table.
Brian was rising. She could see despite the indigo mirror reflection of his eyes that he had assessed the situation, and she was sure he was both, contemptuous and angry, knowing instinctively that Keith was her lover.
She was both angry and frightened. There was that dangerous quality to him now. How dare he condemn her? It had been twelve years. The days when a wife threw herself on top of a husband’s funeral pyre were long past.
She nervously extricated herself from Keith’s hold, trying nonchalantly to place herself between Keith and Brian.
“Uh, Brian, I’d like you to meet Keith Norman. Keith, this is Brian Trent.”
Keith’s mouth gaped open. “Brian Trent? But, uh—”
Brian was walking forward. She could no longer read anything from his eyes. To her surprise he extended his hand toward Keith. “Hi, Keith. Yes, I’m supposed to be dead. Just had a ridiculously hard time proving I’m not.”
Keith automatically shook the hand offered him, too stunned to speak. Brian withdrew his hand. He was smiling, and the smile was pleasant. But despite it, despite the low timbre of his voice, Kim was painfully aware that he was taut with tension, that he was controlling himself so smoothly with superhuman effort. Brian. Always so strong. Some things were innate; they never changed.
But she had changed, and she hadn’t had the chance to tell him that she loved this man and that she didn’t know what the hell to do now. She hadn’t told him that she didn’t know if she could still love him, as if love was only a memory, as if she could live as they had before.
She tried to breathe more easily. Twelve years had certainly wrought changes with him, too. Maybe she was no longer legally his wife, and he had other plans for himself. She would have to find out, and soon.
It was Brian who broke the frozen moment. “Hey, Jake, Joshua, why don’t you show me your room? And all those posters you were telling me about? I think your mother needs a few minutes to speak with Mr. Norman alone.”
The boys moved slowly and silently to obey. They both were eyeing Keith—Keith! The same man they had been encouraging her to marry—as if he had become a two-headed snake.
She and Keith both remained immobile, watching as the boys preceded Brian up the stairs.
Halfway up Brian stopped and turned politely. “By the way, Mr. Norman, my house is no longer for sale. My wife and I will have to take many things into consideration before making such a move.”
She was still frozen, but she felt as if a shaft of fire had streaked through her when the indigo tempest of his eyes briefly pierced hers. She was so cold yet terribly hot, burned. Of course. Brian was the sun. The sun was always hot. Too much sun always left one burned….
He nonchalantly started back up the stairway.
There was no longer anything to find out. She knew exactly what Brian wanted, exactly what he expected. But what did she want? Oh, dear God in heaven, what did she want?
She had changed, and he couldn’t walk in after twelve years and expect things to be the same. But that was exactly what he was doing.
CHAPTER THREE
A MAZEMENT REMAINED IN KEITH’S dark eyes as he turned to her. He looked like a man who had seen a ghost. Kim felt ridiculously like laughing. He had seen a ghost.
He finally started to stutter. “I don’t—I don’t get it. I’ve been to the cemetery with you and the boys. How in the hell—I’ve seen it, Kim! I’ve seen the damn military plaque.”
She sounded absurdly calm, maybe because Keith sounded hysterical. “I don’t really understand exactly what happened yet myself, Keith. It seems someone else is buried there. The identification was taken from his Air Force tags, you know.”
“But where—”
“Would you like to sit down and have some coffee, Keith?”
“No,” he muttered, “I’d like a drink.”
He followed her into the kitchen, and his arms slipped around her as she bent to the liquor cabinet. She
Brian was rising. She could see despite the indigo mirror reflection of his eyes that he had assessed the situation, and she was sure he was both, contemptuous and angry, knowing instinctively that Keith was her lover.
She was both angry and frightened. There was that dangerous quality to him now. How dare he condemn her? It had been twelve years. The days when a wife threw herself on top of a husband’s funeral pyre were long past.
She nervously extricated herself from Keith’s hold, trying nonchalantly to place herself between Keith and Brian.
“Uh, Brian, I’d like you to meet Keith Norman. Keith, this is Brian Trent.”
Keith’s mouth gaped open. “Brian Trent? But, uh—”
Brian was walking forward. She could no longer read anything from his eyes. To her surprise he extended his hand toward Keith. “Hi, Keith. Yes, I’m supposed to be dead. Just had a ridiculously hard time proving I’m not.”
Keith automatically shook the hand offered him, too stunned to speak. Brian withdrew his hand. He was smiling, and the smile was pleasant. But despite it, despite the low timbre of his voice, Kim was painfully aware that he was taut with tension, that he was controlling himself so smoothly with superhuman effort. Brian. Always so strong. Some things were innate; they never changed.
But she had changed, and she hadn’t had the chance to tell him that she loved this man and that she didn’t know what the hell to do now. She hadn’t told him that she didn’t know if she could still love him, as if love was only a memory, as if she could live as they had before.
She tried to breathe more easily. Twelve years had certainly wrought changes with him, too. Maybe she was no longer legally his wife, and he had other plans for himself. She would have to find out, and soon.
It was Brian who broke the frozen moment. “Hey, Jake, Joshua, why don’t you show me your room? And all those posters you were telling me about? I think your mother needs a few minutes to speak with Mr. Norman alone.”
The boys moved slowly and silently to obey. They both were eyeing Keith—Keith! The same man they had been encouraging her to marry—as if he had become a two-headed snake.
She and Keith both remained immobile, watching as the boys preceded Brian up the stairs.
Halfway up Brian stopped and turned politely. “By the way, Mr. Norman, my house is no longer for sale. My wife and I will have to take many things into consideration before making such a move.”
She was still frozen, but she felt as if a shaft of fire had streaked through her when the indigo tempest of his eyes briefly pierced hers. She was so cold yet terribly hot, burned. Of course. Brian was the sun. The sun was always hot. Too much sun always left one burned….
He nonchalantly started back up the stairway.
There was no longer anything to find out. She knew exactly what Brian wanted, exactly what he expected. But what did she want? Oh, dear God in heaven, what did she want?
She had changed, and he couldn’t walk in after twelve years and expect things to be the same. But that was exactly what he was doing.
CHAPTER THREE
A MAZEMENT REMAINED IN KEITH’S dark eyes as he turned to her. He looked like a man who had seen a ghost. Kim felt ridiculously like laughing. He had seen a ghost.
He finally started to stutter. “I don’t—I don’t get it. I’ve been to the cemetery with you and the boys. How in the hell—I’ve seen it, Kim! I’ve seen the damn military plaque.”
She sounded absurdly calm, maybe because Keith sounded hysterical. “I don’t really understand exactly what happened yet myself, Keith. It seems someone else is buried there. The identification was taken from his Air Force tags, you know.”
“But where—”
“Would you like to sit down and have some coffee, Keith?”
“No,” he muttered, “I’d like a drink.”
He followed her into the kitchen, and his arms slipped around her as she bent to the liquor cabinet. She
Similar Books
