Текст книги "Native Affairs"

Автор книги: Doreen Malek Owens

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Текущая страница: 33 (всего у книги 37 страниц)

“Hi,” she said.

He smiled and she was perfectly happy.

“Do you know what tonight is?” he asked, stretching and yawning elaborately.

“The first night of the rest of our lives?” she asked, and he laughed.

“Well, that, too,” he said. “But it’s also Christmas Eve.”

“Aha! That’s why that gigantic tree is standing in the front hall. I was wondering about that.”

“Let’s go Christmas shopping.”

“I’ve already been shopping, Heath.”

“Well, I haven’t. The personnel office takes care of corporate gifts, but I want to get something for you, and the Jensens, and Daniela and Victor and lots of other people. I’m in a benevolent mood.”

“Do you know what the stores will be like tonight, Heath? Are you planning on bringing your Uzi?”

“Come on, where’s your Christmas spirit? Fighting your way through the throng is half the fun.”

“I’ve already fought my way through several throngs. Pritchard’s last week looked like the Roman triumph crowd scene from Ben Hur. I half expected to run into Charlton Heston and his chariot in the luggage department.”

Heath chuckled. “But you’ll brave it all again for me, won’t you, darling?” he said.

She sighed. “Do I have a choice?”

“No. And I am going to make a reservation at Lusardi’s for a late dinner this evening to celebrate our—” he stopped.

“What?”

“Rapprochement,” he said, and she smiled.

“Say what?” she asked.

“Don’t laugh at me,” he said, throwing off the sheet and going into his closet, emerging with his robe belted around his waist. “I am determined to put some flesh on those bones. You are going to have a stuffed artichoke heart, a Mediterranean salad, three-cheese lasagna, and tiramisu for dessert.”

“I am not going to have anything, Heath—you’ll never get a table for Christmas Eve at this late hour.”

“I’ll get one,” he said firmly. “I’m going to see if Daniela left us any coffee. Be right back. Don’t go away.”

Ann fell back against the pillows contentedly, drawing the sheet up to her neck. She was remembering his caresses with satisfaction when the phone at her elbow rang shrilly.

Ann lifted the receiver on the night table and said, “Hello?”

“So you survived the party,” Amy said.

“Barely. I’m afraid to leave the house, I might trip over a dead body in the driveway.”

“How’s Heath?” Amy asked cautiously.

“Heath is just the most wonderful man in the world,” Ann replied, a smile in her voice.

“What happened?” Amy asked sharply.

“Rapprochement,” Ann answered.

“What the hell is that?”

“Kind of like detente, except between people instead of countries,” Ann said.

“Holy smokes.”

“Yup.”

“You have to give me all the details.”

“Not now,” Ann said. “Heath is home.”

“He came home early for Christmas Eve?”

“He didn’t go to the office today. There’s a reform movement under way.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I am now considering having about six of his children. Maybe seven.”

“That must have been quite a post-party turnaround.”

“It was.”

Amy chuckled wickedly. “Leave it to Heath. When he turns on the charm, he takes no prisoners.”

“I believe he really wants to make it work, Amy,” Ann said seriously.

“I’m sure he does. I’ve never doubted that he loves you, Annie. He’s just always been.. . difficult.”

“We talked about the past and got things straightened out, but I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now I have to get dressed. Heath wants to go Christmas shopping.”

“Tonight? That’s a death wish. Good luck. Wear your flak jacket.”

“By the way, why did you take off last night?” Ann asked. “I didn’t know you were staying at the inn until after you were gone. I wanted you to spend the night here.”

“I figured you and Heath were better off left alone, and wasn’t I right?”

Ann laughed. “What are you doing for Christmas?”

“Going to my mother’s. Have you heard from Tim?”

“Yes, he’s spending the holiday with his college roommate in Massachusetts.”

“Thanks to you. Otherwise he’d be spending it in a less congenial place.”

“Thanks to Heath, you mean.”

“Well, I’ll let you go. Merry Christmas. From what you’ve told me, I’m sure yours will be very merry. I’ll be at my mother’s until Thursday. Give me a call later on in the week.”

“Okay. Bye-bye.”

Ann hung up the phone and got out of bed, walking naked to the bathroom and turning on the shower. She was standing under the rushing water, soaping herself with fragrant lather, when the frosted-glass shower door slid back and Heath stepped in behind her.

Ann gasped as his hands enclosed her breasts and he pulled her back against him. She closed her eyes as his strong fingers moved over her, slick with soap, slipping smoothly over her buttocks and between her legs, caressing her until she turned restlessly in his arms and pressed herself against him.

“What do you want?” Heath asked. She reached for him, twining her legs with his as the water gushed over them.

“You know,” she moaned.

“Say it,” he said.

“Take me,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck, both of them slick as seals and dripping with suds.

He lifted her and turned abruptly, pinning Ann against the wall and entering her in the same movement. It was quick and explosive, leaving them both drained and leaning against each other, laughing weakly.

“Heath, what are we doing?” Ann said, reaching for the taps and turning off the water. “This is dangerous, we could have slipped and been killed in here.”

“What a way to go,” Heath replied, stepping out of the stall and tossing her a towel.

“I think we should stick to the bed in future,” Ann said, wiping her face.

Heath sighed. “You’re so conventional.”

The telephone rang in the bedroom and Heath went to answer it before Daniela could get it in the kitchen. When Ann came in after him she saw from the expression on his face as he hung up the phone that it was not good news.

“What is it, Heath?” she asked. “What’s the matter?”

Heath looked at her directly. “There’s a bench warrant out for your brother’s arrest. The D.A. says he violated the terms of his bail by traveling to Massachusetts.”

Chapter 9

Ann looked stricken. “What do you mean? You said that Tim had been given permission to go!”

“Calm down, I’m going to handle it,” Heath said firmly.

“Obviously some wires have crossed somewhere. Harry Caldwell is going to straighten this out, pronto.”

“He won’t be in his office now, Heath!”

“I’ll find him wherever he is. For what I’m paying him, he’ll solve this little problem if he has to take a dogsled from Springfield to Boston.” Heath went to his closet and started to dress, pulling trousers off a hanger.

“I’m going with you,” Ann said, dropping her towel and walking past him.

“You are not. You almost passed out last night, and after this day, you’ve had enough stress for at least a week. I’ll go over to Caldwell’s office and you stay here and relax.”

“Heath, I can’t ask you to keep unscrambling my messes like this,” Ann protested.

“Why not? Wasn’t that our deal?”

“I thought our deal was off.”

“Not that part of it. Listen, you’re my wife. I have the ability to handle this and you don’t.” He grinned. “When I need a grammatically phrased letter I’ll let you take charge. Now, get out of my way and go and pick out an outfit for later. This will all be settled in two hours, I promise you.” He picked up his jacket and slung it over his shoulder, then kissed her on the cheek.

Ann stared after him as he left the bedroom, and she heard him speaking to Daniela in the hall. Then she dressed quickly and went out to the kitchen herself.

Daniela was washing dishes in the sink. The debris of the party was still visible, but reduced; Daniela had been busy clearing it away all day.

“Still at it, Daniela?” Ann said, walking over to the terrace doors and glancing outside. The furniture was stacked to one side and Victor was standing on a garden chair, taking down a string of colored lights.

“There’s a lot to do,” Daniela said, glancing at her and smiling. “You look so relaxed this evening.”

Ann smiled back at her. It was true. Despite Tim’s latest crisis Heath’s changed attitude was like a balm to her soul, giving her hope for the future and their life together.

“I guess it must be a relief to have the party out of the way,” Daniela said.

Ann nodded.

“Do you want something to eat?” Daniela asked.

Ann shook her head. “No, thanks. I’m having a late dinner with Heath.”

“You’re too skinny, Senora Bodine. Have a snack now. Mr. Bodine, he is always telling me to cook for you, fatten you up.”

“Always?” Ann said.

“Yes, since you got married.”

So while Heath was giving Ann a hard time to her face, he was sneaking around behind her back and telling the housekeeper to prepare special meals for her. Typical.

“Okay, I’ll have some toast,” Ann said, sitting down in the breakfast nook. Daniela went to get the bread, saying, “The party was a big success, senora?”

“Yes, thank you,” Ann replied, thinking about its lurid aftermath with Ben Rowell in the bedroom. “You and Victor were such a big help, Heath and I appreciate it. When are you leaving?”

“We were through at noon,” Daniela replied, “but I didn’t want this mess to greet me day after tomorrow, so we’ve stayed to get some of it out of the way.”

“You don’t have to stay any longer.”

“But, senora, the tables from the caterers have to go back, and the rest of the decorations—”

“Can all wait until after Christmas. Heath said that your daughter is coming to visit tonight and that should take precedence. Did Heath give you your bonus?”

Daniela nodded as she buttered toast and then put the plate in front of Ann.

“Then get lost,” Ann said, laughing.

Daniela was obviously pleased. “I hope the new year is a very happy one for you, senora,” she said, patting Ann’s arm and then walking out of the room.

That gave Ann pause. So Daniela and her husband had not been insensitive to the undercurrents of tension in the house. And Ann had tried so hard to pretend that everything was fine.

After Daniela and Victor left, a holiday hush settled over the evening, leaving Ann with nothing to do. She was too jittery to work and everybody she knew to call or visit was sure to be busy. Finally she could wait no longer and dialed Harold Caldwell’s office. She got a voice message saying that the office was closed.

If Heath and the lawyer were there, they weren’t answering the phone.

Ann tried to read and to watch television. She was just about to call again when Heath came through the door, carrying several wrapped packages and wearing a red felt Santa Claus hat with white faux fur trim.

“Ho, ho, ho,” he said, encircling her with his free arm. “Oh dear, my Mrs. Claus looks somewhat worried. Where’s my joyous Christmas face?”

“How is Tim? What’s happening? Is he in jail?”

“Take it easy, he’s not in jail,” Heath replied, dumping his packages on the entry-hall table. “Harold Caldwell pulled some rabbits out of a hat and the bench warrant has now been rescinded. Curfew will not ring tonight.”

Ann sighed and closed her eyes. “I tried to call Caldwell’s office,” she said.

Heath grinned. “I kept him busy—he wasn’t taking any outside calls.”

Ann flung her arms around his neck. “Thank you. I seem to be saying that a lot lately.”

“De nada. Hey, you haven’t commented on my holiday accessory.” He swept off the hat and bowed.

“Very fetching. Where did you get it?”

“I bought it at the liquor store.”

“Liquor store? Have the proprietors branched out into haberdashery?”

“Nah, they had a counter display of them when I went in there to send a bottle to Ben Rowell. I couldn’t resist.”

“I hope you got him something nice.”

“A fifth of Glenlivet.”

“Good.” Ann kissed him tenderly on the cheek.

“Don’t you want to open your presents?” he asked, picking up the smallest one and shaking it suggestively.

“Isn’t that supposed to wait until tomorrow?”

“There are no rules for a Bodine Christmas. Come on, just this one package. I want to see what you think of it.”

“I thought we were going to go shopping together, ” Ann said, accepting it.

“We will, we will. Everything is open late tonight. Tear into that one now.”

Ann went into the living room and sat on the sofa, ripping off the gold paper and red bow. Inside was a jeweler’s box.

“Heath, what did you do?” Ann asked, lifting the lid.

“I made a start on the rest of our lives, I hope,” he replied, watching her face.

Against a bed of deep blue velvet lay a gold chain with a large charm attached. Ann lifted it to look at it more closely; it was an old-fashioned quill and inkstand made of heavy gold and studded with diamonds.

“Heath, its beautiful. But why the charm?”

“Because you’re a writer. And a pretty good one too, I might add.”

She looked at him. “How do you know?”

“I’ve been reading your next book.”

Ann stared at him, stunned. “What? How?”

“At night, after you’re asleep, I’ve been going into the den and breaking into your computer.”

“How did you get into the file?”

He winked. “I’m a mechanical whiz, remember?”

She couldn’t get over it. “Heath, you are incorrigible.”

“Yes, I know. I also know more about the Italian Renaissance than I ever thought was possible.”

Ann laughed.

“How long were you in Italy?”

“Not long enough. I still have more research to do.”

“We’ll go together.” He held out his arms. “Don’t I get another kiss?” he asked.

Ann flew into his arms and he pressed her close, rocking her back and forth gently.

“I’m going to make it all up to you,” he said softly. “I know I’ve been a first-class jerk, but if I’m a very good boy, do you think you can forgive me?”

Ann held him tightly, too emotional to respond.

“I never wanted anyone but you,” he said. “I tried to tell myself otherwise, tried to have relationships with other women, but it never worked. The memory of you was always there in the background, and it’s like a miracle to have you here with me now. We can make a go of it, can’t we?”

Ann nodded against his shoulder.

He held her at arm’s length to look at her. “Annie, are you crying again?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Don’t you know that we’re supposed to be having a wonderful time?”

“I am having a wonderful time.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

“I’m glad to hear it. Now, are we going to hit those stores or not?”

“We are.”

“Let’s go.”

He took her by the hand and led her toward the door.

* * * *

By the time they reached Lusardi’s, the parking lot was packed despite the late hour and the weather, which had turned colder. Ann hugged her coat close about her as they walked inside, where Heath was greeted like a long-lost relative.

“Did you ever eat or sleep at home before we were married?” Ann asked dryly. They were being led to a secluded table near the Victorian Christmas tree that dominated the dining room.

“Not often,” he admitted. “As you so astutely pointed out, nobody was there.”

The maitre d’ seated them and had a little chat with Heath before handing them the menus. The London Philharmonic’s Christmas album played softly in the background and a gas log blazed in a fireplace in a corner behind them.

“It almost feels like a Christmas up north tonight, the temperature has dropped so much,” Ann said.

“That’s all right, it puts me in the mood,” Heath said. “I always associate Christmas with New England, anyway.”

Ann laughed. “What are you talking about? You’ve spent every Christmas in Florida with the palm trees.”

“Not when I was in the navy.”

“Oh, that’s right, I forgot. Where were you?”

“Mystic, Connecticut, for two years.”

Ann was silent.

“What?” he said, looking at her.

“There’s so much about your life since I left Florida that I don’t know,” she said quietly.

“What do you want to know?”

“Were you happy?”

“No,” he said.

“What? Making millions of dollars?”

“I was successful. I wasn’t happy.”

“Some might say there’s no difference.”

“There is. You can take my word for it, I’m an expert. Taking revenge on people is not the path to fulfillment.”

The wine steward appeared at Heath’s elbow and asked if they would like a drink.

Heath looked at Ann, then shook his head.

“Nothing for either one of us,” he said.

“Sworn off the stuff?” Ann asked, smiling.

“I don’t seem to need it anymore.” He covered her hand with his bigger one.

“Who else did you want to take revenge on besides me?” Ann asked.

“You know. You said it once. All the golfers in the pastel polo shirts, everybody who looked through me as if I were invisible when I was a kid.”

“What did you do?”

“Oh, I made sure they knew that I was in their league now. I used my money effectively to get the point across. I hired people like Joe to run my company to rub their blue noses in my prosperity. But of course I really wasn’t accepted by them, no matter what I did.”

Ann said nothing.

“Money doesn’t make those people respect you. It’s background and breeding that count. You’re one of them, Princess, and you always will be, even if you don’t have a dime.”

“They must respect your accomplishments.”

“My invention, you mean? A lucky accident. They have to deal with me now because of my business but you’ll notice I’m not getting invited to their homes.”

“Neither am I, now,” Ann informed him.

Heath shook his head. “You’re undergoing a temporary disgrace because of your brother. That’s different. You’re inside the fence and I’m outside it.”

“But I’m married to you!”

“So you married down.”

“Oh, Heath, you dwell too much on all of that.”

“You would, too, if you’d had my early life.”

“When we first got back together, I thought that’s why you wanted to marry me, to show everybody on Lime Island that you could snag Henry Talbot’s daughter.”

Heath looked at her across the table and said, “That may have been part of it when we first met as kids. You represented the world I never had access to, the better life that was always closed to me. But once I got to know you, you were so sweet and unlike what I had expected.”

“What did you expect?”

“A snob,” he said.

“I guess I did nothing to correct that impression initially, bitching at you when your repair job disturbed my nap.”

He laughed.“But you were so cute standing there, hands on hips, all angry and barefoot in your bikini. I was lost from the moment I saw you.”

Ann grinned. “You certainly didn’t act like it.”

“Oh, well, I was always very careful to cover myself in those days.”

“You still are, Heath. That’s what the past month has been about, right?”

He nodded thoughtfully. “I guess you’ve got my number, Princess.”

“Just remember that,” Ann said archly.

“Are you ready to order now, Mr. Bodine?” their waiter said to Heath.

They looked at each other. They hadn’t even glanced at the menus on the table.

“You come here a lot, Heath,” Ann said. “Just get whatever you want for both of us.”

Heath ordered for them and then lifted a muffin from the basket on the table. “Have one of these, they’re good. You are hereby ordered to gain ten pounds in the next two months.”

Ann groaned.

“Come on, baby. You know I’m right. You don’t eat enough, you never did.”

“It’s Christmas, Heath. Do we have to have the nutrition lecture now?”

“You’re going to my doctor as soon as the holidays are over,” he said firmly.

“Why?”

“For a checkup.”

“There’s nothing to check. I’m just thin.”

“Too thin.”

“That’s a matter of opinion. Anyway, I’ll gain weight when I’m pregnant.”

His hand froze in the act of popping loose muffin crumbs into his mouth.

“What’s the matter?” Ann said at the look on his face. “ We haven’t been doing anything to prevent it.”

He said nothing.

“Don’t you want to have children?” she said, alarmed at his reaction.

“I didn’t think it would come up just yet,” he said carefully. “I assumed we’d have some time to ourselves for a while. After all, we’ve been apart so long.”

“Of course, but can’t you imagine a little boy who looks just like you, with huge dark eyes and that glorious thick black hair?” Ann said dreamily.

“And my father’s glorious heritage of alcoholism?” Heath said flatly.

“Nobody’s family is perfect, Heath. Look at mine.”

“Your father wasn’t a stumbling drunk.”

“He was an unfeeling autocrat. Is that so much better?”

“In my eyes, yes. Your old man wasn’t an ongoing embarrassment.”

“He was a dictator who almost ruined my life! Look what happened to us because of his interference.”

Heath sighed heavily and leaned across the table to touch her cheek. “Princess, let’s not argue about this now, not tonight of all nights. Look, here’s our salad. I’m going to watch and make sure you eat all of it.”

“Yes, sir.” Ann let the subject drop but resolved to bring it up again another time. They finished the leisurely meal talking about other things, and by the time they drove home Ann was full, tired and ready for bed.

Heath locked the front door behind them and said, “This is the first Christmas I haven’t been alone in a longtime.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, I was usually at parties, which on holidays is often worse than being alone.” He put his hand on the small of her back and pushed her along toward the bedroom.

“I ate too much,” Ann said as they crossed the threshold. “I can hardly walk.”

“You ate like a normal human being, and if you can do it once you can do it again. I’ll make sure you do.” He stood behind her and unzipped her dress, letting it slip to the floor. He lifted her hair off her neck and kissed her nape lingeringly, then unhooked her bra and dropped that on top of the dress. Ann turned in his arms and he picked her up, carrying her toward the bed.

Ann fell back on the pillows, her arms above her head. He dropped onto the bed with her, covering her slight body with his muscular one as he pulled off her briefs.

Ann wound herself around him, sighing. “I dreamed of this so many times, spent years wondering what it would be like, thinking about what I had lost forever. And now I’ve found it again.”

Heath stood to remove his clothes, and Ann watched as the body she had desired since her adolescence was revealed, sculpted like an artist’s clay figure, totally male. She reached out eagerly and he rejoined her, pulling her to him and running his hands down the satiny curve of her spine. Her fingers sank into his shoulder blades as he turned and set her back on the bed, kissing her everywhere he could reach as her eyes closed luxuriously. Then he positioned her body, encircling her waist with his arm and easing her under him.

“I love you,” he said as he entered her.

“I love you, too,” Ann whispered.

And that was all they needed to say.

* * * *

On Christmas night, Heath and Ann were sitting in the living room, relaxing in front of a fire that was more ceremonial than necessary, when the doorbell rang. Heath, who was wearing the cashmere sweater Ann gave him for Christmas, looked at Ann inquiringly.

“Are you expecting anybody?” Ann asked.

Heath shrugged.

Ann slipped out of Heath’s embrace, put down her glass of eggnog and went to answer the door. Her brother Tim was standing on the other side of it, a large wrapped box under one arm.

“Timmy!” Ann shrieked, and threw her arms around him, causing him to rock back and drop the overnight bag he was carrying in his free hand.

“Merry Christmas,” Tim said, and hugged her.

Heath hovered in the background, all smiles.

“What are you doing here?” Ann asked, releasing him and leading him into the house. “I thought you were going to stay up in Massachusetts.”

“Heath got me a seat on a plane today. After my latest trouble, he thought it would be best for me to come here and let you see for yourself that I was all right.” Tim stepped around his sister and reached his hand out to Heath, who shook it.

“Thanks, man,” Tim said.

“De nada,” Heath replied.

“No. I mean, really, thanks for everything. I know that I’ve said it a hundred times on the phone but you certainly deserve to hear it once again.”

Ann stood looking from one man to the other, her eyes huge and sparkling.

“Come on, Tim, it’s a holiday. Let’s go inside and talk about something positive before your sister gets all weepy. Do you want a drink?” Heath said.

Tim shook his head ruefully. “Nah, booze tends to make me think I can win at the crap tables again.”

“Well, there are no crap tables here. How about some eggnog? Nothing in it but lots of calories. We’ve been trying to fatten your sister up.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Eggnog is fine.”

They went back to the living room and indulged in meaningless chitchat for about fifteen minutes before Heath rose and said, “I’ve still got a few presents to wrap and I’m sure you two would like to be alone for a while.”

Ann shot him a grateful glance and then turned back to her brother, who was watching her closely.

“He doesn’t have any presents to wrap, does he?” Tim said knowingly.

“I don’t think so.”

“Neither do I. You look very happy,” he said.

“I am.”

“That’s some great guy you’ve got there.”

“I know.”

“I was so humiliated about all of this that I didn’t even want to talk to him on the phone that first time. But he never acted judgmental about my problems, he just addressed what had to be done. Is he always like that?”

“Not always,” Ann said dryly.

Tim scratched the back of his neck, looking so much like their father for a moment that her heart skipped a beat. Tim had Henry Talbot’s patrician features and rangy build and just about all of his gestures, too.

“Heath must really be crazy about you,” Tim said.

Ann smiled.

“I mean, I know he didn’t jump into this feet-first and head up the rescue team just for me.”

Ann nodded.

“Ironic, isn’t it? Heath is bailing out the company, and the son, of the man who detested him. Somewhere in the wings the fates are laughing.”

“None of it seems very funny to me,” Ann replied, sighing. “How are you doing, anyway?”

Tim smiled ruefully. “One day at a time, as they say. I was doing pretty well, actually, until that bench warrant business. The thought of going back to jail really had me spooked.”

“I’m sorry about that, Tim. There was some legal mixup, it never should have happened—”

Tim held up his hand to stop her. “Don’t apologize to me, Annie. Everything bad that has happened in my life is my fault. That’s one of the things you learn in recovery—to take responsibility for your own actions. Sure, our dear daddy was a bastard and he let me know every minute of my life that I was a bitter disappointment to him. But he’s dead now, I’m alive, and I’ve got to clean up my mess. With the help of your husband, of course. And you.”

Ann leaned forward to pour him a glass of eggnog from the cut glass decanter on the table. “Timmy, why did you do it?” Ann said, handing her brother the drink. “I’ve never asked you but I’ve always wondered.”

“The gambling?”

“Yes.”

He sighed. “I guess you’ve got a right to know if anyone does. The answer is, I don’t fully understand it myself, not yet, anyway. It has something to do with the power I felt when I won, the power over my life that was so lacking when Dad was alive. I got hooked on that when I was just a kid.”

Ann nodded.

“The problem is you don’t always win, but you keep going back to get that kick, convinced that sooner or later it will happen again,” Tim went on. “And in the meantime, you’re losing. And I lost big. But part of the illness is, you’re always convinced that you will make that big score that will wipe out the loans and the debts and let you start over with a clean slate. And there’s plenty of scumbags around to feed that illusion while they’re plying you with perks and taking your money. It sucks you in, believe me.”

“You should have talked to me about it, Tim. You should have talked to somebody.”

He closed his eyes. “I know that now.” He opened them. “But when you’re in that whirlpool you really think you can handle it, that the next big win will be your last.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s an addiction, Annie. Why does a heroin addict keep sticking needles in his arms when his veins are collapsing and his skin is a mass of scabs and his last meal was a can of orange soda? Why does an alcoholic keep drinking when he’s bloated from liver failure and yellow with jaundice and can’t remember what he’s done for hours and days at time? It isn’t logical behavior, it’s an illness.”

Ann put her hand over his. “I’m sorry I asked you about it,” she said quietly. “Anyway that isn’t the point now, the point is to get you well.”

He bit his lip, not looking at her. “I’ll pay you back for what you’ve done for me, both of you. If I have to work at it for the rest of my life I promise I’ll pay you back.”

Ann squeezed his fingers. “Why don’t we just change the subject, okay? It’s Christmas, let’s have some Christmas cheer. Heath and I were just going to have a light supper. You’ll join us, okay?”

He looked up. “Okay.”

“And stay the night?”

He nodded.

“When can I unwrap that huge box and see what you brought me?” Ann asked.

He laughed. “After dinner.”

Ann got up to go into the kitchen and said, “Come on with me. You can help.”

Her brother followed her out of the room.

Chapter 10

“So Tim won’t have to go to trial at all?” Ann asked, watching Heath’s face.

“No. He’s pleading guilty to a lesser charge of embezzlement and mishandling of company funds.”

“What will he get for that?”

“Probably a suspended sentence in exchange for continuing with his twelve-step program and community service. And he’ll have to pay the money back, of course, but I’ll do that initially and then we can work out a payment schedule for him to reimburse me.”

Ann flung herself on Heath, knocking him off-balance and sending him into the bedroom wall.

“Hey, hey, take it easy,” he said, laughing and catching her in his arms. “It isn’t over quite yet, these legal procedures always go on forever, you know that. But things are definitely looking up for your brother.”

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

“I’m sure we can think of something,” he replied, bending her backward and kissing her neck. “Now, what time is your appointment with Dr. Langley?”

“Heath, I am going, don’t worry about it.”

“You’ve been saying that for two months. We discussed this at Christmas and it’s now February. You’re half finished with your book, you’ve done an outline projecting it into a series and you’ve redecorated the den. You’ve found time for all of these things but not for the ten-minute drive to Langley’s office. I’m beginning to wonder what’s going on here.”

“My appointment is for eleven, and after that I’m having lunch with Amy at La Crepe. Okay?”