by Geeta Kakade
Even as a child Margaret had avoided the restaurant for that reason. Later, as a teenager, she'd preferred catching a bus to Garrison to work in a fabric store there, rather than here in the diner. Now, what with the truck stop looming over everything in Inchwater and the hours she would put in behind the register, Margaret felt her memories were in danger of over exposure.
Gina picked up her bag and yawned. "Excuse me. I seem to be very sleepy lately. I'm glad you're helping out in the restaurant. I've stopped feeling guilty about leaving when the baby's born. Janet was worried that nobody’s answered her ad for a cashier."
"People like working in Garrison or Barstow better."
Gina nodded as she slid off the chair behind the register. "Janet said that's one of the reasons she converted the place to a self-service restaurant. This way she can manage with fewer employees."
Margaret took Gina's place behind the register, her attention already fixed on the customer waiting to pay his bill. The job wasn't hard. All one had to do was push the right buttons, and smile as one handed the change back. So far, no one had started a conversation with her which suited her though she’d noticed Gina always found something to talk about with each customer.
Margaret wondered if her Princess look did the trick for her. Her colleagues at the Edward Institute said that when she had it in place, they knew better than to bother her. Very few people knew the aloof look was made up of one part shyness, two parts nervousness.
Janet Hooper looked up as she heard a sound at the back door.
"Matt!" she greeted the visitor. "Did you smell my apple pie all the way to the truck stop?"
Cutting a huge piece of hot pie she slid it onto a plate. Putting a serving of homemade ice cream beside it she said, "Sit, and have that while I get your check. You haven't been around in a while."
"There's no hurry for the money, Janet," Matt said quickly.
Janet shook her head. "You were kind enough to give me an interest free loan when I needed it besides allowing me to repay you in easy installments. I'm not going to be lax about paying you back."
"Your niece left her scarf at the truck stop, and I just came by to return it," Matt said, sitting down and reaching for the pie.
Janet looked up from the check she was writing. "Margaret came by to see you? This wouldn't be about Timmy, would it?"
Matt nodded, but didn't elaborate.
Janet paused to take her glasses off and pinch the bridge of her nose. "She seemed unhappy when she got back. She's very close to Timmy. I knew it would upset Margaret to find out he was working at the truck stop. Did you tell her the boy Timmy had started hanging out with had a police record, and that you gave him the job just to get him away from that kid?"
Matt shook his head. "No."
Jan held the checkout to him. "Matt, I know I've never mentioned this before, but could you please not tell Margaret about the loan?"
"She won't hear about it from me, but why do you feel you have to shield her from the truth? You've had a very hard time this last year, and she's old enough to know about it." It was that look, Matt supposed. That little-girl-lost look had gotten to him as well.
Janet sat down and looked at him. "I'm not trying to shield her. If Margaret knows about the loan, she'll insist on withdrawing her savings and repaying you, and I don't want that."
"Your niece means a great deal to you, doesn't she Janet?" Matt said, recalling Janet Hooper's expression when she had told him Margaret was coming home for a visit.
Janet nodded, "Margaret's had a great deal of problems to confront all her life, Matt. With the exception of her brother and me, she has never let anyone matter to her. It's as if she doesn't want anything to distract her from taking care of Timmy."
Matt cleared his throat, wondering if Janet's opinion of her niece wasn't colored by her love for Margaret. "Doesn't she earn a good salary in Washington? She should be helping you out financially."
Janet stared at him in surprise. "Margaret is the most generous person in this family. She can't help me out because she took a loan to put herself through college, and she had to repay it as soon as she started working. The Edward Institute cannot afford to pay teachers during the summer, which is why Margaret usually finds another job to stretch her finances. Last year, she gave us this wonderful cruise as a Christmas gift because she knew I've always wanted to go on one. She's saving for Timmy's college now, so that he won't have to apply for financial aid like she did. She's always sending us things and..."
"Enough!" Matt held both hands up in a gesture of surrender. He knew when he had lost. It was obvious that in Janet's eyes her niece could do no wrong. He picked up the scarf. "I think I'll return this to her myself."
A sound at the door brought Margaret's head up. She stiffened. The huge frame in the doorway obliterated the light for a few seconds, long enough to start her heart thudding, before Matthew Magnum stepped forward.
"Your property, I believe."
He dropped the scarf in a heap on the counter, and Margaret stared at it mesmerized. The last time she'd seen it was when she'd worn it to her meeting with him.
"You left it behind in my office. It must have slid behind the desk. I found it this morning when a paper went over the edge."
Margaret felt her face grow hot. "Thank you for bringing it back." It hurt to be grateful to him, and the words stuck in her throat; but the Italian silk scarf had been a graduation present from Aunt Jan, and manners were important.
"I thought of something after you left the other day, and if you aren't too busy, maybe we could talk." His gaze shifted to a spot behind her, "Gina, could you take over and let Margaret have a break?"
Margaret turned her head to see Gina standing at her elbow, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry I took so long again Margaret. I fell asleep."
"Don't worry about it. You need the rest."
"I certainly got it, thanks to you."
"Margaret?" Matthew had collected two mugs from the counter and filled them with coffee.
Reluctantly, Margaret got to her feet.
Matt looked at her as she came out from behind the counter. One eyebrow lifted as he took in her denim shorts. He gave a silent whistle at the long, shapely legs below them and the way her clothes clung to her curves. Her hair was tied back, but curls escaped to frame her face and kiss the nape of her neck. Her gaze met his. Margaret looked away quickly, but not before he'd seen her reluctance to have anything to do with him.
He couldn't explain why he wanted to see her again. He could have given the scarf to Timmy or even left it with Janet, but since his meeting with her last week he hadn't been able to get his mind off Margaret Browning. He told himself he was concerned about Timmy, but it had been Margaret's face that had occupied his thoughts all week. He wanted to find out more about her, get past that tight self-control.
They slipped into one of the window booths, and Margaret watched Matthew Magnum put a spoonful of sugar and a little cream into one of the mugs, before placing it in front of her.
"Just how you like it."
Was that a teasing note she heard in his voice? "Thanks." The word came out stiff and awkward, the way she felt around him.
Picking up a teaspoon, Margaret stirred her coffee vigorously, wondering what he wanted to discuss. They had nothing in common, except Timmy. Strangely enough, a picture of Matthew Magnum's garden popped into her mind.
The prolonged silence forced her into an opening remark. "It's a nice day, isn't it?"
There was something so serious about her, so earnest. Had no one told Margaret Browning caring for oneself was as important as caring for others? Maybe, thought Matt, she needed help shedding the cocoon she had wrapped herself in all these years.
"It is a nice day," he said. "It was this morning, but we forgot to mention it then. It was nice yesterday, too. Forecast says it's going to be nice tomorrow as well."
Provoking someone was foreign to his nature, but when he saw the way the expression in her eyes chan
ge, Matt was glad. Margaret needed to be provoked right out of her tight little shell.
He definitely was laughing at her. Margaret felt her face tighten as he leaned toward her and said, "I came to apologize, Margaret."
"Apologize?" she said coolly.
"For my remark about you being a prodigal. I was under the mistaken impression that you could help Janet financially, but chose not to. I had no call to make such assumptions, but I did, and I'm sorry."
Margaret stared at him, more impressed by the apology than she had been by anything else about Matthew Magnum. Admitting one's mistakes took courage. Most people she knew would rather ignore them than admit to them.
"It doesn't matter," she said stiffly. What mattered was that he had been absolutely right in the other things he had said. She did want to nudge Timmy toward a safe job.
As if he read her thoughts Magnum asked, "Have you had time to think about the discussion we had?"
Margaret's temper blazed. "That was no discussion. You lectured and I listened, but that doesn't mean I agreed with everything you said. I'm not going to let you brainwash me. I love Timmy and want what's best for him."
"What you think is best for him," corrected Magnum. "Janet mentioned you care so deeply about Timmy that you won't let a man near enough to distract you from your duty toward your brother. What do you plan, Margaret? To wait till Tim is safely married to someone you introduce him to, before thinking of your own future?"
Margaret took a deep breath. This man wasn't simply encroaching on her personal space. He was submerged, neck deep, in the middle of it. Attack was sometimes the best form of defense. "Isn't it very boring for you here in Inchwater, Mr. Magnum?" she said. "Is that why you are taking such a personal interest in my life?"
"Call me Matt, Margaret and no, Inchwater is a lot of things, but I wouldn't call it boring."
"What would you call it?"
The hand that came up to cover hers made Margaret aware she was still stirring her coffee. She swallowed as the hand was casually removed and Matthew Magnum said, "I like the solitude, the away-from-it-all atmosphere."
"There's nothing to do here."
"Is that why you stayed away for so long, Margaret, except for your brief visits at Christmas?"
He did know their entire family history. She dropped her gaze to her cup. "Work kept me away."
"Strange. Work is exactly what brought me here."
"How long will you be staying?"
She expected anger at her blunt question. Instead he gave her a whimsical smile. "That would be a very flattering question; if you could only look a little wistful while you asked it."
Angry with the way her heart responded to the intensity in Magnum's green eyes, Margaret snapped, "Why? I'm not some gullible idiot and I’m not taken in by your smooth talk, Mr. Magnum."
"Pity," Matthew Magnum stood, placed a tip beside his mug, and glanced at her. "I would certainly like to take you in, Margaret Browning. Very much. I think we would both learn a great deal in the process. See you around."
He was gone before she'd cleared the shock from her system enough to find her voice.
I would certainly like to take you in, Margaret Browning.
She drew in a deep breath. Why that... that...wolf! He surely didn't think she was going to be overpowered by his looks and charm, as Timmy had been, did he?
Matt left, deep in thought. Had he carried the teasing a little too far? The flash of fear he had seen in her eyes at his last comment had shaken him. Helping Margaret Browning put herself first was one thing, but he'd better be careful he didn't get tangled up in the web of plans he was spinning. There was something about her melted chocolate eyes that got to him in a way nothing else ever had.
Two days later Margaret entered the restaurant at noon, took one look at Gina, and said, "Gina, what's wrong?"
But she knew. There was a line of sweat on Gina's forehead, and the hand that clamped down on hers was icy cold.
"It's Junior. He wants out."
Stay calm, Margaret.
"Are you sure?" Wasn't there such a thing as false labor, and how did one tell the difference?
Gina nodded. "I've had slight contractions all morning. I ignored them because I'm not due yet, but they're strong and unmistakable now.”
"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine," Margaret said automatically. "I'll drive you to the hospital and stay with you till Jack gets there. Ben," she flung at the boy behind the counter, "Get Aunt Janet."
Her aunt took over at once, asking Gina questions about contractions and water, while Margaret ran out to the Volkswagen the family used for errands. She'd better start it, before she got Gina into it. Sometimes the old engine refused to cooperate.
"Come on! Come on! Don't go temperamental on us now," Margaret urged as the car remained stubbornly unresponsive.
"Need a ride somewhere?"
She looked at the shadow that fell across her. She might have known the omnipotent Matthew Magnum would be at hand. Still, this wasn't the time to let personal feelings get in the way. "It's Gina. She's in labor, and Beelzebub won't start."
"Beelzebub?"
She was already out, shutting the door. "The car," she said impatiently. "Where's yours? Can you take Gina to Garrison Community Hospital?"
"Over there."
His car was parked next to hers. Beside the silver grey lines of the Lincoln Continental, Beelzebub looked like an aged bumblebee with its bright yellow body and black hood. "I'll get Gina."
"Whoa!" The hand on her shoulder burned her skin. "I'm not taking the lady in alone. Someone has to ride with us in case she decides to give birth en route."
About to argue that Gina would do no such thing, Margaret stopped. She didn't know enough to assure him that wouldn’t happen.
"I'll come," she snapped, hurrying in.
For a moment, she toyed with the idea of asking Aunt Jan to go in her place. Aunt Jan, who had been with their mother both at Margaret's and Timmy's births, knew all about having babies. Margaret opened her mouth and closed it again. It wasn't a feasible idea. The lunch rush was still on, and by four, early diners would be stopping in. With Gina away, Aunt Jan was the only other person who could run the Inner Man.
"There's nothing to worry about," Aunt Jan told them all as she helped Gina out to the car. "The contractions are a good twenty minutes apart, and it takes only ten minutes to get to Garrison."
Margaret slipped into the back seat beside Gina, held her hand, and tried to sound positive, "You're going to be fine."
Face pale, Gina rested her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes. "I only wish Jack wasn't out of town."
Margaret froze. Did Gina mean out of town, as in wouldn't-be-here-to help? Aunt Jan hadn't mentioned anyone else in Gina's family. Which left her, Margaret, as the last resort?
She blinked rapidly. As last resort, she definitely wasn't in the running for any prizes.
CHAPTER FOUR
"Where is Jack?" Matthew Magnum threw Gina a glance over his shoulder.
Gina's breath caught in her throat as pain washed through her like a wave.
"Short shallow breaths," Margaret instructed, hoping it was the right thing to do at this stage of labor. It was what people said on television shows anyway.
As Gina relaxed, Matthew Magnum said again, "Do you know which run Jack is on?"
"Barstow to Vegas."
"I see."
Margaret stared at the back of Matthew Magnum's dark head, resisting the urge to hit him. She doubted if he saw anything. Not Gina's need to have her husband with her. Not her own terror and ignorance.
This, she wanted to scream at him, is what happens to men who become truckers. Their families suffer, their wives give birth alone and afraid. Now, do you see why I don't want this kind of life for Timmy?
If looks could kill, Matthew Magnum would have fallen down dead right there, but they couldn't, so the car continued to purr smoothly as it covered the distance between In
chwater and Garrison.
Gina shifted, and then said, her voice fraught with worry, "The baby's early. I hope he's going to be fine."
"How early?" Matthew Magnum asked.
"Two weeks." There was a quaver of fear in Gina's voice.
"Probably just a slight miscalculation of when you actually became pregnant. Same thing happened to one of my sisters."
He sounded very confident, but then he wasn't the one having the baby, was he?
Margaret knew she was the most nervous of the three. This was the first time she had seen anyone in labor. She was trained to face emergencies calmly. She could handle a schoolyard fight, cut knees, even a broken hand. But this...this was something so different, she had no idea if she had what it took to help Gina. Scarlet O'Hara, she was definitely not.
Margaret looked up straight into Matthew Magnum's eyes. Watchful, smiling, reassuring. He winked at her in the rear view mirror, and she felt her face grow hot.
"Gina, when was your last check-up?"
Matt's calm attitude had the right effect on Gina. She gave a small smile and said, "I saw Dr. Reddy last Thursday. He said everything looked fine."
"There, you see?" he said reassuringly. "There's nothing to worry about."
Gina sat up suddenly. "Oh, no! I forgot all about picking up my suitcase and the baby's bag from the apartment."
"I'll pick them up once we have you settled in hospital." He pulled up at the Emergency entrance and said. "Wait here while I get someone to bring out a wheelchair.
"The water hasn't broken," Gina fretted aloud as they waited.
What, Margaret wondered helplessly, happened if the water didn't break?
Matt took care of filling in the forms as Gina supplied the information, and then Gina was wheeled away with Margaret trotting anxiously beside her. Matt decided to pick up Gina's things and return quickly. He had a feeling both women would need him in the next few hours.
A nurse came forward, and Gina's grip on Margaret's hand tightened. "Don't leave me."
