Page 39 of Brant
"I'll never forget those words. 'Chin up, girl. It's part of life, part of becoming a woman, so there's no need to blow it out of proportion.' She told me that and I could not believe it. Anyway, Dad was the one who helped me through it. Fortunately for me, it was during the summer. When months passed and I never had another flow, I was worried. Dad took me to the doctor and that was when I discovered that I had some sort of hormonal imbalance."
Putting his glass down, he took her hand and drew her closer to him. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her and did not comment, not for several minutes. Comforted, Indigo snuggled against him and watched the snowflakes hit the glass. Outside it was cold and wet with snow clinging to the leafy green oak and pine trees. Inside she was lazily contented, with his arms wrapped securely around her and a fire burning in the hearth. Her pain was gone and her tummy was full. She couldn'thave asked for anything more, except the feel of his body on top of hers.
"You weren't close to your mother."
She had thought he wasn't going to comment on the story she had told him and was startled out of her hazy comfort by the quiet sympathy in his deep voice.
Placing her hand on his chest and marveling that she now had the freedom to touch him at will, she took her time in responding. "She tried. She lost her own mother when she was just two years old, and her dad was not much into bringing up a child, much less a daughter. She doted on Caleb, my brother, and he adored her. My dad confided in me that she never wanted another child, surely not a daughter."
His jaw tightened at the solemn note in her voice, and he could just imagine what that had done to her. He wondered at the stupidity of a man who would reveal such a thing to his own child. Those words should never have been uttered, but then again, her dad was trying to explain why the mother was so distant towards her own daughter.
His hand roamed up and down her back as if trying to take the memories of her painful childhood away. "You loved him, your father."
She lifted her head to stare at him, sensing the wonder in his voice. His eyes met hers frankly, one brow raised.
"What is it?"
"You know about his reputation and are right now wondering why I could still love a man like that."
"He was your father and the first man a girl or rather a daughter ever falls for. We sometimes forget that parents are human beings too and prone to make mistakes."
"He made many," she muttered, sitting up and reaching for her glass of water. "Too many to count."
"But you still love him. If he was alive right now, what would you say to him?"
She gave him a surprised glance. "I wanted to ask him how he could be so careless with our lives." Moving away, she folded her legs under her, her expression pensive.
"He claimed to love us, and as the man in the family, he was supposed to take care of us. He did no such thing." She shrugged. "For a long time, I thought he could do no wrong."
"And then he disappointed you." Lifting a hand, he trailed a finger over one flawless cheek, marveling at the smooth skin.
"He disappointed all of us. Mama loved him in her own way, but she was distant with him as well." She shook her head.
"That's enough of a walk down memory lane. I think I'd better clear these things away. Thanks for supper." She was about to rise when he clamped a hand on her arm.
"Leave them."
"We can't just... Mrs. Holt will be here first thing in the morning."
"I'm aware." He tugged her back down. "I want you to sit with me and enjoy watching the snow coming down. Can you do that?"
"Yes." She went into his arms and sighed softly when they wrapped around her, bringing her into closer contact with his body. He felt so solid and warm that she could stay this way forever. Today, she was going to enjoy their time together. Soon enough they would be catapulted back to reality.
*****
Juliet stared at her in shock. "Come again?"
Indigo grinned at her and continued to sip her wine. She had assured Brant that she was feeling a lot better, and it was time for both of them to attend to their businesses. She had been away from the store for two days and needed to get back.
"He wants a real marriage."
"Honey!" Juliet almost leaped from behind the counter. "Grab your wine and let's go back to my office. I want to hear everything, and you're not allowed to leave anything out. Hank!" she shouted. "Man the station and get rid of that chewing gum you're popping. You're not a twelve-year-old girl."
Tucking her hand through Indigo's arm, she practically dragged her friend to the small office at the back. "I think this calls for champagne and I have a bottle here somewhere. Ah!" She found a dusty bottle after digging around in a box behind the file cabinets.
"I've been keeping this for a special occasion, and this is a prime example." She expertly popped the cork and had froth overflowing the cork. "Bitch, I had to hear from that simperingidiot Willow that you were ill. Why didn't you call me?" Taking the glass from Indigo, she dumped the wine into a flower pot and poured champagne.
"That's an orchid," Indigo pointed out when her friend brought the drink over.
