Wise Folly (13 page)

In the slight pause of the light clicking off
,
her mind seemed to become aware of what she was doing. She slowly came to her senses and it frightened her.
“No, don’t
.
” she
said softly
as her mind fought for control over her body’s desire.

He stiffened, hands still stroking her body. “I’m not stopping now, Dianna You’re putting up a losing battle. You want me as much as I want you, so why are you fighting?”

Her answer surprised them both. “I’m afraid,” she choked.

His
lips
teased hers
.
“
There's nothing to be afraid of. I promise."

“Please, Noah,” she begged. “
Give me
more time.”

Her eyes told him
just how scared she was. H
e gave a muffled groan before releasing her. “I made you a promise today, Dianna, and I intend to keep it
.
" But he still looked hopeful. "
You’re sure
stopping
is what you really want?”

She nodded, watching as he rose from the bed to go back into the master bedroom. “Sweet dreams,” he
said softly
,
bending down and
brushing a gentle kiss across her forehead.

For one wild moment she wanted him to stay, to let him bring her sweet forgetfulness. It would be heaven, she knew, but she didn’t dare. It had always been this way between them. No one else could make her feel this way. No one else could make shining new memories out of old nightmares. . . .

* * *

They were at the Da
llas-
Ft Worth Airport before seven on Monday morning with return reservations for late that evening.

Dianna sat quietly in the
airline
'
s
executive
wai
ting area
until they
were escorted to the gate when called.  Noah
tal
ked with his
secretary, Mrs. Freeman, and gave last-minute instructions concerning the office. He glanced at her and flashed a smile while listening to his secretary’s questions. The
ir
flight
gave them last call and
Noah
took her hand and they
walked directly to first class.

“It doesn’t have a rubber band for a motor, you know. It won’t break down,” he drawled lazily as he read the apprehension on her face.

“I didn’t think it would, but I haven’t flown before. I
t'
s a new experience.”
She admitted
, looking around the cabin
.

Surprised, his brows rose. "Better
get
used to new experiences, Di. You’ve got a lot of them in store,” he teased, smiling
. "I usually
fly back and forth
in the company plane to the ra
nch for long weekends and vacations. It’s easier.”

“
Why don't you drive
?” she asked, realizing how little she knew of this man who would figure so greatly in her life from now on.

“It takes too long and the roads aren’t the best.”
He clasped her hand, giving it a light squeeze, his gray eyes twinkling. “There are so many things we each have to lea
rn,
but this is a beginning,” he said softly, and her heart turned somersaults.

She had tried so hard not to show any emotion, to act calm and collected
,
no matter what
. She
told herself to just
hold together until after Tabby’s operation and recovery. By that time things would sort themselves out and she could
figure out the rest of her life
.
If she didn't let go of the tight hold she was attempting to keep on her life, s
he didn’t doubt she was headed for some kind of breakdown. All the signs were there. Dianna had been this way once before, when she found out she was pregnant with Tabby
and her parents forbid her to see them again
.

“Are you all right?” Noah’s voice sounded loud next to her ear as he bent over and clasped her seat belt
.
His hands touched her stomach and Dianna suck
ed
in her breath in reaction. “You’re so tense
.
  Ease up,
sweetheart.”

She nodded, then closed her eyes and tried to relax. Perhaps if she feigned sleep he wouldn’t expect conversation.

After landing, t
hey were
whisked
from the airport to a wedding chapel in one of the most beautiful hotels Dianna had ever seen.
The wedding was
elegant,
simple and over quickly. Noah’s
lips
brushed her cheek in a
k
iss,
and then
they
ate a sumptuous lunch
with the Hotel Manager and their Event Planner,
and
were off to the airport and on their way back to Dallas.

Her only emotion was re
l
ief
:
r
e
lief
that she would
n't
have to worry about mounting
medical or house
bills, or
wonder how
much sleep she could figure in by her
work
in an office all day, then
late
in
to
the middle of the night
answering emergency phone calls for a plumbing and AC company, calming people down to get the information and see if they could wait until morning.

She didn't have to worry about a thunderstorm
knocking down her dead tree into the house or
if
the roof was leaking
.
She didn't have to take
Tabby
to the emergency
room so
she could postpone su
rgery
until she
got
insurance that
would
cover her baby's pre-existing condition.

Noah would take care of everything.

Noah smiled at her in the
plane's
d
im light
as they sipped their wine. Neither had been hungry, neither was tired, but
they
both seemed anxious to return home
-
to the
exquisite condo
Home. For so long it had meant the small white house with chipped green shutters. But no more. Now she
and Tabby were beginning a new life
.

For better or for worse.

She stared out at the evening sky, watching the plane glide through barely visible clouds. She was content
,
as though she had been working all her
life
toward one goal and had finally attained it
.
Now she could reap the reward
: s
ecurity for her baby.

For Dianne, revelations came at the most inopportune time. But dawning grew
.
She had suspected a
ll
along, but somehow she
'd
managed to push the thought to the back of her mind without examining it
.
But the truth was, she
had always
thought
that
-
someday
- Noah
Weston would come to
their
rescue. Someday, if she was good and nice and polite, she would be rewarded by Noah stepping through the door and announcing that he would take over the helm of her small,
two-seated,
weather-beaten raft of
life
. Oh, she would put up the expected resistance, but he would overrule. And she would allow him to.

She realized now that that was why she had applied to Wescomp for a job
. N
ot for the money, not for the opportunity to advance her career,
and not just
for the medical insurance to cover Tabby’s operation. She had done it to be close to Noah again, to correct the mistake she’d made seven years ago when she’d
been so in love with him and yet had
run away from him
because she'd felt so very unworthy. Charles had been the cause of that unworthiness, but she had been the believer
.

It was time to face the future and be honest with herself first.

What made her realization
so funny was that she
was pretty sure
that
Noah
knew. He had known for a long time that
, eventually,
this same thing would happen and all they were doing was
acting their parts and
playing it through to the end
. They were like t
wo actors who
trained for
their parts so well
,
they
actually
lived them. Almost
.
But what was Noah’s motivation? Why did he do the things he did?
Honor? He already had that.
Tabby?
He was her relative,
so he could have helped
his
niece
without
the proposal of
marriage.

D
ianne
really
didn’t want to know the answer
.
Not now
, she thought.
Later, much later, she would
dissect
it
.
But for now,
she just wanted to get home and get ready for Tabby's surgery tomorrow.
Now that the deed was done, she had plenty of time to figure it out while Tabby was
recuperating
.

The
ir
plane landed at a little after ten that night. Their
limousine was
waiting
at the curb as they walked through the glass doors of the airport lobby.

Jimmy, the chauffeur,
gave
a smile as big as a quarter moon.
“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Weston,” he
said in
welcomed
as he o
pen
ed
the
rear door with a flourish. His tone was respectful, but there was a certain amount of relaxed banter in his manner too, and it made Dianna feel more at home as she s
lipped
into the back seat, making room for Noah to join her.
Mrs. Weston
.  That was her. That was
her
!

Noah slipped in his seat and the limo began down the road.
“Everything go all right today, Jimmy?”

The chauffeur gave Noah an intense look before turning to start the car. “
Yes, Sir.
The canary
liked
the effort
all right
.
The
song
seemed to fit right into what she thought.”

“Good.”

Noah’s brow cleared and Dianna
's mind wandered. She heard the
exchange but was too tired and content to delve into it now. Let Noah do the worrying, if there was any. After all, that’s what he wanted to do. She leaned back, resting her head on the soft velour upholstery. It was good to feel the smooth hum of the car as it sped down the highway toward their
condo
.
Toward home.

Noah reached over and took her hand in his. They held hands on the seat. Touching. Connected. Peaceful. It was amazing.

In the past
three
days she had gone to a party, met Noah,
moved
and married. No wonder she was tired!
It was
as though she had just won a race. It had been a matter of endurance, but the victory was sweet
.

“Too tired, Mrs. Weston?” Noah
lifted her hand and his l
ips brushed her palm.

“Too tired for what Mr. Weston?” she asked innocently.

“Too tired for anything I may have in mind,” he teased, grinning as he watched the
passing
streetlights show up her reddened cheeks.

They entered
the building
by passing the guard and walking
through the
empty
front
lobby of Wescomp, Noah leading the way to the elevator that took them
to the top
.
It was quiet but there
was excitement
in the air that seemed to intensify the electricity between them.