from the desk, and sat back in her chair while Beth lowered her wrist, shook the bracelet into place and let a victorious grin slip to the corner of her mouth. Without removing her eyes from Rachel, she called, 'Come on, you guys, there's nothing in this place even your grandma would want.' Then, with an imperious toss of the shoulder, she swung around and led the way out the door.
Rachel sat stunned.
What should I do?
It's too late now. You made your choice and she won.
She threw her glasses off, leaned her elbows on the desk, and covered her face. The nerves in her stomach were trembling. She was angry and depressed and upset. Did the whole world have to defy her and Tommy Lee? Was there some unholy force working to thwart their happiness, no
matter how hard they tried to achieve it? 391 What had she done that was so terrible? What? She had fallen in love with a man and was willing to make room in her life for his daughter, share him with her, and try to make a family. But how was that possible now?
She threw herself back in the chair and whammed a fist on the desktop-something totally out of character for Rachel.
Damn that girl.
Couldn't she see how little happiness her father had had in his life? Couldn't she understand how her jealousy was distressing him?
Rachel lurched from her chair, slipped her hands into the front slash pockets of her tailored skirt, and stood at the front window, staring out unseeingly.
So what do I do now? Tell him? Add this to the burden he's already carrying? Give Beth Gentry the opportunity to deny having stolen the bracelet and turn the situation to her advantage by declaring that Rachel was jealous of her? Could a girl of fourteen be that devious? Given what she'd just done, the question seemed ludicrous. Tommy Lee had said she was hovering on the
brink. Rachel's reaction to this incident could be the nudge that pushed her over or the tug that drew her back. Rachel dropped her chin to her chest, staring at her shoe as she pivoted the heel against the carpet, feeling inept and out of her league. Such a tender, malleable thing, the teenager psyche-and being childless, she didn't know the first thing about molding it. The wrong decision could be disastrous for all concerned.
Lord help me, what should I do?
She turned around and was staring dejectedly at the jewelry counter when the answer suddenly came.
Rachel dressed with utmost care that Sunday morning for church. She chose a tasteful shirtwaist dress of periwinkle-blue voile, matching pumps, and a delicately feminine straw hat with a floppy brim that cast dappled shadows over her forehead and made her appear younger. She added a single strand of pearls, a dash of scent, and sighed hopefully as she gave a last glance in the mirror.
She had called her father and asked him if she could ride with him to church, deciding that if he could be stubborn, so could she. He hadn't called or
come over since the day of the confrontation with 393 Tommy Lee, and she'd made up her mind if she had to do battle, she might as well take on all the opposing forces at once.
When Everett's car drew up, she grabbed her purse and hurried out, meeting him halfway up the walk. His hands were in his trouser pockets and he came to an abrupt halt as she slammed the front door and approached with a bounce in her step.
'Hi, Daddy,' she said brightly, tipping her head up to plunk a quick kiss on his cheek before airily continuing past him.
He scowled after her without returning her greeting, and after a brief hesitation she heard his footsteps follow. Without turning around, she said, 'Thank you for picking me up. Tommy Lee would have, but he's running a little late this morning. His daughter is living with him now, and you know how poky we women can be. I'll meet her after church and ride out to their house with them, so you won't have to haul me back home.'
As she opened the car door she heard Everett's footsteps come to a halt behind her, but she blithely climbed in and slammed the door.
In a moment he joined her, and she could see peripherally that he gave her a disapproving glance as he started the engine. She had him stymied and she knew it. He might have been expecting her to maintain a stoical silence, as he had, or to vehemently argue her cause. But the one thing he hadn't been expecting was her gay mien and her openly filling him in on what was going on between her and Tommy Lee. She hurried on while she had her father buffaloed.
'I'm terribly nervous… do I look all right?' She flipped her palms up and glanced down at her dress, then went on brightly. 'Meeting a man's children is a bit unnerving, and of course I want to create a good impression, since we'll all be living together in the near future. She's already started school here and Tommy Lee says she's blending in beautifully. She's made some friends already and doesn't seem to want to go back to live with her mother.'
She saw her father's mouth drop open in surprise and rushed on before he could say anything. 'You saw her with Tommy Lee on the church steps several weeks ago, the one with the long, dark
hair and that unmistakable Gentry mouth. 395 She's a pretty little thing, don't you think? But every time I look at her I want to teach her how to put on her makeup properly-you know how girls of that age tend to overdress, almost like playing grown-up when they're first turned loose.' She flipped the visor down, checked her lipstick in the mirror, and smiled. 'Ah, well, at least it'll give us some common ground to talk about. Lord, I hope so-I'll need something to break the ice with her.' Up went the visor with a snap. 'So tell me, Daddy, how've you been?'
She felt positively winded after that mouthful, and her heart was pattering animatedly, but she turned to her father with a disarming smile, as if she greeted him this way every Sunday morning.
'Rachel, what in heaven's name has gotten into you?'
She leaned across the seat and pecked him on the cheek again, knocking her hat brim askew and giving a little laugh as she shot a hand up to hold it on. 'I'm happy, that's all. Isn't everybody when they fall in love?'
He snorted and cast her a doubtful glance from
the corner of his eye.
'Oh, Daddy, don't be such a cynic.'
'You're makin' the mistake of your life. A skunk doesn't change its stripes.'
But again she threw him a curve. 'Would you like to meet Beth, since she's going to be your granddaughter?'
He gripped the wheel and blared, 'I most certainly would not!'
She pulled away with a mock show of defense. 'Okay, okay… maybe it is best if you wait until she's learned to accept me first.'
By the time they reached church Rachel was weak from putting on her act all the way, but she crooked a hand through her father's elbow and kept her step spry as they moved directly inside and found their pew.
The moment she sat down she felt the tension between her shoulderblades and wilted slightly. The worst was yet to come, and she wondered if she was a good enough actress to pull it off when she faced Beth Gentry an hour from now. She had chosen the time and place for its very public aspect. What could Beth Gentry do with half the town milling about, witnessing their first meeting?
When the service ended she studied 397 Tommy Lee's face as they converged in the middle of the crowd, and for a moment she forgot the young woman at his elbow and felt only the thrill of seeing him again.
'Hello, Rachel.' His dark eyes adored her while he extended a hand.
'Hello, Tommy Lee.' His palm was warm and large as it surrounded hers momentarily, and she smiled up at him.
'I'd like you to meet my daughter Beth.'
Rachel transferred her smile to the girl and offered her hand as benignly as if they'd never laid eyes on each other before.
'Hello, Beth. I've certainly heard a lot about you.'
Color crept up Beth's cheeks and her mouth hung open in surprise as she let Rachel shake her hand.
'Have-h'lo.'
Still holding her hand, Rachel smiled up at Tommy Lee. 'Why, she's a beauty, just as you said.' Again she directed her comment to the girl. 'You have your grandpa Gentry's eyes, but your grandma's mouth.' And at last she dropped
