A Compromising Affair

“Me, too,” she said as they walked toward the bar.

“I’m having vodka and tonic. What about you?”

Her smile seemed to envelop him. “That’s my favorite drink.”

He ordered their cocktails from the bartender and walked with her to a corner of the living room. “Drake has a couple of riding horses. Do you ride?”

“Since I was three years old. Remember I told you my dad is a rancher.”

“I’ll see if we can go riding tomorrow morning. It’s best to ride early before it gets hot.”

“Yes, I know. I can be ready at six,” she said.

“Great. You’re a woman after my own heart.”

“We’ll see about that,” she said.

“Yes. We will. It’s been a lovely evening, Denise. See you at six. Good night.”

He found Drake in the dining room. “Do you mind if Denise and I borrow a couple of horses tomorrow morning at six?”

“Of course not,” said Drake. “I’ll have the horses ready when you get there. If Heather doesn’t feel like fixing an early breakfast, be here at a quarter to six, and you can eat with Denise and me.”

“Thanks. And thanks for a great evening. Good night.”

Once outside, Scott removed his jacket, untied his tie, put it in his pocket and strode down the hill to Judson’s house. He was headed somewhere with Denise, and she seemed willing to go along. But did she want and need the same things that were so meaningful and important to him? He was willing to be patient, even wait for a while until he found them.

Chapter 3

Denise arose early that morning, did her ablutions, dressed and ambled down the circular stairs. She nearly collided with Pamela at the door to the breakfast room.

“I am so sorry. Are you all right?”

“Fine,” Denise said. “If I asked why you seem so happy, I don’t suppose you’d answer. Where’s Drake?” she asked.

Pamela gave her a long, slow wink. “He is still in bed…in a state of happiness.”

“Gotcha. You love that man.”

“Oh, yes,” said Pamela “Why don’t you give Scott a chance? I watched the two of you last night. The man’s really into you, and you’re trying to show him how cool you can be. Denise, even when you really like a guy, you come off as cool. Heat it up a bit.”

“You and Heather think he’s interested in me, but he has yet to put it in words. I know he wants me. But after two years in Lithuania, he’d want the Wicked Witch of the West.”

“Listen! Heather and Scott were best friends. They worked together for five years. He introduced her to Judson, who was like a brother to him. She said he’s seriously interested in you, and I believe her.”

“If you’re right, I’ll find out,” said Denise. “But would you open your front door if nobody knocked and just stood there waiting? Of course not! If a man isn’t willing to take a chance, he definitely won’t win me over.”

“And if you don’t give him any encouragement, he’d be foolish to take a chance. Come on, let’s eat. Scott will be here in a few minutes.”

She scrutinized her friend. “Pamela, do you know whether Scott plans to eat before he gets here?”

“Now you’re cooking with gas. I’ll set a place for him. It’s Saturday, so Drake may sleep until seven o’clock.”

Minutes later, the doorbell rang and Denise looked at her watch. Right on time, she thought. “Hi, how are you this morning?”

“Great. This country air is bracing,” Scott replied.

“You look as if you’ve been up for hours. How are you this morning?”

“Fine. Come on in. Pamela and I are about to eat. Drake’s still asleep.”

His handsome face creased into a luminous smile. “Food. I was hoping that you’d save me something. I didn’t want to awaken Heather and Judson so early, and I haven’t found my way around in their ultramodern kitchen. Who cooked?”

“Hi,” Pamela said. “I did. Our cook usually isn’t here on weekends, unless we have several houseguests.”

Almost as soon as they’d finished eating breakfast, the doorbell rang. Pamela drained her coffee cup and got up from the table. “That would be Miles to let us know he has the horses ready. The stallion is named Big Red, and the mare is named Sandy. They respond to their names.”

After breakfast, they mounted the horses and started for the bridle path, a quarter of a mile beyond Harrington House, where Telford and his family lived. “You are an expert at this, I see. And something tells me that your horse knows it,” Scott said to Denise.

She patted the horse’s flank. “Horses and I get along like peaches and cream. See how Sandy looked back at me when I patted her. She practically smiled. Men could learn a lot from horses.”

“Yeah. And so could women. If you caress my flanks the way you caressed hers, I’d smile at you, too. Which way is the river from here?”

“A little beyond that fork in the road,” she said. “And you’ve never indicated that you want to be patted anywhere, not to mention your flanks. I make it a rule never to read between the lines. If you want me to know something, spell it out. Last time I took something for granted, it ended in disaster.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Ten years. Ten long years,” she said wistfully.

“Since then, I haven’t been within miles of any problems. I learn fast,” she said, immediately wondering whether she’d revealed too much.

“I’m sorry, Denise. I apologize for being too protective last night, but I guess you’re very adept at handling that. Are we arguing or merely getting to know each other?”

She pondered how best to respond to his question. She decided to be direct and honest with him, and slowed her mount to a trot. He did the same.

She gazed around at the perfect July morning, flowers in bloom, birds chirping and flitting around and squirrels scampering across the horse trail. “For years, Pamela has said that I don’t show people who I am. She says I’m cool, even when I’m interested in something or someone. If she’s right, I have misled a lot of people in my lifetime.”

“So we are not arguing. Good. The day we met at Judson’s barbecue, you were warm and approachable,” he said. “Maybe it was because of those worn jeans. The ones you’re wearing today are brand-new. Let’s tether the horses and walk awhile or sit on one of those benches and look at the river.”

“Okay. I love to look at the water. There’s something magical about it.”

He dismounted, walked over to Denise and raised his arms, and she lowered herself into them. “What would you think if I said I want you to fall in love with me?”

Her lower jaw dropped and, to her own surprise, her fingers gripped his shoulders. “Be careful, Scott. You impress me as a man who measures his words carefully.”

He held her closer. “Then I’ll phrase it differently. Will you give us a chance to see where we can take this relationship?”

“Is there some reason why you don’t kiss me? You’ve had three opportunities, and you’ve never taken them.”