CHAPTER NINE.
"I almost forgot," Hunter announced the next morning as he b.u.t.tered a warm scone Stacy had just taken from the oven. "We"re due at the Adamses" tonight after work." He popped the scone into his mouth and chewed enthusiastically, clearly waiting for the explosion.
"The Adamses"" Stacy repeated, astonished. "I don"t even know them. And how could you forget something like that, anyway?" She smeared b.u.t.ter on her own scone and frowned at it.
"I"m sorry, honey," he soothed. "It"s a long-standing engage-ment. One I"ve had since before we were even married, in fact. In all the, er, excitement lately, I"m afraid I"ve let it slip my mind," he added somewhat apologetically. "But we won"t have to stay long, and your brother and Leana will be there, so it"s not as if everyone will be a stranger."
Stacy drew a deep breath and faced him across the table. "A business c.o.c.ktail party?"
"That"s about the size of it. All we have to do is put in an appear-ance "
"In my jeans?" she interrupted sweetly, not in the least thrilled at the prospect of having to play the part of an elegant and sophisticated wife for her husband"s friends.
"I"m sure you"ll find something suitable," he retorted, grinning as he stood up and came around the table to drop a possessive, hus-bandly little kiss on her forehead before picking up his briefcase in one hand and the remaining scone in the other. "I"ll see you after work, honey," he called around a mouthful as he went hurriedly out the door.
"Coward!" she yelled after him and heard his appreciative laugh-ter as he slammed the door behind him.
For a long moment Stacy sat in solitary splendor, glaring at the closed door. Drop a bombsh.e.l.l like that and run, would he? A small, rueful grin tugged at the corner of her mouth as she finally rose to clear the table and hurry out to the waiting van. As she circled the s.e.xy little green car still waiting patiently in the drive, Stacy told herself she"d find something "suitable" all right. Something that would make her husband think twice before surprising her with little announcements like the one at breakfast.
What Stacy found that afternoon at a small boutique owned by a friend was as s.e.xy and green as the car she had received for a wed-ding gift. The deceptively simple cut clung to her slender figure, half revealing, half concealing. A border of outrageously exotic flowers around the hem floated at her ankles.
"You don"t think it"s a little too, well, much, Rhea?" Stacy asked her friend, frowning at the image in the mirror.
"It"s absolutely perfect on you," Rhea a.s.sured her with a warm smile on her attractive face. "Only a slender, supple figure like yours could wear it, and there"s something just right about those flowers. Maybe it"s just that I"ve sold you so many flowered shirts, I can"t imagine you in any other design!"
"This is something of a switch, isn"t it?" Stacy sighed, pulling at the neckline, which plunged from a standup collar that framed her throat to a rather low point. "It"s not me at all...."
"Of course it is!" Rhea retorted. "It"s just another aspect of you than the one you"re accustomed to seeing. Now, if I might make a suggestion about your hair?"
That evening Stacy paced the floor in her high-heeled sandals and green gown, waiting for her husband to come home. She paused more than once to check her appearance in the heavy mirror over the fireplace, her fingers going again and again to the brilliant orchid that nestled in the sleekly drawn knot of hair at the nape of her neck. Under Rhea"s prompting, Stacy had temporarily forsaken the casu-ally perched bundle on top of her head in favor of the more severe line. The effect was to focus attention on her green eyes, which now seemed to fill her face. The overall impression was not one of great beauty Stacy certainly hadn"t expected to achieve that miracle but there was a certain striking quality that caught the eye. Perhaps, she decided, reaching for a shawl as she heard Hunter"s car in the drive, it was only her own eye that was caught by the novelty of seeing herself like this.
But there was a difference, and it was something more than only her eye could discern, she realized a moment later as Hunter walked in the door and came to an immediate halt, gray eyes scanning her figure.
"Good lord!" He suddenly grinned as she clutched the shawl tightly in front of her, waiting for his reaction. "I expected something more than jeans but this...!"
"You don"t like it?" she pounced at once, a little crushed at his response.
"You look very exotic," he a.s.sured her, seeing the wariness in her eyes. "I"m not sure it"s wise for me to take you outdoors, though. I have a feeling I shall spend the evening fending off men who have suddenly developed an interest in orchids!"
Stacy relaxed and permitted herself a small smile.
"Give me fifteen minutes and I"ll be ready," he promised, step-ping close to touch her lips briefly with his own before moving to-ward the bedroom. "We"ll take your car," he added as he disap-peared down the hall, pulling at his tie. "I want to make sure every-thing"s in good shape."
"Playing with my toys, Hunter?" she mocked lightly.
"Don"t tell me you"re not the sharing type?" he called back.
Fourteen minutes later he reappeared in a dark suit that seemed to emphasize the formidable appearance he always presented. The equally dark hair with its slash of silver was combed damply back and, as usual, he wore the stark-ness of white against his tanned skin. Stacy felt her throat constrict with the force of his attraction for her as he escorted her out to the new car and gently helped her into the pa.s.senger side.
"Now, pay attention," he instructed, eagerly twisting the key in the ignition. "You can consider this your first lesson." He tossed her a wicked smile and put the car in gear with casual expertise.
"Call it what you like," she said, chuckling. "I"m still not hiring you for an instructor."
But it was a beautifully behaved little car, and Hunter was full of praise for it as they parked in front of the Adamses" lovely foothill home. Stacy felt as if he were making her a gift of his prize mare and had to smile as he carefully locked the door and guided her up the steps of the house.
The party began surprisingly well. The arrival of Hunter"s new and unknown wife caused a small but pleasant stir, and Stacy could have sworn there was an element of pure male pride in the way her husband made introductions. Gradually she began to relax, and when Eric and Leana arrived, things promised to become even easier.
But they didn"t. Stacy knew the moment she saw her brother and his wife that they had been quarreling again. Or at least Leana had been quarreling. Eric would have been trying to soothe her, Stacy felt sure. It occurred to her that by marrying Hunter, she might have done nothing at all to help her brother"s marriage. The knowledge was violently depressing.
"Here, honey," Hunter said at her elbow as Eric and Leana greeted her and moved off to join others. "Let me take that shawl and give it to someone to hang up for you. It"s getting warm in here." He started to smile as she obediently allowed him to ease off the silky material, and then his eyes for the first time saw the depth of the neckline on the stunning green dress. The smile changed at once into an ominous frown.
"My G.o.d!" he growled. "How dare you appear in public dressed like that?"
"Up until a few seconds ago you liked it," she reminded him cheekily, her mind still on Leana and Eric.
"No wonder you"ve been clutching that shawl. Well, you can d.a.m.n well continue to wear it " He paused, realizing her attention wasn"t completely on the lecture she was receiving. "What"s wrong, Stacy?" he asked in an entirely different tone.
"Oh, Hunter," she sighed morosely. "It"s Eric and Leana. Every time I see them things seem to be getting worse."
Hunter shot a swift, considering glance toward the other couple and at that moment Leana looked up and saw his attention. She smiled at him from across the room, a warm, intimate smile that made Stacy"s blood run very cold. Hunter looked back at his wife, a new frown on his harsh features.
"You have a marriage of your own to worry about. Let Eric and Leana work out their problems by themselves."
Stacy shook her head sadly, taking a sip of the white wine in her gla.s.s. "I don"t know, Hunter, I just don"t know."
"Well, I know I"m not going to let you brood about someone else"s problems tonight," he informed her gruffly, taking her by the arm. "Come over to the hors d"oeuvre table and tell me which ones I can eat!"
There ensued several moments of entertainment at the laden table while Hunter regaled everyone present with his trials and tribulations as an enforced vegetarian. Stacy flushed a light pink as he teased her lightly, affectionately in front of the others.
"But what do you eat?" one middle-aged lady inquired, blue eyes alight with genuine interest as she glanced at Stacy.
"Roots and berries," Hunter answered at once, grinning down at his wife.
"Seriously." The woman smiled, and Stacy, realizing the question was an honest one, began to talk about her personal decision to avoid meat.
"But can you get enough protein?" the lady asked and several others in the group waited interestedly for the answer.
"Oh, yes." Stacy laughed. "It"s a myth that one must have meat to get protein, you know." She launched eagerly into a favorite topic and it was a long time before she realized that Hunter had disap-peared from her side.
In fact, she realized it at about the same moment that she glanced up and found another man"s eyes on her. She had just finished detail-ing a recipe for. an elegant meatless quiche, which the original ques-tioner had requested. In Stacy"s enthusiasm, the shawl had been forgotten. She was leaning over the hors d"oeuvre table, scribbling measurements on a c.o.c.ktail napkin, and it was as she straightened that she realized Hunter was gone and she had become the focal point of a good-looking, sandy-haired young man. His interested brown gaze went from the low point of her now-exposed neckline up to her face, and then he smiled quite deliberately.
"Your eyes match your dress," he observed in a low tone as the others around them drifted off. "Very effective." The words were accompanied by a surprisingly intense look that Stacy found discon-certing.
"Thank you," she managed formally, not knowing what else to say, and turned to move away.
"I"m Anthony Hogan, by the way," the stranger added quickly. "And I just arrived. Hardly know a soul, and I gather you"re in the same boat?"
"Not quite. My brother and his wife are here. Also my husband," Stacy responded with a polite smile. "I"m Stacy Manning." Funny how the name came automatically. She had only been married a few days.
"I heard you talking about your diet," Anthony went on glibly. "I"ve always been interested in health foods and" his eyes shifted briefly to her hair "orchids."
"Really?" Stacy felt herself warming up to this handsome young man. "I grow them, you know," she confided eagerly. "Mostly as a hobby, but it goes along with my business."
"What would that be?" Anthony invited, politely reaching out to take her empty winegla.s.s and filling it from a bottle near the buffet table.
"I own a nursery," Stacy told him.
He laughed. "What a pleasant change from the boutiques women in your cla.s.s usually run. When they work at all, that is."
"What do you mean, women like me?" Stacy demanded, a small frown appearing on her forehead.
Anthony shrugged. "The wives of successful men usually seem to just dabble at things when they work. It"s rare to find one who"s got an honest job."
Stacy decided he was trying to compliment her. "What about yourself, Mr. Hogan?" She wondered where her husband was. There was no sign of him.
"Call me Anthony," he said, smiling. "And, yes, I work for a liv-ing, too. My firm recently moved me here from California."
"And how long have you been interested in orchids?" Stacy asked, sipping at the wine he had poured and wondering if she should go searching for Hunter.
"Probably for about ten minutes," drawled a familiar, deep voice full of lazy warning from directly behind her.
"Hunter!" she exclaimed. "I was wondering where you"d gone...."
"I had a little business to attend to." He smiled coolly. His slightly chilled, foglike gaze was on Anthony Hogan. Stacy made introductions quickly, not quite certain of Hunter"s temper. Both men shook hands stiffly, their eyes meeting in a man-to-man look that left Stacy out entirely. She only knew that when it was finished, Anthony made an excuse and took himself off into the crowd.
"Good heavens, Hunter," she exclaimed, somewhat annoyed. "I think you frightened him!"
"Perhaps I should work a little more on techniques for frighten-ing my wife," he remarked laconically, taking her arm. "I thought I told you to keep that shawl around."
Stacy glanced down at where the shawl hung loosely, no longer covering the opening of the dress. "You told me to wear something appropriate." She grinned daringly.
"Next time," he vowed ominously, "I"ll accompany you when you go shopping! Let"s go, honey, we"ve done our duty. Make your- good-byes."
"We"re leaving already?" she asked, surprised.
"I told you we were only going to put in an appearance. I con-sider myself still on my honeymoon, and I have better things to do with my time."
"Oh." Stacy hid her small flush by glancing around expectantly. "Where are Eric and Leana? I"ll say good-bye to them first."
"Eric and Leana," Hunter announced with satisfaction, "have al-ready left."
"What? I didn"t see them go!"
"They left by the back door. Didn"t want to cause a commotion, I expect."
"Hunter, what have you been up to?" Stacy demanded, swinging around to confront him suspiciously. "What do you mean, they"ve already left? Leana loves parties like this. She wouldn"t be willing to go home so early."
"I"m not at all certain she was willing," Hunter told her with a quirking smile. "That"s why Eric took her out by the back door."
"Hunter!" Stacy thought she would scream in exasperation. "What"s going on?"
"Your brother is an intelligent man," Hunter told her calmly. "I gave him a little advice, which, when the opportunity arose, he seemed inclined to follow. If my hunch is right, you won"t need to be so concerned about that marriage...."
"What advice? What opportunity? Hunter, if you don"t tell me what you"ve done, I"ll " Stacy broke off, appalled at a sudden thought. "Oh, no! You didn"t you didn"t tell Eric to beat Leana, did you?" She stared up at him, green eyes filled with horror.
"Come on, let"s go home and I"ll tell you all the gory details." Hunter grinned.
Fifteen minutes later Hunter guided the beautiful green car out of the drive and started down the street. Stacy whirled to confront his profile.
"Now tell me exactly what happened!" she ordered.
"Well, the long and the short of it is, I told Eric his wife was turn-ing into a flirt and that if she met with disaster, it was going to be all his fault," Hunter began calmly.
"His fault!" Stacy was almost speechless.
"Precisely. I let him know that a beautiful, young, high-spirited woman like Leana needs to have the boundary lines drawn very sharply. I told him he wasn"t doing the marriage any favors by let-ting her get out of hand."
"Oh, my G.o.d!" Stacy sank back into the bucket seat with a groan.
"Then, to prove to Eric that Leana was, indeed, in danger, I set her up."
"Hunter, how could you!" Stacy hissed, shaking her head help-lessly.
"It was simple, really," he explained kindly. "I merely invited Leana out onto the terrace by the pool to tell me how life was treat-ing her these days. She needed no further encouragement. She began a sorrowful tale of how Eric didn"t understand her and how she had thought I did. When she threw herself, crying beautifully, into my arms, Eric stepped out of the shadows and took over."
Stacy ground her teeth. "Of all the sneaky, underhanded, conniv-ing tricks! Poor Leana!"
"Poor Leana is, with any luck, getting exactly what she deserves right now. Watching his wife throw herself into another man"s arms was a little too much, even for the patient Eric."
"You idiot! Eric will hate you for this!" Stacy sighed.
"No, he won"t. He"s been going through h.e.l.l lately, Stacy. I know, I"ve talked to him on a couple of occasions. Tonight when he learns he can control his wife as Well as Rylan Enterprises, he"s going to be very grateful."
"Grateful to you," Stacy said with sudden perception, "because you"ve let him know it"s okay to do both using different techniques than my father did." She paused a moment and then said softly, "But what happens if Leana tells Eric that at one time you really were encouraging her?"
"I, uh, took the opportunity of the few minutes I had on the ter-race to inform Leana that she had completely misread my earlier attentions; that I had felt sorry for her but now realized she had a husband who loved her and that she didn"t really need a confidant. Eric overheard that, and he"ll see anything she tells him in that light. Especially since I"ve already made it clear to him that my sole fe-male interest is my own wife."
"And he believed you?" Stacy asked a trifle distantly, not looking at him.
"Of course. Besides, I doubt that Leana is going to try incriminat-ing me anyhow. The only way she can do it is by incriminating her-self," Hunter noted, not without satisfaction.
"I saw you kiss her on the patio that first night at my brother"s house," Stacy said quietly.