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"That's unfair, Cage. They're not manipulative."
"Don't get me wrong," he said, covering her hand briefly. "I didn't mean to suggest that they did all this consciously. They'd be horrified to think themselves capable of such selfishness.
"But think about it, Jenny. I wasn't what they wanted their son to be, so they gave up on me completely and poured all their hopes and energies into Hal. Luckily he was a perfect candidate for what they had in mind and they groomed him meticulously. Then you came along. You were a sweet, obedient little girl who would make them a charming daughter-in-law."
"I'm sure they don't feel that way now."
"I'm sure they don't either, but it's healthier for everyone this way. You're a free agent. That doesn't mean you love them less." He shook his head in puzzlement. "That's what they never could understand. I loved them. I wanted them to love me. If they had shown me any affection, I wouldn't have been so unmanageable. It wouldn't have been necessary." His eyes came back to hers. "You've rebelled in your own way. Maybe this time they'll see the light."
"I hope so. I hate to think of them alone in that big house after having suffered Hal's death. I guess sooner or later, with or without our support, they'll adjust to the loss."
"And what about you, Jenny? Have you adjusted to it?"
Finished eating, she laid her knife and fork diagonally on her plate. "I miss him. Hal and I were very close. We used to talk for hours." A vein was ticking in Cage's temple, but she didn't notice as she went on musingly. "He was such a sweet person. I don't think he would have intentionally hurt anybody."
"Do you still love him?"
She was on the verge of saying, "I'm not sure I ever did," but she caught herself in time. For years she had thought she was in love with Hal. Had she only been trying to convince herself that it was so?
She had had a deep and abiding affection for him, but his kisses had never made her dizzy as Cage's did. Her heart hadn't begun to flutter each time Hal walked into a room. No, she had never felt this yearning, aching need for Hal the way she did for Cage. It was a persistent longing, as constant as her heartbeat.
Out of respect for Hal, she couldn't discuss her feelings for him with Cage. She evaded giving him a definitive answer. "I'll always love Hal in a special way."
Cage was unaccustomed to being put off. He never skirted an issue and wasn't going to tolerate it from Jenny. "If he were still alive, would you want to marry him?"
Her eyes flickered toward his, then away. "There would be the baby to—"
"If the baby weren't a consideration?"
She hesitated, because she had to come to terms with that hour spent in bed with Hal. Had it only been one of those magical comets of emotion that rocket through one's life before burning out? Had it been a fluke? Had each of them been so emotionally high strung that particular night that it had been easy to lose their heads?
She was beginning to believe that such was the case. As splendid as it had been for her, she now knew that her passion wasn't necessarily limited to one person. She had been just as aroused by Cage's kisses as she had been by Hal's that night.
Knowing that he was waiting for her answer, she softly replied, "No, I don't think so. After living on my own, I realize that Hal and I weren't intended to be man and wife. Friends. Good friends. Perhaps brother and sister. But I don't think I would have been the kind of wife Hal needed for the life he chose."
Cage kept his features under control so that his relief and elation wouldn't show. "Let me help you with the dishes," he said, standing.
"You haven't had your dessert yet."
"I'm letting the anticipation build."
His inflection hinted at an underlying meaning, but again Jenny thought it best not to pursue it. His eyes held a golden glint that was only partially due to candlelight.
They conversed easily while they cleared up the kitchen. The second oil well had come in on the Parsons property and a third was already being drilled. Cage had his eyes on another tract of land he was sure topped a basin of oil.
Jenny loved the excitement that he emanated when he talked about wildcatting. He was successful, but money wasn't his incentive. The challenge, the gamble, and the flirtation with disaster were what motivated him. Most would call him reckless, but she knew better. He drove fast, but he knew what he was doing behind the wheel of a car. He used the same dashing skill in his business dealings.
He dished up the ice cream, unabashedly licking the dipper as he did so, while Jenny arranged the coffee things on a tray. Together they moved into the living room. "Don't drip any of that on my new sofa," Jenny scolded as Cage raised a spoonful of the ice cream to his mouth.
"Sinful, positively sinful." He let the ice cream melt in his mouth.
"Then it's true what they say?"
"What's that?"
"That the way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
He was holding the spoon upside down in his mouth. His tongue cleaned out its shallow bowl, then he pulled it through his lips slowly as he gazed at Jenny. "That's one way to get there, I guess, but I can think of another route that's much more fun to take. Want me to give you the guided tour?"
