Wise Folly (12 page)

She motioned to the large overstuffed chair in
the comer
of the small room. “If you’ll have a seat I won’t be long.”

“Take your time.” His gaze covered the walls and furniture of the room with one all-encompassing glance before settling on her.

‘Tm sorry if you’re used to better surroundings, Mr. Weston, but be it ever so humble, it is my home.”

One brow shot up as he gave her a steely-eyed gaze.
“Which means?”

“Don’t look down your aristocratic nose
. I
f your tastes are more lavish I suggest you return to your fancy penthouse.” She didn’t know why she was so defensive. The furniture might have been
out of style
, but it was clean and homey and the room was pleasant to the eye.

Peaked brows rose over those intimidating gray eyes. 
“I was just thinking what a
comfortable home
you’ve made for
Tabby. The
house is more than adequate and I wasn’t doing any more than
satisfying
my curiosity by looking around.” His smile mocked her, one pitch-black brow rising. “Don’t you look around when you’re in someone else’s home, Dianna?”

She stared at him,
and then
turned
, ignoring the question
. ‘
I'll
be through in a minute.”

She walked quickly down the hall toward the bedrooms. She heard him say something about making coffee but didn’t stop in her rush to get to Tabby’s room.
She didn't want to admit, even to herself that she was
rushing to get away from him
.

She grabbed a small suitcase from the back of the closet and began packing a few of Tabby’s things, including favorite books and toys, then quickly made her way to her own room and threw
her own things
in another suitcase. It didn’t take long—perhaps
ten
minutes—but it was time enough for her to wonder how she could go through with Noah’s plans.
Her nerves were wound so tight she could barely breathe and her thoughts were helter-skelter in every direction but common sense.
She had to talk to him,
she
had to call this charade off!

Noah
stood by the kitchen sink with a cup of coffee in his hand
, staring at the la
vish
garden she and Tabby had tended so lovingly. He turned slowly at the sound of her footsteps and fixed his
gaze
on her, making
her
staccato footsteps falter.

“Finished?” He took another sip of hot coffee.

She cleared her throat “I’ve thought a great deal about your . . . your offer, Noah. I want to call off our arrangement
.
I’ll pay for Tabby’s operation some other way—If not working for your company, then
for
someone else’s.” The silence was loud as she waited for his answer. He didn’t move, just looked at her through narrowed lids. She cleared her throat again. “
I'm
sure you understand,” she murmured, wondering how she could expect him to understand when she didn’t herself.

His face turned to stone.
“As far as
I'm
concerned there is no other company.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. You either accept my offer or you’ll never work in the computer field again.” He slung a dinette chair around and sat down, resting his arms on the back as he watched her closely.

Her mind whirled.
“I don’t understand. Why would you want to marry me while there are so many others waiting in the wings? Why me?” she exclaimed, totally frustrated.

Noah gave a tight smile.
“It’s nice to know you don’t think
I'm
completely poisonous.
I'm
glad you can see that other women might not be offended at what
I'm
offering,” he stated dryly. “But the fact remains that
I
want you—and Tabby.”

“Oh, of course,” she retorted
, becoming angry that he was so unreasonable. It should be
her
decision to make, not
his
!
“We’d both be so grateful to you for taking us out of the slums we’ve lived in for the past six years!”

“It certainly hasn’t been a picnic, judging from the looks of things,” he answered coolly, waving a hand around the small kitchen. The homey touches were visible, but it was also clear that there had been a distinct lack of money. ‘You’ve got the inside looking marvelous for what you had to work with, but the outside is in drastic need of repair. How long do you think it will be before you have to replace the roof, the shutters, repair the plumbing?
I'd
give six months. It’s already long overdue.”

She knew the house was already having problems, but it wasn't up to him to decide her future. It was up to her!
“Am I supposed to be grateful that you’ve offered to take me away from all this? Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life with you in order to prove just how wonderful you are and how lucky
I
am?”

“If that’s the way you want to look at it
, but let there be no misunderstanding. You take her away and anything happens to her before you can have the necessary surgery, you'll be responsible for the error.
” he replied softly as he stood and placed the chair back in its place. “Let’s go.”

She had no other flare of indignation flowing through her to fight the problem of being corralled like a cow into the barn. She was exhausted and couldn't think at all, let alone fight.
But the top of her list of problems was Tabby. She was the fuel that made Dianna run.
And he was right. Everything hinged on Tabby's health. She could fight battles later. Now it was to get Tabby well.

Later that evening Dianna called
her sister and then spoke to
Tabby, explaining as clearly as possible about her upcoming marriage to Noah. Surprisingly, the little girl did not seem at all perturbed by the news. As soon as she was reassured that she would see her mother
and her "new Daddy
" again
on Tuesday, she seemed to
be eager and happy to start their new life. A
pparently, Dianna mused, Tabby was no more immune to Noah’s charm than she
had been.

That night
Dianne
undressed in one of Noah’s guest bedrooms and took a warm, tingling shower. The water sprayed her shoulders, rinsing her clean as it washed away the aching feeling of tension. The little house in Irving held an old tub with
an unworkable
shower, so this was a luxury she had not been able to indulge in until now.

"Count the blessings, Dianna," she muttered to the shower. "And shut up...at least for now."

Her nightgown was old but clean. Slipping it over her head, she thought of all the new ones she would be able to buy whenever the whim seized her. Tabby would have the best of clothing, schools, doctors. Yes. It was all worth it
.
She could live pleasantly with Noah Weston for Tabby’s sake. Then, when she was rested and on her feet again, they
c
ould leave and start a new life somewhere else—away from Noah’s disturbing presence.

Her eyes closed and she slept with only one thought
.
All she had to do was keep Noah Weston at arm’s length until she was ready to leave. What she wouldn’t think about was why she should have to keep him there against her will. And why did it seem she was more afraid of herself than him?

***

Her nightmare returned with unerring accuracy, just as it had so many times in the past
.
She was in a confined space and couldn’t move or get away. A faceless man frantically pressed his body against hers, pushing her soft flesh against the rich coffin
-
like interior. She tried desperately to fight him off, but her strength was draining quickly and panic was taking the place of reason. As she opened her mouth to scream his hand came down and stopped all breath. A bright light pierced the darkness, showering stars before her eyes just a second before her lungs produced a scream. Then—
nothing
and she knew she was dead.

Dianna woke up, her breathing shallow and her gown drenched with perspiration. Noah was sitting beside her,
stroking
her shoulders as he
spoke
, “It’s just a dream, Di. Just a bad dream
, honey.
”

Dianna’s
fear was still real, still
glazed with too-real memories of pain and she covered her face with trembling hands
to hide her fears from him.

“Noah,” she moaned as the nightmare slipped away, leaving her with the residue of
fear, and
a sick, empty feeling
that was more frightening than anything she'd felt before
. “Noah, hold me. Please. Hold me.”

Wordlessly, he folded her into the comfort of his arms, gently rocking her like a baby. He wasn’t wearing a pajama top and Dianna pressed her cold cheek against the soft curling hair on his hard chest finding comfort in the warmth
and strength
of
him
. She didn’t realize she was crying until she felt the cold tears slide down her cheek. Shivers began as reaction set in and she relived the memories of the hellish nightmare.
His hands soothed her back and arm, rocking her from side to side. He kissed her hair, and a deep growl came from his throat, as if daring any old memories to come this way was a threat to him. He was her protector of the nightmares and he would deal with them.

She almost smiled as her whimsy took over and redirected her
fears
from her frightening dream to her Knight and Dragon slayer. 
After a few
more deep breaths that inhaled the male scent of him, Dianna
finally calmed down enough to feel the closeness of their bodies
. She
pulled away in embarrassment ‘Tm sorry I disturbed you,” she said, sniffing, not looking at him.

“Don’t worry. I wasn’t asleep.” He hesitated. “Does
this
happen very often?” His voice was soft and gentle, as was his hand
, which still
smooth
ed
back her tousled hair.

“Often enough
,” s
he
said quietly
.

“Migraines, nightmares. What else don’t I know about you?” he
teased. His
voice
was
low
and easy
enough to send a vibration down her spine.

She steeled herself against his voice.
“You know nothing about me and less about Tabby. She tried to make her voice indifferent but it cracked.

“I know you have soft
skin;
I know you wind your arms around me in your sleep like a kitten all cuddly and warm. I know you’ve been
fighting
to raise Tabby on your own for too long and it’s taken a toll on your
physical and emotional
health.
I know Tabby needs help now and there's no time to wait and see.
” His eyes had turned smoky black as he watched her expression of
fear
change to
desire
. Noah’s hand never stopped stroking the side of her face. “I know that you’re not afraid of me, of my touch.” His voice turned husky as his
lips
slowly met hers in sweet tenderness.

When he pulled away, he sighed.
“Oh, Dianna. Why did you ever leave me?” he murmured against the silken softness of her breast Somehow the buttons of her nightgown had been undone and pushed aside. “I want you, Dianna. You know that
.
You can feel it” His eyes came level with hers, piercing her with a strange heat that
fil
tered slowly through her body, forcing her to acknowledge
her
wants as h
is
.

She shook her head automatically
, denying his ability to read her so well
. “No.”

“Actions speak louder than words. If you don’t want me you’ll have to show me some other way. You can’t look at me like that, with that light shining in your eyes, or kiss me as if you never want to stop.” His voice held a deep caressing note that washed over her in waves, not allowing her time to think. The
low, even
tone of his voice hypnotized, mesmerized her.

Without thinking it through, h
er hands covered his chest, then wrapped around his neck and slowly pulled his body down on hers. A voice in the back of her mind told her she was crazy, but it didn’t matter. She loved the feel of his weight, the texture of his skin, the scent of his after-shave. He reached toward the lamp and with a soft click the room was dark and he was pulling her into his arms under the coolness of satin sheets.