Twice in a Lifetime Page 2

  She glanced back curiously. "At what?"

  "Picking you up." He grinned and she moved quickly away.

  She scanned the crowd at the departure gate anxiously and had no trouble at all spotting the slender, graceful form of her sister, waving joyfully over the heads of others. All doubt was gone and Barbara moved quickly through the crowd and into the waiting arms of Kate.

  They embraced tightly and breathlessly for a long time, laughing, starting and not finishing sentences of welcome, hugging again. Then Kate pushed her away and said, "Now, really, let me look at you! Oh, Babs, you're so thin—and so pale! How could you let yourself get into this shape? Well, we'll fix that in no time at all and— Oh, baby, it's so good to have you here!"

  She hugged her again and Barbara surrendered helplessly, laughing and glad for the familiar domineering presence of her sister. Then, with her arm about her shoulders, Kate said, "I have so much to tell you, but the first thing is we're going to have another houseguest while you're here. It never rains but it pours!"

  Barbara looked at her hesitantly. She had counted upon being among family for this vacation. "I hope it won't be too much trouble for you…" she ventured.

  Kate laughed. "Are you kidding? We'll love it. Besides, it's just Michael's brother. We're used to him popping in and out as he pleases. He has a set of keys to the guest house and hardly ever bothers to warn us when he's coming—which is one reason I didn't tell you before. I just found out myself this morning."

  Barbara frowned thoughtfully. "Michael's brother? I don't believe I've ever met him."

  "No, he wasn't at the wedding," she replied absently, scanning the crowd. "As a matter of fact it's difficult to say where he is at any given moment. He travels all over the world."

  "I might have heard Michael mention him," commented Barbara, although she was not certain whether she had or not. They lived so far apart, got together only on rare family occasions, and it was sad how little they knew about each other's lives.

  "Oh, I'm sure you have. Kyle is a favorite subject with Michael's family—not always complimentary, either. And he's still as unpredictable as ever." She turned to Barbara with a sigh. "He was supposed to be on this flight, which I thought worked out amazingly well, too good to be true, as a matter of fact, and apparently it was, because I don't—"

  There was a call from behind them, and Kate cried happily, "There he is!"

  But Barbara knew with a dread certainty before she turned to see the limping, crutch-supported gait, before she caught the mad twinkle in those green eyes, before he drew Kate to him and exclaimed, "Hello, beautiful!"

  And by the time Kate, blushing and scolding, drew him forward, Barbara was hollow and sick with embarrassment and dread. "Kyle," she said, "this is my sister, Barbara Ellis. Babs, meet Michael's renegade brother, Kyle Waters."

  Chapter Two

  "Well, this is what I call a happy coincidence, don't you?" Kyle said, his eyes still dancing wickedly. He turned to Kate. "We've already met on the plane."

  "Well, how about that!" exclaimed Kate. "I'm glad you were able to make this flight, Kyle, it certainly saved me a lot of trouble."

  "I had to change planes twice and had an hour layover in Cincinnati," he confessed, with a grin at Barbara, "but it was worth it."

  Barbara avoided his eyes. "Shall we get our luggage?" she suggested.

  It took some time for them to get settled in Kate's little Datsun station wagon for the fifteen-mile drive from Portland to Kate and Michael's house. Kyle had to sit in the front seat with Kate to accommodate his leg; Barbara was relegated to the backseat with the luggage and she tried not to resent it. She tried not to resent that fact that her sister seemed to have forgotten all about her from the moment she fell victim to Kyle's overpowering personality, and she tried not to think that he was spoiling her vacation.

  "So," said Kate, when they were under way, "aside from the obvious, how was South America?"

  "I try never to judge a country from the inside of a hospital room," he replied, and Kate made a sympathetic sound.

  "I take it that your expedition was not a success."

  "Not at all," he denied, grinning. "I bagged two nurses and a blond Peace Corps volunteer."

  Kate laughed merrily, obviously completely captured by his charm, and Barbara put in, "What is it exactly that you do, Kyle?"

  He glanced at her. "I'm a professional playboy," he answered, and then turned back to Kate. "By the way, do you suppose you could manage to put me up in the house this time? I haven't quite got the hang of steps yet and the guest house, if I recall, has exactly seventeen."

  "No problem," Kate assured him. "I've already had the downstairs guest room made up for Babs, but she won't mind taking an upstairs room, will you, honey?"

  Barbara gave a weak smile to her sister's inquiring look in the rearview mirror. She thought, He's taken my seat in the car, my sister's attention, and now my room. What will he take next? And she was immediately ashamed of the childish thought.

  Kate inquired, "How much longer will you be in a cast?"

  "With luck, not more than a couple of weeks. But I was going stir-crazy at home, so I thought I'd come out here and talk Michael into helping me with my book."

  Barbara made one more attempt to be polite, mostly to make up for the resentful thoughts she had been having about him. "Oh, are you a writer too?"

  He laughed. "Me? Lord, no. I've never written two cohesive sentences in my life. That's why I need Mike. He got all the talent in the family," he confided to her with a twinkle. "I got all the looks."

  "Now, you just leave Michael alone about your book," Kate warned him with mock sternness. "He's got all he can handle with his own work. And I can see right now I've got my work cut out for me this summer too. First, to get Babs fattened up and rosy-cheeked—" she smiled into the mirror at Barbara "—and you—" she shot a glance at Kyle "—look like you've been dragged through places nice girls don't even know about."

  "Which proves you're not a nice girl," he teased her.

  "Can't you afford a razor?" she shot back imperviously. "And where did you come up with that outfit—army surplus? As for your hair—"

  "It took me six weeks to grow it this length," he protested with a vain toss of his head. "I think it's rather magnificent. And for your information, I'm in the process of growing a beard."

  "Ha!" scoffed Kate, and Barbara let the cheerful, bantering voices fade as she stared sightlessly out the window.

  Barbara felt depression sinking down on her and she tried to fight it, even though she knew it was useless. It always came upon her unexpectedly like this, usually when she was around happy people, and once it started, there was no controlling it. She wished she hadn't come. When she heard Kate sigh contentedly, "There's nothing in the world as wonderful as families, and I can't tell you how glad I am to have mine with me this summer!" she was lost. She felt tears begin to sting her eyes and then roll helplessly down her cheeks.

  The worst of it was, she couldn't explain it. She had no reason to be sitting in the backseat of the car crying like a lost child, but she couldn't help it. It made her angry and embarrassed and the more she tried to control it, the worse it got. She hoped against desperate hope that Kate did not notice, and she edged closer to the window, out of range of the mirror, and tried to hide her face with her hand.

  "What's Michael working on now?"

  "Oddly enough," Kate replied, "a novel about South American Indians. And since you've just returned from there, maybe you could help him out for a change."

  Kyle laughed. "And since when have I ever been known to be useful to anyone with anything?" Then he glanced over his shoulder, as though to include Barbara in the conversation, and Barbara wanted to sink through the upholstery.

  There she was, completely out of control, crying like an idiot over absolutely nothing, her face red and wet. What would he think of that? What would he say? It was the worst thing that could have possibly happened, and there was noth
ing she could do about it except duck her head and fumble ineffectually through her purse for a tissue, waiting for him to say those fatal words, "Why Barbara, what's wrong?"

  But he didn't. He simply looked at her quietly for a moment, then turned easily back to Kate. "Besides," he continued, as though nothing at all had interrupted his train of thought, "you know Mike gets his biggest kicks out of researching his own material. Why don't you two hop a freight down there?"

  "We thought about it," Kate answered, and Barbara experienced a sense of bleak and confused relief.

  When she looked up again, a little more in control now, his arm was resting casually across the back of the seat as he engaged Kate in continuing conversation, and in his hand was a folded handkerchief. Barbara took it in mute gratitude. In a moment the tears dried up as quickly and unexpectedly as they had come, and by the time they pulled up in front of Kate's big white house, she had made enough repairs to her face that no one, not having seen, would have guessed anything was amiss.

  The front door opened and a large red setter burst out, bounding across the yard and barking joyfully. Michael followed at a more leisurely pace, his hand uplifted in greeting.

  "Down, Jojo!" Kyle said sternly as he opened his door, and then countered the command, laughing as he allowed the dog to wiggle onto his lap.

  "So," Michael called to him, "all those wild women finally caught up with you! Broke your leg, did they?"

  "Watch it, my friend," returned Kyle, pushing ineffectually at the affectionate Jojo, "or I'll be telling Kate some stories about your past you wouldn't care to have repeated!"

  Michael opened Barbara's door and bent to kiss her cheek as she got out. "Welcome home, Barbara." He smiled fondly.

  She laughed, looking around her with an eagerness that totally vanquished her former misgivings. "Don't tempt me! I could very easily call a place like this home for a long, long time!"

  "Just take a deep breath of that sea air," Kate advised her, and she did, relishing it. "Makes you feel better already, doesn't it?"

  "Yes," she agreed happily. "It does."

  Michael went around to Kyle's door. "Need some help?"

  "Just call off your attack dog," replied Kyle. "It'll be all downhill from there."

  "Okay, then, you're on your own."

  He opened the back to begin removing the luggage, and Kate caught Jojo's collar, scolding him. "I'm going to take him around back," she called over her shoulder, running a little to keep up with her pet, who had already caught scent of some new excitement. "You both know your way to the front door!"

  Barbara went around to help Michael with some of the smaller pieces of luggage, but he insisted, "No, you go on in the house and freshen up. I'll come back for the rest later."

  "Just my overnight bag, then."

  She stretched inside for it, and he went up the walk ahead of her, calling back, "Kate made a great cake this morning. We're having it on the terrace."

  "Be right there," she returned, and she came around the car just as Kyle was steadying himself on his crutch, breathing an exaggerated sigh of relief.

  "Well," he said, "the worst part is over." Then he grinned at her. "This answers my question, anyway."

  She looked at him, embarrassed and awkward as she remembered the scene he had witnessed in the car and the strangely sensitive part he had played in it. But she said lightly, following his lead, "What question?"

  "Where to take you after I've picked you up." He offered his arm to her. "Care to help a cripple up the walk?"

  She hesitated, lowered her eyes briefly, and then pushed his handkerchief into his hand. She said with as much composure as she could manage, "Thank you… for what you did before. For not telling Kate, I mean. She worries and— It's hard to explain…"

  She ventured an uncomfortable glance at him and was surprised to find only placid understanding in his eyes. "No problem," he said mildly, tucking the handkerchief into his back pocket. "You just didn't look like you needed the hassle."

  They went slowly up the walk, Barbara matching her pace to his, and he did not speak of it again.

  Kate ushered her upstairs immediately, inviting the men to entertain themselves for a while, and Barbara unpacked her overnight bag while Kate made up the bed, chattering all the while. "The bath is right across the hall," she told her, "and you'll have it all to yourself because Michael and I have a full bath in our bedroom and there's one adjoining the guest room downstairs." She glanced up. "I hope you don't mind his being here, but there was really nothing we could do about it. No one ever says no to Kyle." She laughed. "Mostly because he never gives them a chance to. Besides," she decided, "it will be good for you to be with people outside the family for a while."

  "I'm with plenty of people outside the family," Barbara replied patiently. "Every day. How long is he staying?"

  She shrugged. "With Kyle, who knows? A few days or a few months. However the spirit moves. Now." She fluffed the last pillow and straightened up, facing her. "House rules. Breakfast is at nine, lunch is every man for himself, and dinner is around seven. And I hope you brought some more comfortable clothes to wear, because no one wears stockings around here and we do not dress for dinner."

  Barbara laughed. "Unless your hamburger casserole has improved since last time, it's no wonder!"

  "Also…" She walked over and deliberately removed the clasp that held back Barbara's hair. "The first thing you do upon entering my house is to let your hair down." She smiled appreciatively. "You look more comfortable already."

  Barbara groaned. "I should have known what I was letting myself in for!"

  "Now, change into something more casual, for goodness' sake!" Kate rummaged through the unpacked articles in Barbara's bag and came up with a pair of light blue slacks and a matching sweater. "This will do, I suppose. Tomorrow we're going shopping."

  "I don't think I can take this for three months," Barbara teased.

  Kate smiled and sat on the edge of the bed while Barbara changed. "The important thing," she told her, "is to relax. Do whatever you feel like for a while. Just let go. What you need," she said decisively, "is a new romance."

  Barbara scowled at her. "Don't be ridiculous."

  "I mean it," Kate assured her quite seriously. "Tell me the truth. Have you seen anyone else since Daniel died?"

  Barbara quickly pulled the short-sleeved sweater over her head, muffling her voice and hiding her face. "No, of course not." The very idea was almost blasphemous, but how could she expect her sister to understand that? No one had ever loved like she had loved Daniel, and the thought of replacing him—even momentarily—was both treacherous and absurd.

  "Don't you see what I mean?" returned Kate mildly. "Why 'of course not'?"

  "Because I'm not interested," Barbara returned sharply, giving her hair a few deft strokes with the brush. "And the day you start trying to fix me up with somebody is the day I pack my bags for home. I mean it, Kate."

  Kate retreated tactfully, coming over to pat her sister's arm gently. "I wasn't suggesting that you get serious about anyone," she said. "I know that will be a long time coming. Just open up a little. Have some fun. Okay?"

  Again Barbara felt a brief surge of anger that anyone would dare suggest that life should go on just as if nothing had happened, just as if she could really have a life without Daniel. Kate didn't know. Kate couldn't know what it was to lose so cruelly, to know that love would come only once, and to have that love snatched away without warning or reason and with such ultimate finality… But then she hoped Kate would never know that pain. She regretted her snappy tone and her impatience with her large-hearted sister, and she managed a smile. "Michael said something about a cake," she suggested.

  The house was situated on a small promontory overlooking the Atlantic on the back side. The terrace stretched into a velvet lawn decorated with bright beds of azaleas and climbing Camilla bushes, with a wooded rock garden to one side. A set of redwood steps led down the cliff to the private beach, and i
n the distance the white-capped blue of the ocean sparkled in the sunshine. A mild sea breeze blew continuously, and Barbara sighed, admiring the view through the patio doors, "It's just beautiful. You're so lucky!"

  Kate laughed and handed her a tray, which bore a pitcher of lemon tea and four glasses. "You wouldn't think so if you had to keep this place clean and in working order."

  "Why don't you get some help?"

  "Because I love every minute of it," replied Kate.

  The men were already on the terrace, leaning on the rail, laughing and talking as they took in the view. Barbara found it hard to believe that the two could be brothers. Michael was shorter, somewhat heavier, and his coloring was much darker. She remembered what Kyle had said about looks versus talent, and she grudgingly agreed. It seemed a shame, though, that the outer man did not reflect the inner self.

  They sat around a hexagonal redwood table while Kate cut her spice cake into overly generous slices and Barbara poured the tea. As usual, the conversation was dominated by Kyle, talking about his travels in half fiction, half fact, and keeping everyone in stitches trying to figure out which was which. Barbara began to relax, almost against her will, and thought the unexpected turn of events might not work out so badly after all. For all Kyle's arrogance and self-absorption, his charm was not easy to resist.

  Michael said, "So, you've finally decided to write that book you've always talked about. Or is this just another bluff?"

  "Worse than that," Kyle replied sadly. "I've got a contract on it. Say, Kate, I don't suppose I could talk you into another piece of cake, could I? It's been so long since I had home cooking, I'll probably eat you out of house and home."

  Kate happily cut another slice of cake while Michael pretended to be impressed with his brother's announcement. "A bona fide contract?" he mocked. "With a deadline and everything?"

  "Which I have no hope of meeting," replied Kyle, "unless I find a ghostwriter, and quick. Are you beginning to take the hint?"

  "Barbara's the one you need to talk to about that," Kate said suddenly, and Barbara winced, trying to signal her sister with her eyes to drop the subject. Kate deliberately ignored her. "She has a degree in journalism, which is doing her absolutely no good right now, and she used to edit a small magazine back home. Of course she's not involved with anything like that now."