Leigh liked Amelia Dillon instantly, but didn’t think she could stand a whole day with Chad, especially after just telling him that she couldn’t see him again. How could she get out of the invitation without offending Mrs. Dillon? At that moment, she couldn’t think of a way.
“That sounds wonderful, Mrs. Dillon. Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome. We’re looking forward to seeing you on Sunday. Tell Chad to drive home carefully.”
Leigh replaced the receiver and turned slowly. He had followed her into the living room. “That was your mother. She invited Sarah and me over next Sunday for dinner and to decorate the Christmas tree.”
“To mother, dinner means lunch. I’ll pick you up at eleven-thirty.”
Before she could contradict him, he slammed out the door.
Chapter Five
All week she stewed over how to get out of the date. She planned a thousand schemes to break it and dismissed all of them as either theatrical, ridiculous, or transparent. There was no way out of it and she deemed herself a fool—a fool for not politely having declined Mrs. Dillon’s invitation and leaving it up to Chad to make whatever explanations needed to be made. And a fool for feeling about him as she did.
“I won’t love him. I won’t,” Leigh told herself. “He won’t keep seeing me if his family doesn’t approve of me. Maybe they won’t like me.”
She spent the greater part of Saturday making sure they would. As physically taxing as it was, she took Sarah to the mall to shop. In one of the exclusive baby shops, Leigh bought her daughter a red velvet Christmas dress with white flowers embroidered down the front. Lacy white tights and satin shoes completed the outfit. Just in case there was an accident in the new dress, Leigh also bought Sarah an overall of lightweight denim with a bandanna-print blouse. There was a handkerchief matching the blouse stitched into a pocket on her fanny.
Sarah couldn’t have cared less for the new clothes, but found the bright pink packaging they were wrapped in fascinating. Leigh looked down, horrified to see the infant gnawing at the wrapping paper with gusto. Lois had been right. Sarah now had two jagged teeth poking out of her lower gum.
For herself Leigh bought a pair of designer slacks in a soft teal wool. The matching silk blouse made her eyes seem a clearer blue. She also indulged in a new pair of gold hoop earrings, a little more flamboyant than she usually wore, but suitable for the holiday season.
As she hung up her new clothes, Leigh thanked the stars for landing her the job of decorating Saddle Club Estates. That sizable check had certainly come in handy. With her mall contract and Greg’s pension she wasn’t strapped for money, but every little bit helped. Of course, she wasn’t in the same league at all with the Chad Dillons of the world.
* * *
Sunday morning was clear, but achingly cold. The wind whistled in from the northwest. Leigh and Sarah were both dressed and ready when Chad rang the bell.
He was standing on the porch, stamping his feet and hunched against the cold despite his shearling coat. “Good morning.”
“Hi,” Leigh said curtly, though her heart turned over at the s
ight of him. His eyes were as brilliant as the sky. Under the heavy coat was a sport jacket and open-collared sport shirt. His jeans were evidently new and designer cut. “We’re ready, but I need to bundle Sarah up.” Leigh was already wearing her coat.
He stepped inside. “Does this go?” he asked of the enormous diaper bag packed to capacity.
“Yes,” she answered over her shoulder as she wrapped Sarah in a voluminous blanket.
“How long were you planning on staying?” he teased. Leigh straightened, holding the squirming bundle in her arms, and met his laughing eyes. She tried not to, but couldn’t help returning his smile. “Ready?” she nodded. “Let’s go. I’ll lock the door.”
Leigh came to a halt halfway down the sidewalk when she saw a sleek midnight-blue Ferrari parked at her curb. She turned to Chad and looked at him sardonically.
“Don’t tell me. You traded in your truck.” Saccharine oozed from each word she spoke.
His brows lowered into a scowl. “No, I didn’t trade in my truck.” He grasped her elbow and ushered her toward the car, the engine of which had been left running.
It wasn’t easy, but they managed to squeeze into the low-slung seats with Sarah and her necessary trappings. “You took care not to drive this car the day you came to take me to lunch, didn’t you? You deliberately drove the truck because you were afraid if I saw the Ferrari I would ask embarrassing questions. Isn’t that so? Isn’t it?”
“Yes,” he answered defiantly.
“And you told George and the other men not to tell me anything about you. Right?”
“Yes.” He rammed the car into gear and peeled away from the curb. For the next few minutes they rode in silence. It wouldn’t do for them to arrive at the Dillons’ angry with each other. Leigh made an effort to alleviate the residual hostility.
“Where do your parents live?” Chad had taken a highway going north out of town.
“They have some acreage. Dad runs a cattle ranch now.”