Colby arrived the next day, with stitches down one lean cheek and a new prosthesis. He held it up as Cecily came out to the car to greet him. He held it up as Cecily came out to the car to greet him. "Nice, huh? Doesn't it look more realistic than the last one?"
"What happened to the last one?" she asked.
"Got blown off. Don't ask where," he added darkly.
"I know nothing," she assured him. "Come on in. Leta made sandwiches."
Leta had only seen Colby once, on a visit with Tate. She was polite, but a little remote, and it showed.
"She doesn't like me," Colby told Cecily when they were sitting on the steps later that evening.
"She thinks I'm sleeping with you," she said simply." So does Tate."
"Why?"
"Because I let him think I was," she said bluntly.
He gave her a hard look. "Bad move, Cecily."
"I won't let him think I'm waiting around for him to notice me," she said icily. "He's already convinced that I'm in love with him, and that's bad enough. I can't have him know that I'm…well, what I am. I do have a little pride."
"I'm perfectly willing, if you're serious," he said matter-of-factly. His face broke into a grin, belying the solemnity of the words. "Or are you worried that I might not be able to handle it with one arm?"
She burst out laughing and pressed affectionately against his side. "I adore you, I really do. But I had a bad experience in my teens. I've had therapy and all, but it's still sort of traumatic for me to think about real intimacy."
"Even with Tate?" he probed gently.
She wasn't touching that line with a pole. "Tate doesn't want me."
"You keep saying that, and he keeps making a liar of you."
"I don't understand."
"He came to see me last night. Just after I spoke to you." He ran his fingers down his damaged cheek. She caught her breath. "I thought you got that overseas!"
"Tate wears a big silver turquoise ring on his middle right finger," he reminded her. "It does a bit of damage when he hits people with it."
"He hit you? Why?" she exclaimed.
"Because you told him we were sleeping together," he said simply. "Honest to God, Cecily, I wish you'd tell me first when you plan to play games. I was caught off guard."
"What did he do after he hit you?"
"I hit him, and one thing led to another. I don't have a coffee table anymore. We won't even discuss what he did to my best ashtry."
"I'm so sorry!"
"Tate and I are pretty much matched in a fight," he said. "Not that we've ever been in many. He hits harder than Pierce Hutton does in a temper." He scowled down at her. "Are you sure Tate doesn't want you? I can't think of another reason he'd try to hammer my floor with my head."
"Big brother Tate, to the rescue," she said miserably. She laughed bitterly. "He thinks you're a bad risk."
"I am," he said easily.
"I like having you as my friend."
He smiled. "Me, too. There aren't many people who stuck by me over the years, you know. When Maureen left me, I went crazy. I couldn't live with the pain, so I found ways to numb it." He shook his head. "I don't think I came to my senses until you sent me to that psychologist over in Baltimore." He glanced down at her. "Did you know she keeps snakes?" he added.
"We all have our little quirks.
"What happened to the last one?" she asked.
"Got blown off. Don't ask where," he added darkly.
"I know nothing," she assured him. "Come on in. Leta made sandwiches."
Leta had only seen Colby once, on a visit with Tate. She was polite, but a little remote, and it showed.
"She doesn't like me," Colby told Cecily when they were sitting on the steps later that evening.
"She thinks I'm sleeping with you," she said simply." So does Tate."
"Why?"
"Because I let him think I was," she said bluntly.
He gave her a hard look. "Bad move, Cecily."
"I won't let him think I'm waiting around for him to notice me," she said icily. "He's already convinced that I'm in love with him, and that's bad enough. I can't have him know that I'm…well, what I am. I do have a little pride."
"I'm perfectly willing, if you're serious," he said matter-of-factly. His face broke into a grin, belying the solemnity of the words. "Or are you worried that I might not be able to handle it with one arm?"
She burst out laughing and pressed affectionately against his side. "I adore you, I really do. But I had a bad experience in my teens. I've had therapy and all, but it's still sort of traumatic for me to think about real intimacy."
"Even with Tate?" he probed gently.
She wasn't touching that line with a pole. "Tate doesn't want me."
"You keep saying that, and he keeps making a liar of you."
"I don't understand."
"He came to see me last night. Just after I spoke to you." He ran his fingers down his damaged cheek. She caught her breath. "I thought you got that overseas!"
"Tate wears a big silver turquoise ring on his middle right finger," he reminded her. "It does a bit of damage when he hits people with it."
"He hit you? Why?" she exclaimed.
"Because you told him we were sleeping together," he said simply. "Honest to God, Cecily, I wish you'd tell me first when you plan to play games. I was caught off guard."
"What did he do after he hit you?"
"I hit him, and one thing led to another. I don't have a coffee table anymore. We won't even discuss what he did to my best ashtry."
"I'm so sorry!"
"Tate and I are pretty much matched in a fight," he said. "Not that we've ever been in many. He hits harder than Pierce Hutton does in a temper." He scowled down at her. "Are you sure Tate doesn't want you? I can't think of another reason he'd try to hammer my floor with my head."
"Big brother Tate, to the rescue," she said miserably. She laughed bitterly. "He thinks you're a bad risk."
"I am," he said easily.
"I like having you as my friend."
He smiled. "Me, too. There aren't many people who stuck by me over the years, you know. When Maureen left me, I went crazy. I couldn't live with the pain, so I found ways to numb it." He shook his head. "I don't think I came to my senses until you sent me to that psychologist over in Baltimore." He glanced down at her. "Did you know she keeps snakes?" he added.
"We all have our little quirks.
( Diana Palmer )
[ Paper Rose ]
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