made, but oddly jealous of their close companionship.
“Are you going to read the paper
s
when Mommy finishes tucking me in bed?” Tabby asked
Noah smiled.
“I don’t know, sweetheart
.
Why?”
“Well, ’cause mommies and daddies are supposed to sit on the couch and talk about
the
children after the children go to bed
.
Then the daddies watch television while the mommies sew,” she explained
patiently
.
“Where do you get your information?” Noah teased lightly pulling a long corn-colored
pigtail.
“From
the
kids at school,” she answered artlessly. “An’ when I go to bed
,
Mommy sews or reads the bills, but she won’t have to read
the
bills anymore ’cause now we have you. Right?”
“Right
," he answered.
"Now
go to bed so Mommy and I can talk about you.” Noah lifted the small child into his arms and carried her into her new bedroom, placing her gently between the sheets. Bending down, he gave her a light kiss on the forehead. “Good night, Tabby. If you need anything, you know where we are.”
“Okay. . . Daddy.” She giggled impishly and Dianna’s heart contracted with love
and regrets. It was obvious Tabby had yearned for a father figure. But until now, Dianna hadn't realized just how much.
After she sang a lullaby that had become an “always” with Tabby, Dianna retraced her steps into the living room. It was empty. Noah must have
stayed
in the study to complete the rest of the paperwork he had
worked
o
n
earlier.
She paced the carpeting to work off the excess energy that moved through her veins like a swiftly flowing
torrent
.
Her mind swirled in a thousand different directions.
She was a nervous wreck, but she couldn’t seem to avoid the panicky feeling that gripped her every time she and Noah were together.
Why was she behaving so strangely? What demon took possession of her, telling her things to say that she had never said before,
things
to do that she had never done before? Actions that had been totally foreign to her nature four days ago were now the rule rather than the exception. Everything was different except her behavior with Tabby; and that remained the same only because she spent all her energy trying to maintain the facade of stability. She would not allow Noah into her
relationship
with Tabby! She would not! She
'd
been stupid to
t
hink
they would not
become this close
. B
ut he would get no closer if she had anything to do with it!
She stopped and looked at the image projected on the glass doors leading to the patio. The dark night made the glass into a mirror, and the reflection frightened her.
“
I'm
twenty-eight going on one hundred,” she mur
mured,
noticing the gauntness of her face. In years to come there would be wrinkles and sa
gging
skin a
long with
lines of dissatisfaction etched where now there was smoothness. It w
ouldn't
be long—then
she'd
be old and miserable— and Tabby will have grown and gone
, living her own
life. And
Dianna would be
alone.
She quickly swiveled, turning her back on that image. She didn’t want to think of the alternative—living with Noah and abiding by his rules.
Living a farce
of a marriage
instead of loving and being loved.
No! It was her life and
her decisions. S
he would live it as she wished!
The doorbell rang, startling her out of her reverie. She made no move to answer it
. I
t had to be for Noah, anyway. She heard him greet someone before they both entered the living room.
With a heavy sigh, she turned toward the door.
Their guest was a tall man— almost as tall as Noah—but his hair was the tawny gold of a lion’s mane. His eyes were pale brown and they glowed in admiration as he walked toward Dianna with a hand outstretched. Noah stood to the side, wearing a small smile as he made the introductions.
“Dianna,
I'd
like you to meet an old friend of mine who also happens to be my attorney, Philip Young. Philip—my bride, Dianna.” Dianna glanced quickly at Noah, expecting to see the mockery in his eyes, surprised when there was none.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Weston. The rumors of your beauty weren’t exaggerated.” His handclasp was firm and cool, lingering a brief second more than necessary.
“Ever since the cocktail party
,
there’ve been rumors
floating around.
When the newspapers get the news tomorrow there will be speculation aplenty. I wasn’t able to make it to the party Friday, but since then I’ve had at least a half-dozen
people calling about more information
about
you.”
“Enough,” Noah growled as he handed his friend the
attaché
case he had placed on
the
floor. “Let’s get to work, Philip.”
“Right” Philip grinned at Dianna
conspiratorially, making all the wrong assumptions about Noah’s obvious hurry.
Dianna took out her annoyance a moment later on the cupboards as she clattered through the pantry in search of cups and saucers. Noah had sent her into the kitchen to play the hostess-bride instead of allowing her to listen to the business they were discussing. She could tell by Noah’s gray-black eyes that he would brook no argument so she had meekly left the room.
The gleaming coffeepot stopped perking and she loaded it on the tray along with the china. Carefully balancing it she pushed at the swinging door, only to stop and hold her breath as the conversation filtered through the rooms.
“I’ve heard of giving a girl diamonds when you’re tired of her, but interest in a record company?” Philip questioned incredulously.
“I already sent Jimmy around with a diamond bracelet yesterday as a farewell gesture. But after this blow-up I think she needs something to help her over the hump.”
“Are you sure about this? Your plan has its merits, but—”
‘
I
'
m sure. She knows the business inside and out and has a good head on her shoulders when she uses it
.
Besides, I need someone I can trust in that spot
.
She’ll make it pay.
And she can find something else to occupy her thoughts.
The one thing I can count on is
Catherine's love
of money.”
Dianna heard Philip’s answering laugh.
“How much longer before this legal problem is cleared up?” Noah questioned “We should be able to get her trial scheduled in the next couple weeks. What makes it prickly is that Senator Greer is caught up in this thing. If the press g
e
ts
their hands on any information regarding the activities at that party, they’d have a field day!
"
"
But what about Catherine? Is she going to cause any trouble?”
“Catherine can be handled.
I've got a great deal of money invested in her, but
I just want her out of my personal life. As a business partner she’ll be perfect
.
As soon as this mess is cleared up, buy
her
a
one-way ticket to Nashville.” He hesitated. “Never mind, I’ll explain it myself. I owe her that much.” Dianna heard the clink of glasses, then Noah continued. “You and Jessie will have to come over for dinner soon.
I'd l
l
ike Dianna to meet her. And I want you to
meet
Tabby, too.
She's an adorable little girl with personality plus.
”
“Family man at last eh, Noah?” Philip laughed “Never thought I’d see the day! Is that the reason you’re selling. . .”
‘Yes, yes,” Noah interrupted impatiently. “And I don’t need a lecture on that score, Philip.”
“Is everyone ready for coffee?” Dianna asked cheerfully as she walked into the living room, her face placid and her wide hazel eyes dancing with green highlights. She should have been angry with Noah’s arrangements for disposing of Catherine, but all she could feel was
a buoyancy
that he had cared enough to get rid of her. It didn’t make sense, but she didn’t want to examine her feelings too closely: there would be time enough for that later.
“Seems like you’ve found the formula for keeping your lady
happy, Noah
. Care to share it?’ Philip teased as he watched Dianna pour the coffee.
“It’s
a
simple
process, really
. Occasionally
yell at them,
and then run
like hell
to make sure they don't come after you with a butcher knife
.”
Dianna smiled. "And had he done so, please make no mistake... there would be no Mr. Noah Westin left in one piece."
“I've always
enjoyed his
friendship
, so I hope for his sake that he learns his lessons quickly and well.
” Philip
stated.
"So do I!"
Noah laughed
but his gaze never left
Dianna
's every move.
Ph
ilip stayed another half hour before making his departure. When he finally rose, Dianna was sorry to see him leave. He
'd
been their first real guest, and it was enjoyable to spend such a relaxed evening
with adults discussing something other than children, meals or tiredness.
He'd talked about his family and business and how much he enjoyed what he did.
Dianna
began cleaning up the cups and saucers as Noah walked Philip to the door. She was drying the last of the dishes when Noah sauntered in to
pick up a dish towel and automatically dried the cups and saucers.