week.”
“You might work it out,” came the quiet reply.
Dani wouldn’t look at her friend. “He makes his living risking his life, Harrie,” she said. “I can’t spend mine worrying about him. I’d rather get out while I still can.”
“I suppose you know your own mind,” Harriett said, shrugging. “But when you decide to go adventuring, you sure go whole hog, don’t you? Marrying strangers, overpowering hijackers…”
She went away muttering, and Dani smiled at her retreating back. Yes, she’d had an adventure all right. But now it was over, and she’d better tuck her bittersweet memories away in a trunk and get on with her life. The first step was to put Dutch out of her mind forever. The second was to stop reading the newspaper. From now on, every time she learned about a small foreign war, she’d see him.
Of course, it wasn’t that easy. In the weeks that followed, everything conspired to remind her of him. Especially Harriett, who became heartily suspicious when Dani began losing her breakfast.
“It’s the curse of Montezuma,” Dani said shortly, glaring at her friend from a pasty face as she came out of the bathroom with a wet paper towel at her mouth.
“It’s the curse of the flying Dutchman,” came the dry reply.
Dani laughed in spite of herself, but it was brief. “I am not pregnant.”
“I had a miscarriage,” Harriett said quietly. “But I’ve never forgotten how it felt, or how I looked. You’re white as a sheet, you tire so easily it isn’t funny, and your stomach stays upset no matter what you do.”
It was the same thing Dani had been dreading, hoping, terrified to admit. But she’d arrived at the same conclusion Harriett had. She sat down on the stool behind the counter with a weary sigh.
“You crazy child, didn’t you even think about contraceptives?” Harriett moaned, hugging her.
Harriett, only four years her senior, sometimes seemed twice that. Dani let the tears come. She wept so easily these days. Last night a story on the news about guerrilla action in Africa had set her off when she spotted a blond head among some troops. Now, Harriett’s concern was doing it, too.
“I’m pregnant,” Dani whispered shakily.
“Yes, I know.”
“Oh, Harrie, I’m scared stiff,” she said, clutching the older woman. “I don’t know anything about babies.”
“There, there, Miss Scarlett, I doesn’t know anything about birthin’ babies my own self, but we’ll muddle through somehow.” She drew away, smiling with a genuine affection. “I’ll take care of you.” She searched Dani’s eyes. “Do you want to have it?”
Dani shuddered. “I saw a film once, about how babies develop.” She put her hand slowly, tenderly, to her flat abdomen. “They showed what happened when a pregnancy is terminated.” She looked up. “I cried for hours.”
“Sometimes it’s for the best,” Harriett said gently.
“In some circumstances,” she agreed. “But I’ll never see it as a casual answer to contraception. And as for me,” she said shifting restlessly, “I…want his baby.” She clasped her arms around herself with a tiny smile. “I wonder if he’ll be blond?” she mused.
“He may be a she,” came the dry reply.
“That’s all right. I like little girls.” She sighed dreamily. “Isn’t it amazing? Having a tiny life inside you, feeling it grow?”
“Yes,” Harriett said wistfully. “It was the happiest time of my life.”
Dani looked up and smiled. “You can share mine.”
Harriett, tougher than nails, grew teary-eyed. She turned quickly away before Dani could see that vulnerability. “Of course I can. Right now you need to get to a doctor and see how far along you are.”
“I already know,” Dani said, remembering the morning in Dutch’s room, the exquisite tenderness of that brief loving. “I know.”
“You’ll need vitamins,” Harriett continued. “And a proper diet.”
“And baby clothes and a baby bed…” Dani was
“You might work it out,” came the quiet reply.
Dani wouldn’t look at her friend. “He makes his living risking his life, Harrie,” she said. “I can’t spend mine worrying about him. I’d rather get out while I still can.”
“I suppose you know your own mind,” Harriett said, shrugging. “But when you decide to go adventuring, you sure go whole hog, don’t you? Marrying strangers, overpowering hijackers…”
She went away muttering, and Dani smiled at her retreating back. Yes, she’d had an adventure all right. But now it was over, and she’d better tuck her bittersweet memories away in a trunk and get on with her life. The first step was to put Dutch out of her mind forever. The second was to stop reading the newspaper. From now on, every time she learned about a small foreign war, she’d see him.
Of course, it wasn’t that easy. In the weeks that followed, everything conspired to remind her of him. Especially Harriett, who became heartily suspicious when Dani began losing her breakfast.
“It’s the curse of Montezuma,” Dani said shortly, glaring at her friend from a pasty face as she came out of the bathroom with a wet paper towel at her mouth.
“It’s the curse of the flying Dutchman,” came the dry reply.
Dani laughed in spite of herself, but it was brief. “I am not pregnant.”
“I had a miscarriage,” Harriett said quietly. “But I’ve never forgotten how it felt, or how I looked. You’re white as a sheet, you tire so easily it isn’t funny, and your stomach stays upset no matter what you do.”
It was the same thing Dani had been dreading, hoping, terrified to admit. But she’d arrived at the same conclusion Harriett had. She sat down on the stool behind the counter with a weary sigh.
“You crazy child, didn’t you even think about contraceptives?” Harriett moaned, hugging her.
Harriett, only four years her senior, sometimes seemed twice that. Dani let the tears come. She wept so easily these days. Last night a story on the news about guerrilla action in Africa had set her off when she spotted a blond head among some troops. Now, Harriett’s concern was doing it, too.
“I’m pregnant,” Dani whispered shakily.
“Yes, I know.”
“Oh, Harrie, I’m scared stiff,” she said, clutching the older woman. “I don’t know anything about babies.”
“There, there, Miss Scarlett, I doesn’t know anything about birthin’ babies my own self, but we’ll muddle through somehow.” She drew away, smiling with a genuine affection. “I’ll take care of you.” She searched Dani’s eyes. “Do you want to have it?”
Dani shuddered. “I saw a film once, about how babies develop.” She put her hand slowly, tenderly, to her flat abdomen. “They showed what happened when a pregnancy is terminated.” She looked up. “I cried for hours.”
“Sometimes it’s for the best,” Harriett said gently.
“In some circumstances,” she agreed. “But I’ll never see it as a casual answer to contraception. And as for me,” she said shifting restlessly, “I…want his baby.” She clasped her arms around herself with a tiny smile. “I wonder if he’ll be blond?” she mused.
“He may be a she,” came the dry reply.
“That’s all right. I like little girls.” She sighed dreamily. “Isn’t it amazing? Having a tiny life inside you, feeling it grow?”
“Yes,” Harriett said wistfully. “It was the happiest time of my life.”
Dani looked up and smiled. “You can share mine.”
Harriett, tougher than nails, grew teary-eyed. She turned quickly away before Dani could see that vulnerability. “Of course I can. Right now you need to get to a doctor and see how far along you are.”
“I already know,” Dani said, remembering the morning in Dutch’s room, the exquisite tenderness of that brief loving. “I know.”
“You’ll need vitamins,” Harriett continued. “And a proper diet.”
“And baby clothes and a baby bed…” Dani was
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