Foxfire Light

by Janet Dailey

That wasn’t an easy question to answer. “She’s . . . sophisticated, beautiful. . . very self-confident . . . and”—Joanna paused, one corner of her mouth lifting at a wry angle—“and determined to have her own way in nearly everything.” She looked at him. “Why?”

  But Linc didn’t directly respond to her question, remarking instead, “I imagine she celebrates special occasions with champagne dinners.”

  “She does,” Joanna admitted and defended it. “Barbeques are fun, but you have to admit they aren’t exactly romantic.”

  An eyebrow lifted in silent skepticism. “I guess that depends on whether you are the barbeque or champagne type.” He picked up his hat.

  Joanna gave him a startled look. “Are you leaving now?”

  “Yes.”

  “But—” How could he?

  “You need to give some thought to which type you are—barbeque or champagne.” Linc stated quietly and adjusted the hat low on his forehead. “Good night, Joanna.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Her sandaled feet lightly skimmed over the steps as Joanna hurried downstairs. There was no sign of Reece in the living room. She scanned the doorways for a clue to his whereabouts.

  “Reece! Are you ready to pick up Rachel?” she called and started across the living room to expand her search for him. “Not yet,” he answered, but Joanna couldn’t place the direction of his voice. “I’m on the porch, having a cup of coffee. Come join me.”

  With that information, she altered her course to walk to the screen door facing the lake. As she pushed it open, she saw him seated in one of the wicker chairs. A water-cooled breeze drifted in from the lake, but the late morning was turning warm and somnolent.

  She let the screen door shut and advanced toward her uncle. The white slacks and knit shirt of navy blue enhanced his dark good looks and his trimly masculine build.

  “When are you leaving to pick up Rachel?” she asked.

  “I didn’t plan to leave for another twenty minutes. Why?” His glance was mildly curious.

  “I told Linc we’d be there a little early,” she explained.

  “Certainly.” He nodded and would have added more but a noise intruded on nature’s stillness. They exchanged questioning looks.

  “It sounds like a car just drove in. I’ll go see who it is,” Joanna said and turned to the screen door.

  There was a vaguely puzzled frown in her expression as she entered the cabin. Since the road came to a dead end a quarter mile further, they didn’t get passing traffic or the idle sightseer stopping to ask for directions.

  As she crossed the room, she heard the idling of a car motor out front and the slam of a door. The front door was open to allow cross-ventilation but the dark mesh of its screen door didn’t give Joanna a clear view outside until she was all the way to the door.

  Her eyes widened in surprised shock at the sight of the slimly elegant woman approaching the cabin. Dressed in an expensive beige suit and a brightly striped silk blouse, she was the epitome of breezy sophistication. Her artfully bleached blonde hair was a shade lighter than Joanna’s sun-streaked hair and styled in a loose coil. She was tanned to a golden color that took years off her age.

  “Mother!” Joanna finally found her voice and the strength to open the screen door. “How did you get here?” It was a ridiculous question since the taxi was just now reversing out of the drive.

  “After that ride, a pack train couldn’t have been more uncomfortable.” There was a stinging acidity to her dry answer.

  “What are you doing here?” Joanna was still trying to recover from the astonishment of her mother’s unexpected appearance. “Why didn’t you let us know you were coming?”

  “Isn’t it obvious that I came to see you and find out for myself just what’s going on here?” her mother challenged and handed Joanna the camel-brown weekender bag she was carrying. As she entered the cabin, her disdainful glance made a sweep of the surroundings. “I must admit I’m finding it difficult to see what it is you find to like about this place. After two weeks, I would be bored to tears. There’s nothing but hills and trees; the roads were wretched—”

  Her bronze-tinted lips were parted to add more disparaging remarks, but she stopped, distracted by something she saw. As her expression slowly changed to an aloof and challenging smile, Joanna looked around to see the “something” was Reece.

  “Hello, Reece.” There was a silken smoothness to her mother’s greeting. “Surprised to see me?”

  A brittle tension crackled through the room as the pair faced each other, familiar antagonists meeting again. There was a silent weighing of each other before Reece smoothly crossed the room to greet her.

  “I wasn’t expecting you but I truly can’t say that I’m surprised to see you.” He kissed the smooth cheek she offered him.

  “Joanna tells me that congratulations are in order.” She arched him a look of amusement. “I always thought you were too clever to be caught. Who would have thought a hillbilly would succeed in snaring you when so many have tried? I’m definitely looking forward to meeting your ’Daisy Mae’ while I’m here.”

  Joanna stiffened at her mother’s thinly disguised insults of Reece’s choice for a wife, masked only by a taunting smile and the amusement in her softly cultured voice. Except for the hardening Linc of his smile, Reece gave no other outward indication that her mother’s barbed references to Rachel had inflicted any damage.

  “I have the feeling Rachel will find it as much of a pleasure as you do.” He easily parried her remarks with a jibe of his own. Joanna saw the flash of irritation in her mother’s eyes that he hadn’t risen to the bait, but the fire was quickly banked. “As a matter of fact, I have to leave shortly to pick up Rachel. A friend of ours is having a party for us this afternoon to celebrate our engagement.”

  “I believe Joanna made some reference to that when I talked to her on the phone the other evening.” Her mother pretended to vaguely recall the reference to the barbeque. “I suppose it will be one of those homespun affairs with all the grannies and the kissin’ cousins there. Do you suppose they’ll mind if I attend? I wouldn’t want to miss it.”

  “Linc would not object at all,” Reece assured her without blinking an eye.

  “I suppose that was a silly question. After all, country people are known for their hospitality.” Instead of making that a trait to be admired, she managed to imply it was quaintly stupid.

  Joanna was finding it difficult to keep her temper in the face of all these snide references to the questionable worth of the Ozark natives. Aware that her attitude had been initially the same, regarding them as country bumpkins, she held her silence.

  “When did you arrive, Mother?” Joanna couldn’t recall that there had been an early flight scheduled from California.

  “Late last night. I’m certainly glad I spent the night in a hotel instead of coming directly here. The taxi would never have been able to find this place in the dark. He charged me extra just for traveling over these roads in the daylight.” She again implied her disdain for the location.

  “You should have phoned from the airport. We would have picked you up,” Joanna replied, “and saved you from paying a taxi to come all this way.”

  “And spoil my surprise?” she countered. “That would have taken the fun out of it.” She brought her attention back to Reece. “I have to confess I was curious why you have kept coming here year after year. Now that I’ve seen it, I’m still baffled over what attracts you to this place. “

  “Perhaps because there is nothing artificial here,” Reece suggested. “Not the scenery or the people.”

  Joanna flashed a quick glance at her mother to see her reaction to his insinuation that she was phony. There was the faintest crack in her mother’s smiling expression, a whisper of indication in the softly indrawn breath.

  Then Reece was inclining his head in mock deference to her mother and excusing himself. “I must let Rachel know I have been delayed a few minutes.”

  �
�She has you jumping through hoops already, doesn’t she?” her mother mocked at his retreating back as Reece walked toward the study. With Reece gone from the room, she stopped trying to hide her intense displeasure behind the mask of a false smile. “He may have gotten himself engaged to this country yokel, but he’ll never marry her.”

  “Mother, you aren’t being fair. You haven’t even met Rachel•,” Joanna protested impatiently with her mother’s superior attitude.

  “Rachel. Even her name sounds common,” her mother declared in contempt. Aware the remark had spurred Joanna’s temper, her mother pressed a hand to her forehead as if in pain. “Please, Joanna, I’m not in the mood to argue. After bouncing all over that road, my head is pounding. Does this rustic little hideaway possess a bathroom where I could freshen up after that dusty drive? God, how I dread traveling over that again. My nerves are shot.”

  Smothering her anger, Joanna turned toward the stairs. “I’ll show you to my room in the loft. It has a private bath.” She passed on the information in a curt voice. “We’ll be leaving soon for the party. Would you rather stay here and rest? We can always send someone to get you later on.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of causing Reece any inconvenience,” she stated. “I’ll ride along with him to save him the extra trip. Besides, I’d rather meet this Rachel when there aren’t a lot of other people around.”

  Joanna didn’t find that to be a very heartening statement but Reece took it in stride when he learned about it as if he had guessed it all along. Every remark seemed to have a sharp side.

  When Reece stopped the car in front of a small bungalow on a tree-shaded residential street, Rachel must have been watching for him because she was out the front door before Reece stepped out of the car.

  “Is this where she lives?” Elizabeth eyed the small dwelling with a trace of contempt.

  Reece paused long enough to reply. “Yes, until we are married. Then she will live where I do.”

  Joanna observed the rigidness of her mother’s features as she watched the couple meet on the sidewalk, the radiance that seemed to envelop both of them. Rachel’s unerring clothes sense had chosen a sundress that was summery and mature in design. It was navy blue with white polkadots, a dark shade that complimented her creamy complexion.

  “Rachel isn’t what you expected is she, Mother? Joanna murmured. “I mean, she isn’t exactly a hick.”

  “She isn’t exactly worldly or sophisticated either, which is the type of wife Reece needs,” her mother retorted in an equally low voice.

  Once both were in the car, Reece made the introductions. Rachel seemed oblivious to the veiled hostility that laced the tone of Joanna’s mother.

  As Reece drove away from the curb, Elizabeth leaned forward. “After meeting you, Rachel, I wonder if you realize how extremely lucky you are?”

  “I think I do.” Rachel cast a warm glance at Reece and smiled.

  Joanna watched her mother stiffen with jealousy, then control. “I do hope you let me help with the wedding plans,” she addressed both of them, managing to sound very pleasant. “Have you two set the date?”

  “Next week,” Reece answered.

  Elizabeth blanched at the answer, and Joanna felt sorry for her. It couldn’t be easy for her. Yet, she recovered with remarkable aplomb.

  “It’s going to be very simple,” Rachel elaborated on their plans. “Just the minister and two witnesses.”

  “Reece,” her mother directed her protest at him. “That isn’t fair to cheat all your friends and family out of a wedding after we’ve waited so long.” She directed a false smile at Rachel. “Not to mention your bride. I’m sure Rachel would like something a little more elaborate.”

  “Not me,” Rachel declared with a faint laugh. “It’s too much wear and tear on the nerves.”

  “Oh, speaking of wear and tear on the nerves—” Elizabeth switched the subject, talking to Reece and ignoring Rachel altogether. “I saw Grace Whittington the other day, Reece. She and Alex are having their annual summer party next month. You know, the usual black tie affair.”

  Joanna was astounded. She had never known her mother to be so flagrantly rude before. She was trying to put Rachel in the position of being the outsider, talking about people and events she was unfamiliar with, and a kind of life she’d never known.

  “Naturally the Governor will be there. Sylvia was telling me that—” Elizabeth continued to rattle on, dropping names and titles, sounding disgustingly snobbish.

  Joanna glanced at her uncle behind the wheel, wondering why he didn’t say something. His handsome features were grim, but Reece remained silent. Joanna marveled at the control he exercised over his temper. She guessed that Rachel was the reason he said nothing. They were on their way to their engagement party. Reece didn’t want any harsh words to mar the event.

  Her mother’s monopoly of the conversation made it a long drive to the Wilder ranch. Joanna was relieved when it came into view.

  There were already more than a dozen vehicles parked in the ranch yard when they arrived, and more guests driving in behind them. Music and happy voices were coming from the rear patio area of the sprawling house. Circling around the building, they joined the party in progress.

  A tent canopy was set up on the lawn to offer shade from the sun, but most of the guests had gathered on the redwood sundeck of the patio where the beer and cold drinks were located. The patio gave a hundred and eighty degree view of the lake below and the blue line of hüls.

  “This is quite a place,” her mother murmured in an aside to Joanna.

  Irritated by her previously condescending attitude toward the Ozarks and its inhabitants, Joanna couldn’t resist scoring one for the other side. “It’s just a typical hillbilly shack, Mother.” She saw Linc engaged in a conversation with one of the guests and quickened her pace, moving ahead of her mother to greet him. “Hello! How come you started the party without the guests of honor?”

  She had to force the light banter into her greeting, because she wasn’t anxious for the moment when she would have to introduce Linc to her mother. But it couldn’t be avoided.

  “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to make it.” Linc separated himself from the other guests and crossed the lawn to meet the four of them.

  Although the comment was addressed to all of them, his gaze singled Joanna out. His arm curved itself quite naturally around her waist as he shook hands to welcome Reece and Rachel and turned expectantly toward the fourth member of the group.

  Aware that her mother had taken due note of the familiar possession by Linc, Joanna began the introductions. “This is our host, Linc Wilder.” Tension made her smile stiff. “I’d like you to meet my mother, Elizabeth Morgan. She arrived unexpectedly this morning to surprise us.”

  Although nothing changed in Linc’s expression, she sensed an added alertness about him. “Welcome to the Ozarks, Mrs. Morgan. I believe we talked briefly the other evening.”

  “Yes, you answered the phone the night I talked to Joanna.” Her mother made a show of recalling the incident as if it had been hardly worthy of her notice.

  “I have been waiting to meet you,” Linc said, “but I didn’t think the opportunity would come so soon.”

  “Oh, really?” She was none too pleased by the comment and Joanna mentally braced herself for the scathing remarks that would come.

  But Linc didn’t give her a chance to reply further, nor satisfy her curiosity as to his reason. “Perhaps we’ll have a chance to talk later. Right now, I think we should join the others. I know they’re anxious to offer their congratulations to Reece and Rachel.”

  He kept Joanna firmly at his side while they walked to the patio. Reece and Rachel were quickly engulfed in a tide of well-wishers. Standing next to Linc with her mother to one side, Joanna couldn’t shake the feeling of alarm over his proposed conversation with her mother.

  “This is quite a gathering, Mr. Wilder,” her mother remarked.

  “Linc,” he cor
rected. “We aren’t formal in the Ozarks.”

  Her glance made a disparaging sweep of the casually dressed crowd. “So I’ve noticed,” she murmured dryly.

  But Linc didn’t take any notice of the veiled contempt in her mother’s reply. He glanced instead at Joanna. “There’s some people I’d like you to meet.” Her mother was included in the statement. The hand on her waist guided her in the direction of two couples standing nearby. “This is my sister, Sharon, and her husband, Dick Scott.”

  He introduced them first to the young, dark-haired couple. Joanna was a little surprised that his sister was such a petite thing. The resemblance to her brother was very slight. The second couple was older, closer to Linc’s age.

  “—and Tanya and Jake Lassiter,” Linc continued the introduction, concluding with, “Meet Mrs. Morgan and her daughter, Joanna.”

  There was a murmur of exchanged greetings, then his sister, Sharon, focused a sparkling look on Joanna. “Linc has mentioned you a couple of times. I’m glad I’ve finally gotten to meet you.”

  “Thank you—I think,” Joanna qualified her answer, unsure what Linc might have said about her.

  “Oh, it was all good,” Sharon assured her and cast a sly glance at her older brother. “Very interesting, in fact.”

  The others smiled, all except for her mother who looked anything but pleased at the innuendo. Linc changed the subject.

  “Where are the children, Tanya?” he asked the attractive, tawny-haired woman. “Did you leave them home?”

  “Yes. Grandpa and Grandma are babysitting,” she answered his question and turned to Joanna to explain, “We have three boys. John is eleven, and a set of four-year-old twins.”

  “Proud and headstrong—just like their momma,” Jake Lassiter declared with a warmly affectionate glance at his wife.

  “Like their daddy, you mean,” she corrected and arched him a provocative look.

  Conscious of Linc’s eyes on her, Joanna looked up. There was a mocking gleam in their brown depths. “Only three kids,” he murmured. “I guess that proves a ridgerunner doesn’t keep his wife barefoot and pregnant all the time.” Her pulse skittered under his gaze. “We’re a little more civilized than that.”