Half Past Mourning (22 page)

“I’m thinking, I’m thinking,” her uncle grumbled. “And while we’re talking about taking care of things, how’s this thing with Peter going? Seems to me he’s worth a look or two from some young lady I know.”

The flush flooding Nina’s face left her no way to dodge her uncle’s question. “Peter’s been a lot of help,” she floundered. “We’re going to do the road rally next month, you know. I came out to get some old rally directions for us to use as practice. And he’s doing fine with the T-Bird.”

“Not what I asked,” Eldon Lassiter reminded her. “I want to know what’s going on between the two of you. I noticed right off you’ve stopped wearing your wedding ring. What’s up with that? Peter Shayne have something to do with it?”

“I took it off because I’m not married. At least...I don’t feel like...oh, damn it, Uncle Eldon, I’m not Danny’s wife. Maybe it’s too soon for me to say that, but it’s what I feel,” Nina answered. “And I know Peter...well, he’s...”

“He’s in love with you, Snookie. And he’s a good man.” He rolled around the desk and pulled his chair close. “He’s an honorable man, and he’s waiting for you to let him get closer. Peter Shayne won’t come forward till you let him, but I believe once you open the door, he’ll be all the man you’ve ever wanted. He’s no boy playing with a girl’s heart, Nina. He’s a grown man with strength and courage and love to offer the woman he wants. If she’s brave enough to take the risk again. Are you, Nina? Or did Danny steal your courage as well as your dreams?”

Chapter 13

Morning dew still glimmered in the light of the advancing day. Curled with her feet drawn up under her, Nina leaned back in the yellow rocking chair and watched the shadows grow shorter under the ancient hickory tree beside the house. Apricot and gold lantana banked solid mounds of color against the porch and down the walk, luring the first butterflies of the day.

Peter would be along soon, and they would begin their attempt at creating a rally team. Nina glanced over the instructions she’d borrowed from her uncle. She thought this one was a fairly easy run over the low hills and country highways out in the county. Too bad the wildflowers had faded so much. Most of the bluebonnets were gone, only a few hiding in the cooler hollows of the hills. Still, the later flowers, a blanket of maize and purple covering the hills, would make a pretty drive. They should be able to finish the run by noon, before the worst heat of the day came down on them.

Stretched out on the porch railing, Sinbad posed so the sun would pour over his tatty fur. Nina rubbed his ragged ear, eliciting a contented rumble. Below the edge of the roof, hummingbirds swooped, their tiny wings a blur of color in the light. Sinbad tensed as if to spring for one of the birds hovering around the feeder at the end of the porch.

“Oh, no, my friend, the birds are off limits.” She gathered the squirming cat under her arm and put him firmly back in the house. Just as she closed the door she heard the distinctive rumble of the T-Bird. Peter pulled up in front of the house and unfolded his long legs from the driver’s seat.

“Ready to teach me how to follow instructions?” he called, striding for the porch.

“I’m ready, and here are our instructions.” Nina showed him the folder with its typed pages of directions. “This is a pretty straightforward set,” she explained. “It covers the basics. I think, for the first time out, you should drive and let me navigate. Then you’ll know how the driver needs to hear the information.”

Peter took the folder and stepped back to look at Nina. “I thought spending the morning in an open car with a pretty girl was just about the perfect combination, but when the pretty girl has on short red shorts and a midriff shirt, it really is perfect.”

Nina brushed his comment aside. “Just being practical, Peter. It’s going to be hot out here.”

“Not as hot as it will be in the Princess come the Fourth of July. And you tell me we have to wear
costumes
for that. No shorts for you then, Miss Nina.”

“Nor for you,” she reminded him, with a glance at his British-styled Bermuda shorts.

“So where are we going?” he asked as he started to flip open the folder.

Nina took it back and held it away from his grasp. “No, you don’t get told where you’re going. You just get in the car and drive where I tell you. The idea is to follow the directions, at set speeds for each leg of the trip, and match the time given. Of course, it helps if you stay on course and wind up at the finish line, too.”

“Fortunately I have a lunch basket in the car and instructions to my landlord if we get lost for days.”

Nina chuckled at his dire preparations. “I’ve never lost a driver yet, or at least not for more than a couple of hours.”

They scrambled into the car, and Nina indicated an older highway leading out of town. The morning was perfect for a drive in the country. The sun warmed without burning, and a lilting breeze tumbled the high grass and brush lining the winding roads.

“You want to average thirty-five miles an hour for the next seventeen miles,” Nina instructed. “When you get to the old red barn with the chicken painted on the side, we’ll make a time and mileage check. We have four of those.”

Peter increased his speed a little to meet the directions. “I suppose on the day of the rally somebody will be at the checkpoints to verify our numbers.”

Nina nodded. “We’ll have to check in and get the spotters to initial our rally sheet before we can go on. Time automatically stops while we’re in the checkpoint. And we’ll have at least an hour, maybe even longer, where we have to pull off and take a lunch break. If our time doesn’t work out to show that we took the mandatory break, we get disqualified. With the heat we’ll be facing in the July rally, it’s risky not to stop for drinks and food and get under some shade for a bit.”

They made three of the required stops in good time. Nina had hopes for the upcoming rally if Peter handled giving directions as well as he took them. The road continued to drift through the hills, turning back on itself, leading across narrow bridges and under stands of pecan and peach trees. The sun rose higher in the sky, and the glare on the road took a toll on both driver and navigator.

“If you have something to drink in that picnic basket, I think this would be a good time to check it out,” Nina suggested. “We’re due a break about now.”

Peter swiped a hand across his forehead and agreed. “I can see a path into that grove of trees up the way. We might pull in and get under the shade for a while. If you have any interest, there’s fried chicken, some bread-and-butter sandwiches, and a tomato-and-cucumber salad, as well as a thermos of iced tea.”

“You have hidden domestic talents,” Nina chuckled.

The T-Bird bumped over a patch of leaves and twigs as Peter headed into the narrower path. “No domestic talents, hidden or otherwise, sweetheart. I just happen to be on good terms with the ladies in the faculty dining room. They took pity on a poor bachelor and put up the picnic for me.”

Peter was able to park under a canopy of trees and leave room to unfold a frayed blanket alongside. While Nina sorted out the various containers, he filled metal tumblers with tea and handed out gingham napkins to serve as placemats.

“So, do you think we can make an acceptable showing for your uncle next month?” Peter asked as they spread their picnic over the blanket and relaxed from the demands of the road.

“I don’t know if we can win for him, but I’m fairly certain we won’t embarrass him or run the Princess into a bar ditch.”

With her attention totally focused on the rally sheet in her lap, Nina continued to share with Peter the finer points of directing the driver in an event. She went on about double-checking time, using the stopwatch, and looking for tricks in the instructions that could be misinterpreted. Several minutes passed before she realized Peter wasn’t listening. She looked up from her typed pages to find him watching her with an amused gleam in his grey eyes.

“What?” she asked in confusion. “Am I going too fast or repeating myself?”

“Nope,” he answered, brushing a stray leaf from his lap and unkinking his long legs. “You’re doing just fine. In fact I think you’re about the cutest driving instructor I ever saw.” He held out a hand and, without knowing exactly why, she put her hand into his. With a firm grasp he pulled her to her feet and rested both hands on her waist. Seeing a twinkle of intent in his eyes, she took a quick step back only to find herself caught between a pecan tree and a purposeful man.

“Peter, I don’t think...” she began to protest, when one hand strayed from her shoulder to tilt her face toward his.

His thumb traced the line of her lips. “I don’t want you to think right now, Nina. I just want you to let this happen.” His lips brushed hers with warmth, a sweet, innocent kiss. The first one was, anyway. The second suggested more desire, an undercurrent of passion held firmly in check. Nina couldn’t keep from responding. Peter’s kiss touched the closed-off places in her heart. All the need, the longing, the hunger she’d denied for two years broke free, and Nina wrapped herself in Peter’s embrace. His kiss heated her blood, left her heart pounding till she could hear nothing else. His tongue stroked the seam of her lips, and she opened them to his tender assault.

“My sweet Nina,” he murmured pressing a kiss above each eye before returning his attention to her lips. His long fingers traced the edge of her knotted shirt and one fingertip slipped beneath the red print to touch the trembling flesh beneath the cotton. “You’re shaking like a leaf, sweetheart. You’re not afraid of me, are you?”

Her face nestled against his shoulder, Nina clung to him. “No, I’m not afraid of you, Peter, but I’m scaring myself to death. You kiss me and the whole world goes fuzzy. Like there’s nothing real except you and me, right here, right now.”

“That’s all there is, just the two of us. If you let it be that way.”

“Uncle Eldon said...” Nina stopped in dismay. She couldn’t repeat that conversation.

Peter tumbled her hair back with a gentle hand. “He told you I was in love with you, didn’t he?” Nina felt the blood rush to her face. Peter’s wide mouth twisted with wry humor. “Well, he’s right, of course. I think I’ve been in love with you since I saw you with that pack of young hyenas in the schoolyard. You were pitching softball to the kids, and you looked about fifteen years old, the tallest kid in the game. And you were having the time of your life. You walked off with my heart right there on the school grounds, Nina.”

“But, Peter,” she protested, “I don’t know if it’s right, if you should...or I should...or...”

He stopped her words with another kiss. “No, we don’t know, do we? And I probably am getting ahead of things by telling you that I love you when we don’t know what your immediate future looks like. But whatever it is, Nina, you’ve got to know that I’m right here. I’ll be with you, thick or thin, good or bad, until this thing is resolved. You can’t give me the promise I want from you, not right now. But I can pledge you my support, my help, and all the patience I have until the time comes that you’re free of all entanglements. At that point, young lady, hold on to your hat, because I’ll be the whirlwind waiting to carry you off.” He kissed her again, slowly and with a barely leashed passion that left Nina limp against the tree.

“Before I forget to be the honorable gentleman, Miss Kirkland, maybe we’d better gather up our picnic and get on with the rally lessons.” He withdrew from her, moving back three steps. Nina longed to rush back into his arms, but some remaining caution stopped her. She knew if she followed her impulse she would lose some of her own self-respect. She forced herself to step away, to steady her hands and still her throbbing heart. Turning aside, she bent down to gather the remains of their lunch and stow them in the hamper.

“Yes, we’d better get back on the road before the day—or anything else—gets any hotter,” she answered, trying to calm the fires that threatened her heart.

****

The sky was still dark, but the sun would be up shortly. Nina looked out her open doorway and tried to let the silky air fill her with the peace that comes before the day actually starts. A hint of rosy grey touched the sky now, and night birds were making their last calls. Crickets and small frogs serenaded the countryside, and even here at the edge of town a feeling of stillness held back the first bustle of day. The porch dripped with the last splash of a predawn shower. She was glad to see a new day breaking, to escape the long night that had her turning endlessly in her bed, sleepless and torn by needs she wouldn’t identify. Curled in the old armchair, Nina sipped her coffee and braced herself to address the problems of yesterday. She had to look at reality, face her own feelings, before she saw Peter again.

He loves me, or at least he thinks he does.
Nina sank deeper in her chair and pulled a light afghan over her bare feet.
It’s impossible; the whole situation is just impossible.
As much as she believed Danny was dead, as far as the world was concerned, without any proof, Nina was a married woman—abandoned perhaps, but certainly married. She could start some kind of legal proceedings, she supposed, but how did one go about divorcing a man who had disappeared? Or annulling a marriage that had lasted either an hour or more than two years? If, as she believed, Danny was dead, could an annulment or divorce be legal?

But I loved Danny
.
At least I loved the Danny I knew, the boy who made me laugh, who gave me my first kiss. The boy I married. Can I just give up all that we had? Can I just go out and fall in love with another man? How do I trust the feelings I think I have for Peter, when I seem to have been so wrong about Danny?

Then Nina thought of Paula and the double-cross Danny had played on both of them. She didn’t, she couldn’t, have loved the man who betrayed her with a friend.
That was Danny, too, maybe the real Danny.
And what of her own feelings for Peter? Was that pounding in her heart just the reaction of a woman who had been alone too long? A normal reaction of a woman who catches the eye of an interesting and attractive man? A shallow flirtation about to get out of hand?