Abra grabbed his hand, tugging him up the steps, acting more like the girl-child he had left behind. “Come on! Everything’s ready inside!”
He laughed uneasily. “What everything?”
“The decorations, the buffet in the backyard, the cake!” When they entered the house, she slipped her arm around his waist and squeezed hard. “I was afraid you’d never come home.”
He slid his hand under her ponytail and gently gripped the back of her neck. “So was I.” She turned exuberantly and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. When she drew back, he saw something indefinable and intoxicating in her eyes. Did she sense her budding power? He looked away, deliberately breaking the moment. Dad stood off to one side, watching them.
Joshua didn’t fully relax until people lined up for the buffet. He’d been to a hundred banquets at the church, and he’d lined up for grub in Army mess halls. Everyone insisted he go first. They had all brought something to add to the feast. Joshua hesitated until Mitzi grabbed his plate and his arm. “Come on, boyo. You need more meat on your bones.”
Penny pulled Abra off to one side. “Cover for me, would you?”
“Where are you going this time?”
“Michelle and I are going to Eddie’s.”
Abra had half expected the sight of Joshua in his Army uniform to resurrect Penny’s old crush. Other than saying he looked handsome, she hadn’t been bowled over. Abra looked at him standing at the buffet table, Mitzi snatching his plate and serving him. He had changed. It wasn’t just in the leanness or muscle of his body, the cropped hair, or the tension in his jaw. It wasn’t the uniform. It was something else, something pressed down deep inside him. She’d seen it when he got out of the car. Did everyone? He had suffered, greatly. He carried deeper wounds than the one in his side. He was still Joshua, just not the same Joshua who had left Haven nearly three years ago.
“Abra!” Penny pressed, impatient. “Will you cover for me or not?”
“All this drama for a hamburger and milk shake with Michelle?”
“There’s this guy I want to see.”
Abra gave her a droll look. “Of course. Who is he?”
“No one you know. He’s from LA and absolutely gorgeous. I want to meet him. If Mom asks—”
Abra laughed. “If anyone asks, I’ll say you’re on the telephone. That’ll give you the whole afternoon all to yourself. How’s that?”
“Perfect!” She kissed Abra’s cheek. “Thanks. I’ll do you a favor someday. And I’ll tell you all about him when I get home.” She took two steps and turned back with a teasing grin. “Then again, maybe I won’t.”
“As if I care.” Abra rolled her eyes. “Go on. Get out of here.” She shook her head as Penny headed through the gathering and went into the house. Abra picked up a plate and took a piece of fried chicken. She looked over at Joshua. People kept stopping by his table. Joshua seemed uncomfortable, tense. If she’d had her way, she’d have met Joshua alone at the bus station and they’d be at Bessie’s right now, having hamburgers, fries, and shakes—chocolate for her, strawberry for him.
She glanced at Joshua again. He was looking right at her. She felt an odd twinge in her stomach. He smiled. She smiled back, hoping the war hadn’t changed him too much.
A shiny red Corvette convertible with white leather bucket seats was parked in front of the house when Abra came home from Mitzi’s a few days later. As she opened the gate, she heard voices and spotted a young man leaning against the porch railing. This must be the “guy from LA” Penny was all atwitter about. When the gate snapped shut behind Abra, he glanced at her.
Abra had never seen a young man more stunningly handsome. He could have stepped out of a movie poster. When his mouth tipped, she realized she’d been staring. He looked Abra up and down with dark, hooded eyes. Her whole body went hot, and breath caught in her throat.
He straightened and walked toward her. “Since Penny has forgotten her manners, let me introduce myself. Dylan Stark.” He held out his hand. “And you are . . . ?”
“Abra.” His fingers closed around her hand, and she felt the warm pressure all the way down to her toes.
“My sister,” Penny said brightly, eyes hot.
“Really?” he drawled. His brown leather jacket was open, revealing a fitted white T-shirt tucked into snug belted Levi’s. He’d look better in a bathing suit than Kent Fullerton ever did. She averted her gaze, but not before he noticed. His expression gave Abra the feeling he knew exactly what she was thinking—and feeling. He grinned, showing perfectly straight white teeth. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Abra.” The tingling awareness unsettled her.
“Abra.” Penny glared at her. “Don’t you have something to do?”
Abra gave Dylan another glance before opening the front door. “It’s always a pleasure to meet one of Penny’s new boyfriends.” She escaped inside and almost ran into Priscilla in the entry hall.
Priscilla looked toward the front door. “What do you think of him?”
Abra tried to come up with an answer, but her emotions were boiling over inside her. Priscilla studied her expression and frowned. She opened the screen door and went out onto the porch. “Penny, why don’t you ask your friend to stay for dinner?”
“I don’t want to put you to any trouble, Mrs. Matthews.”
“We’d love to have you join us.” Priscilla sounded almost insistent. “Peter and I always like to get to know Penny’s friends.”
Dylan laughed softly. “Well, how can I say no? But I’ll need to call my father, in case he’s already made plans.”
“Of course. The phone is in the kitchen.”
Embarrassed at the thought of being caught eavesdropping, Abra raced up the stairs. Closing her bedroom door, she leaned back against it, heart pounding. Was this what the romance novels meant about meeting someone and knowing immediately you were made for each other? She had never felt it before. Did Penny feel this way every time she was “in love”?
Abra brushed her hair fiercely. Why should Penny get every boy she wanted when Abra hadn’t even had a date yet? Let Penny chase down and tackle someone else. Abra had been infatuated with Kent Fullerton, and that hadn’t stopped Penny from charming him until he succumbed.
Stripping off her white blouse, blue jeans, bobby socks, and tennis shoes, Abra rummaged through her closet and decided on the green dress she wore to church. Mitzi said it was just the right color for her. Abra didn’t wait to be called down for dinner. She volunteered to set the table. Priscilla seemed startled when she saw Abra’s change of clothes and her hair down around her shoulders. Penny was clearly furious, but one look from Priscilla kept her from saying a word about it. Peter talked briefly with Dylan in the living room before they all took seats around the dinner table.
Every nerve in Abra’s body told her Dylan’s attention was fixed on her, though he didn’t even look at her. Her heart drummed; her body hummed. Peter started asking questions. Penny protested, but Dylan said he didn’t mind. He answered with a smile while passing mashed potatoes and pork chops. He had taken some classes at USC, mostly business and marketing. He was twenty years old and taking a break before finishing school and jumping into a career. He liked the idea of having his own business someday, but what business, he didn’t know. He was spending the summer with his father, who owned vineyards in the area.
“I don’t know any Starks around here.” Peter sounded perplexed.
“My father is Cole Thurman. He owns Shadow Hills Winery.”
“Oh.” Peter’s tone was flat. Only those who knew him well would recognize he had any sense of misgiving.
Abra hadn’t seen that expression on Peter’s face before. She glanced at Priscilla and saw she was troubled, too. Who was Cole Thurman?
Dylan continued. His parents had been divorced since he was a boy—not an amicable parting of ways, unfortunately. He gave a soft, sad laugh and said that was why he went by his mother’s name rather than his father’s. He thought it was time to come no
rth and get to know him, make his own judgments.
Peter sawed at his pork chop. “How long do you plan to stay?”
“I don’t know yet.” Dylan shrugged. “Could be a week. Could be a lifetime.” His mother wasn’t happy about his coming at all, but he needed time to make up his own mind. Everyone had the right to know the truth about their parents, didn’t they? His dark eyes found Abra. She felt the jolt. Had Penny been telling him stories about where her sister came from?
Peter asked what Dylan thought about the war in Korea. Penny groaned. “Dad!”
Priscilla interrupted. “Why don’t we all go into the living room and be more comfortable.”
Penny shoved her chair back. “Daddy, Dylan wants to take me to the movies tonight. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is playing.”
“I thought you didn’t like horror movies.”
“Oh, this one is supposed to be really good. Please . . . ?”
“I promise to have her home by ten, Mr. Matthews.”
Penny would probably drag Dylan into the last row. She’d pretend to be terrified and in desperate need of a protective arm around her. Abra watched Penny walk down the steps with Dylan. He opened the car door for her. She smiled at him as she tucked her white skirt around her thighs before he closed her in. Abra lowered her head, afraid he’d see her staring out the window at him, and didn’t raise it until she heard the roar of the Corvette pulling away from the curb.
She headed for the stairs. In her room, Abra stripped off the green dress and hung it back in the closet. She’d made a complete fool of herself by being even more obvious than Penny. She put on her pajamas and threw herself across her bed.
The doorbell rang. She sat bolt upright, suddenly remembering Joshua was supposed to stop by tonight. She ran to the head of the stairs before Priscilla opened the door. “Tell him I’ll be down in five minutes!” She ran back to her room and pulled on her new black Audrey Hepburn capri pants and black flats. She buttoned on a short-sleeved green blouse, raked her fingers through her hair, and put on a bit of lipstick.
She’d ask Joshua to take her to the Swan.
Joshua caught his breath when Abra raced down the stairs, her cheeks flushed, her eyes so eager. What a difference three years could make in a girl. He felt off-balance, shaken. Why couldn’t she have stayed a little girl instead of becoming this disturbing young woman who threw her arms around his neck and hugged him like a friend when he was feeling so much more. Too soon, he told himself, hoping the heat would cool and his heart slow to its normal rhythm.
“Can we go to the movies, Joshua? Please. Please!”
“What’s playing?”
“The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms,” Peter called from the living room. He appeared in the doorway and gave Abra an odd look before extending his hand in greeting. “Good to see you, Joshua.” He raised a brow at Abra. “Planning on keeping an eye on your sister?” He gave a bleak laugh. “Not that it’s such a bad idea. I’m having second thoughts about letting her go.”
Joshua looked at Abra in question and saw her cheeks bloom hot pink. Peter walked them to the door, told them to have a good time, and closed the door after them. Joshua opened the front gate for her. “I thought you didn’t like horror movies.”
She shrugged. “I don’t. Usually. This one is supposed to be really good.”
Something else was going on, and he wanted to know what it was before he walked into the middle of it. “Who said?”
“Everybody!” She opened the truck door and hopped in. “We need to hurry or we’ll miss the first few minutes.”
Joshua glanced at her as he drove downtown. “What’s the deal with Penny?”
“No deal. She’s on a date. Some guy who just came to town.”
Some guy. She said it in a breezy tone, like it didn’t matter to her. He felt an uncomfortable pain in his chest. “Sure you don’t want to go to Bessie’s and just talk?”
“I’m sure.” Her hands clasped and unclasped in her lap.
“What’s this new guy like?”
“Younger than you. From LA.”
She said it as though Joshua were forty and Los Angeles the most exciting town in the universe. Joshua clenched his teeth and didn’t ask any more questions.
The pimple-faced boy inside the ticket booth said they’d already missed ten minutes of the movie. Joshua suggested they go bowling instead. Abra insisted she wanted to see the movie. They couldn’t have missed all that much, she said, and if they had, they could always stay and see the first part when it ran the second time. Couldn’t they? “Please, Joshua!”
He’d always indulged her, but now he wanted to shove her in his truck and get her a hundred miles from the Swan. Be rational, he told himself, trying to calm down. He bought the tickets. He wanted to see his competition.
The usher turned on his flashlight and led them into the darkened theater. Abra looked toward the back rows. Joshua took her firmly by the arm and gave a nod. “If you’re looking for Penny, she’s four rows down on your right.” Her platinum hair almost glowed in the dark. She was leaning into a boy who had an arm draped around her shoulders.
Eyes fixed on them, Abra stepped into a row and sat. When the dinosaur awakened by an atomic test in the Arctic started its devastation of the North Atlantic seaboard states, she didn’t even notice it. Penny jumped and let out a shriek, and then pressed closer to the boy she was with. Joshua glanced at Abra and saw her mouth tight, eyes blazing. Annoyed, he leaned close. “Are you enjoying the movie?”
“Sure.” She crossed her arms and slouched in her seat. “It’s great.”
Joshua had never felt jealousy like this before, and it unnerved him. He closed his eyes tightly. Lord, this doesn’t feel right. Who is this guy? He opened his eyes and concentrated on Penny’s companion. The fellow leaned toward Penny, whispering something in her ear. Abra’s hands clenched in her lap. Joshua knew exactly how she felt.
The dinosaur was successfully vanquished from New York City, and the anti–atomic weapon message was pounded home. Evil America was at fault for dropping the A-bomb twice on Japan, and who knew what monsters still lurked in the future? Joshua rolled his eyes. He was struggling to control his rising anger. He kept seeing men who’d died on the battlefield in Korea. A well-placed A-bomb dropped farther north might end the carnage. Lord, help me. My flesh is getting the upper hand. He shifted in his seat and glanced at Abra. “Can we go now?”
“Not yet.”
The lights came up and Joshua got a good look at the boy both Matthews girls wanted. Not a boy—a young man. Affluent, confident, charismatic. Penny looked at him with worshipful eyes. Only half-interested in his conquest, he was already checking out the other women in the theater. When he spotted Abra, his mouth curved in an all-knowing smile that made Joshua want to punch him. He took Abra by the arm this time. “Let’s get out of here.”
She had already planted her feet. “Just a minute.”
Joshua made eye contact. The other man’s brows rose slightly as he acknowledged the warning. Then, looking past Joshua, he stared at Abra as though claiming her even while holding Penny by the hand.
Joshua extended his hand and introduced himself. The younger man accepted the gesture and politely reciprocated, though his hooded obsidian eyes held nothing but disdain. Joshua wanted to tighten his hand until he crushed every bone in Dylan Stark’s. He let go before the impulse became too much. He reminded himself it wasn’t his right to judge anyone. Maybe his initial dislike of Dylan would disappear if he knew him a little better. “Why don’t you and Penny join us at Bessie’s? We can talk over hamburgers and shakes.”
Stark’s smile grew wry. “Unfortunately, I must decline.” He put an arm around Penny. “She’ll turn into a pumpkin if I don’t have her home by ten.” He glanced at his gold watch. “Which gives me fifteen minutes before Daddy calls the cops.” He grinned at Abra. “I take it you’re under a different set of house rules.”
“Only when she’s with me.” Joshu
a put his hands on Abra’s shoulders and drew her back from Dylan. She was trembling, her body radiating heat. One look at Stark’s face told Joshua the reprobate knew exactly what effect he had on her.
As soon as they went through the theater doors, Abra looked right and then left. Joshua heard the roar of a powerful engine and knew before he looked who’d be at the wheel. A red Corvette convertible pulled up to the stop sign. Stark grinned at him and revved the engine. Everyone on the sidewalk turned to look. The boys noticed the car, the girls the guy driving it. Joshua tried to recapture Abra’s attention. “Would you like to go to Bessie’s for something to eat?”
“Not really. It’s late. I think I should go home.”
He gave a soft, cynical laugh. “I never knew you could be so easily distracted by a handsome face.” He was sorry as soon as the words left his lips and not just because of the look on her face. Shut up, Joshua! If she hadn’t guessed how he felt before, she’d know now. “He’s too old for you, Abra.”
“He’s only twenty. You’re twenty-two!” She yanked her arm free. “Peter let Penny go out with Dylan, and you know what a stickler he is about who’s good enough for his daughter.”
“If I take you home now, he and Penny will both think you’re chasing after him.” It was a crime she had often leveled at her sister. Hadn’t she written that Penny had stolen Kent Fullerton? Joshua pulled her inside Bessie’s. Maybe a glass of ice water would cool her off. If she didn’t drink it, he might pour it over her head.
The café was packed with high school couples who’d just been at the movies. Susan smiled at them and pointed out two chrome-and-red-vinyl stools at the counter. She handed each of them a menu and told Joshua it was good to see him home in one piece. Abra perched on her stool as though ready to fly.
He frowned and put the menu down. “Do you want to stay or go home?”
“As if I have a choice.”
He strove for patience. “I’m giving you a choice.”