A Love for All Time (16 page)

“Marge called this morning. The thundering herd will be here this evening. She said she and Helen will go by the fried chicken place and bring out a couple of tubs of chicken and they’ll get potato salad from the deli. You’re to start up the charcoal burner because some of the kids will want hotdogs.”

“Okay.” Dan pulled out a chair and sat down with his back to the windows. “How about Fred and Hank? Are they going to tear themselves away from the mill?”

“Are you kidding? Wild horses couldn’t keep them away.” Aunt Bea chuckled. “They can’t wait to meet Casey.”

Casey’s stomach began to churn and, as she was inclined to do when she became nervous, she tugged the scarf down more securely over her ears. Dan was watching her and the tender regard in his eyes made her hand tremble when she reached for her coffee cup. At that moment she glanced at Aunt Bea who was looking intently at the scarred hand that lay on the table. Automatically Casey drew it down onto her lap.

“The family, all at once, is a pretty big dose for you, sweetheart. Think you’re up to it?”

Casey didn’t dare look at Aunt Bea. Dan’s use of the endearment would certainly put their relationship on an intimate level. There was no use pretending she had come here to house-sit. Dan had brought her here for his family’s approval and the big test would be tonight. Dear Lord! She’d had no experience in integrating into a family structure, especially one as close-knit as this one. She looked at Dan with almost unseeing eyes as she struggled with her inner conflict.

She still hadn’t answered Dan’s question when the phone rang and he went to the other end of the kitchen to answer it. Casey felt the feathery touch of his fingers on her neck when he passed her and sudden tears ached behind eyes that were drawn to Aunt Bea to see her reaction to Dan’s caress.

“I never thought I’d see the day.” There was a happy smile on the softly wrinkled face and her eyes shone like twin stars. “Daniel’s head over heels in love with you, isn’t he? I knew that if he ever found the right woman he would be just like his father and the boys. The men in this family choose a wife carefully then love her to distraction. Of course, we were all worried there for awhile. What with all the women hot for him because he was a rugby player and all. But I told Hank and Fred, give him some rope and he’ll sort them all out and find the right girl.”

Casey looked at her for a long time before she said, “How do you know I’m the right girl? You know nothing about me and I could be just another one of the groupies as far as you know.”

“I haven’t lived all these fifty-five years under a rock. If you’d been one of
them
, Daniel wouldn’t have had to tell you this was his mother’s house and that you were coming to house-sit.” Aunt Bea delivered the statement positively.

Casey looked at her in wide-eyed amazement, but before she could form a reply Dan came back to the table.

“Hank said I may have to be gone for several days at the end of the week. I’m glad the family is coming over so you can get acquainted. They’ll keep you company while I’m gone.”

“I’ll have plenty to keep me busy. I’ve got my sewing, you know.”

They ate large slices of fresh apple pie and talked about sewing. Aunt Bea was so comfortable to be with that Casey almost forgot the ordeal waiting for her at the end of the day.

“More pie, Daniel? I baked it before I knew about the clan gathering. I’ve more in the freezer I’ll bake this afternoon. Do you think four will be enough?”

“Four pies?” Casey asked with disbelief.

Dan laughed. “There are twelve kids and seven grown-ups. Nineteen of us, counting you, sweetheart.”

“Lucy and Maryann are coming with Helen,”
Aunt Bea said flatly and Casey darted a glance at her.

“Is she back?” Dan raised his brows, then grinned at Casey. “Helen’s sister. That’ll make twenty-one. Better put in another pie, Aunt Bea.”

The afternoon flew by. Aunt Bea went back through the break in the fence to her own home to put the pies in the oven. Dan unloaded the car and helped Casey put her things away. His obvious pleasure at having her here was the only thing that kept panic at bay. Casey went over in her mind, time and again, what she would wear this evening and how she would fix her hair. It was almost as if she were a schoolgirl again going to her first prom. It brought home to her just how much her self-confidence had slipped since the accident.

She showered, washed her hair, blew it dry, and turned it toward her face with the curling iron. She was quite pleased with the result. But what to wear? She was standing in the closet going through her choices when Dan tapped on the door and came into the room. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She could feel the hardness of his body through the heavy robe she was wearing.

“You smell good.” His nose nuzzled her neck. “I came to tell you to wear something old. The kids will want a baseball game.”

“Dan…” She turned in his arms. “I should punch you in the nose for putting me through this.” The last of her words came out in a shaken
whisper because his lips were tormenting hers. Her arms went up and around his neck and the familiar excitement began to throb through her body. Holding her nose to his face so she could smell the scents of his skin and hair, she let her fingers curl into the damp crispness at the back of his head.

“What are you worrying about? You’re not shy? Anyone that can give a demonstration before several hundred people can surely handle twenty people, most of them kids.”

“That was different. Dan … this is all too new. I wish I hadn’t come. I know they’ll think that we’re sleeping together and that I’ve latched on to you since the accident. I don’t like this feeling of being a hanger on’er,” she ended breathlessly.

“If that isn’t the craziest thing I ever heard,” he chided gently. “Do you think I need my big brothers’ approval before I select the woman I’m going to live with for the rest of my life? I want them to like you and you to like them, but if that doesn’t happen it won’t make the slightest difference. It’s your approval I want, my Guinevere.”

Casey was only half aware of what he was saying. She leaned against him and he bent his head, hesitating for an unbearable moment before touching her lips. All the emotional bruising melted and flowed from under the balm of his lips. Her mouth clung to his for a moment of incredible sweetness.

Very softly she said, “I’m scared.”

“You needn’t be scared of anything. I’ll be beside
you.” He kissed her several times in quick succession. “Feel better?”

She nodded and looked deeply into the serious dark eyes that could sparkle with anger or amusement. “I’ll make out.”

“Tomorrow is a school day so they won’t stay late. Now get on some jeans and a sweater. It’s cold here when the sun goes down.” His hands went to the belt of her robe. “I’ll stay and help you,” he said with his best villainous leer.

“Get out of here, Daniel, or I’ll scream for Aunt Bea,” she threatened softly.

“Smart-ass brat! We’ll take up where we left off when we get rid of the thundering herd, as Aunt Bea calls them.” He kissed her again as if to set a seal on his promise.

When Casey went downstairs she was wearing a bulky, soft knit sweater, jeans, and sandals. The gold sweater hugged her slim hips and was held close by a wide leather belt. She carried a silk scarf to hold her hair in place when she went outside. When she went into the kitchen, Dan was tearing the plastic wrap off a large stack of paper plates. He looked at her and let the wrap slide to the floor. Silently he opened his arms and she walked into them.

“You look as sweet and soft as a toasted marsh-mallow, all gold and white and delicious. Give me a kiss, then help me get this stuff out to the table on the porch. I think there’ll be too many bugs for us to eat outside tonight.”

Casey covered the two long picnic tables with a
terry cloth cover and they set cups, plates, napkins, and silver on one end.

“Is this all we have to do?”

“We’ll make coffee later. We’ve got a good thirty minutes before they descend on us and I want to spend it quietly with you.” He took her hand and they walked slowly through the kitchen and into the living room.

There was a fragile magic around them. They were in perfect harmony. It was as if they had always been together, Casey thought as she looked at his tousled hair, nose leaning to one side. He wasn’t handsome, certainly; he didn’t have to be, with those compelling eyes and perfect body. Even in jeans and sweatshirt he looked like the commercial for a body building ad.

He tugged on her hand and they sank down on the couch. He gathered her in his arms, and pressed his face into her hair, being careful not to muss it, as if knowing how important it was to her to have it carefully arranged.

“Dan … how did you manage to stay single for so long?”

“I almost married once, but as the time drew closer to take the fatal plunge I knew that things weren’t right. I used a delaying tactic and, sure enough, she backed out when she found out I was just a working stiff like the rest of the people in our company.” A small smile played at the corners of his mouth as he watched her reaction through half closed lids.

“You don’t seem to be exactly poor. Were you heartbroken?”

“Oh, God love you. You haven’t a clue to what some women are like, have you?” He was amused and laughter rippled in his voice as he rocked her back and forth in his arms. “To someone whose papa could back a movie she wanted to be in and furnish her with her own Lear Jet, I was poor. Then, when she found out I had no intention of joining her and living off papa, she decided she didn’t love me after all. All this happened when I was young and going over
fool’s hill”

“Fool’s hill? What’s that?”

“That’s the time in your life when you think the world’s your oyster and you do dumb things.” He looked into her eyes, rubbed her nose with his. His eyes were dancing with devilment and the slight upturning smile of his lips was boyish. “You took a lot of time with your makeup tonight. You
are
beautiful. Hush!” He put his fingers over her lips when she closed them firmly. “I’ve only seen pictures of you
without
the scar. I couldn’t love you more if it wasn’t there.” Gentle fingers traced the outline of the scar and for the first time they touched the mangled ear beneath her hair.

Casey froze. Then he was kissing her, starting out with a sort of apologetic pressure of lips on hers, but the gentleness gave way to mutual need for a more satisfying kiss. His fingers fumbled with the belt at her waist, loosened it, and burrowed beneath the sweater to her breast. She had lost her
fear that his hand would find its way to the breast that was injured. Not since that first time had he attempted to touch it.

Casey’s makeup was being spoiled. She could have pulled away, but she didn’t. It was reckless and idiotic to make love here on the couch, but it was earthshaking the way his mouth moved lazily, sensually, teasing and playing with hers. Her hand slid under his shirt and flattened on his chest. The rough texture of the hair on his chest always excited her as did the smooth flesh over his ribs. He worked at the zipper on her jeans.

“Oh, Dan … we can’t!”

“Why can’t we? No one will come but Aunt Bea.”

“No one but Aunt Bea! Oh, Dan, you idiot!”

His kiss deepened to hot drugging sweetness and she was floating on air. Her hands slipped inside his pants, inside the cotton briefs, and she heard the low rumble in his throat.

The back door banged. “Ya-hooo! Daniel! I need some help getting the pies over.”

The language Dan used as Casey hastily withdrew her hands caused a giggle to burst from her lips.

“Remind me to put a lock on that damn door,” he growled. Then, “Oh, God!”

Casey’s eyes followed his to where the zipper on his fly was in danger of bursting. She couldn’t stop her peal of laughter. She fastened her belt and tossed the newspaper over his lap.

“Read the paper. I’ll help Aunt Bea. Big Dan Murdock, helpless as a baby,” she taunted.

“Depraved hussy,” he called softly as she left the room.

Casey couldn’t imagine how Aunt Bea got through the screen door with a pie in each hand, but she had managed.

“You two been smoochin’ again? Daniel’s kissed all your lip rouge off, I’ll swear. That boy won’t give you any rest till you marry him, and not then for awhile. He’ll probably keep you in bed for a week. That’s what his pa did to his ma. She was pregnant with Hank before she got out of bed.”

The plain talk brought color to Casey’s cheeks. “Ah … Mrs…. Dan never did tell me your name.”

“Yes, he did. Aunt Bea’s my name.” Dark eyes smiled up at Casey and a plump arm circled her waist. “Don’t be afraid you’re getting too familiar. Everybody calls me Aunt Bea.”

“Then I will, too. I was already thinking of you as Aunt Bea.”

“I suppose you two are conspiring against me.” Dan’s voice came from behind them.

Casey looked back, eyes wide, and asked innocently, “Did you get the paper read … already?”

He cupped her buttock with a strong hand. “Yes, I got the paper read … already,” he mimicked. “Do you want me to run over and get the rest of the pies, Aunt Bea?”

“I’ll go with you. Casey needs to go upstairs and
put on more lip rouge. Then you leave her be, Daniel. She wants to look nice tonight.”

Casey moved her hand to pat Dan’s cheek, smiling wickedly at him. “Mind what your Aunt Bea tells you,” she cautioned and scurried out of his reach.

Ten

C
asey was alone
in the kitchen with Aunt Bea when she heard the dog bark, then a car door slam. Soon the sound of a woman’s voice giving orders with the precision of a drill sergeant reached her ears.

“John take this carton of chicken to the kitchen. Don’t go through the house, Jim. Julie take the baby’s hand and both of you stay away from Sadie. Don’t rush off, Justin. We’ve more things to carry in.”

Casey sank down on a stool because she couldn’t have stood a second
longer. Her legs were trembling.
Smile, Casey
. Put that smile on automatic. Don’t let anyone know what’s really going on in your mind. Things like wishing you were back in Portland, fear, wishing you were back in Portland … Be pleasant even if they stare at you…. Damn! Stop feeling sorry for yourself! You’ve got a right to be here. The fact that Dan wants you here is your right. Where’s your guts, Casey?
Gone! Dammit! Gone!