A Convenient Proposal

Chapter Seven

Arden did exactly as she’d threatened. Storming into the guest cottage, though, she realized Igor needed to go for a walk.

She took him out the sunroom door and tried to stay behind the building as much as possible, in case Griff’s mother might be able to see her through the kitchen windows of the main house. And if Griff came after her, perhaps he wouldn’t search near the forest, where Igor liked to explore.

The sun lingered just above the ridges of the mountains, and the air had chilled considerably since noon, so Arden found herself getting cold long before Igor had satisfied his curiosity. She wasn’t used to temperatures in the forties, of course. And she wasn’t used to leaping straight from sexual satisfaction to a state of panicked embarrassment.

“Come on, Igor. Let’s go.” Tugging on his leash, she forced him to abandon an interesting fallen tree to walk back with her across the small lawn. “I’ll make your dinner before we leave.”

After mixing the canned and dry food she fed him, she refilled his water dish. Then she went into the bedroom to pack. But her hysteria had spent itself, and instead of pulling out her suitcase, she simply sat on the bed with her head in her hands.

Much as she wanted to, she couldn’t blame anyone else for the disaster that had occurred. The entire situation had been her fault. She’d intended to stay in the sitting area upstairs, had even picked up a magazine to read. But then Griff had put his head out the door, sent her that troublemaking grin and invited her to peek into his room. His unbuttoned shirt had revealed a tanned, muscled chest and the strong column of his throat—images she couldn’t get out of her mind once he disappeared again.

And she had to admit to being curious. What did a boy’s room look like? She’d never seen one, never visited a family where she was encouraged to play in the children’s rooms. A peek wouldn’t hurt.

But she was always fascinated by the books in any room she entered. And so she’d been drawn to his collection…and then he’d walked out of the bathroom without a shirt. How was she supposed to keep her distance, seeing his chiseled shoulders, his strong forearms covered with golden hairs, and the flat plane of his stomach? When they stood close, he’d smelled of some tangy soap and fresh air. Seeing the droplets of water sprinkled across his chest, she’d simply given in to every impulse she’d managed to control over the past three days.

With a moan, Arden fell sideways and curled up on the bed. Three days. She’d just had sex—wild, joyful and totally wonderful sex—with a man whom she hadn’t known existed before New Year’s Eve.

And his mother had caught them…or near enough. How could Arden face Mrs. Campbell with that knowledge in both their minds? Surely this qualified as a horrible abuse of her hosts’ hospitality. Arden wouldn’t be surprised if Griff’s parents asked her to leave. She should really save them the trouble and take off.

But she had promised Griff she would stay until the wedding, and she hated to go back on her word. The look on his face today as he’d confronted Zelda had revealed the depth of his pain. Some people wouldn’t understand how much courage such a gesture required. For them, returning to the place where you’d been exposed and mortified might not seem so hard.

Arden knew differently. In Italy, she’d walked on stage three nights in a row to play the Bach D Minor Concerto for Two Violins with the top violinist in the local orchestra—one of the women with whom Andre had betrayed her. After each performance, she had held hands with that woman as they took their bows and accepted a kiss on each cheek. The other woman had only smiled, but Arden had read the truth in her eyes.

And in her dressing room that last night, Arden had lost the baby—Andre’s baby. Within weeks, she’d abandoned her career and the life she’d always known. How could she sentence Griff to a similar emotional desolation?

Leaving now would also mean abandoning her hope of having a baby. This wasn’t the right time in her cycle—she needed another week, at least, to be truly fertile. If she didn’t fulfill her part of the bargain, Griff couldn’t be expected to complete his. Everything they’d done so far would have been for nothing.

Nothing, that is, except the pure physical ecstasy of making love with a man unlike any she’d ever known. Arden admitted her experience was limited—she’d lost her virginity to Andre and hadn’t been with another man until today. But she’d slept with Andre for two years without coming close to the exquisite sensations of this afternoon. The earth had, indeed, moved. Now she wanted to experience that earthquake again. And again.

Blowing out a deep breath, she sat up on the bed and pushed her hair out of her face. Staying meant confronting Mrs. Campbell and the situation. She would have to brazen it out, she decided, leaving the explanations and reparations to Griff.

They were his family, after all. This was his home.

She was just passing through.



GRIFF WAS SPREADING garlic butter on slices of French bread when a shy tap sounded on the kitchen door.

“Come in,” he called, gesturing with the knife in his hand. “Welcome to Italian night.”

Arden stepped inside, shutting the door quickly behind her.

“I’m the sous-chef,” he told her, going over for a quick kiss. “She gives me the menial tasks. And lets me eat the food when it’s ready, which is the important point.”

“I hope you’ll join us,” his mother added. “I always make more pasta than any of us need to eat.”

“That sounds delicious.” Arden cleared her throat. “Can I help?”

Griff looked at his mother and saw that she was about to refuse…but then, in a split second, she changed her mind. “I’ve put vegetables by the sink.” She brought a big wooden bowl and tongs out of the cabinet. “Would you toss together a salad?”

Arden smiled. “I’d love to.”

His dad came in the door from the garage about seven-thirty. “Viva la pasta!” he shouted, after he’d kissed his wife. “Just what a working vet needs—besides a glass of wine. Anybody else?”

Griff exchanged looks with his mother and with Arden. They all said, “Me” at the same moment.

“Right.” Jake nodded. “It’s been that kind of day.”

Talk over dinner covered the emergencies at the clinic—a Chihuahua having trouble birthing her puppies, a Labrador that had eaten a bath towel and, of course, Rajah’s surgery.

“Sounds like that turned out pretty well, considering,” Jake said. “I called Stacy on my way home. She said the horse is bright-eyed and eating. She also talked about how fabulous you and your assistant were. Who went with you?”

“Arden.”

His dad sent a surprised glance in Arden’s direction. “The surgery didn’t bother you?”

She shook her head. “I thought it was fascinating. Although Griff did most of the hard work. I just wiggled the stupid board loose.” She hadn’t said much else during the cooking or eating process.

“I thought I’d go out there again tomorrow and check up on him.” Griff took a second helping of pasta and tomato sauce. “Stacy was a little squeamish about packing the wound.”

“Enough.” His mother held up a hand. “No graphic details at dinner.”

Griff and his dad rolled their eyes at each other.

“Besides,” she continued, “I have a slight dilemma we should deal with.”

“And what’s that, darlin’?” His dad used his second glass of wine as an excuse to thicken his slight Georgia accent. In the family’s ongoing Gone With the Wind drama, he took the role of Ashley Wilkes.

“Dee Patrick called me this afternoon. She wanted to assure me that the invitation we received for her cocktail party Friday night, in honor of Zelda and Al, included Griff and his fiancée.”

Griff continued to twirl his linguine around his fork, watching the process closely. He could feel Arden’s gaze on his face.

“I wanted to tell you two so you could decide what to do about that. There’s also a dinner party next Saturday at the club, hosted by Trip and Kayli Morgan. I expect I’ll hear from her tomorrow.”

Carefully chewing his pasta, Griff didn’t respond right away. He realized his mistake when his dad zeroed in on the important detail.

“Your fiancée?” He looked from Griff to Arden and back again. “It’s official, then? You’re getting married?”

Words failed him. Fortunately, Arden came to the rescue.

“We’ve talked about it,” she said calmly. “And Griff did introduce me to Zelda as his fiancée this morning. But since we haven’t known each other all that long, or spent a long period of time together, we’d like to wait before making a public announcement. Right now, it’s more of a family affair.”

“Including Zelda,” Jake said. “And her mother. Which means the whole town.” He frowned at Griff. “You let your pride get the better of you, I’m thinking.”

Griff relaxed his clenched teeth. “I guess I did. No harm done. I don’t mind the whole town knowing about Arden. She’s not something to hide under a barrel.”

“The explanations are awkward,” his mother murmured.

His temper surged. “Too bad.”

“You’ll be polite to your mother.” His dad got to his feet, looming over the table. “Or you’ll answer to me.”

Griff stood as well. “Yes, sir.” He looked down at his mother. “I apologize, Mom. I didn’t mean to snap at you. If anybody wants an explanation, just refer them to me. I will politely explain the situation to everybody in town, one by one by one, if necessary.”

She nodded. “All right.”

“Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’m going to walk Arden to the cottage. I’ll return shortly and I’ll be happy to clean up the kitchen.” Not that there was much to do. His mother had always been an avid proponent of “clear as you go.”

“That’s fine,” his mom said.

But Griff, still furious, hadn’t waited for permission. He had pulled Arden’s chair out and was opening the back door.

“Good night,” Arden said quietly, with a nod to each of his parents. “A delicious dinner, Mrs. Campbell. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” slipped through just before he shut the door with a sharp push. Grabbing Arden’s hand, he headed across the lawn.

“You walk very fast when you’re angry,” she commented. “I’m going to have to start wearing jogging shoes all the time.”

“Sorry,” he growled, slowing down. “I’m just tired of being treated like a kid—a little kid with behavior issues.”

“Parents develop habits of thought, I suspect, that can be difficult to change.”

“You’re too generous. My dad needs to control every situation. My mother wants everything to go smoothly. Running counter to either of those expectations causes friction.”

“We’re all adults. We can deal with it.”

He stopped dead and turned to look at her, aided by the full moon overhead. “I recognize the source. But what are you trying to say?”

The cold wind whipped around them as she hesitated. “You were so casual, when I was upset about the…the situation earlier. Why not apply the same standard to this problem?”

Griff crossed his arms. “Go on.”

“Your parents can hold whatever expectations make them happy. But what you decide to do is an entirely separate issue.”

“Easy enough to say.”

“And very hard to do?” She shrugged. “I guess that depends on whether you’re an adult or an overgrown adolescent.”

“That’s harsh.”

“That’s truth, Griff. Independence comes with a price, usually a painful one.” She turned toward the cottage. “Now I’m freezing and I’m going inside.”

He followed her. “You sound like you’ve had experience.”

“Yes.” When she tried to close the door, he slipped past her and shut it behind him. She glared up in exasperation. “What are you doing?”

“I want to hear about your declaration of independence.”

“The details aren’t important.”

“To me they are. What happened?”

“I told you this morning. I broke off my engagement.”

He thought for a moment. “Because you discovered him with your mother. From whom you are now estranged. So you broke up with her, as well. You kicked them both out of your life?”

“I couldn’t live with either of them.”

“And you went to Chaos Key. Alone.”

“Yes. Until Igor.”

She looked so forlorn, he couldn’t resist putting his arms around her. And he breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t resist.

“You’re a strong lady, Arden Burke.” He stroked his fingers lightly through her hair. “And you’re right. The decisions I make don’t have to meet parental expectations.” Lifting her chin, he kissed her delectable lips. “I demonstrated that this afternoon, I believe.”

She smiled against his mouth. “Definitely a rally for independence.”

The magic between them flared again and Griff could easily have surrendered to the flow. A whole night in bed with Arden, a chance to drift into sleep and then wake with her warm body against his…

“I have to clean up the kitchen.” He kissed her cheeks, nose and forehead. “You can get a good night’s sleep.”

“Not what I wanted,” she complained, with her arms locked around his neck.

“Me, neither. But I offered.”

“You talk too much,” she told him, opening the door to the wind.

One last kiss and he walked out into the cold. “I know.”



THE MORNING DAWNED WET as well as cold. Arden awakened early after another deep sleep, and had just poured herself a second cup of tea when the phone rang.

“Lousy weather for a horseback ride.” Griff’s voice carried an early morning growl. “So I suggested to Dad that I come to work today and take Friday off for our ride. What do you think?”

Her first thought was panic—what would she do for a whole day without him?

Sanity returned with the thought that she’d only known him four days altogether. “That sounds like a good plan. Enjoy your first day back.”

“I’ll do my best.”

As the morning progressed, Arden couldn’t deny the relief of being by herself again, not having to consider someone else’s opinion on what she ate for breakfast or what to do afterward. A long bubble bath and a conditioning treatment for her hair consumed several hours, along with a romance novel by a favorite author she found in the shelf-lined room designed as a library.

Coming out of the bathroom after the last hair rinse, she heard the answering machine switch on.

“Hey, Arden, this is Kathy. Um, Kathy Burton. Griff’s sister. Anyway, since he went to work today, Dana and Lauren and I thought maybe you’d like to do some shopping this afternoon. There’s the cocktail party on Friday and the dinner dance on Saturday, and I don’t know about you but I don’t have a stitch to wear. We thought we’d meet at Pirouette for lunch at one. Call me and I’ll come pick you up.”

Shopping with the sisters. Of all the events she’d encountered so far in Griff’s hometown, this, at least, she was prepared for.

When a vintage red Volkswagen Bug stopped in front of the cottage at twelve-thirty, Arden ran through icy rain to get inside.

“Not quite our usual winter weather.” Kathy smoothly shifted gears as they chugged along the highway toward town. “I’m glad you had a chance to see Sheridan in the sunshine first.”

Arden had stopped wondering how everyone knew everything about her day with Griff. “I enjoyed the tour very much, especially the park. I—” She almost said “I wish” but managed to catch herself. “I want to see it in summertime, with all the flowers blooming.”

Kathy winked at her. “The way I heard it, you and Griff weren’t spending your time there observing the scenery.” Everyone knew everything. “Do you live in town,” Arden asked, “or near your parents?”

“Right now we’re in a little bungalow in town. But we’re looking for a larger place we can afford. We’ll need more room soon.” She patted her waistline. “About June eighteenth, we think.”

Arden tried to breathe, but felt as if her lungs, heart and belly had shriveled inside her skin. “You’re expecting a baby?” She swallowed hard and struggled to smile. “Congratulations.”

Kathy’s grin brightened the gray day. “Thanks. We’re excited.”

A black cloud of envy filled Arden’s head. What else should she say? How could she hide her own despair? “Does Griff know? He hasn’t mentioned it.”

“I haven’t had a chance to tell him since he got home.”

“He’ll be pleased, I’m sure.” Realizing her hands had balled into fists, Arden stretched out her fingers, though relaxing any part of her body didn’t seem possible at this moment.

“Yeah, he does like kids. He’s the only one of the four of us who actually earned money babysitting in junior high. He’ll be a great dad one day.”

Assuming he knew he was a father. Could Arden change the subject now? “I love your car—not many people have the original model. Where did you find it?”

“My husband works on old cars as a hobby. This one was my wedding present.”

“What does he do when he’s not working on old cars?

“Didn’t Griff tell you? He’s a minister. Sermons every Sunday, Wednesday night services, always on call—that’s my Jim.”

Arden sat in silence for a few moments, grateful that the heavier traffic in town had claimed Kathy’s attention. The prospect of spending the weeks until Valentine’s Day with a family anticipating its first grandchild was enough to send her straight back to Chaos Key right away. She wanted her own baby. Not the vicarious pleasure of someone else’s pregnancy.

And the thought of a minister as a close member of Griff’s family worried her. He would have strong opinions about children conceived without benefit of marriage. His ideas would be probably be heeded by the rest of the Campbells. If he discovered she was pregnant and planning to leave, she doubted he would remain silent.

And she was beginning to wonder if keeping a secret of any kind was possible in the town of Sheridan, Georgia.

“Here we are.” Kathy pulled the Bug into a parking space in front of an outdoor shopping center. “It’s still raining and I didn’t bring an umbrella, so we’ll have to make a run for it. See the lime-green door straight ahead? That’s Pirouette.”

They left the car and began walking quickly across the slick, wet asphalt. Arden had worn black leather boots for just this sort of situation, but Kathy had chosen high heeled pumps in a bright red.

She laughed as she drew attention to the fact. “I won’t be wearing these kind of shoes in a couple months. I have to take advantage of every chance I get.”

A moment later, she cried out. Arden, a couple of steps ahead, turned just in time to see her drop to the pavement.

Rushing back, she knelt by Kathy, who was now on her knees. “Are you okay? Should we call an ambulance?”

“No. No, I’m fine. Just give me a hand to stand up.”

A man joined them, and helped out with a hand under Kathy’s elbow. “You watch yourself, Miss Kathy,” he warned. “You don’t want to be falling like that in your condition.”

Griff’s sister rolled her eyes as he walked away. “You can’t keep anything quiet in this town.”

“I believe you.” Arden offered her own elbow. “Hold on to me until we’re out of the rain.”

Inside the restaurant, their wet shoes slipped on the marble floor tiles, so Kathy kept a grip on Arden until they reached the table. Seeing them, Dana and Lauren jumped out of their chairs. “What’s wrong?”

“What happened? Are you all right?”

Kathy shushed them as she sat down. “Yes, yes, I’m okay, except for scraped knees and a huge case of embarrassment. It wasn’t that bad a fall. See?”

As they stared at her, she swept her thick, curling hair back from her face and ears. “I didn’t even lose my hearing aids.”