“Don’t stay out here too long in the sun or you’ll get burned,” he’d warned, startling her as he’d stepped onto the patio.
She looked up at the sky, noting the sun was overhead. “I was in the shade before.”
“Yes, but the sun’s moved.”
He went back inside.
And that was that.
He’d done his duty.
Then, halfway through Friday morning, Gemma was about to leave her room when she caught sight of the light flashing on the telephone beside the bed. Nathan was asleep in his crib. Tate and Clive were in the garage checking on a problem with Clive’s car. The sound of the vacuum cleaner came from another part of the house and she knew Peggy couldn’t hear the telephone ringing. Thinking it might be important, Gemma picked up the handset, almost dropping it again at the sound of the male voice on the other end of the line.
“Well, well,” Drake Fulton’s voice said into the black hole that suddenly swallowed her up. “If it isn’t Gemma Watkins…oops, it’s Gemma Chandler now, isn’t it?”#p#分页标题#e#
He sounded pleasant enough, if anyone had been listening on another extension, but she knew there was more than that in his voice. “What do you want, Drake?”
“Congratulations are in order, I believe. A marriage and a son. Well done, Gem.”
She clasped the phone tighter. She hated him calling her Gem. He only ever did that in private. “Are you looking for Tate?”
“I was.” He didn’t acknowledge her abrupt tone. “I wanted to apologize again for not being able to make the wedding, but I thought it best I didn’t go. Tate agreed with me that it was the right thing to do…under the circumstances.”
Gemma had to bite her tongue. This man didn’t know how to do the right thing, under any circumstances. “I’ll tell Tate you called.”
“No need,” he said cheerily. “I’ll phone him back another time.”
“Goodbye, Drake.” She hung up with shaking fingers and sank down on the bed, thoughts milling in her head. Drake hadn’t called to talk to Tate at all. He’d called on the off-chance that she might answer the phone, otherwise he could have easily called Tate on his cell phone.
Gemma had to get out of the room and out of the house. She jumped to her feet, sick to her stomach. “I’m going for a walk to the lake,” she told Peggy as calmly as she could when she passed her vacuuming downstairs. “Would you keep an eye on Nathan? He should sleep for another hour or so.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks. I just need some fresh air.” She needed to get the stink of Drake Fulton out of her mind.
Gemma was still upset when she reached the sanctuary of the lake, where the cluster of trees and the gazebo hid her from view. She sank down on a small bench near the water’s edge. There was no way she could tell Tate about the call. He’d accuse her of somehow engineering this so she could talk to Drake. How she could have achieved that she didn’t know, but Tate was blind where she was concerned and totally biased about his best friend.
God, she couldn’t even confide how ill at ease Drake had made her, or Tate would say she was imagining things or, worse, trying to stir up more trouble. Hadn’t she once attempted to tell him how Drake had made her uncomfortable? He hadn’t been prepared to listen then and she was sure he wouldn’t now. Otherwise he’d already know that this was the way Drake worked, pretending to be friendly in front of others, pretending to be Tate’s best friend, while trying to get her into bed.
No doubt if she’d fallen for Drake’s charms and slept with him two years ago he’d have dumped her as quickly as Tate had. He hadn’t liked that she’d ignored his advances then, and she could tell he still didn’t like it. How far would he go now that she was married to Tate and had a child? She suspected he wouldn’t stop at less than destroying what she and Tate had. Suddenly her tenuous hold on her marriage was everything to her. She didn’t want to lose it.
Right then, a horse and rider came over the rise and Gemma groaned, wishing she’d gone somewhere else. Wasn’t there anywhere she could have some privacy in this place? The last thing she wanted right now was company.
Rolly saw her and waved, then brought the horse in her direction. “I didn’t think I’d see you here this morning,” he said as he got closer.
She rose to her feet and mustered up a smile. “It was too nice to stay inside.”
“I’m later than usual. I had to do a job for my dad.” He slid down to the ground and smoothed his hand along the horse’s flank as he spoke to her. “Where’s your son?”#p#分页标题#e#