Dreams: Part Two (18 page)

“Ill tell him,“ Colby muttered. “I want to make damn sure he makes certain Margaret Fulbrook knows that this invitation definitely does not extend to Harry the Ox.“

“I agree with you one hundred percent.“ Diana batted her lashes. “I think you’ve made a very wise decision, Colby.“

He ran his palm up her bare arm. “And I think you’re picking up the finer nuances of being a wife faster than I’d ever imagined you would. How the hell did I wind up agreeing to spend Christmas with Margaret Fulbrook?“

“How the hell did I wind up pregnant and unemployed and financially dependent on a man for the first time in my life?“

“You forgot barefoot,“ he said with satisfaction. “At the moment you’re barefoot, pregnant and unemployed.“

She started to tickle him in the ribs. A few minutes later Colby’s sexy laughter aroused Specter. The dog sighed heavily, got up and padded down the hall to find some peace and quiet in the living room.

Three weeks until he became a father for the second time.
Colby finished bolting the headboard of the crib onto the sturdy little frame and stepped back to admire his handiwork. One thing his background in construction had given him was a certain skill in taking care of the little things that a husband and father was always being called upon to do.

Diana admired his ability in the home improvement department, and Colby knew he occasionally gave in to the urge to show off.

She would be pleased with the way the white crib had gone together. It looked good in the cheerful yellow and white room. Brightly colored mobiles hung above the bed, and there was a small mountain of plush animals sitting on a nearby shelf. All the necessities of modern baby-raising from a top-of-the-line padded car seat to a chrome-wheeled stroller were neatly arranged around the nursery.

Things were going to be a lot different for this baby than they had been for Brandon, Colby reflected as he angled the crib into position. Everything in this room was brand-new. Not one stick of furniture had come from a thrift shop.

That had been his idea, not Diana’s. She had casually mentioned the possibility of picking up a few used items, and he had vetoed the suggestion »o vehemently she hadn’t raised the notion again.

He could afford to do things right this time around, and he didn’t intend to settle for anything less. Colby knew he wasn’t doing it for the baby, who wouldn’t know the difference between a shiny new crib and a cardboard box. He was doing it for Diana. He wanted her to take pleasure in everything that had to do with the baby. She was a woman who appreciated nice things, and he was determined that she would be surrounded by them while she cared for their child.

Colby finished adjusting the position of the crib and took one last look around the room. All was in order.

This time he was ready.

And so was Diana, he had decided. She’d settled down during the past few months. She’d begun to get genuinely excited about the baby. Colby knew there was still a certain amount of apprehension mixed with her anticipation, but she seemed to be taking everything in stride these days.

At Colby’s insistence, they’d taken a tour of the maternity ward at the hospital where Diana would be giving birth and she’d seemed satisfied that she would be in good hands. She’d asked questions about all the fetal monitoring techniques, anesthesia procedures and the equipment that would be available in the delivery room. She’d had several long conversations with the staff on the subjects of pain control and emergency intervention measures.

And then they’d stood outside the nursery window and looked at babies for a long time. Colby had been pleased with the results. Diana had gotten a distinctly maternal gleam in her eye as she’d gazed at the tiny packages of newborn humanity. They’d gone right out and bought the crib and several small yellow blankets that afternoon.

Diana had kept busy since January decorating the little Victorian house. She’d spent hours poring over wallpaper designs and the latest in Italian lamps while Colby had started work on a new novel.

Diana seemed content with her role of wife, too. Colby congratulated himself. He’d chosen well the second time around, even if he had chosen in haste again. He’d learned a lot about Diana in the past few months. She was a mature adult just as he was, and when she made a commitment, she kept it.

Colby realized that somewhere along the line he had gradually begun to relax. When Diana had gone to view office space for her prospective consulting business, he’d gone with her and even offered suggestions. He knew now she wasn’t going anywhere without him and the baby.

She was a competent woman who could handle a career and a family. She was not an immature young girl who’d run home to her mother when she got bored or frustrated or angry with the hand she’d been dealt by fate: Colby was just now beginning to acknowledge to himself that he had been a little hard on Diana for the first few months. She’d had a lot of old fears about the basic unreliability of men to contend with, as well as the shock of finding herself unexpectedly pregnant and married.

Colby had instinctively fought to tear down all the barriers Diana had relied upon to protect herself and to reinforce her inner fortitude.
She’d never really needed or wanted a man.

Colby realized that from the beginning he had seen her self-contained strength not so much as a challenge but as a genuine threat. Deep down he’d been afraid she would use that considerable feminine independence and willpower of hers to lock him out of her life.

Even back at the start of their relationship, when he had told himself she was the wrong kind of woman for him, he had wanted nothing more than to prove to her and to himself that she wanted him. When he had accomplished that task, he realized he had dug himself into a deep hole.

Because then he’d had to prove that she needed him.

Was that why he had made love to her without any protection in the cave last summer? Had he, on some primitive, subconscious level, wanted to get her pregnant so that he would have a hold on her?

Colby tossed aside the screwdriver he had been using. He didn’t mind exploring some of life’s fuzzier questions in his books, but he wasn’t particularly fond of analyzing himself in reality. No point in it, he decided. A man dealt with life as it came. He did what had to be done and made the best of it. Sometimes he got lucky.

The phone rang in the den. He started down the hall and reached the sunny, bay-windowed room just as Diana picked up the receiver.

“Hello, Brandon. How are you?“

Colby leaned in the doorway, his gaze moving possessively over Diana’s ripe figure. She was wearing a blue denim maternity jumper with a striped shirt. Her rich, tawny-gold hair was tied back in a ponytail and her face was bare of makeup. She looked very lovely and sweet and vulnerable. All his protective instincts hummed just beneath the surface of his awareness whenever he looked at her.

“Oh, no, I’m so sorry to hear that. When did you find out? Just now? The hospital called you?“ Diana turned worried eyes to Colby. “What’s her condition? I see. Hang on a minute. I’ll get Colby.“

Colby took the receiver. “What’s up?“ he mouthed to Diana, his hand over the mouthpiece.

“It’s Margaret Fulbrook,“ Diana whispered. “Brandon says she’s in the hospital. Possible heart attack.“

Colby spoke into the phone. “Brandon? What’s this about the old… I mean, what’s this about Margaret being ill?“

“I just had a call from the Fulbrook Community Hospital. Apparently she put me down as next of kin on the admitting forms. She’s suffering severe chest pains. Has trouble breathing. All the symptoms of a heart attack. They’re doing tests now.“ Brandon paused and then said quietly, “She’s asked to see us, Dad.“

“Us?“

“You and me both.“

Colby closed his eyes in brief resignation. He knew there was no way out of this one. “She probably wants to tell me one last time what a lousy son-in-law I’ve been for the past twenty years. All right, Diana and I can take a day and drive up there with you. When do you want to leave?“

“It’s only eight o’clock now. If we leave by nine we can be there before eleven.“

“That’s what you think.“ Colby’s sense of humor kicked in briefly as he looked at his wife. “Diana’s three weeks away from her due date. She makes a lot of trips to the ladies’ room these days. She’ll insist we hit every rest stop between here and Fulbrook Corners. Better count on it taking us three hours to get there.“ He hung up the phone.

“We’re going to Fulbrook Corners, I take it?“ Diana asked gently.

“I gather Margaret thinks she’s dying. Knowing her, she’ll make a production out of it.“

“She might very well be dying, Colby. She’s nearly seventy and from the sounds of things she’s having a heart attack.“

Colby held up his hand. “I know, I know. Look at me. I’m not arguing against the trip, am I? I told Brandon we’d go with him to see her. The old lady has asked to see both of us. Can you believe it?“

“Perhaps she wants to say her goodbyes.“

“More likely she wants to put a curse on me with her farewell breath,“ Colby muttered. He eyed Diana thoughtfully.

“You don’t have to come unless you feel like it. If Brandon and I go alone, we can be back tonight.“

“I want to come with you.“ Specter padded forward and looked up at Diana with beseeching eyes. “And so does my dog.“ She grinned and stroked Specter’s huge shaggy head.

“It’s going to be a full car,“ Colby said. “We’d better take your Buick. It’s got the most room. Brandon and the mutt can sit in the back.“

Diana patted her tummy. “Yes, baby and I need our space these days.“

“And pack some clothes. If you’re coming along, I don’t want to do the drive up and back in one day. It will be too tiring for you. Well spend the night at the cottage and return tomorrow.“

“Yes, dear.“

Colby grinned. “Whenever you say ’yes, dear’ in that tone of voice, I know exactly what you’re thinking.“

“What’s that?“ She stepped closer and lifted her face for his kiss.

“That I’m slipping into my heavy-handed husband routine again.“ He brushed her mouth with his own and then paused to deepen the kiss.

“You’re so good at it,“ Diana said finally as he freed her mouth.

“Good at what? Kissing you?“

“No, the heavy-handed husband routine.“ Her eyes were wide with teasing admiration. “But as a matter of fact, you’re also good at kissing me.“ She started to say something else but stopped, a tiny catch in her breath. She touched her stomach.

Colby put his hands on her full belly. “Baby kicking again?“

“Uh-huh. Feels a little different this time, though.“

“This little one’s going to be a handful,“ Colby announced, quite satisfied at the prospect.

“Good thing there will be two of us to cope with this baby,“ Diana said softly.

Colby laughed and kissed her again. “You said it.“

“I love you, Colby.“

“I love you, sweetheart.“ It occurred to him that he didn’t even have to stop and think now before he repeated the words back to her. They just came naturally lately. He had no real desire to break the habit.

Margaret Fulbrook occupied the hospital room with the air of a queen on her deathbed. The tubes, machines and monitors that surrounded her did not detract from her royal air. She wore an old-fashioned satin bed jacket. Her hair was in its usual regal bun, and her makeup had been carefully applied in an effort to conceal the pallor of her skin.

Nurses, doctors and assorted attendants moved in and out of the private room with deferential respect.

Diana hung back a little as Colby and Brandon went through the door. This was between the three of them, she thought. It had little to do with her. She stayed near the back of the room and absently massaged her lower back.

She’d been plagued with lower-back pain on and off for weeks but the discomfort seemed different today. The long drive in the car had probably aggravated it. She wouldn’t mention the problem to Colby, Diana decided in silent amusement. He’d just get worked up about the fact that the trip had made her uncomfortable. He’d probably blame himself for allowing her to come along.

Colby certainly took his role of husband and father seriously and as Diana had learned to trust him in that role, she had also learned to enjoy the cosseting and concern. The sensation of being fussed over by a protective male was entirely new to her, and she was discovering that she liked it.

The backache wasn’t the only thing that was bothering her today. Something she’d eaten earlier apparently wasn’t agreeing with her. She was also experiencing a strange restlessness.

“There you are,“ Margaret Fulbrook announced in tones that carried out into the hall as she caught sight of her visitors. “About time you got here. I could have been dead for hours. What did you do? Stop and have lunch along the way?“

Colby raised his eyes to the ceiling, but he managed to keep his mouth shut.

“Hello, Grandmother,“ Brandon said, going toward the bed. He leaned down to kiss her pale cheek. “How are you feeling?“

“Terrible. How did you expect I’d be feeling?“ Her sharp brown eyes went over her grandson. “How’s Diana?“

“I'm fine, Mrs. Fulbrook.“ Diana came forward a few steps. “Do you need anything from home? We could stop by and pick up some clothes or books for you.“

Margaret’s eyes softened a fraction. “No, thanks. I’ve got Harry to fetch and carry for me. How’s everything going with the baby?“

“Just fine.“

Margaret frowned. “Looks better than fine to me. You look like you’re about to go into labor any minute.“

Diana laughed. “The doctor says three more weeks.“

“Humph. Doctors. What do they know? Bunch of fools. Women have been having babies for thousands of years without doctors.“

“True,“ Diana agreed equably. “But a lot of women suffered terribly and frequently died in the process, and so did a lot of babies. I’ll stick to the modern method. I want lots of professionals around me who know what they’re doing when the time comes.“