Foxfire Light (17 page)

“Aren't you coming in for coffee?” Joanna protested.

His head moved to the side in a single, negative shake. “There's a horse at the barn, waiting to be unsaddled.”

She didn't want to say goodbye to him with Rachel and her uncle looking on, so she gently prompted them into leaving. “You go ahead. I'll be along directly.”

After an exchange of good nights with Linc, her uncle and Rachel walked toward the lights of the cabin. Joanna watched them until they were out of hearing, then turned to Linc. He held her glance for an instant, then swung idly away to move to the left side of the buckskin and gather the reins in front of the pommel, preparing to mount. A sense of awkwardness had kept her silent but his action forced her to take the initiative.

“Will you be coming by tomorrow?” She tried to sound very light and casual.

“No, I'll be busy.” Linc paused long enough to slide a glance over her, then stepped a foot into the stirrup and swung aboard. “You may be on vacation, but I've got a ranch to run,” he reminded her.

“But—” She took a step toward him, her hand reaching out to touch his knee. The twilight was darkening, making it difficult to see his face.

“There are times when things happen so fast that you aren't sure what did happen—or why,” Linc stated. “Think about it, Joanna, and be damned sure you know what you want.”

“What if I said I was?” she protested.

“Then a couple of days won't change it,” he reasoned. “You have a tendency to say things on the spur of the moment and regret them later. I don't want that to be the case this time.” With a turn of his wrist, Linc reined his horse around Joanna. “Good night.”

“Good night.” She was a second slow in answering
him, his comment about her impulsiveness hitting a little too close to home.

She watched until he had disappeared into the darkness, then turned to walk toward the cabin. She felt frustrated and denied, if only temporarily.

W
ith the telephone receiver held tightly against her ear, Joanna chewed nervously at her lower lip and listened to the echo of the third ring on the other end of the line. Maybe it wasn't done in the Ozarks for a woman to call a man, but three days had gone by without a word from Linc. She simply couldn't wait any longer.

In the middle of the fourth ring, a woman's voice came on the Line. “Hello?”

Startled by the female voice, Joanna hesitated, wondering if she had dialed the wrong number. “Is this ... the Wilder ranch?”

“Yes, it is.”

“May I speak to Linc Wilder, please?” she requested. Tension made her voice brisk to conceal her inner turmoil.

“I'm sorry, he isn't here right now,” the woman's voice answered.

“Do you know where he is or when he'll be back?” Frustration scraped at her nerves as she tried not to let her disappointment show through her voice.

“He's got a sick calf. I think he went into the vet's to get some medicine for it. He didn't mention when he'd be back but I would imagine it will be sometime this morning yet,” the woman answered a little vaguely.

“I see,” Joanna murmured and absently glanced around the study, trying to decide what she should do.

“Did you want to leave your phone number? I can have him call you later,” the woman suggested.

“Just. . . Just tell him Joanna called,” she said finally.

“Joanna.” The woman repeated her name. “I'll tell him.”

“Thank you.” She continued to hold the receiver after the line went dead, then hesitantly returned it to its cradle.

When footsteps approached the study, she heard them, but gave them little notice. It was her uncle's voice that finally penetrated her silent contemplation.

“There you are. Good morning.” His greeting was bright and cheerful as he entered the room with a jaunty stride, a wide smile curving his mouth.

“Good morning.” She breathed in deeply and
tried to shake free from the grayness of her spirit in the face of Reece's sunshine. Stirring from the chair behind the desk, she managed a smile. “I thought you would sleep in this morning.”

“It's a beautiful day—much too beautiful to stay in bed,” he insisted.

“Alone, you mean,” Joanna teased, then shook her head. “How do you manage to look so rested when you haven't gotten home until after midnight three nights running?”

“Love is a wondrous tonic,” he laughed.

The remark had been meant as a joke, but looking at him, Joanna was inclined to believe it was true. At least, it appeared to be true once the doubts were erased and that love was returned.

“At a glance, I'd say you discovered the fountain of youth,” she smiled.

Reece laughed and his glance strayed to the telephone on the desk. “Were you on the phone just now?”

Her reaction was almost guilty. “Yes ... I was,” she admitted.

“You look upset. Was it your mother?” His expression became serious, etched with a fine trace of concern.

“No.” She hesitated an instant. “Linc hasn't been around for a couple of days so I thought I'd call and invite him to dinner this evening. You don't mind, do you?”

“Of course not.” His astute gaze read more into the response. “Is he coming?”

“He wasn't there. A woman answered and
said he'd gone to the veterinarian. A calf is sick, I guess,” she admitted her failure to reach Linc.

Reece also read the silent question that was in her mind. “It probably was the lady who keeps house for him. He has someone come in twice a week to do the cleaning and laundry since his sister married.” He casually passed on the information and watched her uncertainty fade.

“I left word that I called. He'll probably call later on,” she said.

“I hope you didn't have anything planned for this morning,” Reece stated. “I wanted you to go into town with me.”

“There wasn't anything special I was going to do,” she assured him. “I can come with you,” although she hoped Linc didn't call while she was gone.

“Good.” There was something very decisive about his voice and his smile. “Because I want you to help me choose a ring for Rachel.”

“A ring,” she repeated and eyed him uncertainly. “Do you mean a diamond ring—an engagement ring?”

“Yes.”

Joanna smothered a laugh of surprise and delight. “Does Rachel know? Have you asked her?”

“Not yet,” he admitted but without any sign of doubt about her answer. “First I want to buy the ring. You will come with me?”

“Wild horses couldn't stop me!” This was an event!

*   *   *

As they looked over the rings in the jeweler's case, they had a difference of opinion about the size and style of ring that would please Rachel. A week ago Joanna would have gone along with Reece's choice but Linc had influenced her thinking to a great extent.

“That one is beautiful,” Reece conceded as Joanna held the diamond solitaire to the light, “but it is too plain, too simple. Look at the setting of this one.” He drew her attention back to his choice. The center stone of the ring was approximately the same size as the single gem in the ring Joanna liked, but it was surrounded by a cluster of smaller diamonds. “It has such fire.”

Aware of the jeweler patiently looking on, Joanna sighed. “Why don't you wait until the two of you can pick out the ring together?”

“No.” Reece shook his head in a very definite rejection of that thought. “She would pick something simple and less expensive.”

Joanna stared at him, a tiny smile creeping around the corners of her mouth. “Do you realize what you just said?” she murmured. Amusement danced in her eyes when he met her look.

“But I want to buy her something-—” He stopped to consider the problem.

Joanna put the problem into words. “You have to decide whether you are going to buy a ring that
you
want or one that
she
wants.”

He hesitated, sighed, and cast a resigned glance at the jeweler. “I will take the solitaire.”

“She'll love it.” Joanna smiled her approval as the jeweler moved away from the glass case to write up the sales ticket. “And she is the one who has to wear it.”

When the transaction was completed and they were walking out of the jewelry store, Joanna asked, “When are you going to propose to her? Tonight?”

“Yes.” It was a somewhat clipped answer.

She studied him with a sidelong glance, surprised to see the lines of tension around his mouth and eyes. It was the first time she had ever seen Reece appear nervous. It was touching in a man usually so confident of himself.

“Where to, now?” She changed the subject in an effort to relax him. “What about some lunch? It's a little early but we'll miss the noon crowd.”

He came to an abrupt stop on the sidewalk, his hesitancy vanishing as he came to a decision. “No. I can't wait until tonight. I'm going to ask her now.”

“But. . . isn't she working?” Joanna was thrown by his sudden change of plans.

“Yes.” With a quick, purposeful stride, he started for the car parked at the curb. “We'll drive to her shop.”

“Wouldn't it be better to wait until she takes her lunch break?” Joanna suggested and had to hurry to keep up with him. He was already sliding behind the wheel before she had the
passenger door open. “She'll probably be busy with customers and all,” Joanna reasoned.

“The store is always competing with me for her time. I am not going to allow it to dictate when it would be convenient for a proposal of marriage.”

The engine was started and Reece was shifting in reverse when she closed her car door. The determined set of his jaw left her in no doubt that his mind had been made up.

“Aren't you rushing things just a little, Reece?” she wondered.

“When I leave the Ozarks at the end of the month, Rachel is going to come with me as my wife,” he stated. “That doesn't allow much time to find a competent manager to take over the store. I have no intention of leaving without her and I know Rachel won't go unless she is assured it is running smoothly. And she won't begin to look for someone until I have proposed.”

“Wouldn't it be simpler if she sold it?” It seemed the logical solution to Joanna. In the long run, there would be fewer headaches.

“It would be simpler, yes,” Reece agreed. “But it represents security and independence to Rachel. I don't expect her to give it up for me.”

When he explained it, Joanna could see that he was right. Eventually Rachel would feel lost if she didn't remain involved with the store's operation, even if it had to be at a distance. It
had occupied too much of her life for it to be suddenly cut out of it without leaving a void that not even Reece's love could fill.

Slowing the car, he turned into the parking lot by the shop. He parked it in an empty space and switched off the engine. “Are you coming in?” He paused with the door open to glance at Joanna.

She smiled faintly. “No, I think you'll have plenty of witnesses without me along.” It broke the tension in his expression and he returned the smile. “Good luck,” she called to him as he climbed out of the car.

There were more than a dozen customers in the store when Reece entered. Nervously he turned the ring box around in his hand and glanced around the store. He saw her standing behind the counter near the cash register and experienced that rush of sweet pleasure lift him. For the run of several seconds, he was content just to look at her.

As if feeling his eyes on her, Rachel looked up and noticed him on the opposite side of the room. He watched her expression change, the special warmth that entered her gaze and the smile that was reserved just for him. He crossed to the counter.

“Hello. How are you today?” Her look and tone of voice made the trite phrase sound much more meaningful and intimate.

“Fine.” He was conscious of the people around them and wished, not for the first time, that he
could order them out and have this woman all to himself.

“Was there something you wanted?” Again the inquiry appeared very innocent, a clerk to a customer.

Reece smiled widely. “Yes, there is but for the time being, I'11 be satisfied with five minutes of your time.”

She laughed a little self-consciously, and he enjoyed the warm sound of it. There was a freshness to her that had nothing to do with age. Her gaze made an appraising sweep of the shop and its customers. A dark-haired woman was studying a group of Kewpie dolls in a display case.

“Excuse me just a minute,” Rachel apologized to Reece and moved down the counter. “Was there something you'd like to see?”

“Yes, please. The second doll from the left.” The woman pointed to the one she meant. “I have three nieces who collect dolls,” the woman explained as Rachel opened the case and brought out the doll to show her. “I want to bring them back something to add to their collection.”

“This one is very popular,” Rachel assured the brunette, but her gaze strayed to Reece standing by the cash register, showing where her attention was truly focused at the moment.

“I'll definitely take that one,” the woman decided. “Why don't you just give me three?” She held up three fingers.

“Certainly. Is there anything else?”

“I'd like to look around a little more,” the woman smiled.

“Go right ahead,” Rachel encouraged her to browse. “The dolls will be at the cash register.”

While she was taking the three dolls from the stock below the counter, Reece inobtrusively opened the ring box and set it on the glass shelf near the cash register. She didn't glance in that direction when she walked back to box the three dolls. “I can't promise you five minutes all at one time. Will you settle for a minute here and there?” she asked with a smile.