"Don"t run away," Joan pleaded, her voice much lower.
"Run away?" Reba challenged. "What makes you think I"m doing that?"
"You"ve been doing it for years."
"Mother, please, don"t start on me."
"I can"t help it," she cried. "You"ve been running away from your sister for four years. It"s past time the two of you sat down and settled this."
"Why should I talk to a woman with the morals of an alley cat?"
"Reba!"
"There you go defending her again." She removed a ten-dollar bill from her wallet and set it on the table next to her half-eaten meal. "I love you, Mom, but I think it"d be better if we didn"t have these little get-togethers any longer. We get along better when we don"t see so much of each other." Having said that, she whirled around and quickly wove her way through the dining room and out of the restaurant. on the table next to her half-eaten meal. "I love you, Mom, but I think it"d be better if we didn"t have these little get-togethers any longer. We get along better when we don"t see so much of each other." Having said that, she whirled around and quickly wove her way through the dining room and out of the restaurant.
By the time she arrived home, Reba was trembling. She sat in her car in the driveway, her hands clenching and unclenching on the steering wheel as she battled to keep her head above water in the flash flood of emotions that followed.
It sounded juvenile to claim her mother loved her sister best, but that was the way Reba felt. All her life she"d been forced to accommodate Vicki. Her sister"s plans had always taken priority. And now, once more because of Vicki, she was about to be swindled-this time out of a visit with her favorite aunt and uncle.
Perhaps this was her mother"s less-than-subtle attempt to trick her into mending fences with her sister; it wouldn"t be the first time she"d tried to manipulate events. After four long years, she still refused to accept that Reba wanted nothing more to do with her sister.
She felt lost, alone. Friendless. The temptation to talk to Seth was strong, even though she hated to subject him to the emotional baggage she carried around with her; he deserved a woman whose life was not complicated with family problems. Still...
Before she could change her mind, she backed the car out of her driveway and drove to Seth"s house. She"d told him that he wouldn"t be hearing from her that evening, and why, but she needed to see him, needed the comfort of his rea.s.surances, of his arms.
The woman she a.s.sumed was his mother-in-law answered the door and smiled a warm greeting. "Ah...is Seth available?" Reba asked.
Sharon ushered her inside. "You must be Reba."
Feeling self-conscious, Reba nodded. "Seth isn"t expecting me...."
"He"ll be glad for the break. He"s been busy inside his study all evening. I"ll get him for you."
"Hi, Reba." Judd raced into the living room at full speed.
"Hi, Reba," Jason cried, following on the wave of excitement. "Our grandma and grandpa are visiting."
"I told Grandma all about you and how I drew your picture and that you might be our new mom, and-"
"Judd!" Seth"s stern voice cut into his son"s enthusiastic tirade, but his gaze softened as it met hers. "h.e.l.lo, Reba."
"Seth." Her eyes pleaded with him, for what she wasn"t sure. Support, she suspected. Comfort.
He walked across the room and took her hands, gripping them firmly with his own. "What"s happened?"
The gentle concern in his voice produced tears. They filled her eyes and threatened to slip down her cheeks.
"Mom," he said, glancing over his shoulder at Sharon, "would you be kind enough to bring us some coffee in the den?"
"Right away. Come on, kids, you can help me make up the tray."
Judd and Jason willingly followed their grandmother.
"I shouldn"t be here," Reba whispered. She was sorry now that she"d come, sorry to be involving Seth in her problems. She was a big girl, and this wasn"t the first time her plans had clashed with those of her sister. Nor was it uncommon for her mother to take her sister"s side.
He led her into the study and sat her down on the high-backed leather chair. Sitting on the ottoman directly in front of her, he reached forward and tenderly brushed the short curls away from her temple. His gentle touch sent shivers of awareness shooting down her spine.
"I thought you were having dinner with your mother."
"I did, but we got into a terrible argument." She bit down on her lower lip to keep from spilling out all the sorry details.
Seth leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, scooting her forward enough to bring her into his arms.
"What happened?"
"It doesn"t matter."
"You"re shaking like a leaf," he countered.
She didn"t want him to know that part of that was due to the thrill of being in his arms. They"d known each other such a short while, and they hadn"t been able to see much of each other, what with his work schedule and hers, visiting relatives, the church Christmas program, and the busyness of the season. Still, they talked every day, often two and three times....
"Would you mind kissing me?" she asked suddenly. It was a dangerous request with his mother-in-law due to walk in at any moment, but she didn"t want to wait.
In response, he captured her face between his hands and smiled softly as his eyes met hers. "What do you think?" He leaned forward and tenderly placed his mouth over hers.
The kiss was long and sweet. Involved. One kiss wasn"t enough for either of them, and soon the kisses deepened.
His touch was like a healing balm, a soothing astringent after the pain her mother"s words and actions had inflicted. With Seth she was safe. With Seth she was cherished. With Seth she was wanted.
He groaned, and she opened her mouth to the probing tip of his tongue. By the time Sharon knocked and proceeded into the room, carrying the tray of coffee, Reba was clinging mindlessly to Seth.
"I"ll put this down right here," his mother-in-law announced cheerfully.
"Is Dad kissing Miss Maxwell again?" Reba heard one of the kids ask in a loud whisper.
"There"s not any mistletoe in Dad"s study, is there?" the other twin demanded. "I didn"t think he"d do it without the mistletoe, did you?" The question was apparently directed at his brother. "Right on the lips, too." The comment was followed by a sound of disgust.
"Come along, children."
Reba hid her face in Seth"s shoulder rather than meet the inquisitive stares of the children. "Seth, I"m sorry," she murmured.
"I"m not. Not in the least."
Reba remained embarra.s.sed by how needy she"d been. She"d hurried to Seth, knowing he would lend her the comfort she needed without lengthy explanations.
His hands roved up and down her back, his touch gentle and caring. Gradually his fingers worked around to her front, capturing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Her own soft sigh of pleasure mingled with his, and his lips found hers once more for a second, even deeper exchange. Reba"s nipples hardened and tingled as she repeatedly skimmed her moist lips across his.
"This worries me," Seth whispered on the tail end of a husky sigh.
"What does?"
"Touching you like this." But his hands stayed exactly where they were, kneading her b.r.e.a.s.t.s through the thin material of her sweater. She hadn"t realized how much she"d wanted him to feel her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. exactly where they were, kneading her b.r.e.a.s.t.s through the thin material of her sweater. She hadn"t realized how much she"d wanted him to feel her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
"Oh, Seth, I want it, too."
"That"s what I was afraid you"d say." With what seemed to demand a colossal effort, he pulled his hands away and braced his forehead against hers, his breathing as deep and shaky as her own. "Tell me what happened with your mother."
"No," she said, and shook her head. "I"m better now, thanks to you. Much better."
"It has to do with your sister, doesn"t it?"
"Seth, please. I don"t want to talk about Vicki." She kissed him, using her tongue to outline the shape of his mouth, teasing him with short, nibbling kisses, darting her tongue in and out of his mouth.
"If you"re trying to distract me, it"s working."
"Good." She smiled softly to herself. "Now pour me some coffee and tell me what"s going on between your in-laws."
Her words appeared to sober him. He took a moment to straighten, then did as she requested. After he"d brought her a cup of coffee, he sat on the leather chair next to hers.
"Something"s happened between those two."
"Good or bad?"
He frowned. "I don"t know, but I suspect it"s bad. Jerry arrived, and the two talked privately for a while. I a.s.sumed they"d cleared up whatever was wrong between them, but my feeling is that it hasn"t gone away." for a while. I a.s.sumed they"d cleared up whatever was wrong between them, but my feeling is that it hasn"t gone away."
"Are they fighting?"
"No," he said, holding the coffee mug with both hands. He leaned forward and braced his elbows against his knees. "Not in the least. It"s like they"re polite strangers. It"s "please" and "thank you" at every turn. Jerry brings her coffee in the morning, and she makes sure the newspaper is just so for him."
"That sounds like the routine of a long married couple."
"I suppose," he said, but it didn"t look as though he were rea.s.sured. If anything, he seemed convinced of the opposite.
"You think it"s for show, don"t you?"
His grin was slightly off center. "Yes, that"s exactly what I think. It"s like they"re playing this game, making it seem that there couldn"t possibly be anything wrong with their relationship."
"But you think there is."
"I know there is."
She didn"t ask how he knew. "Then why would they go through this pretense?"
"I don"t know. Possibly because it"s close to Christmas and they don"t want to upset the twins. Or because of me." He rubbed a hand down the side of his face and glanced guiltily at her. "Then again I"ve been distracted by a certain travel agent of late and wouldn"t know my head from a hole in the ground." travel agent of late and wouldn"t know my head from a hole in the ground."
Happiness filled her heart. "It"s an honor to be considered a distraction."
He chuckled. "If only you knew."
"Tell me." Her ego could do with a few strokes.
"You tell me what sent you running to me like an injured rabbit after having dinner with your mother."
Reba glared at him, then smiled. "You don"t play fair."
He didn"t respond, merely seemed content to wait until she"d satisfied his curiosity.
"Vicki will be with my family Christmas Day." From the emotionless look in his eyes, she could tell he didn"t understand. "There appears to have been a breakdown in communication between my mother and me. Since I"m the chair for the Christmas program, I can"t attend dinner Christmas Eve, and apparently my sister is obligated to attend some shindig with her husband"s family."
"You don"t want to be with your parents at the same time as your sister?"
"I won"t have anything to do with her. I already explained that, remember?" She knew she sounded defensive, but she couldn"t help herself.
"Spend the day with me and the kids," Seth invited her.
She hadn"t come seeking an invitation. She shook her head. "No, but thank you."
"Why not?"
"It"s a pity invitation."
Seth chuckled. "Hardly. I"d like it more than you know. Come, please."
Pride should have been enough to keep her from accepting, but pride was cold comfort. For the first time since the disastrous day of her near wedding, she had someone in her life.
"Reba?" Seth coaxed.
"I"ll come." Such a little thing. She had no right to be this happy.
Chapter 22
You have to wonder about humans. They think G.o.d is dead and Elvis is alive.-Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy, personal friends of Mrs. Miracle
The irony of it was that Sharon had gotten along with Jerry better in the last several days, since they"d agreed to a divorce, than in the previous twelve months. She sat next to him in the movie theater and forced her attention back to the screen. Agent 007 was back in action. James Bond had returned to save the world from the latest fiend.
She reached for a handful of popcorn, and Jerry angled the bucket toward her, granting her easy access to the b.u.t.tery-topped kernels. A time not so long ago and they wouldn"t have been able to agree on which movie, which theater, what night, or anything else. She wasn"t entirely sure how they"d managed it this time. It was as though the decision to separate had freed them, and they could once more return to the congenial couple they"d once been. or anything else. She wasn"t entirely sure how they"d managed it this time. It was as though the decision to separate had freed them, and they could once more return to the congenial couple they"d once been.
The temptation was to forget the troubles of the past and enjoy this newfound accord, but Sharon knew this "honeymoon" wouldn"t last. They"d agreed to make the best of it until after Christmas-it made sense not to ruin the children"s holidays with the distressing news of their failed marriage.