Ann Cristy (Helen Mittermeyer)

by Tread Softly (lit)

  Cady exhaled a shuddering sigh, not aware until that moment that she had been holding her breath.

  As the diners rose and separated into chatting groups that moved leisurely toward the solarium and the music, Cady stretched her neck to watch Rafe. He winked at her but made no attempt to join her. He was smiling and seeming to maneuver several people, including his father, toward the library. Aveen and Aileen, as their father's hostesses, had gone immediately to the solarium.

  "I think the time is near," Rob said in a mock-sepul­chral tone. Cady could sense his excitement.

  The twins were waiting in the doorway leading from the ballroom as Cady and Rob approached.

  "Rafe said to come to the library." Gavin leaned down toward her and added in a whisper, "Gareth is bringing Leacock last. Leacock thinks he's meeting Bruno there."

  As Gavin pushed open the door, Cady could hear Emmett growling at Rafe that he had to get back to his guests. Then, as Cady and the twins stepped through the door, Bruno's eyes fixed on them, narrowing. He was standing with Emmett, a bored-looking Lee Terris next to him.

  When Trock walked through the door with the dogs, Bruno's face had a ferret cast to it. Cady had the feeling that he had penetrated every mind in the room and sniffed out danger to himself. When she saw him turn in a casual way toward the double doors leading from the library to the terrace, she turned to tell Trock.

  Trock had already whispered a command to the Doberman, who needed no urging. Graf flung himself at Bruno, taking a growling stance between the doors and the man.

  "What the hell..." Bruno snarled. "Get this dog out of here. Emmett, are you going to let this beast—"

  "Rafe," Emmett roared, "what did I say about those dogs?"

  "Simmer down, Dad. Graf is only following orders. My orders.'' Rafe's voice was bland, but there was a hard glitter in his eyes as he turned to Cady, then watched as the door opened and Gareth almost pushed Todd Lea­cock through it, followed him, and closed and locked it behind him. Todd's face was a hunted mask as he watched Trabold's face.

  "Now I think we're all here." Rafe looked around the room, giving a grim smile to his fellow legislators and their wives and husbands, who were clustered near the Adams fireplace.

  "Actually, not all the people who volunteered to get involved in our little experiment are here," Rafe an­nounced. "There were too many volunteers, but I think most of you recognize Senator Jack Van Orden and his wife, Senator Bill Darien and his wife, Congresswoman

  Gilda Reeves and her husband, Senator Mary Lake and her husband and, of course, Congressman Rob Ardmore. I have a list of many others who—"

  "Rafe, what the hell are we doing here?" Emmett bellowed.

  "I'm getting to that, Dad. First I want you all to see some pictures. Gavin, bring over that corkboard standing in the comer." Rafe smiled at the assembly. "Gavin man­aged to sneak this into the library for me this evening."

  Graf growled as Bruno tried to move. When Todd Leacock sidled toward the door, Trock whispered to the pit bull, who at once stood spread-legged in front of Leacock. The dog's mouth was open in a snarling threat.

  When the board was turned toward the assembled group, there were gasps, groans, hisses, imprecations.

  Cady closed her eyes, unable to look at herself in that promiscuous pose, even though the other wives and fe­male legislators were on the board with her. She clenched her fists and opened her eyes.

  "Really, Cady, you might have considered the family name." Lee stepped closer to Emmett.

  "Shut up, Lee," Rafe said lightly, his voice friendly but his eyes agate-hard. "What you're seeing is an abor­tive attempt at blackmail. An attempt by—well, let's just say, for the moment, very criminal type people- to put pressure on my wife, who would, in turn, put pressure on me to pull my support away from an environmental bill that would help my state and the country." Rafe turned to Gareth. "Bring Greeley in here, along with Dave and Harrison. If Aileen and Aveen want to come, let them. Tell them to let Cousin Michaeline play host­ess."

  "She'd love that," Gareth said cheekily before closing the door behind him.

  Emmett was red-faced and pop-eyed as his graze trav­eled from the pictures to Cady to Rafe to the other women to Rob Ardmore. "Why are you calling Greeley?" he demanded. "He would have none of such stuff."

  "But you do see what a phony setup this is?" Rafe took a cheroot from his gold case and lit it. Then he looked at Professor Nesbitt, who stood off to one side, stony-faced and silent. "Only you and I, sir, would know that a picture of Cady would have to include her most interesting mole."

  "Rafe!" Cady exclaimed, mortified. She wasn't pla­cated when her father chuckled.

  "Sorry, darling." Rafe's smile was tender.

  A sudden silence filled the room, so that the rather hoarse breathing of Todd Leacock was abrasive to the ears.

  Greeley came through the door, his bald pate having a pinkish sheen in the red and green decorative lights from the foyer. The cigar in his mouth flapped up and down as he looked at the people in the library. His button eyes, lost in the folds of fat on his cheeks, stared from Emmett to Bruno. It was Gareth's ungentle urging that propelled him into the center of the room after his shifting eyes found the corkboard with its interesting array of pictures.

  "I want to talk to my lawyer," Greeley snarled, glaring at Bruno. "I didn't want any part of this, Rafe. It was that damn fool who thought he could sink you."

  Bruno snarled and turned toward the door. At once the Doberman rose to attack. Rafe yelled at the dog and threw himself forward at the same time. "Back, Graf. I want him for myself."

  When Bruno heard this, he turned around and launched himself at Rafe. It seemed to Cady that they met in midair.

  She stood there, mute. The snarling, whining dogs, prevented from helping their beloved master, quivered with frustration. Emmett yelped when a small table with some of his precious Belleek china crashed to the floor. Lee Terris moved to get some of the other precious ar­tifacts out of the way. Cady was frozen to the spot. She wanted to kill Rob Ardmore when he urged Rafe to "Let him have it with a left." Rafe, be careful, she screamed in her mind.

  The noise increased as the twins egged their older brother on to the kill. Gareth stood close to Leacock, telling Hobo what a good boy he was for watching the "bad man." Hobo only snarled.

  Cady felt fright and anger when Rafe's fellow legis­lators and his twin brothers formed a loosely knit ring around the fighting men. For a moment Cady couldn't see, even stretching her neck and standing on tiptoe. Finally she stepped onto one of Emmett's fine needle-pointed Sheraton chairs. Graf whined at her feet.

  What Cady saw made her knees turn to jelly. "Father, stop them, stop them!" Cady was sure her father couldn't even hear her hoarse whisper.

  All at once the fight was over. Rafe was standing there swaying, the back of one hand dabbing at the corner of his mouth.

  Cady jumped down from the chair and pushed her way through the knot of men just as Jack Van Orden hoisted Bruno to his feet.

  For a moment Cady paused, then she catapulted her­self onto Rafe. "Did he hurt you? Did he hurt you?" She ran her fingers over the swelling under his left eye, not even trying to check the tears coursing down her cheeks. "Oh, Rafe, your poor face." She slipped her hands around his waist, cradling him to her. "That monster marked your cheek," Cady railed, turning in front of him to glare at the staggering Bruno. "You—you—louse." Cady lifted her hands like claws, feeling anger fill her veins. Before she could move, two arms clamped around her waist.

  "Easy, darling," Rafe muttered into her hair. "The fighting is over for today... and I feel so damn good."

  Cady looked up at him. He was glowering at Bruno. "Rafe, Bruno tried to blackmail the twins, too," she told him. "He accused Gareth of shaving points in a game. It's a lie. Todd was in on it, too."

  Emmett's angry roar drowned out Rafe's answer. "You viper! Try to destroy my boys, will you? I'll have you put away for a thousand years. " * * *

&
nbsp; By the time Bruno and Todd had been led away by the security people that Emmett employed, Aileen and Aveen, who had come to the library to see what was keeping their father from his guests, had a fair idea of what had taken place. White-faced, they stared at Bruno as he walked past them.

  "We trusted you," Aileen accused. Aveen nodded in agreement.

  "Which shows how foolish even you can be at times, darling," Dave said mildly, putting an arm around his wife.

  Aileen swallowed and nodded. "In more ways than one." She leaned against her husband, her eyes misty.

  "I never expected Cady to be such a ruffian," Aveen mumbled to her husband.

  "Don't be a fool. She's more a lady than anyone I know... except you, of course." Harrison squeezed her hand, but Aveen's smile was shaky.

  "Aveen and Aileen have just passed through a belated puberty of the soul," Gavin whispered to Cady. "Maybe now their spiritual growth will pull even with the ego growth—they might mature."

  Emmett began ushering his guests out of the library, vowing to each one to see to it that Bruno and his cohorts were punished.

  Gavin grinned at Cady. "One by one, you've turned the Densmores into humans, Cady dear. Now if you'll find me a girl just like you, I'll be content for life."

  "Me, too," Gareth said, lifting Cady high in the air.

  "Hey, be careful with her." Rafe was there, taking Cady out of Gareth's arms into his own. He held her against his chest, chuckling at her flustered look. "She's going to have a baby. I don't want her handled roughly."

  The twins whooped, making Emmett, who was stand­ing at the library door with Lee Terris, turn and glower at them. Dave and Harrison kissed Cady. Aileen and Aveen kissed Rafe. Rafe kissed Cady and didn't release her. Still, he managed to shake hands all around. Thomas Nesbitt watched his daughter, a contented smile on his face.

  Cady was sure that Rafe would be worn out and she suggested that they leave rather then go back to the so­larium and dance.

  "Not on your life, my love. I'm celebrating. The only reason I'll leave is if you tell me you're tired. Then I'll go." His face seemed to have an aura all its own as he looked at her. "Aveen said she would mend the tear in my jacket. Aileen put peroxide on my face. Now I want to waltz with my beautiful wife and discuss a trip to Santo Tomas the day after Christmas... just the two of us."

  "I'd love to dance for a while." Cady glowed at the look in her husband's eyes. "As for Santo Tomas, it can't come too soon for me." She swallowed and looked deep into his eyes as he swept her onto the floor to the waltz music that Emmett was so addicted to. "The best Christ­mas present I could ever have would be to have you all to myself. You see, I love you so much, I can't see straight." She gulped a laugh as Rafe stopped dead in the middle of the dance floor.

  "Do you mean it?" His voice had the roughness of velvet rubbed the wrong way. The bones in his face seemed to crack, spread, and mend in different places as he struggled with the words she had spoken to him. "Cady, my God, you do choose your times!" His voice seemed forced from his throat. "What do you think my father would say if I picked you up in my arms and ran out the door with you?" He was trying to be flip, but Cady could see the blue flame leaping in his eyes as he watched her. He began dancing with her again, his body bent over her in a protective bow.

  When the tempo changed to a rock and roll beat, Emmett was not the only one who frowned. Rafe's face creased with concern as Cady swung away from him, her body gyrating in delighted concert with the music.

  "What's the matter, big brother?" Gareth jibed, danc­ing close to them, a curvy brunette dancing opposite him. "If you can't hack it, I'll dance with Cady."

  "The hell you will," Rafe said, smiling at his brother and at once moving with his wife to the music. "Are you sure it's all right, love?" His eyes couldn't seem to stop roving over her body.

  Cady felt alive, light as air, and as beautiful as Cin­derella because Rafe was looking at her like that. If only he would just tell her he loved her, life would be ab­solutely perfect.

  The day after Christmas they flew to Santo Tomas Island. Rafe left firm instructions that he was not to be disturbed unless it was a state of national emergency.

  Cady stared at her slightly rounded belly protruding over the bikini bottom and poked her tongue at the mirror image. Rafe came into the room in the briefest silky trunks. "My God, woman, you drive me wild with desire." Cady stared at him, open-mouthed, thinking he was mocking her, when she became aware of the arousal he took no pains to hide.

  He grinned at her. "What's it going to be like when I'm ninety and I have to explain to our great-grandchil­dren how their great-grandmother still arouses me? Aren't you ashamed to have such power over me?"

  "No." She opened her arms to him as he lifted her. and carried her out to the beach. "You're always carrying me," she muttered into his ear. "Are you positive it's safe?"

  "Yes. I can't seem to keep my hands off you." Rafe gave her a rueful grin as he set her on the blanket he had spread out on the white sand. His eyes held a wicked gleam. "What say we swim nude, lady?"

  Cady looked around her at the empty beach and water. "We can't. Can we?"

  "Sure we can. There's no one around, wife of mine."

  "You won't think I'm awful to look at?" she ventured.

  Rafe's mouth dropped open. "Awful to look at? Lord, Cady, you're the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen." He put his lips to her belly. "And I love this best of all. Swim with me, Cady."

  Cady couldn't take her eyes off her naked husband as he led her into the water. The freedom of swimming in the ocean without clothes and with Rafe was such an exhilarating experience that she shouted out loud as he swam under her and surfaced next to her. They frolicked like children.

  When Rafe carried her out of the water, he didn't stop at the blanket but kept going right into the house, then to the bedroom. "You've had too much sun," he mum­bled into her neck as he followed her down onto the bed. "Besides, I have something to tell you." He leaned on his elbows over her body. "I never would have said anything if you hadn't said you loved me, Cady. You know you told me that when we first married, and it made me so happy. But I was afraid to accept that you really did. After all, you were only eighteen when I married you." He held her face between his two hands. "I loved you so much before I left your bedroom, that first day we met, and I kept loving you more and more after we were married. After a few years I had the feeling that you were growing tired of me."

  "Bruno kept telling me stories about you... and Durra...and women." Cady felt as though she were floating.

  "I know that now. I didn't then. I stayed away from you, hoping that you wouldn't want to leave me if I gave you enough freedom. But I'll tell you, Cady, I wanted you with me every second of every day. I love you so much that if I start now and tell you for a thousand years, I'll still come up short."

  "Me, too." Cady felt a tear roll down her cheek. He had said the words, reaffirming their lifelong commit­ment to each other.

  "You're all I have ever wanted, all I'll ever want." Rafe lay down at her side, cuddling her to him until the inevitable heat built between them. The gentle explosion rocked them both, awing them with its scope.

  Six months later Rafe Nesbitt Densmore was born, thrilling Cady with his fluff of dark brown hair and his shoe-button blue eyes.

  After the birth, Rafe pressed his face into her breast and whispered to her over and over again, "I love you, Cady. I love you." The damp glitter of his eyes told her that nothing could tear them apart.

  She had tread softly on Rafe's dreams, and he had made all hers come true.

 

 

 
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