Passions of Chelsea Kane Part 5

You're too busy doing your own thing. You always have been. And now there's this fascination t town in New Hamps.h.i.+re. If you want a with tha house so badly, why don't you buy one up there?" Chelsea felt her throat tighten, reducing the . words to little more than a pleading whisper. "I don't want a house up there. Let's not fight about it, Dad."

"Well, it's the problem. That's what didn't work between you and Carl.

You're obsessed with that place." She shook her head. "Not true."

"You're buying a business there."

"It's an investment."

"And a pretty poor one, from what Carl tells me. He says that's all you talk about."

"Not true at all," she declared. "I make a point not to talk about it with Carl. I don't know why he told you that." She put a quick hand on Kevin's arm. "This is an investment. He chose not to join me in it, so I'm doing it alone. The deal is for a year. It's something new and exciting for me, just like your retirement is something new and exciting for you. Aren't I ent.i.tled to that, too?"

"You have a profession here."

"I need more."

"You always did. That's the trouble."

"Maybe, but, if so, it's the way I am, and if, after 109 all, this time, Carl decides he doesn't like it, that'ss his problem.. "It's your problem, too. You lose out." She shook her head. "I'm okay. I'm okay." Kevin studied her-sadly, she thought, and wanted to cry-for another while before sighing. "I wish I could believe that. But I worry, Chelsea."

"Don't.

Please. I'm okay."

"If your mother were alive, she'd be able to talk some sense into you."

"I'm okay. Really I am. What I'm doing makes perfect sense to me. I wish I could make you understand." But she couldn't. Things hadn't been the same between her father and her since Abby had died. Maybe they had never been what she had wanted to think they were. As with the Mahlers, Abby had been the link, the buffer, the interpreter of feelings and motivations. With Abby gone, Kevin had no patience with Chelsea. There were times when she felt he was distancing h iimself from-everything that reminded him of Abby, including her. At those times she felt abandoned. She tried to explain it to Cydra the next morning. They were running in the rain; she was feeling correspondingly gloomy. "It's like the house money is a bribe to buy his freedom. Like if he gives it to me he won't feel guilty traveling all the time. I told him I didn't want the money. I told him I wouldn't take it. So he said if I didn't, he'd give it to the Mahlers. It was the one thing he knew I couldn't bear."

Cydra chuckled, pulled her soggy baseball cap lower on her forehead, and ran on. "Did I tell you they made me an offer for the ring?" Chelsea asked. "It was absurdly high." A payoff, pure and simple. 110 ift Pa.s.sions of Chelsea Amiw "Are you selling?" g." After sever-No way. That was my mother's rin their al strides she said, "if I was perverse, I'd take money and use it to buy the granite company, slap them in the face with my birthplace." Cydra grinned. "It'd be poetic justice."

"Except that I really do want the ring. It has priceless sentimental value."

"Will they accept that?"

"I hope so-" She broke off when a car sped through a puddle and drenched them. They stopped running, Cydra swearing a blue streak at the disappearing car, Chelsea looking in dismay at her mudsoaked self. "What a jerk." Cydra continued to swear until Chelsea gave her arm a wet squeeze. "He's gone. Don't waste your breath."

"Why couldn't he stop and apologize?" Chelsea twisted rainwater from her ponytail, which hung from the hole in the back of her own baseball cap.

"Maybe he didn't realize what he'd done." Cydra wrung out the hem of her singlet.. "You're too forgiving." Chelsea brushed at her shorts. "No.

I'm just picking and choosing my fights. A n.o.body driving a car isn't worth the effort of anger when there's so much else going on in my life.

My whole system is screwed up. See this?" She pointed to her chin. "I can't tell you when I last had a pimple." Cydra looked closer. "I don't see any pimple."

"It's there. Believe me."

"You're imagining it."

"Am I imagining waking up five times every night? Or being late for my period?

The rhythm of my body is off." She tossed her head toward the road.

RMrbwu DCHMWAly Cydra set off beside her. When the slap of their wet running shoes was once again in syncopation, she said, "I wake up at night, too. I lie in bed wanting a big warm male body and feeling sorry for myself that it isn't there. it's h.e.l.l." Chelsea thought of Judd Streeter and nearly told Cydra about him. Then she caught herself. Judd was a myth, embarra.s.sing, the more she thought of it ' what do you think of in the middle of the night?" Cydra asked. "Carl. The library I've designed. Norwich Notch. My dad, my mom, the house. Plum Granite.

And the key, I think about the key. Did I tell you I took it to an expert?" Cydra darted her a surprised look. "Learn anything new?"

"Just that it's probably one of a kind. She guessed it was Italian made, but she couldn't be sure." After running in silence for a minute, Cydra said, "Advertise."

"Hmm?"

"In publications that reach Norwich Notch. You could put in a picture. See if anyone comes forward.", I Chelsea had thought of that. Something in the local newspaper might be lost in the rush of the daily read, but there were monthlies, magazines that catered to people who had lost family members, or found artifacts that they wanted identified, or had oddities to trade. The key was indeed an oddity. "Uh, Chels?"

"Hmm?"

"About the other."

"What other?"

"Your period. How late are you?" 1 12 nw paswons of Chchwa Kmw Chelsea ran on, concentrating on the slap of her sneakers on the road. "A few [email protected] *Oh," Cydra said. "Okay. That's nothing." Fxcept that Chelsea was never late, and it wasn't just a day or two, it was five. She had checked the calendar, had counted and recounted to make sure u wasn't a miscalculation on her part. But she was truly five days late. When she stopped to think of why that might be, she started to shake. "You're not worried, are you?" Cydra asked. "Of course not. It's just a busy life.

Lots on my mind." She felt Cydra's glance, then, after several more strides, felt it again. "You're worried." It wasn't a question this time. @@,-,"Think you're pregnant?" Chelsea thought of her one not-so-spectacular night with Carl. She couldn't imagine a pregnancy having come from that. She hadn't felt anything special at all. The, time of the month had been right for ,,h, er to conceive, but she still couldn't believe it. They'd done it once, just once. Then again, was it -mere coincidence that she'd had s.e.x for the first time in three years and was suddenly late for her period? "I don't know," she finally said, but the answer was an admission that she and Carl had gone all the way-"You finally did it," Cydra breathed excitedly. "d.a.m.n it, why didn't you tell me?"

"d.a.m.n it, because it wasn't any of your business." Cydra grew quiet. Moving closer, Chelsea touched her arm. "Hey, I'm sorry. I'm a little nervous about this." They ran on silently for a bit before a more subdued Cydra said, "It wasn't great, I take it." 113 Barbara Deunshy The Pagslons or chefwa KOM "Nope."

"I knew it wouldn't be. You knew it wouldn't be. That's why you waited. If the chemistry had been right, you'd have done it ages ago. I tell you, letting it go for so long was a sign." Chelsea agreed. "You're not getting married."

"Nope. "

"Not even if you're pregnant?"

"Nope." Marrying for the sake of a baby would be nearly as big a mistake as marrying to please their parents. "Chels?"

"Hmm?"

"How, uh .. Without breaking stride, Chelsea shook rain from her hands. "Don't [email protected] "You didn't use anything?" Chelsea scowled. "But you're so competent." Cydra might well have been the little voice inside Chelsea that had been scolding her all week. "We didn't plan on doing it," she said crossly. "We weren't prepared."

"But you're responsible adults!"

"Even responsible adults blow it sometimes." Cydra made a sound of agreement. "Have you thought about what you'll do?"

"I don't think I'm pregnant."

"Why don't you do a test?" They turned down the home stretch, approaching the health club. "Because I don't think I'm pregnant."

"How long will you wait to find out?"

"I could get my period tomorrow." 114 If you don't?" I worry then." the first of June, the papers for the Plum te partners.h.i.+p were on Bob Mahoney's desk. Plum, anidous for the money they promised, -already signed them. With Chelsea's signature, deal would be final. 0, _'Vhat held her back wasn't Carl's opposition or ', but her own private turmoil. She was definitely pregnant. Her doctor had con- ed it. She didn't feel or look any different than had, but when she thought about the beginnings the baby inside, her mind started to spin. She didn't know what to do about Carl.

She didn't *now what to do about Kevin. She didn't know what do about Norwich Notch. Becoming pregnant n't been in her plans. An abortion was out of the question. As an V,@adoptee, knowing she might well have been @'destroyed once, she couldn't give it a thought. Nor did she consider adoption for long, because as the hours of ago nizing progressed, one thing was clear. F": She wanted the baby. She hadn't planned to have it, couldn't think of a more awkward situation, given the flatness of her relations.h.i.+p with Carl, but she wanted the baby. It was flesh of her flesh. She wanted it. "If you want it," Cydra asked, coming to a dead halt and calling out so that her voice would carry forward, "what in the devil are you doing running?" Chelsea, too, stopped. "The doctor said it's okay. Really. I asked." Cydra was skeptical. "Are you sure?" 115 Barbara Demnsky "I want this baby. I wouldn't do anything to harm it.

But I need to run. It clears my head." She tossed her chin toward the road and started off again. After a block Cydra breathed out an awed, "Whew. A baby." Chelsea knew what she meant. For years, it seemed, her friends had been having babies, while she was the driven professional of the bunch, the "aunt" who brought gifts, snapped pictures, tickled tummies, then left. She hadn't much imagined herself with a diaper bag over her shoulder. "Weird, huh?"

"Very."

"But I can do it. I can raise it. Money isn't an issue. Or job security."

"Lousy timing, though, with the granite company and all."

"I can handle it," Chelsea vowed "What'll they think when you start to show?"

"That I'm pregnant."

"You know what I mean, Chelsea. From what you say, it's a conservative place."

"Then I'll shock them, I guess." Much as her birth mother may have shocked them, she mused. So history would repeat itself. "You'll shock your dad, too."

"No. Yes." Chelsea had spent hours envisioning Kevin's reaction.

"I'll disappoint him. He knows I'm capable of doing the unexpected, so he won't be shocked, and once he knows it's Carl's baby, he won't be angry. Then when I tell him there's no marriage in the offing ... " Her voice trailed off. Kevin would be heartsick, but as much as that upset her, she couldn't change it. When she thought of marrying Carl, she felt tied down. Having a baby should 116 me pa.s.sions Of cbehma Kane made her feel the same way, but it didn't. A would be hers. It could go where she went, do she did. Hailey Smart wasn't far off the mark in nse. So what'll you tel 1 Carl?" Cydra asked. J.: "That I won't marry him." lip"

at if he wants the baby?" kj [email protected]_*He can see the baby."

"What if he wants joint custody?"

"fie can see the baby as much as he wants." "s not the same as joint custody."

"I don't want joint custody," Chelsea declared. "I t the baby to be all mine." R. J The blood relative you never had?"

"Uh-huh." Running close, Cydra said, "There is a message in "'41us, Y'know."

"Oh?"

"My colleagues would say that your subconscious self wanted to get pregnant." It was an interesting hypothesis. Chelsea didn't think it was true, but she couldn't rule it out. Having transcended the initial jolt, she wasn't a bit upset about being pregnant. "What would you say?" she asked. "I'd say you ought to get that talk with Carl out of the way so you can concentrate on being radiant." Chelsea sought Carl out first thing that morning to see if they could go somewhere after work. "Bad time," he said. "Tonight's my dinner meeting with J.D. Henderson. I don't know how long it will take, but I don't want to rush him. He's one of the few developers who's oblivious of the economy." 117 Barba" Definsky He had mentioned the meeting to her before, bb.u.t.t she'd forgotten about it. Had she been another sort, she'd have suggested breakfast. But she wasn't a morning person in the best of times, and lately she'd been feeling particularly woozy. "Tomorrow night, then?"

"Sure." So it was settled, or so Chelsea thought. But she was uneasy all day, wanting to talk with him and get it done. She knew be would return to the office after his meeting with Henderson; he always returned after meetings to make notes or sketches so that he wouldn't forget even the smallest detail of what bad been said. She went there at nine, hoping to catch him at work, planning to wait if he hadn't yet come. She bad plenty to keep her busy. From the top of the ball, she saw the light on in his office. Heart pounding in antic.i.p.ation of what she had to say, she walked quietly down to his door, only to stop on the threshold with that pounding heart suddenly in her mouth. Carl was there with Halley, neither of them fully clothed.

Stunned, she backed away, but he had seen her. "Jesus," she heard him say as she tucked her hands under her arms and pressed herself against the wall. There were several other low oaths, the sound of hurried movement, then Carl rus.h.i.+ng through the door and skidding to a halt at the sight of her. His s.h.i.+rt had been hastily b.u.t.toned, but the tails hung out. His face was red with guilt. In all the years she had known him, Chelsea had never seen him looking that way. He was a stranger, and that compounded her shock. He held up his hands to ward off her fury.

When it didn't come in the Bt he had expected, he turned 1 18 Ike Plagafong Of cheamw AMC into a shrug and let his arms fall to his His eyes held the apology that his mouth I form. @.,*You rat," Chelsea whispered. She felt betrayed. rat." ,.:,He shot an uncomfortable look back toward the V ce. Facing her again, he snaked his hands into kets of his slacks. She felt a churning in the pit of her stomach. ow long-"

she began unsteadily, cleared her ,, and tried again. "How long have you been @seeing her?" & "A while. You knew I was." "I thought it was over."

"It was. Kind of." Kind of She thought of the night they'd made love and swallowed down a vague sense of nausea. ' does that mean?"

"I didn't think she was right for me. I thought you were. But there was always something missing between you and me. Something she has." Chelsea felt as though she'd been hit in the stomach. No matter that she knew something was missing and that she'd come to say that very thing to Carl. No matter that she didn't want to marry him, and that finding him with Halley made that particular confession moot. She still loved Carl as a friend. And she was carrying his child. Knowing that he had been involved with another woman at the same time that he'd been involved with her made her feel dirty. Turning on her heel, she half ran up the hall, but by the time she reached the reception area she realized the folly of fleeing. She was in the right. She had been faithful to Carl during the entire time they'd 119 Barbara Definsky been trying to make a go of their relations.h.i.+p. Since he hadn't, he wouldn't be in any position to make demands when she told him about the baby. - He came up behind her. "I'm sorry, Chels. I didn't mean for you to find out that way. I didn't mean to hurt you." She turned to face him with protective arms wrapped around her waist and a reproachful look in her eye. "I didn't," he insisted. "I meant everything I said after your mother died about wanting us to get together, and I meant everything I said in the months between then and now. I do love you ' Chelsea, but you were right the first time I mentioned it when you said that you didn't know if we were in love and that there was a difference. I didn't want to accept it then, because, d.a.m.n it, there were so many reasons why we should have been married. There still are. But they're not the right ones." Chelsea knew all those reasons, but she remained silent. He was squirming. Given the awful way she'd learned the truth, she found perverse satisfaction in that. The satisfaction faded, though, when his expression grew pained. She tried to find deceit in it but couldn't. He looked to be telling the truth. "For the longest time, I didn't see Hailey at all. Then things began to drag between you and me. The relations.h.i.+p wasn't going anywhere. So you went to Norwich Notch-not that I'm blaming you or the town," he added in the way of a man knowing he was treading on thin ice. "You went there because you knew there was something wrong here. For the same reason-because I knew there was something wrong here-I was drawn to Hailey again." 120 said she was too offbeat for you." is." He paused for just a minute. She saw-the t of a sheepish smile and wanted to scream. that's exciting." had also said he was out of breath when he with Halley, to which Chelsea had said someing about pa.s.sion. She didn't remind him of it She had seen proof enough down the hall. Pa.s.sion had been lacking in his relations.h.i.+p with r. He had found it with Hailey. By rights she tildn't fai It him for that "I wanted to tell you sooner, Chels, but there er seem ed an appropriate time. I was feeling ssure from my parents to marry you, pressure K from Kevin to marry you, even pressure from me to awry you. I tried to tell you about Halley when you came back from Norwich Notch last month, but then you started to kiss me, and I thought, Maybe it'll work and everything will be all right." So she had come on to him while his mind had been on Hailey. "Why didn't you stop me?" she cried, feeling the fool. "Because I wanted it, too," he cried right back. "I don't find you unattractive, Chelsea. I didn't have any trouble making love to you. But you didn't love it, and for me the satisfaction was only physical. There wasn't any wonder or"- he waved a hand- "intense emotional fulfillment or excitement. Was there for you?" he asked in a tone that said he knew the answer but wanted her to admit it herself. "No," she said quietly.

"Well, it's there when I'm with Hailey, and if it hurts you when I say that, I'm sorry, but it's time we were honest. We're wrong for each other. You don't want marriage and children the way I do, and come 121 Harbam Defins1w the day when you decide you do, you'll find someone better for you than me. You turn heads everywhere you go. All you'll have to do is let word out that you're in the market for a husband and you'll be swamped with offers. In the meantime, you can chase after your roots like you feel you have to. I'm marrying Hailey." The words were like an afterthought, half-buried by what had come. before. Still she heard them clear as day. She should have been shocked or hurt or angry.

Oddly, she felt relieved. "I haven't told my parents yet," he went on, "but now that you know about it, I will. They won't be pleased. Hailey isn't you, and they had their hearts set on you. But she's going to have my baby, so they have no choice." Chelsea's stomach tipped. She pressed a hand to it and took a steadying breath. "She's pregnant?"

"Just barely," he said with pride. "It's too early to see a doctor, but she did a home test. If we get married this weekend, no one will know the difference." Chelsea took another breath, since the first didn't seem to help. "What if she isn't really pregnant? What if it's a trap?" His pride became indignation. "It's no trap. She loves me. She wouldn't do that. How can you even suggest it, Chelsea?" She felt a sudden flare of red hot anger. "I can suggest whatever I want, given the circ.u.mstances.

Think of how I feel. You hopped from my bed to hers. Or did you go from hers to mine, then back?" The thought of that sickened her. She prayed it wasn't so. On top of the rest, it would be too much. He stood straighter. "I wasn't with Hailey once while you and I were together. it was only after I knew 122 The or was a bust between us that I was with her."

"rateful for that, at least, Chelsea let ' a . Most of her strength seemed to go with it. ivk-kneed, she leaned against the wall by the you okay?" Carl asked with the old, warm, uring concern, but it was a placebo and simply what Chelsea needed. She was feeling unhinged, ch as she had after Abby's death, only now she n't have any backup. Kevin had sold the house ]%nd was going off into retirement G.o.d knew where, and Carl was marrying Hailey. "Chelsea?" She nodded. "I worry about you," he said. She managed a feeble smile. "We're still friends, aren't we?" he asked. She nodded again. "And business partners," he added.

"I'll always be here for you,, Chels. And as far as the parents go, I'll take full blame for what's happened between you and me. My parents love you. They always will." Chelsea felt a hollowness so sudden and, intense that she wrapped her arms more tightly around her. "I'm, uh, going home," she said. Rolling away from the wall, she opened the door and headed for the elevator. "I'll see you in the morning?" Carl called nervously. She nodded and waved, but she didn't look back. Her insides were alternatively yawing and turning. She was bone-tired and overwhelmed. She wanted to go home to bed. She slept straight through until ten the next morning. After sitting quietly In the kitchen drinking 123 BArbam her Customary two cups of coffee, which she proceeded, to throw up, she showered, dressed, and headed for Bob Mahoney's office. By noon she had signed the papers making her a partner in the Plum Granite Company. By one she was in her office at Harper, Kane, Koo, making phone calls and organizing papers and thoughts. By five she was back home with two stuffed briefcases, three overstuffed port- folios, and a handful of bank drafts, and by six the next morning she was in her car, driving north toward Norwich Notch. [email protected] @ ONNA FARR STOOD AT THE FRONT OF THE neral store, but her attention wasn't on the straw she'd set out to display. With Matthew having epped out, she was free to look through the [email protected] toward the foot of the green, where Chelsea Xane had climbed from a s.h.i.+ny green Jaguar min- 1.0tes before. There was no mistaking her. Nearly three months had pa.s.sed since Donna had seen her last, the day had been dark and rainy, but her face had registered in Donna's mind, a bright spot that hadn't faded with time. There was something special about her. Donna had sensed it then; even now, from a distance, she sensed it. This time Chelsea wore a yellow sundress, shaped in the short, fas.h.i.+onable A line that she was tall and slender enough to wear well. Its color complimented her hair, which looked more red than brown in the sun and draped her shoulders in waves. Yes, she was beautiful, but beautiful people had come through the Notch before, and in point of fact the Notch had beautiful people of its own. But DCUUgky Chelsea had more. She had a sophistication that the others lacked. She had self-confidence. She had cla.s.s. She also had money. Donna might have guessed that in March simply from the cut of her clothes, but when she had returned in May with her lawyer and an offer to buy the granite company, the extent of it became clear. According to Oliver, she had offered absurd sums of money. But he wasn't selling. The granite company was his heart and soul. It meant everything to him.

Donna, who was the third of his four daughters and the one who had stayed closest to the fold, could vouch for that. Among her most vivid childhood memories were family trips to the quarry on Sundays afternoons, when the stonecutters were off and her father could climb along the ledges undisturbed. She remembered the way he would lecture them on what had been done that week, the way he would instruct them in the'use of the equipment, the way he would yell if she or one of her sisters grew impatient and asked to leave. He regarded the quarry with a reverence most people reserved for church, and like a h.e.l.lfire-and-brimstone preacher, he demanded obedience. He usually got it. Of his girls, only the youngest, Jeannie, had escaped, run off in the late sixties with a folk guitarist name Rick. They subsequently married, bought a house in Tenafly, New Jersey, and had two children. No matter that Rick had become a successful dentist; Oliver Plum would never forgive Jeannie for leaving. Donna's sister Janet, five years Donna's senior, was married to Hickory Pullman, a lawyer serving in the state legislature as his father had done before him. Susan, three years younger than Janet, was 126 The raswons of CJWsm Kane d to Trevor Ball, whose family had been tants to the Jamieson banks for years. Donna If was married to Matthew Farr. f the three matches, Oliver had been most ed with hers. It joined two great families, he and by Norwich Notch standards the Farrs great indeed. The town's postmaster was ays a Farr; the oldest living Farr male was itably the town meeting moderator; the Farr en ran the church bazaars. And then there was store, which the Farrs had owned and operated its founding in 1808. No one who was, or N nped to be, anything in the Notch would dream of '@%,,buying his necessities elsewhere. The Farrs were a daunting group. As a Plum, was their equal, but only in theory. She was ,,4mperfect in a way that no Farr or Plum had ever been. If Matthew Farr hadn't already been well past age of marrying, she doubted he'd have given her a second look. He was das.h.i.+ngly handsome, the most eligible bachelor in Norwich Notch. But he was thirty-five at the time, and his parents wanted him wed. Donna, who was then twenty-eight and approaching spinsterhood, had been ripe for the taking. Donna was proud to be a Farr. She told herself that several times each day. With her Plum blood and her Farr ties, she was an integral part of the Notch, and there was security in that, she reminded herself more and more often, it seemed. Tradition was important in life. So was order. The Notch wouldn't be the same without them. That was why, totally aside from his love for it, Oliver would never have sold Plum Granite. The company was an inst.i.tution in Norwich Notch, and 127 Awbara Deakls*y the company was nothing without the Plums. It would be unthinkable for it to fall into flatlander hands. As it was, the townsfolk were upset that flatlander money was being pumped Into it.

Oliver had told as few people as possible about the arrangement; still, word had spread-as it always did in the Notch-and it wasn't kind.

Chelsea Kane was an outsider. She was an unknown quant.i.ty. She was a woman. She wasn't to be trusted. Looking at her now as she stood so regally at the edge of the green, Donna doubted she would ever fit in.

She was too unusual, the kind who stood out in a crowd, which was the last thing Norwich Notch women wanted to do. They wanted to please their parents, complement their husbands, and nurture their children. They wanted to maintain the social structure of the town as it had been maintained for two centuries. They wanted to blend in neatly, graciously, and functionally. Donna jumped when a hand slid into hers.

Her head spun around, eyes lighting when they met Nolan Mccoy's, but she allowed herself only a moment's pleasure before glancing around to make sure no one else was in the room. When her eyes returned to his they were questioning. "Just checking things out," he said, moving his lips in the generous way that made them easy to read. Nolan was the chief of police, one of two full-time law officers in Norwich Notch. He had been hired eight years before, after his predecessor had driven drunk off the road and plunged thirty feet into the ravine. Nolan knew everyone in the Notch. He was respected 128 The Fa.s.saans of Chchmn Kam Still, he was an outsider, which was how the worked. Eight years was nothing when it came ptance. Donna knew people who had lived in twice that long and were still held at arm's length. had to earn their place in the town's ranks.

V, at had never bothered Donna until Nolan had something about him had touched her from first. She guessed it was his aloneness. He had ents in New Mexico, a brother in Montana, and ex-wife and two daughters in Kansas. He claimed t the daughters were the only ones he missed, t Donna thought differently. She knew enough ut aloneness to recognize it in others, which was she tried to invite him to the house whenever nossible. It was tricky. Matthew was as much a Atickler for tradition as his father, and tradition eant the very same guest list for Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year's Day dinner year after year. ",,Nolan's name wasn't on that list. Nor was it ever to be. In Matthew is eyes he was little more than an employee of the town. But Nolan was a dedicated employee, which was another of the things Donna liked about him. He took his work seriously. He spent long hours at it. He was determined to preserve peace in Norwich Notch. He also had the warmest pair of eyes Donna had ever seen in her life. Not that he was handsome by conventional standards. His hair was prematurely gray, his neck thick, his features unrefined. But when he looked at her, he really looked at her. He wasn't seeing Oliver Plum's daughter or Matthew Farr's wife or Jos.h.i.+e Farr's mother. He was seeing her. When he looked at her, she felt lovely. Not once in fourteen years of marriage had Matthew made her feel that way. 129 "Everything okay?" Nolan asked, moving his fingers against hers. She smiled. She knew that he held her hand so that she couldn't sign. He preferred it when she talked. She, on the other hand, hated to talk, but she did like the feel of his hand. Remaining silent, she lifted a shoulder against his arm in a half shrug, shot a glance at the green, then looked back at his mouth. "Chelsea Kane," he confirmed.

"She pulled up at the inn late last night. Your dad figured she'd be in and out of town, but not so soon. The ink's barely dry on the papers she signed. He says she can stay as long as her checkbook's with her." Donna arched a brow. Nolan nodded. "He's in no position to make her leave, but don't try telling him that. He's real ornery . morning." . Donna could guess why. The last thing in the world he wanted was a partner.

"Shelby served her breakfast," Nolan went on. "Said she didn't eat much, and that she looked a little peaked."

"Long trip," Donna mouthed. "Out loud," he coaxed with a gentle hand squeeze, but she shook her head, and he didn't push. "She may be staying a while. She booked her room for a week, with the option to stay longer.' Why?- "Don't know, but your dad'll be mad." Looking back toward the green, Donna felt an instinctive sympathy for Chelsea Kane. It was sad to be wanted for one's money-or one's name or position in the community. Matthew had married her for name and position, and an empty marriage it was. She wondered if It bothered him as much as it bothered her. 130 1he Pa.s.sions Of 0WIM I KA e wondered if Chelsea Kane had ever been mar- %will r claimed she hadn't, but then Oliver also med that she was an impossible person to deal h.

which was the opposite of Donna's impresn. Chelsea had been kind to her that day in ch. Donna appreciated kindness. she watched, Judd Streeter's retriever came behind the law office, caught sight of Chelsea, loped forward. He stopped in front. of her, wag- -ling his tail. She patted him, scratched him behind "the ears in a way that brought his muzzle up, ,."stroked him under the chin. Beneath her gentle touch the dog looked suddenly n.o.ble, which was very much the impression Chelsea conveyed, Donna mused. With her auburn hair, her fair skin, and her willowy figure, she was a striking woman. Again Donna felt sympathy for her. She wondered what Chelsea really knew of the Notch. If she thought she had power simply because she'd boughtin to the granite company, she had a new think coming. No one bought into Norwich Notch. No one became someone unless the town fathers condoned it, and Oliver was as much a town father as ever. He was still a selectman and a prominent member of the planning board and the budget committee. Chelsea Kane would have one tough fight on her hands if she tried to cross him. For a single reckless instant Donna wished she would. Then the instant pa.s.sed, and she pushed the blasphemous thought from mind. At the same time she felt the vibration of a chuckle in Nolan's chest. He hitched his chin toward the green. "Would you get a look at Buck, wagging his tail and preening?

I swear the beast is more outgoing than Judd." Donna had always liked Judd Streeter. They'd 131 AWtmm Desnmw been close in age growing up. He had always treated her well. Then he'd gone off to college and had stayed in the city to work. By the time he returned, he was dark and aloof. He might be the best foreman Oliver had ever had, but Nolan was right. He wasn't anywhere near as outgoing as his dog. Nolan touched her cheek. She looked up to see him say, "I gotta go. See you later." He touched her mouth, and for a minute she could barely breathe. Then, with a final squeeze and the caress of his thumb, he dropped her hand and headed off down the aisles to disappear into the back room. She felt the slam of the door, and though she couldn't hear the rev of the cruiser's engine, she had watched him enough times-opening the door, folding his large frame behind the wheel, closing the door, putting his foot to the gas-to imagine his progress. When her mind's eye saw him pull the cruiser out of the back lot and onto the street, she felt deflated. She consoled herself with the thought that he'd be back. He stopped in whenever he could. It wasn't often that they were alone, though, and those were the times she liked best. She liked being near him. When he stood by her shoulder the way he'd just done, she felt sheltered-which was a perfectly ridiculous thing to be thinking, she knew. Norwich Notch was as sheltering as towns got. It took care of its own, and Donna was very definitely one of its own. If anyone was kept from harm's way, it was she. Kept from harm's way. Oh, yes. With a sigh she turned back to Chelsea. At a window above the law office, overlooking the green, two men stood beneath a neat arc spelling 132 ibe ruswons of Owimm KWw mwer shop in reverse. Both men were portly- white-haired, one gray-haired.

Both wore e was ort-sleeved s.h.i.+rts b.u.t.toned to the throat, dark shoes, and stoic [email protected],@,trousers held up by suspenders, tie ressions. An outsider might have taken those expressions [email protected]@ signal a lack of emotional involvement. Judd better. These men weren't happy with 41, "Streeter knew the turn of events. He could see it in the starched way they st ood, in their pursed lips, in the flatterormal intonation of their voices. They were than-n annoyed because they hadn't had a say in what had ', happened. Oliver Plum had gone ahead and taken on a partner without consulting them, which wasn't the way things were supposed to work. No matter that Plum Granite was Oliver's company, its fate directly affected the town, and all decisions directly affecting the town were customarily made by its three selectmen. Farr didn't act without conferring with Jamieson and Plum, Plum didn't act without conferring with Jamieson and Farr, and so on. At least, that was how it usually went, but not this time. "Fancy gal," Emery Farr said now. He was the white-haired one. He was also bespectacled and rosy-cheeked and should have been gentle in a Santa type of way. But he was tough. George Jamieson, whose gray hair rose in short, stiff spikes from the top of his head, was even tougher. "Got city written all over her."

"She shoulda stayed there."

"But it wouldn'ta been any fun gloating there.

She had to come here to do it. Look at that car. She must feel high and mighty driving a car like that." Judd was wondering what kind of car it was when Emery said, "Don't know what she's gonna do with it 133 if she's here come winter. "ll slide all over."

"Good," remarked George.

"Won't be good if she starts yelling for more sand barrels."

"She can yell all she wants. Doesn't mean we have to listen."

"Lord sakes, George, we can't turn a deaf ear. She owns half the company."

"And whose fault is that?" Both men leveled looks back toward the barber's chair in which Oliver Plum lay with lather on the lower half of his face. Daily shaves at Zee's were a ritual for the triumvirate. Every morning at nine they met to read the newspaper, have coffee, discuss town comings and goings, and alternately sit on that cracked leather chair. Though an open sign sat in the window, the rest of the town steered clear of Zee's until eleven. Judd, who was there at Oliver's request, knew to be un.o.btrusive. Not that he minded. The threesome amused him with their bickering. Besides, there were many less pleasant places he could be waiting for his boss. Zee's smelled of summer sun stirred by the small window fan, shave cream, and coffee and brought back memories of being a child, holding his father's strong hand, climbing the long flight of stairs, and being hoisted onto that big chair to have his hair cut.