* * *
Katherine and Jace agreed to stay and share lunch with the roughnecks. One of them had driven into town and bought hamburgers and french fries. After her noon bottle of milk, Allison seemed content to snooze in the crook of Billy's arm. He was impervious to the ribbing he received from his cohorts.
The drill bit rumbled as it ate its way through earth and rock, and the throbbing motor that propelled it deep into the ground kept up a cadence that Katherine was sure would drive her mad if she had to listen to it for hours on end. But the roughnecks were oblivious to the noise as they rapidly consumed a tremendous amount of food.
They sat on the ground or in pick- up truck beds, or stood in small groups. There was much jocularity among them. Sometimes their language became ribald, but Katherine felt that it had been cleaned up considerably on her behalf.
When everyone was finished eating, Jace shouted above the noise, "What in the hell is going on here? Do you think because I've brought my wife to meet you that you can slough off the rest of the day? Everyone back to work. The picnic's over." His voice sounded stern, but he was smiling. There were grumbles and grimaces, but all of them ambled back to their jobs. Many of them saluted obsequiously or spoke shyly to Katherine as they passed her. Jim Cooper smiled broadly at her from under his hard hat, but hustled back to work when Jace glared at him through squinting eyes.
The Manning family left a short time later. When they were climbing the stairs to the front door of the apartment, Jace said; "You'll get a package from Willoughby in the next few days. He's going to send some material that you may find useful. It will include a lot of dry facts and figures, but some human interest stories too."
"I'm anxious to get started." She paused with her hand on the banister. "I almost forgot. I'll have to notify someone at the college that I'm not coming back, won't I?"
Jace stood aside and let her go in ahead of him after he opened the door. He was grinning mysteriously, and she detected a glint in his blue eyes. A moment later she knew why he was so pleased with himself.
Resting on a new desk parked in the middle of the living room was a new electric typewriter. Katherine squealed in delight and spun her head around to look at him in surprise. "For me?" she cried.
"No, for Allison," he said dryly.
She ignored his derision and hurried across the room to inspect the splendid piece of machinery. It had every conceivable gadget, an automatic correcting system, and features that would intimidate Katherine before she learned how to use them.
"Oh, Jace, it's wonderful. I ... when?"
"I bought it two days ago and asked that it be delivered while we were gone. I wanted it to be a surprise. Do you like it?"
"Like it? It's a writer's dream. If you could see—" She broke off when a thought occurred to her. She looked at him through slitted green eyes. "You were pretty confident that I'd accept your job, weren't you?"
He laughed. "I hoped you would."
She tried to remain miffed, but couldn't, and broke into an exultant smile. "I should be mad at you for taking me for granted, but I can't be. Thank you, Jace, for everything. The job. The typewriter. Everything." She felt humbled and ashamed that she had ever doubted his motives.
"Come here and thank me properly. With a kiss." He was staring hard at her, his easy smile gone.
Suddenly unnerved by his tone of voice, Katherine forced her reluctant legs to walk toward him. He had taken Allison from her when she had rushed across the room to inspect her gift. The baby lay contentedly in his arms. Katherine stood on tiptoes and raised her lips to his cheek, kissing it lightly.
He frowned as she pulled back. "That's not a kiss. This is a kiss."
He leaned down and captured her mouth with his. Unable to hold her in his arms because of Allison, he used other means. The force of his kiss was far stronger and more compelling than any physical hold could have been.
His firm lips moved over hers with tantalizing non- commitment. He nibbled at her lower lip until Katherine opened it to permit him entry. Still he refrained, exploring her lips with a lazy tongue.
She moaned and moved closer, clasping him around the neck with both hands and forcing his head lower. Only then did he satisfy her longing. His mouth took hers with a sweet violence. His kiss made her body sing with sensations that touched her soul.
With a detached part of her brain, Katherine asked herself how he was able to so effortlessly render her completely helpless. How does he command my senses so totally? I mustn't surrender to what I'm feeling. But I want to. I want him.
These thoughts raced through her mind even as she drank the nectar of his mouth. Then Jace moved his head and discovered a new region of her mouth to explore, and all other thoughts were banished.
Katherine felt the pummeling fists on her chest and only then did she realize that Allison was crushed between them. She dropped her arms from Jace's neck and slowly backed away.
They looked down at the offended baby lying between them. The infant face crumpled in indignation, and Allison began to squall loudly.
"Now look what we've done," Jace said. Placatingly, he raised Allison to his shoulder and patted her back. "Come on, princess, I'll make it all up to you." As he went into the kitchen, he said over his shoulder, "I'll feed her. You play with your new toy."
Katherine didn't argue. She sat at the new desk and picked up the instruction booklet.
"This manual looks like an encyclopedia," she called into the kitchen. "I'm going to have to study for hours before I'll feel adequate to even turn the typewriter on."
"You can handle it," Jace called back.
Almost an hour had passed before Katherine was roused from her absorption in the instruction manual. Jace was carrying Allison through the living room on the way to her bedroom. "She's fed. I even managed to get most of that disgusting-looking stuff in her mouth. She kept me company while I made a batch of my famous spaghetti sauce. Is that okay with you?"
"Sounds deli- cious."
"It needs to simmer for a while. You stay where you are and I'll put Allison to bed."
By the time he finished the sentence, Katherine was again bent over the typewriter, lost in its many intricacies.
A startled cry of pain jolted her out of her diligent study. She dropped the heavy book and ran toward the bedroom.
* * *