Dream A Little Dream

her to bring their son to the airfield, it wasn't because he wanted to say good-bye, but because he'd known Edward would bring Horse along. Dwayne had wanted the diamonds, not his son.

At that moment, Rachel decided G. Dwayne Snopes was no longer Edward's father.

Gabe took her hand. 'Looks like you finally found your fortune, Rach.'

She poked at one of the stones with the toe of Kristy's sandal and knew he was wrong. These diamonds weren't her fortune. Her real fortune stood right in front of her, but she had no right to claim it.

26

Rachel didn't get to take her shower until nearly ten o'clock that night after Edward had finally fallen asleep. She turned off the water and, as she dried herself, said one more prayer of thanksgiving that Edward and Rosie had both been given a clean bill of health by the doctors.

There had been so much to do since they'd recovered the children. Cal had locked up the diamonds for her in Dwayne's old safe, then all of them had spoken with the police. They'd also checked on Bobby Dennis, who was in the hospital, and Rachel had talked with Carol. Bobby's mother was badly shaken and very much in need of forgiveness. Rachel had given it without a moment's hesitation.

But she didn't want to think about Bobby now, so she concentrated on untangling her wet hair with Gabe's comb. She wasn't in any hurry. Right now, Gabe and his overdeveloped conscience were sitting out there waiting for her, and she knew that Mr. Eagle Scout had prepared himself to do the honorable thing. The comb caught on a snarl, and she tossed it down.

If she'd had her wish, she and Edward would have gone back to Kristy's condo for the night, but Edward and Gabe had refused to be separated. She still didn't entirely understand how the relationship between them had changed so drastically. It was ironic. What had once seemed like an insurmountable problem in her relationship with Gabe had disappeared, but an equally large barrier still stood in the way. Gabe didn't love her, and she couldn't live in Cherry's shadow.

She reached down to pick up the clean clothes Ethan and Kristy had brought her from the condo only to realize they weren't there. Wrapping a towel around herself, she cracked open the door. 'Gabe? I need my clothes.'

Silence.

She didn't want to walk out like this. 'Gabe?'

'I'm in the living room.'

'Where are my clothes?'

'I burned them.'

'You did what?' She shot into the hallway. She felt defenseless enough without having to confront him wearing only a towel, so she stormed into his bedroom and pulled on one of his clean work shirts. After hurriedly buttoning it, she marched into the living room.

He looked as cozy as could be, slouched in a wicker armchair with his feet propped on the old pine-blanket chest that served as a coffee table, ankles crossed, and a can of Dr Pepper in his hand. 'Want something to drink?'

She smelled the stench and spotted smoldering embers in the fireplace. 'I want to know why you burned my clothes!'

'Don't talk so loud. You'll wake up Chip. And I burned your clothes because I couldn't stand looking at them another minute. You don't own one thing that's not butt-ugly, Rachel Stone. Except your panties. I like them.'

He was acting as if he didn't have a care in the world. Where was the tense, difficult man she'd grown so used to? 'Gabe, what's wrong with you? You had no right to do that.'

'As your present and future employer, I have a lot of rights.'

'Employer? The drive-in's closed, and I'm leaving tomorrow. You're not my employer any longer.'

She saw by his stubborn expression that he wasn't going to make this easy on her,

'You refused to marry me,' he said, 'so I don't see any other way to go about it than to rehire you. I burned those bus tickets, by the way, along with your clothes.'

'You didn't.' She slumped down on the couch, all the wind knocked out of her. Did he think that just because he'd finally attached himself to her son, everything was all right? 'How could you do that?'

For a moment he said nothing. Then he gave her a slow, calculating 'smile. 'I know you too well, sweetheart. You're not going to keep those diamonds. That means it's time to cut a deal.'

She regarded him warily.

He eyed her over the rim of his Dr Pepper, then sipped. As he lowered the can, he took his time studying her. His scrutiny made her fully conscious of the fact that she was completely naked beneath his shirt. She drew her legs closer together.

'I'm making some changes in my life,' he said.

'Oh?'

'I'm going to get licensed in North Carolina and open up a practice right here in Salvation.'

As upset as she was, she couldn't help but feel happy for him. 'I'm glad. It's exactly what you should be doing.'

'But I'm going to need some help.'

'What kind of help?'

'Well… I have to hire a receptionist who can also pinch hit when I need surgical help.'

'I already have a job in Florida,' she pointed out. 'And I'm not going to be your receptionist.' Why did he have to belabor this? Didn't he understand how hard leaving him was for her?

'That's not the job I'm offering you,' he said smugly. 'Although if you'd volunteer to help out every once in a while, I'm sure I'd appreciate it. But no, what I'm thinking about for you is more in the way of a career than a job.'

'A career? Doing what?'

'Things I need done.'

'Such as?'

'Well…' He seemed to be thinking. 'Laundry. I don't mind cooking and washing dishes, but I don't like laundry.'

'You want me to do your laundry?'

'Among other things.'

'Keep going.'

'Answering the phone in the evenings. When I'm not working, I don't like to answer the phone. You'd have to do that. If it's somebody in my family, I'll talk. Otherwise, you take care of it.'

'Doing laundry and answering the phone. This is supposed to be my new career?'

'And balancing my checkbook. I really hate that. I just can't get all worked up about tracking down every little penny.'

'Gabe, you're a very wealthy man. You really need to look after your money better.'

'That's what my brothers keep telling me, but I'm just not interested.'

'Laundry, answering the phone, and balancing your checkbook. Is that it?'

'Pretty much. Except for one other thing.'

'Which is?'

'Sex. That's the main part of your job.'

'Sex?'

'It comes before everything else. Way before that checkbook.'

'Having sex with you?'

'Yes.'

'You want to pay me to have sex with you?'

'Plus laundry and the phone and-'

'You want to pay me! This is my new career! Being your full-time mistress and part-time housekeeper?'