He found her at the counter, her shoulders stiff with tension as she sliced tomatoes. He knew she had overheard the conversation in the living room. Colby went up to her from behind, put his arms around her and gently removed the knife from her fingers.
“Relax, honey. You’re going to give yourself a permanent manicure at the rate you’re going.“
“Colby, I can’t go back in there.“
“Don’t be an idiot,“ he said affectionately. His arms still around her, he used the knife to finish slicing the tomato.
“Of course you can go back in there. What’s more, you will go back in there.“
“They’ll find out the truth,“ she wailed softly. “Sooner or later everyone will know.“
“What will they know?“
“That history is repeating itself, that you’re marrying me because I accidentally got pregnant. Everyone in Fulbrook Corners will be gossiping soon. How could you tell Evelyn about wanting to start another family right away?
She’s bound to guess the truth.“
Colby cut off the muddled protest with a quick, hard kiss. “Hush. Now listen to me and listen good. First, you and I will be long gone from here before anyone knows you’re pregnant. We’re only here for the summer, remember? In another few weeks, we’ll be out of here. Second, you are a mature woman, not an eighteen-year-old girl. I would greatly appreciate it if you would start acting like the adult you are. I’m not going to let you cower in the kitchen.“
“I am not cowering.“
He ignored that. “Third, the Thorps are good people. They won’t spread gossip. Fourth, this may come as a shock to you, Diana, but if you were to announce your pregnancy to them tonight, the Thorps would assume it was a planned event based on the fact that we look as if we’re old enough to know what we’re doing.“
She glared at him from beneath her lashes. “You mean at our ages we’re not supposed to make that kind of mistake?“
“Exactly.“
“But we did make that kind of mistake. We got carried away that night in Chained Lady Cave, and we took a reckless chance. Just like a couple of teenage kids.“
Colby put down the knife and spun her around in his arms. He caught her face between his palms. “Stop calling it a mistake. Do you understand me, Diana? From now on I don’t want to hear you ever again refer to what happened that night as an accident or a miscalculation or a mistake. You’re pregnant, and we’re getting married, and that’s all there is to it. We’re not going to waste time looking back at what might have been. Agreed?“
She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. “You’re right,“ she said, her husky voice a little unsteady as she made an obvious effort to take hold of herself. “There’s no point looking back. What’s done is done.“
“And you can stop acting so damned melodramatic about the whole thing while you’re at it,“ Colby ordered crisply. “W»‘re not the first couple to find themselves in this kind of situation, and we won’t be the last.“
“Oh, that’s a tremendous comfort,“ she snapped back, showing a spark of her usual spirit.
Colby grinned wickedly. “I thought you’d appreciate having the situation put in perspective. Just remember you’re not in this alone. I keep telling you I know what I’m doing. I’ll take care of everything. Just leave it all to me.“
She looked at the buttons of his shirt with a thoughtful expression. “I haven’t thanked you for asking me to marry you,“ she said humbly.
“Probably because I didn’t ask you. As I recall, I told you we were getting married. I didn’t get down on my knees and beg.“
She looked at him with misty eyes. “True, but it was still very, well, noble of you and I want you to know I really do appreciate your gallantry. I don’t know any other man who would have insisted on seeing this through with me.“
Her gratitude annoyed him. “There isn’t any other man who would see this through with you because the baby you’re carrying doesn’t belong to any other man. It’s my baby. Our baby. So we’ll see it through together. Now stop making a federal case out of the whole matter and start worrying about the rice.“
Her eyes opened wide and she sniffed cautiously. “Oh my God, the rice.“ She freed herself from his arms and raced over to the ancient stove.
“I’ll let the Thorps know we’re ready to eat.“ Colby started for the door, satisfied that Diana’s attention was now focused on the practical matter of dinner. For a calm, cool and collected businesswoman, she was sure having trouble accepting the inevitable.
As far as he was concerned, the more he thought about the whole thing, the more it all did seem inevitable and right. Besides, Diana was going to look cute pregnant.
This time around it might be fun to have a little girl, Colby decided with a small grin.
Ten minutes later Colby had everyone seated at the battered oak table in the kitchen. The conversation had shifted to more innocuous subjects, and Diana seemed to have herself back in hand again. Colby felt an odd rush of pride as he watched her cope with their guests and the details of the small dinner party.
It was hard to believe that at one time he had thought she was all wrong for him. The last thing he needed, he had told himself, was an arrogant, self-contained, tough-as-nails career woman. But Diana had proven to be very sweet and soft and surprisingly vulnerable beneath her cool, controlled exterior. She had never needed a man in her life, but she was beginning to realize she needed Colby Savagar. Colby intended to make sure she understood that.
It was only fair because lately he had begun to realize just how much he needed her.
“Did you get that business with the pranks settled, Colby?“ Gil asked as he helped himself to a heaping plate of the stir-fried vegetables Diana had prepared.
“What pranks?“ Evelyn asked curiously.
Colby frowned. “Some creep was playing practical jokes on Diana.“
“I hate practical jokers,“ Evelyn said with a shudder.
“So do I,“ Diana agreed. “This particular joker was duplicating scenes out of one of Colby’s books.“
“Which book?“ Evelyn demanded.
Diana took a bite of rice. “Shock Value.“
“Oh, yes. I read that one.“ Evelyn’s eyes lit up.
“You and everyone else in town, apparently,“ Diana said with a smile.