usually did, it could have been much worse.
Her relief camel at seven on Saturday, but she had to stay another hour to help with a traffic
accident.
When she got home, she ate breakfast, showered, and fell into bed at nine. No time to herself, no
time to reflect, to think things over properly, to spend time with Tim. Something had to change.
She slept like the dead until her radio alarm went off at five o'clock. Mary rolled onto her back
and stared at the ceiling, while the late-afternoon sun streamed across her' bed and the disc
jockey on the radio promised good weather for the rest of the weekend.
Good weather, she thought fuzzily. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed full of dry cotton. That's
supposed to mean something.
" ... and it's the last night of the county fair, folks, so get on out there and enjoy!" crowed the
radio. The fair. Chance. Six o'clock. Oh, God! She only had an hour to get ready. She leapt out of
bed and
raced toward her bathroom.
She dressed sensibly in jeans and sneakers, a bright red paisley sleeveless top with a scalloped
neckline and a matching bow at the nape of the neck. Some red lipstick and she was ready.
Forty-five minutes later she was wandering restlessly around the first floor pretending to find
small tasks to occupy herself with. She straightened the already-neat books on three shelves in
the library, carefully. inspected all the plants in the sun-room. Janice always kept them well, and
they were in fine shape, but gardening was another thing she missed having time for-and was
alphabetizing the spices in the kitchen when the doorbell rang.
She raced for the door, collided with Tim in the front hall, and abruptly realized what she was
doing. "Go on, get the door," she told her bewildered brother, and pivoted to run into the study,
where her grandfather was watching a movie on PBS. "Hi, Grampa," she said breathlessly as she
skidded to a stop and perched on the arm of his chair.
Chance and Tim were talking in the hall. Wallis squinted up at Mary with a frown. "Done
inspecting the house?" he said gruffly.
Her cheeks pinkened. Footsteps approached.
"What're you watching?"
"Not gonna answer, huh?" he muttered. "I want to meet this young man who's got Tim so
talkative and you so flustered."
"I'm not flustered. Don't you dare say that to anybody," she hissed in his ear as Chance and Tim
appeared in the doorway. She changed the whisper into a kiss on the cheek. Wallis grunted with
laughter, patting her hand, and they both turned to the new arrival.
Chance had a companionable arm draped around Tim's shoulders. He was dressed in tight. faded
jeans, as well, with a forest green shirt rolled up at the sleeves. The color brought out the
burnished gold of his hair and deepened the richness of his tan.
His gaze winged to her immediately, and he smiled slowly. He was so lazily, prowlingly sexy the
breath whoofed out of her in a silent rush as she smiled back.
Tim was laughing at something he'd said. Wallis gripped the arm of his chair, eyes glittering, and
barked out, "So, young man. You want to take my granddaughter out tonight, do you? What have
you got to say for yourself?"
Mary's head snapped around and she stared at her grandfather in surprise. He'd never acted so
bristly with Victor. What had gotten into him? "Grampa!"
Wallis looked at her unrepentantly, "What?"
A dancing light had entered Chance's eyes. Suddenly he looked devilish, unpredictable. He
drawled, "Why; I say that I'm looking forward to having a good time tonight. Hi, Mary. You look
great. Nice to meet you, Mr. Newman. I've heard good things about you."
"Hmph! I've heard things about you, too." Wallis's eyes narrowed, and he said pointedly, "Harold
Schubert and I had quite a conversation the other night. Can't say I like everything he told me."
Oh, God, Mary thought worriedly, Grampa's heard the rumours. This could turn ugly.
Chance appeared to be unaffected by the cross fire, however, as
Her relief camel at seven on Saturday, but she had to stay another hour to help with a traffic
accident.
When she got home, she ate breakfast, showered, and fell into bed at nine. No time to herself, no
time to reflect, to think things over properly, to spend time with Tim. Something had to change.
She slept like the dead until her radio alarm went off at five o'clock. Mary rolled onto her back
and stared at the ceiling, while the late-afternoon sun streamed across her' bed and the disc
jockey on the radio promised good weather for the rest of the weekend.
Good weather, she thought fuzzily. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed full of dry cotton. That's
supposed to mean something.
" ... and it's the last night of the county fair, folks, so get on out there and enjoy!" crowed the
radio. The fair. Chance. Six o'clock. Oh, God! She only had an hour to get ready. She leapt out of
bed and
raced toward her bathroom.
She dressed sensibly in jeans and sneakers, a bright red paisley sleeveless top with a scalloped
neckline and a matching bow at the nape of the neck. Some red lipstick and she was ready.
Forty-five minutes later she was wandering restlessly around the first floor pretending to find
small tasks to occupy herself with. She straightened the already-neat books on three shelves in
the library, carefully. inspected all the plants in the sun-room. Janice always kept them well, and
they were in fine shape, but gardening was another thing she missed having time for-and was
alphabetizing the spices in the kitchen when the doorbell rang.
She raced for the door, collided with Tim in the front hall, and abruptly realized what she was
doing. "Go on, get the door," she told her bewildered brother, and pivoted to run into the study,
where her grandfather was watching a movie on PBS. "Hi, Grampa," she said breathlessly as she
skidded to a stop and perched on the arm of his chair.
Chance and Tim were talking in the hall. Wallis squinted up at Mary with a frown. "Done
inspecting the house?" he said gruffly.
Her cheeks pinkened. Footsteps approached.
"What're you watching?"
"Not gonna answer, huh?" he muttered. "I want to meet this young man who's got Tim so
talkative and you so flustered."
"I'm not flustered. Don't you dare say that to anybody," she hissed in his ear as Chance and Tim
appeared in the doorway. She changed the whisper into a kiss on the cheek. Wallis grunted with
laughter, patting her hand, and they both turned to the new arrival.
Chance had a companionable arm draped around Tim's shoulders. He was dressed in tight. faded
jeans, as well, with a forest green shirt rolled up at the sleeves. The color brought out the
burnished gold of his hair and deepened the richness of his tan.
His gaze winged to her immediately, and he smiled slowly. He was so lazily, prowlingly sexy the
breath whoofed out of her in a silent rush as she smiled back.
Tim was laughing at something he'd said. Wallis gripped the arm of his chair, eyes glittering, and
barked out, "So, young man. You want to take my granddaughter out tonight, do you? What have
you got to say for yourself?"
Mary's head snapped around and she stared at her grandfather in surprise. He'd never acted so
bristly with Victor. What had gotten into him? "Grampa!"
Wallis looked at her unrepentantly, "What?"
A dancing light had entered Chance's eyes. Suddenly he looked devilish, unpredictable. He
drawled, "Why; I say that I'm looking forward to having a good time tonight. Hi, Mary. You look
great. Nice to meet you, Mr. Newman. I've heard good things about you."
"Hmph! I've heard things about you, too." Wallis's eyes narrowed, and he said pointedly, "Harold
Schubert and I had quite a conversation the other night. Can't say I like everything he told me."
Oh, God, Mary thought worriedly, Grampa's heard the rumours. This could turn ugly.
Chance appeared to be unaffected by the cross fire, however, as
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