One Night With You (19 page)

“I'll promise you just about anything,” he said.

Arnold walked around to Claudine and extended his hand to her. “I see that my son is so taken with you that he's forgotten to introduce us. I'm Arnold Dickerson, Philip's father, and I am delighted to meet you.”

Claudine stood and shook the man's hand. “Thank you, Mr. Dickerson. I'm very happy to meet you, too.”

At least she's still got presence of mind,
Kendra said to herself.

“I suggest we all go over to St. Michael early tomorrow morning and take the cruiser out,” Philip said to the group. “What do you all say?” He turned to Claudine. “I hope you brought along a sweater. Early mornings are cool on the bay.”

“Yes, I did. Thanks.”

Arnold returned to his seat beside Kendra. “Your sister is also a lovely woman. I'm tempted to ask if there are any more Rutherford women.”

“Thank you,” Kendra said. “We're all that's left. Our mother passed a couple of years ago.”

“I'm sorry about that. You know, it saddened me that Philip didn't meet you before Reid did, but well, that was that. Philip and Reid are brothers. They've been through a lot together, and as stubborn as Reid is, he wasn't so intractable as to ruin their relationship, because Philip stands his ground. You can't imagine how happy I am to know that Reid's ship is upright again. He's a terrific man.”

“Thanks for telling me this,” she said. “How do you feel about this obvious attraction between Philip and my sister?”

“She's a beautiful, elegant woman. I've never seen him this way. Reminds me of myself when I fell in love with his mother. I hope she'll love him as deeply as Ellen loved me.”

These people take some getting used to,
Kendra thought as she sat around the pool with them later, sipping a mint julep and staring at the fire in the barbecue pit. She knew from the sound of the bird's song that the singer was a mockingbird, although she had never heard it before. The smell of gardenia blossoms wafted among them and night creatures seemed to greet each other and to respond to the many different noises. Crickets chirped, frogs croaked and somewhere an owl hooted.
What a heavenly oasis!

“That was an owl, wasn't it?” she asked Arnold.

“Absolutely. They can sound eerie, too, on a dark night when the wind is ominous. If you're not accustomed to 'em, they'll scare the living beejeepers out of you.”

Kendra turned to Reid. “I could get used to country living. Nobody can find this much peace in the city.”

He reached for her hand and held it. “This place gave me a second life. It's so tranquil. Here, a man can think, explore himself, appraise his life and find his salvation.”

“Oh, honey,” she said and put her arms around him because she couldn't help it.

The poignancy of the moment was broken when Arnold said, “Reid, I hear you got a great offer of a contract from Reginald English. I hope you're going to accept it. That's an old and solidly placed family. I remember that my father had some dealings with Reginald English Senior, a lot of years ago, before the man got into the oil and gas business. I think he bought lumber from one of his mills, couldn't meet his payments and offered to work it off. Old man English erased the debt. It wasn't huge, but it sure meant a lot to my father. Anyway, you deserve your own company, and that deal will cement your status.”

“If I have to get up at five,” Kendra said, “I'd better crawl in. Thanks, Doris, for this wonderful meal, and, Philip, thanks for the best—and first—mint julep I ever tasted. Its reputation for putting people in a stupor is well earned,” she added, drawing a round of laughter from the group. She patted Arnold's hand. “I'm always glad to see you.”

Reid rose and reached for Kendra's hand. “Kendra's turning in, and I'm going to walk with her to her room. I'll be back, Philip, to finish this dynamite drink you mixed. By the way, everyone, I've decided to leave Marks and Connerly and strike out on my own.”

“Right on, man,” Philip said. “I knew you'd do it.”

“Yeah. Now that I've made up my mind, I can't wait to get started. Thank all of you for the support you've given me. Be back shortly.”

“Are you surprised?” he asked her as they walked up the stairs.

“Not a bit. You're loyal, but you're also logical, and because you want to regain your status, this is the proper road. I'm proud of you, and when I get some privacy I'm going to give you a proper kiss.”

“Not tonight, please, sweetheart. If I don't go back there, they'll know why.”

“I can still kiss you. A little self-control is good for a man.”

“When I repay you, be sure you remember how I incurred the debt.”

At her door she stroked the side of his face. “I'm so proud of you. I would have accepted your decision if you had decided to stay with Jack, but I'm glad you chose to leave. Not because of the money, but for the man you are. You're the best, and you don't need to bow to any man. See you in the morning.”

“Aren't you gonna kiss me?”

She knew that her grin had all the elements of deviltry. “If you want me to.”

When he released her, she stumbled into the room, closed the door and fell across the bed.

“That was a real party Philip put on yesterday,” Reid said to Kendra as they pointed their horses toward Bachelor Bay on Dickerson Estates, on Sunday morning. “I never cared much for those big boats. He was always trying to get me to go out with him, but I wouldn't. That's one sweet cruiser.”

“Yes, and that weekend house is nothing to sneeze at. The entire day was memorable. Imagine, the man who owns Dickerson Estates actually sitting down and scaling fish! Max said Doris wouldn't think of cleaning fish.”

“Half the time, Doris is more like his mother than his housekeeper. She raised him from the time he was seven.”

“Without the moonlight to put scales over their eyes, Philip and Claudine seemed even more mesmerized by each other,” Kendra said. “What do you think about it, Reid?”

“I think they're both almost as lucky as I am. Don't worry about your sister. Philip Dickerson is not going to hurt her.”

“She's pie-eyed, and not in the thirty-seven years I've known her—except when our parents died—have I seen her this serious for periods longer than thirty minutes.”

“Have you talked with her?”

“When could I? He hasn't let her out of his sight.”

He had thought that Philip and Claudine would be attracted to each other, especially because of Philip's deep appreciation for intellectual wit, and on the short ride from Caution Point to Queenstown, he had discovered that Claudine was a very witty person. But it pleased him immensely to know that Claudine had destroyed whatever interest Philip might have had in Kendra.

“If I was smart, I wouldn't let you out of my sight, either. Are you comfortable on that horse? She seems a bit agitated.”

“I'm okay,” Kendra said. “I don't ride often enough to be good at it, but I'm comfortable.”

He hadn't often ridden to this part of the estate; during his stay here, he'd spent most of his spare time planning for the day that he hoped was at hand, the day he would face Brown and Worley in court once more. The day of vindication. The acres through which the bridle path roamed were resplendent in wild flowers that grew among the peach trees and pecan groves. He wanted to stop his horse and pick a bouquet for Kendra. At last, they reached Bachelor Bay. He dismounted, and then helped Kendra dismount.

As soon as the others arrived, Arnold, Philip and Max built a fire, put up a table and set it for a meal. “I'll cook,” Reid said, “that is if you don't mind eating gourmet food.”

“Since when can you cook?” Doris asked him.

“Since before you met me, and after eating your cooking, my standard went up, and I got better at it. I had to because I couldn't stand lousy meals.”

“Then, let's the four of us cook,” Philip said. “Here's the bacon, the sausage and a frying pan, Reid.” What a difference having a woman he cared for and who cared for him could make in a man, Reid thought as he watched Philip use every opportunity to touch Claudine. And how her eyes adored him! He walked over to Kendra.

“I'm damned proud of myself. I thought up this trip just to get those two together. I'm a helluva smart man.”

Her eyes sparkled, and the low, sexy laughter that he loved trickled out of her. “It isn't the first solid evidence I've had of your cleverness, sir.”

“You mean that I stayed after you till I got you in bed? That sure was clever of me.”

The group passed jokes among themselves, ate a breakfast of blueberries, grits, eggs, waffles, bacon, sausage and coffee, and after the men cleaned up, they all lay down on straw pallets and dozed in the morning sun.

Glancing around, Reid saw that Claudine lay in the curve of Philip's arm, while his friend gazed down at her, then bent over and kissed her lips. A smile altered the contours of his face. Reid didn't do it often, but he couldn't help thanking the Lord. Life was good.

The sun climbed and the temperature rose. “It's time we packed up and started back,” Philip said at about nine-thirty. “By the time we get home, it'll be hot.”

Reid rolled up Kendra's mat and his own, singing “Shenandoah” in his deep baritone as he did so. Then he packed them on Casey Jones, his favorite horse, and he and Kendra joined the others for the trip back to the mansion.

Sitting on his horse, Monument, a big chestnut stallion, Philip called to Reid, “In all the time I've known you, I had no idea that you could sing. You never sang here.”

“No. I don't suppose I did.”

“You never smiled as much, either,” Doris said. “Next, you'll tell me you can dance.”

“I love to dance, Doris, and I think I'm pretty good at it.” He couldn't help looking at Kendra. “Things are so different now. I feel like singing.”

As they neared the house, a rabbit dashed out of the lettuce field in front of Kendra's horse, spooking her, and the horse rose on her hind legs, throwing Kendra to the ground. She landed on her back and writhed in pain.

“Philip!” Reid yelled as he jumped down from his horse and ran to Kendra. “Are you hurt? How do you feel? Oh, my God, baby. I'm so sorry.”

“My back and my shoulder.”

“I'll get the doctor and a stretcher,” Philip said. “It's best not to move her, because we don't know where or how badly she's hurt. Do you have any pain in your neck, Kendra?”

“No. Don't worry. I feel all my toes and my fingers. It's my shoulder and my back.”

Reid let out a deep breath. If she had feeling in her fingers and toes, she wouldn't be paralyzed. Claudine and Doris hovered around her, but he refused to give way.

“I'll cancel my classes and stay with you,” Claudine told Kendra.

“You don't need to do that,” Reid said. “I'm going to take care of her. She won't want for a thing.”

“Are you sure?” Claudine asked him. “I don't feel right going off and leaving her.”

“You may stay if you like, Claudine. You're her sister, but she's my woman and my responsibility, and
I
am going to take care of her.”

“S
he has a dislocated shoulder and three broken ribs,” the doctor said, “and she's a very lucky woman. I've taped her up, and she should be able to travel tomorrow if she can lie down in the backseat.”

“She can,” Reid said. “We can make her comfortable with pillows. Can you give her a painkiller, doctor?”

“Yes. I gave Philip a prescription.”

“I'll take that to the drugstore, Philip.” Reid sat on the side of the bed in which Kendra lay, her face registering her surprise at the sudden change in her circumstances. “I'll be back shortly, sweetheart. We'll stay here tonight and leave sometime tomorrow. I'll call my office. Do you want me to call your clerk?”

“I don't have his home phone number, but perhaps we can get it through Information.”

“You're going to take her back to Queenstown tomorrow?” Philip asked him with a note of incredulity in his voice.

“That'll be fine,” the doctor said, “so long as he makes her comfortable.”

“Tell you what,” Philip said to Reid. “You take the town car and leave your car with me. The backseat in my car is roomier, and it's a heavier car, so she won't feel the bumps.”

“Thanks, brother. I'd do the same for you, and I'll get it back to you as soon as Kendra's well.”

Philip's offer surprised her until she remembered Arnold's words to her the evening of their arrival. The two men were indeed brothers in their hearts, and they shared some admirable traits, too. She prayed that Claudine and Philip would love each other and build a life together. Thinking that she couldn't wish more for her sister, she fought the drowsiness.

“What did you give me?” she asked the doctor.

“Something for the pain. If I hadn't given it to you, you'd be in agony.”

“Thank you. I'm sorry to be so much trouble.”

“You're no trouble,” Doris said. “I was just thinking how much fun it would be to throw a wild party right here in your room and out there in the hall.”

“Don't believe her,” Max said. “Doris hates loud parties.”

“I thought you'd never wake up,” she heard Reid say. “Claudine and I are going to help you sit up, so we can get you out of those clothes and put on whatever it is that you sleep in.”

She helped them ease her into a sitting position. “Reid, you can't undress me.”

“Really? Thank God, this thing buttons in the front.”

“Claudine, get him out of here.”

“Honey, don't mind me. I don't think he'll get any surprises.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don't push me, Kendra, because you know I'll tell it like it is. Tell you what, I'll go out and let Reid do it.”

Claudine left the room and Reid eased off her blouse, turned back the bed cover and removed her slacks and socks. “You are one sexy woman,” he said when he took off her bra. “Lord! Can I have just a little taste of this?” He flicked his tongue over her erect nipple and then pulled it into his mouth.

“You're asking for trouble,” she said as the glow of desire began to warm her.

“I know, but it was worth it. What did you bring to sleep in?” She told him. He looked at the yellow-and-black lace teddy. “Why bother? You might as well sleep nude.”

“Lots of times I do. I'm really impressed with Philip. He's very generous, and it's clear that he loves you a lot. I hope his interest in Claudine is genuine.”

“Trust me, it is. He told me he'd give anything if she'd stay here with him.”

“He doesn't know anything about her.”

“They fell in love with each other. What do you expect them to do? Drop it? They want to be together, just as you and I want to be together.” He sat on the side of her bed and took her hand. “She isn't your little sister anymore, Kendra. She's twice-grown. Let them love each other.”

“Oh, I'm happy about this relationship. I see how they feel and I'm praying it will last forever.”

“Good. Philip's going to bring you a television, and I'll bring you some food.”

She didn't relish the thought of a four-hour ride lying in the backseat of a car, but she didn't see an acceptable alternative.
He'll make it as pleasant as he can,
she told herself,
so grin and bear it.

What surprised her was Philip's obvious reluctance to let Claudine leave him. He stood beside the car looking down at Claudine, and finally, as if he had exhausted his willpower, he took her into his arms and kissed her as if he would never again get the chance. She hadn't seen Claudine cry since they were in their early teens, but her sister put her head on Philip's shoulder and wept.

“Are you in love with him?” she asked Claudine when they finally headed off the estate.

“Love him? I'm crazy about him. I never dreamed I could feel this way about a man. He said, ‘Hello.' That's all. I looked up and saw him staring down at me, and I…I just lost myself to him. That minute. And I knew it was mutual.”

“Did you two make plans to see each other soon?” Reid asked her.

“He's coming to Alexandria next Saturday. I don't know how I can wait that long.”

“You will,” Reid said. “He's a prince of a guy, but don't make it too easy for him, and be sure you don't get out of character. Always show him the real you. If he can live with that now, he can live with it forever.”

“Why can't I go to work?” Kendra asked Reid the following Thursday morning. “I can walk, and I can get my robe on.”

“I can't force you to stay home, sweetheart, but please, at least let's have a doctor examine you before you go back to work. Or wait until Monday.” She agreed, and later that day, a doctor told her to wait until Monday before returning to work, and gave her a doctor's certificate. “You'll need to be very careful for a while,” he told her. “You can easily reinjure this shoulder.”

“Have you forgotten that the performance of our play in the park is two weeks from now?” Reid asked her. “As much as you like to move around on the stage, you need to be healthy for that.”

“You've done everything for me except bathe me, Reid, and I won't ever forget your tenderness and patience, but I want to sit out in my garden and feel the sun on me.”

“Okay. Tomorrow after I come from work? Speaking of work, I have something to tell you. My lawyer said the date's been set for a retrial of my case. He's negotiating for the venue.”

She didn't ask him the date. She didn't want to know the day on which he would probably walk away from her.

“I couldn't turn down this opportunity,” Reid told Jack Marks after signing the contract to design a twenty-five-storey office condominium building and a summer mansion for Reginald English on the Outer Banks. “But you can take that other deal anyway. I'll design the building for you as a consultant, if you want me to.”

“You're a straight guy, Reid,” Jack said, working his mouth in the manner of one clearly touched. “I won't forget it. If you ever need me, you know where I am. I'll let you know what I envisage for this building, and you draw up a contract as a consultant. Is this your last week with us?”

Reid nodded. “Yeah.”

Jack stood and extended his hand. “Could we have lunch together Friday? Oh, yes, and will you let me know if you get a retrial in that Brown and Worley case? I just got a new customer who wants me to renovate a house they built less than two years ago. I may be of some help to you.”

“Thank you. I'm probably going to need it.” He went back to his office, phoned Marcus Hickson and gave him the news. “The signature on your factory will be Reid Maguire, Architect, Incorporated. I'm back in my own business.”

“Knock one back for me, man. This is the best news I've had in ages. Get ready to sweat, because I've had at least eight calls about this building. People like your work. It looks nothing like a factory. Amanda said that from the outside, it looks more like a private club. I'm going to give a big party when I open, and I want you and Kendra to come.”

“I'll look forward to it.”

He hung up and looked at his watch. Four o'clock.
I'm a free man. I can do as I like, and what I want to
do right now is find something real nice and take it to Kendra.
He drove to a gourmet caterer midway between Caution Point and Queenstown and bought a quart and a half of lobster bisque, an assortment of imported cheeses—Stilton, Chaumes, Saint Andre, Pipo Crème and Cheshire—pumpernickel bread, mesclun salad and several bottles of Châteauneuf du Pape, his favorite red wine. Kendra had to be tired of his cooking; he certainly was. She didn't want him to do her housework, but she hadn't hired anyone to clean, and he knew how to do it. So he did it. She wouldn't allow him to help her bathe, so he imagined she took a sponge bath with her left hand while he stood outside the bathroom in case she needed him. He'd seen every inch of her flesh, front and back, and he didn't see why the devil she risked falling in the bathroom because of a foolish modesty.

As he'd done at least three times every day since he brought her back from Dickerson Estates, he walked down the alley beside the house in which she lived and, using a key that she had given him, entered her house through the back door.

“Hi,” he said to alert her to his presence, “it's me, Reid.” He knocked on her bedroom door.

“Come in.”

“Did you do this?” he asked her, handing her a red rose and frowning as he observed the tidy room.

“My friends, Reba and Letty, heard that I was sick and dropped in. They just left.”

“How nice! And they straightened up your room. We're having something different tonight. I hope you like what I got.” He told her that he'd resigned from Marks and Connerly, signed a contract with English and that he would plan Jack Marks's building in the capacity of consultant as she had suggested.

“That idea pleased Jack, and you know what? He may have evidence that will support me in my case against Brown and Worley.”

“I'm glad, Reid. You're rebuilding your company, and you don't feel that you're being disloyal to Jack. Does Mike want us to rehearse before our performance in the park?”

“I imagine he does, but if you're not up to it, we'll have to skip it. I'll call him.”

He used his cell phone to call their producer/director. “Mike, this is Reid. Are you planning another practice session before our performance in the park?”

“Tuesday night. The show is Thursday evening.”

“I suppose you know that Kendra is recovering from three busted ribs and a dislocated shoulder? She thinks she can make the Thursday date, but she's not sure about an earlier practice date.”

“I heard she wasn't in court. How's she doing?”

“Sorry, man. I have no idea what kind of progress she's making. I'll ask her to call you.” He hated lying, but he wasn't going to be tricked into exposing Kendra. He busied himself setting the table and laying out the food. After heating the lobster bisque, he went to Kendra's room to help her out of bed, but saw that she was up and had managed to put on her robe.

“When are you going to return Philip's car?” she asked him.

“I told him I'd bring it back when you're well.”

“In that case, you should return it to him this weekend.”

“Philip will be in Alexandria with Claudine this weekend. I'll call him and see if he'd like me to meet him there. It would certainly save me more than half the distance between here and Denton.” He telephoned Philip, who agreed that they should exchange cars in Alexandria that Sunday morning.

After helping Kendra with exercises that the doctor had prescribed to ease her into the free use of her right arm and hand, Reid took her left hand, walked with her into the living room and sat with her on the velvet sofa. He preferred leather furniture coverings, but he liked Kendra's taste. Indeed, he liked everything about her.

He draped an arm around her shoulder and tugged her closer to him. “We love each other, we like each other and we're friends,” he said. “We also suit each other as lovers. I'm ready to commit to you for the long haul, but I don't feel free to ask you to marry me until I get that last stumbling block out of the way.”

She'd been relaxed against him, and now she sat up and turned so that she could face him. “I don't expect you to lose that case against Brown and Worley, but if you do, does that mean it's over between us?”

“I…I haven't thought in terms of losing.”

“Well, think about it,” she said. “Don't you believe my faith in you will survive any loss you sustain, whether it's a court case, your architectural firm or every penny you own? Huh? Don't ask me to pay for Myrna's crimes, Reid. I refuse to accept a maybe-if relationship with you.”

“And I don't think I suggested that, either. I want so much for you, for us, and I can't see myself offering you the shame of a man disgraced in his profession. Until I clear my name, that's the tag I carry.”