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Authors: Barbara Delinsky
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my own.”
His expression was guarded. “What else did Victoria say about me?”
“Only what I told you before—that you were a friend and could be trusted. To be honest, I was expecting someone a little—” she shifted a shoulder “—different.”
He raised one eyebrow in question.
“Older. Craggier.” Blushing, she looked off across the room. “When Victoria handed me that envelope, I asked her if it was a love letter.”
“How do you know it wasn’t?” Garrick asked evenly.
Come to think of it, Leah didn’t know. She recalled Victoria saying something vague about craggy old trappers being nice, but the answer had been far from definitive. Her eyes went wide behind her glasses.
To her surprise, he chuckled. “It wasn’t. We’re just friends.” His expression sobered. Propping his elbow on the sofa arm, he pressed his knuckles to his upper lip and mustache. Leah was preparing for another silent spell, when he murmured a muffled, “Until now.”
“What do you mean?”
He dropped his hand and took a breath. “Her sending you here. It’s beginning to smack of something deliberate.”
Leah searched his face for further thoughts. When he didn’t answer immediately, she prodded. “I’m listening.”
“You said that you never went to Victoria’s parties. Did you see her in other social contexts?”
“We went out to dinner often.”
“As a foursome—with men?”
“No.”
“Did she ever comment on that?”
“She didn’t have to. I know that she has male friends, but she loved Arthur very much and has no desire to remarry. She’s never at a loss for an escort when the occasion calls for it.”
“How about you? Do you date?” he asked, repeating the question that had sparked earlier resistance.
Leah answered in a tone that was firm and final. “Not when I can help it.”
He was unfazed by her resolve, because he was getting closer to his goal. “Did Victoria have anything to say about that?”
“Oh, yes. She thought I was … working with less than a full deck.” Leah grinned at the phrase she had written down moments before, but the grin didn’t last. “She was forever trying to fix me up, and I was forever refusing.”
Garrick nodded and pressed his lips together, then slid farther down on the sofa, until his thick hair rose against its back. For several more minutes he was lost in thought. Eventually he took a deep breath and raised disheartened eyes to the rafters. “That,” he said, “was what I was afraid of.”
Not having been privy to his thoughts, Leah didn’t follow. “What do you mean?”
“She’s done the same to me more than once.”
“Done what?”
“Tried to fix me up.” He held up a hand. “Granted, it’s more difficult up here, but that didn’t stop her. She’s convinced that anyone who hasn’t experienced what she had with Arthur is missing out on life’s bounty.” His eyes sought Leah’s, and he hesitated for a long moment before speaking. “Do you see what I’m getting at?”
With dawning horror, Leah did see. “She did it on purpose.”
“Looks that way.”
“She didn’t tell me about the fire, but she did tell me about you.”
“Right.”
Closing her eyes, Leah fought a rising anger. “She was so cavalier about my paying rent, wouldn’t accept anything beforehand, told me to send her whatever I thought the place was worth.”
“Clever.”
“When I asked if the cabin was well equipped, her exact words were, ‘When last I saw it, it was.’”
“True enough.”
“No wonder she was edgy.”
“Victoria? Edgy?”
“Unusual, I know, but she was. I chalked it up to a latent maternal instinct.” She rolled her eyes. “Boy, was I wrong. It was guilt, pure guilt. She actually had the gall to remind me that I wouldn’t have air-conditioning or a phone, the snake.” Muttering the last under her breath, Leah turned her back on Garrick and crossed her arms over her breasts.
That was the moment he came to believe
His expression was guarded. “What else did Victoria say about me?”
“Only what I told you before—that you were a friend and could be trusted. To be honest, I was expecting someone a little—” she shifted a shoulder “—different.”
He raised one eyebrow in question.
“Older. Craggier.” Blushing, she looked off across the room. “When Victoria handed me that envelope, I asked her if it was a love letter.”
“How do you know it wasn’t?” Garrick asked evenly.
Come to think of it, Leah didn’t know. She recalled Victoria saying something vague about craggy old trappers being nice, but the answer had been far from definitive. Her eyes went wide behind her glasses.
To her surprise, he chuckled. “It wasn’t. We’re just friends.” His expression sobered. Propping his elbow on the sofa arm, he pressed his knuckles to his upper lip and mustache. Leah was preparing for another silent spell, when he murmured a muffled, “Until now.”
“What do you mean?”
He dropped his hand and took a breath. “Her sending you here. It’s beginning to smack of something deliberate.”
Leah searched his face for further thoughts. When he didn’t answer immediately, she prodded. “I’m listening.”
“You said that you never went to Victoria’s parties. Did you see her in other social contexts?”
“We went out to dinner often.”
“As a foursome—with men?”
“No.”
“Did she ever comment on that?”
“She didn’t have to. I know that she has male friends, but she loved Arthur very much and has no desire to remarry. She’s never at a loss for an escort when the occasion calls for it.”
“How about you? Do you date?” he asked, repeating the question that had sparked earlier resistance.
Leah answered in a tone that was firm and final. “Not when I can help it.”
He was unfazed by her resolve, because he was getting closer to his goal. “Did Victoria have anything to say about that?”
“Oh, yes. She thought I was … working with less than a full deck.” Leah grinned at the phrase she had written down moments before, but the grin didn’t last. “She was forever trying to fix me up, and I was forever refusing.”
Garrick nodded and pressed his lips together, then slid farther down on the sofa, until his thick hair rose against its back. For several more minutes he was lost in thought. Eventually he took a deep breath and raised disheartened eyes to the rafters. “That,” he said, “was what I was afraid of.”
Not having been privy to his thoughts, Leah didn’t follow. “What do you mean?”
“She’s done the same to me more than once.”
“Done what?”
“Tried to fix me up.” He held up a hand. “Granted, it’s more difficult up here, but that didn’t stop her. She’s convinced that anyone who hasn’t experienced what she had with Arthur is missing out on life’s bounty.” His eyes sought Leah’s, and he hesitated for a long moment before speaking. “Do you see what I’m getting at?”
With dawning horror, Leah did see. “She did it on purpose.”
“Looks that way.”
“She didn’t tell me about the fire, but she did tell me about you.”
“Right.”
Closing her eyes, Leah fought a rising anger. “She was so cavalier about my paying rent, wouldn’t accept anything beforehand, told me to send her whatever I thought the place was worth.”
“Clever.”
“When I asked if the cabin was well equipped, her exact words were, ‘When last I saw it, it was.’”
“True enough.”
“No wonder she was edgy.”
“Victoria? Edgy?”
“Unusual, I know, but she was. I chalked it up to a latent maternal instinct.” She rolled her eyes. “Boy, was I wrong. It was guilt, pure guilt. She actually had the gall to remind me that I wouldn’t have air-conditioning or a phone, the snake.” Muttering the last under her breath, Leah turned her back on Garrick and crossed her arms over her breasts.
That was the moment he came to believe
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