Free Passion's Price by Gwynne Forster Page A

meant he’d passed muster.
    “I’ll show you to your room,” Darlene said. “Then I’ll show you around the house. It’s kind of big.”
    He followed her up the stairs to a room that had pale yellow walls, a beige carpet, walnut furniture and a chocolate comforter on a big sleigh bed. Its spaciousness appealed to him, and he felt at home.
    “I like the room,” he told her.
    “It was our parents’ bedroom, and we use it as a guest suite. It’s very roomy, so I thought it would suit you. I hope Maggie didn’t put you off.”
    “I didn’t know what to think.”
    “Not to worry. With Maggie, what you see is just what you get. She’s as honest as Lincoln.”
    “I finally got an inkling of that. Is this the only chance I’ll get to kiss you?”
    She gave him a withering look. “Trust me, Mike. I’m smarter than that.” His eyebrows shot up as she brushed a quick kiss across his lips then hurried out of the room with the speed of a jungle cat. In other words, get your libido under control, man, and keep it there.
    He looked around. So far, he’d seen a beautiful home with elegant but not overly ostentatious furnishings. When she first met Mike, she’d said her parents were physicians, and that she and her brother had been brought up by their older sister, Tyra. He had a feeling that it wasn’t Clark who’d give him the third degree, but rather Darlene’s sister Tyra. He settled into his room, and after changing into a pair of tan-colored pants and a yellow T-shirt, he strolled down the stairs.
    “Mike, you want to come here in the kitchen for a minute?” He followed Maggie’s voice straight to the kitchen. “Sit down here.” She pointed to a straight-backed chair at the kitchen table. “Snack on this, since we’re not having supper till Clark and Tyra get here. That’ll be close to seven.” She put a plate of buttermilk biscuits, country ham and fried green tomatoes in front of him, along with a mug of coffee. He said a silent thanks and relaxed.
    “Did you say snack? For a guy who has to fend for himself in the kitchen, this is a full-course meal and a heavenly one at that. Thank you.”
    “What do you want in your coffee?”
    “A little milk. Thank you. How long have you known Darlene?”
    “Since she was seven. Are you serious about her?”
    He savored one of the best biscuits he’d ever eaten. “Maggie, I would not have considered coming here if I wasn’t serious. Darlene didn’t invite me—I asked her if I could visit her this weekend, and she agreed. Yeah, I’m serious about her, and I think she’s serious about me.”
    “That’s what I thought. One good look at you, and I had you pegged as a man with integrity. You’re a good guy, all right.”
    “I can see you took your time sizing me up. It takes a lot to make me squirm, and you came close to it.”
    “I wanted to be sure, ’cause when I make up my mind, I hardly ever change it.”
     
    “Want to see the rest of the place?” Darlene asked, announcing her presence. She knew Maggie would want to talk privately with Mike, and she hoped that whatever Maggie had on her mind had been laid to rest.
    “I’d love it,” Mike said, “soon as I finish this snack.”
    She walked with him through the house and then took him to the back garden, where they stood holding each other among the profusion of late summer flowers. “This garden must be beautiful on a midsummer moonlit night.”
    “It is, and I’ve done a lot of daydreaming out here. Oh!”
    “What is it?”
    “I hear Clark’s car. Let’s go inside.”
    “If he’s curious, won’t he come out here?”
    “You’re right. I have to stop being the baby sister.”
    “It’s all right to be the baby sister, and still stand on your own. He’ll appreciate that.”
    “I hope so.” Getting Clark to abandon his big-brother role would take more than an adjustment on her part.
    The back door opened. “So there you are,” Clark said, striding directly to Mike. “Glad to