Belinda (19 page)

“What took you so long, Belinda?”

She thrust out her chin, too furious to think
straight.

“What do you care?” she said.

“You are my nanny. Therefore, I care.”

She stomped away from him and prowled around
the room, running her hands over his expensive furniture. When she
was behind the sofa, she gripped the back and glared at him.

“You care as much about your Oriental rug as
you care about me.”

“Forgive me for seeming dense, Belinda, but I
fail to see how caring enters into our relationship. We have a
business deal, remember?”

“How could I forget? You remind me at least
three times a day.”

“Perhaps that’s because you need reminding,
my dear.”

“Stop calling my ‘my dear’ in that
schoolteacher voice. I’m not your dear.”

A muscle jumped in Reeve’s clenched jaw and
he carefully set his scotch on the table. “Belinda, I see no need
to continue this discussion.”

“Discussion.
Discussion.”
She
loosened her grip on the sofa and strode to his chair, her hands on
her hips. “This is not a
discussion—
this is a fight.”

“I never fight.”

“Why do you have to always be so damned
civilized?”

“Ladies don’t curse.”

“Maybe I’m not a lady.”

“You are. I made you a lady.”

“You.”
Belinda was in a rage now. It
was obvious that Reeve didn’t love her, that he would never love
her. She had thought that all she wanted was a house to call her
own, but now she knew better. What was a house without someone to
love waiting inside to make the lonesome blues go away?

Maybe he would turn her out into the street;
maybe he would tear up her contract and send her away, but she
couldn’t stand to be ignored any longer.

She leaned close to his face. “Nobody made
me, Reeve Lawrence, and don’t you ever forget that.”

She was so close he could see the sparks in
the center of her eyes and the fine bead of perspiration along her
upper lip.

“You’re yelling, Belinda.”

“You’d yell, too, if you only half knew how
to drive and had gone off to Tunica so somebody would notice you,
and then you got lost and nearly run over by two big trucks, to
boot.”

“Nearly run over?”
He grabbed her
shoulders so fast she lost her balance and tumbled into his lap.
Her head snapped back, and she caught at his chest for balance.
There was a great tearing sound as his buttons popped loose and his
shirt came open.

Both of them went very still, then ever so
slowly she wound her hands into the crisp hairs that curled across
his chest. He pulled her so close he nearly squeezed the breath
from her.

She wound her arms around his neck thinking,
Lord, let me hang on to my sanity so I can remember all
this.

“Oh, God, Belinda. I thought I had lost you.”
His lips claimed hers, and she felt hot and cold and happy and
scared all at the same time.

But most of all, she felt as if she’d taken a
long detour before she arrived at the place she’d been headed all
along. Home. And if this was a taste of what was to come, having a
home and a family to call her own was going to be even more
remarkable than she’d imagined.

“Belinda?” Reeve smiled down at her. “I’m
almost afraid to ask you this.”

“Ask me what?”

“If you’ll consent to stay here.
Permanently.”

Her hopes took a tumble. Still she managed to
hop off his lap, put her hands on her hips and act like the queen
of some small country.

“For your information, I don’t make out with
my boss. You can find yourself another nanny to maul, Reeve
Lawrence. I quit.”

The distance from the sofa to the door
suddenly seemed a very long way off, and she wasn’t feeling too
steady. Still, she not only headed in that direction, but managed
to march with her head held high.

Reeve made a sound that was halfway between a
curse and growl. He pounded after her, caught her by the shoulders
and whirled her around.

“You misunderstood me, Belinda.”

“You’re going to have to spell it out, Reeve.
I don’t do guessing games.”

First he grinned, and then he laughed, and
then, miraculously, he got down on his knees and took her hand.

“Belinda Stubaker, I love you. I think I’ve
loved you since I saw you coming down the street wagging that heavy
suitcase, and I want to go on loving you until the end of my days.
Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”

She wished she had a recording of his
proposal. She wished he’d say it again so she could be sure she
heard every word exactly right. But the Dixie Virgins would tell
her it was time to shut up and claim her victory.

“Belinda? Did you hear me? I want to marry
you.”

“I heard you, Reeve. My answer is YES!”

She reached for him, or maybe he reached for
her. She was too excited to know how it all went, but the bottom
line was, she ended up in his arms and he ended up racing up the
stairs. Heady stuff, this love and marriage business.

It wasn’t until he’d placed her on his bed
and stood there removing his pants that she came off cloud
nine.

“Reeve Lawrence, just what do you think
you’re doing?”

“Thank God, there’s no longer any need for
pretense.” His shirt hit the floor, and then his jockey shorts.

“Put your clothes back on!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You can beg anything you like, but if you
think I’m letting you pick my plums before the wedding, you’ve lost
your mind.” She sat up in the middle of his bed and rearranged her
robe, which had gone more than a little askew in their hasty dash
up the stairs. “I am not the kind of woman to walk down the aisle
in a white wedding gown if the groom has already been to Virginia
and back.”

“Virginia?”

“Reeve Lawrence, are you laughing?”

“No, ma’am.”

He put his hand over his mouth, but he
couldn’t hold back his laughter. It was a sound of pure delight,
and so infectious Belinda found herself doubled over on the bed,
laughing with him.

Suddenly, Reeve sat on the edge of the bed,
buck naked and looking so good she almost forgot who she was.

“I can’t believe my good fortune. All this,
and a virgin, too.” He picked her up then and headed toward the
door. “Allow me to escort you back to your bed.”

“I like this kind of escorting.”

“Don’t expect me to wear this suit to
dinner.”

Reeve had been waiting for a good thirty
minutes when he heard her at the top of the staircase. There she
was, his Belinda, poised like a queen. If he lived to be a hundred
he would never get enough of seeing her.

She spotted him then gave him a smile and
began to come down the stairs. She was a polished and elegant woman
and yet she was still the same refreshing woman who had walked
sideways down the street lugging her cardboard suitcase. Natural
charm and beauty had always been hers.

He kept his eyes on hers until she was even
with him, standing on the second step.

“I thought you would be gone to the office,”
she said.

“I’ve taken the day off, and Quincy has taken
the children to visit Sunny’s parents.”

“After last night’s excitement, I slept
late.” She blushed, “I thought since I had today off, you wouldn’t
mind.”

“Belinda, all your days are now
days
off.
” He took her hand. “I have a surprise for you.”

“Will I like it?”

“You sound like Betsy.” As he led her toward
the front door he imagined his children’s excitement when they
learned their favorite nanny would soon be their mother.

“Have you told her and Mark?”

“We’ll tell them together. But first, I have
to apologize to you for making assumptions last night.

He handed her a small box, elaborately
wrapped in pink stripped paper and tied with a pink and gold
ribbon.

“I like the wrapping.”

“I thought you might.” She was still hanging
on, admiring the bow. “Aren’t you going to open it?”

Belinda removed the bow first, then set it on
the hall table. Next she took off the paper, removing it with such
care that there was only a little jagged tear where the tape had
held it together.

Then she lifted the lid of box, held up the
key chain and inspected it from all angles.

“Two keys?” Belinda gave him a perky smile
“Well—that’s lovely, Reeve. Thank you.”

“Aren’t you even going to ask what the keys
fit?”

“Some people decorate with keys—hang them on
the wall and all that.”

“Come with me.” Reeve pushed open the door,
and there in front of the house was a bright red car, as square and
sturdy as a box, but bright red, nonetheless. “For you,
Belinda.”

“You bought a car already this morning?”

“I have friends in high places. It’s all
yours.”

“Boy, when you apologize, you really do it
with style.” She walked around the car, running her hands over the
shiny paint, leaning down to admire the leather seats through the
window.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s the finest gift anybody ever gave me.”
She looked at the car one last time—with regret. Then she handed
the keys to Reeve. “I can’t take it.”

“You can’t take it?”

“Has your hearing done bad? That’s what I
said.”

“If you don’t like the color or the style, we
can take it back right now and get something different.”

“It’s not that.” Belinda bit her lips. “I was
so scared driving to Tunica, I nearly passed out. I didn’t drive
over forty miles an hour the whole time.”

She pressed the keys into his hand once more.
“Thank you just the same, Reeve, but I’ve given up driving. I’m
terrible at it.”

Reeve smiled. “That’s because you had the
wrong teacher.”

“Clemmie was very patient.”

“From now on, I’ll be your teacher.”

“You’re going to help me with driving?”

“Among other things.” He opened the car door.
“Climb aboard.”

Teaching always brought out the best in
Reeve. Belinda gave him a smart little salute and smiled.

“Are you ready for your first lesson,
Belinda?”

“Carry on, Teach.”

Reeve drove her into the country, stopping
long enough to pick up some food for a picnic. They spent a
glorious day together. Reeve was patient and kind and gentle. Under
his guidance, Belinda lost her fear of the car.

By the time they headed home, she actually
driving on the speed limit.

“Pull over at Burger King,” he said.

“Shoot, I thought I was doing great.”

“You are. I just want to drive so you’ll have
your hands free when we get home.”

“For what, may I ask?”

“Because I have another surprise for
you.”

“With all these gifts, I’m beginning to feel
like a visiting dignitary.”

“What I want you to feel like is my
fiancée.”

When they got to Reeve’s neighborhood, he
reached for her hand.

“Close your eyes, now.” The car slowed, then
turned into the driveway and came to a stop. “Keep them shut.”

He helped her from the car then led her onto
the front porch.

“Now. Open wide.”

Red geraniums were everywhere. Two huge urns
flanked the doorway; hanging baskets swung from the porch railings,
and pots of all sizes were banked around two enormous rocking
chairs.

“Reeve!” Belinda ran around the porch,
stopping to sniff a red bloom, pausing to admire a hanging basket,
laughing and crying at the same time. When she was even with the
rocking chairs, she faced him.

This is the most wonderful gift. How did you
know?”

“I remembered out first conversation, but
just to be certain, I called your friend Clemmie.”

“This is the most wonderful surprise in the
whole world. These pots of geraniums and these rockers tell me more
about how you feel than...” She squeezed her hands together.

“Than the car, Belinda?”

“Yes. Than the car... and all the clothes and
all the finery in the world. I’ve always wanted a little house to
call my own with red geraniums on the front porch.”

“Will a big house do as well?”

“It will do perfectly well.”

Reeve sat down in one of the rockers and
pulled her onto his lap.

“I’ve feel like I’ve been loving you since
the beginning of time, Reeve. All these years I’ve been going from
place to place, searching for a little house, sometimes even
searching for a man to live in it with me. And all along, here you
were.”

“Just waiting for you, Belinda.”

With the scent of geraniums sweet around
them, Reeve set the rocking chair into motion and held her
close.

“Reeve?” She lifted her head to look at him
“I’m thinking of another lesson.”

“A driving lesson?”

“No. Not that.” She blushed. Reeve stilled
the rocking chair. “About the other night. Do you think we might
try that again on the honeymoon?”

“I can guarantee it, Belinda.”

“I have to warn you. It may take a while to
get the hang of it.”

“Then we’ll just have to practice till we get
it right.” He kissed her for such a long time, her face turned as
rosy as the geraniums.

When she could finally get her breath, she
said, “That’s a nice start. Can we do it again?”

“I’m so glad I’m marrying a woman who knows
the value of continuing education.”

o0o

From: Catherine

To: Belinda, Janet, Clemmie, Bea, Joanna,
Molly

Re: Update

OMG, what’s going on, sweetie? Did you
confront him? What did he do? I can’t even study for
wondering!!!

Cat

From: Joanna

To: Belinda, Janet, Clemmie, Bea, Molly,
Catherine

Re: Pins and needles

WHAT’S HAPPENING!!! I’m DYING here!

Joanna

From: Molly

To: Belinda, Janet, Clemmie, Bea, Joanna,
Cathrine