Free A Daring Proposition by Jennifer Greene Page A

table.
    “Come on, both of you,” she urged. She was starving; she’d been dreaming of lobster for at least a week, and it was a rare occasion when she had reason to chill champagne, although she had intended the bubbly wine primarily for Robert, contenting herself with the merest sip. She would take no risk of jeopardizing the health of the baby growing inside her.
    “I saw your picture in the paper a few weeks ago,” Robert said pointedly to Brian. “Some blonde with you. A very good-looking—”
    “Don’t worry about it, Robert,” Leigh interrupted imperturbably. “I told him to have one last fling or I wouldn’t marry him.” She hadn’t lived with Robert for twenty-five years without knowing that there was no point in trying to silence him. He shot her a baleful glance, presumably to silence her, then returned his eyes to Brian.
    “Leigh and I were married three weeks ago,” Brian said quietly. “I suppose you’re wondering about the timing, Robert, since I had to be away for the next three weeks. At the time, I had in mind catching Leigh in a weak moment, before she had the chance to change her mind. I know she didn’t want to tell you until we could be together again.”
    Leigh dished out the strawberries, topping them with a dollop of whipped cream. Her own dish seemed to be the largest, she noticed, which was certainly very unhostess-like. Strawberries in October seemed to have an incredible appeal.
    “No wonder she’s all dressed up to celebrate,” Robert mused delightedly. “Well. More champagne, Brian! I had my suspicions, of course, and I approve of everything. Including your having the sense to take advantage of Leigh’s ‘weak moment.’ She doesn’t have many, you know. At least,” the elderly man added with old-fashioned pride, “she isn’t the type to run after a man.”
    “No one,” Brian agreed ironically, “would accuse Leigh of that.”
    She took a breath, then spooned in a mouthful of strawberries. Brian was showing more understanding and kindness to Robert than she had ever expected, considering that he had walked in totally out of the blue. Robert was taken in like a four-year-old who believes in Santa Claus. Leigh was relieved that Robert was taking the big news so well, but it worried her to realize just how manipulative Brian was capable of being. She felt his eyes on her, but she didn’t look up.
    “In fact, it was certainly the opposite when she was a teenager,” Robert continued. “The phone ringing all the time, every other night a different date. Not that she wasn’t selective in her choices…”
    “No,” Brian agreed blandly.
    “But none of them would have done, anyway. It was always going to take a strong man to handle Leigh, even then, I used to say to myself. And then, after all that business happened, of course she shut herself off for a while—”
    “Robert!” The strangled cry of distress escaped involuntarily. Alertness was written all over Brian’s face. She had never dreamed Robert would go so far.
    “I’m sorry, Leigh.” But Robert wasn’t sorry; his look was clearly disapproving. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. I assumed you would have told him, though.”
    “Some topics are not fit for discussion,” she said tightly.
    “Well, we won’t discuss it then,” Robert said agreeably. “The point was simply that it would take a strong man to chase away the nightmares. That was all I was going to say. A man who’s any sort of man would make you forget all that nonsense.”
    “Is there any coffee?” Brian said abruptly, staring at Leigh intently.
    She rose, unwillingly grateful that he had given her something to do, and unreasonably annoyed that he had so considerately changed the subject for her sake. She didn’t want anything done for her sake—not by Brian, not by any man.
    The coffee was poured, and when she sat back down at the table there was a tiny brown satin box in front of her place. She glanced up and saw Robert’s