“It’s another chess player,” Teri told her friend. “He wants Bobby to lose, so he’s threatening me in order to get Bobby to cooperate.”

“You have to go to the police,” Rachel said.

“Bobby won’t. I’ve already talked to him about it. He wants to take care of this himself, his own way. He promised he’ll call in law enforcement but only when he has the proof he needs. The thing is, Bobby wouldn’t know how to throw a match if he tried. All his life he’s been trained to win. Oh, he’s lost on rare occasions but it sends him into a tailspin.”

“He won’t risk letting anyone hurt you, though.”

Teri groaned. “I know. That’s why he’s stopped playing.”

“And that’s why he’s being so protective,” Rachel said with dawning comprehension. “Teri, this is awful!”

“I’d rather walk out of Bobby’s life right now than allow him to give up chess because of me,” she muttered, wiping tears from her eyes with the sodden tissues she clutched.

“Oh, Teri,” Rachel said. “It’s so wonderful to see how much you love Bobby.”

Sniffling, she nodded. She did love her husband. In fact, she’d found herself weeping easily these past few weeks and she’d assumed—Oh, my goodness, the pregnancy explained her tears! No wonder she’d been so emotional lately.

News of a baby would panic Bobby. She didn’t dare tell him.

“I don’t have any appointments for the rest of the afternoon,” Teri said, more to herself than Rachel.

“Are you going home?”

She nodded. “I think I’d better. I’m still not feeling well.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“Thanks, but no. I plan to take a nap.” Nothing sounded more appealing at the moment.

James drove them back to the salon. As soon as he pulled up in front of Cedar Cove’s mall, Rachel hugged her.

“Call me after you see Nate,” Teri said.

“I will.” James opened the door and Rachel ran lightly out.

This weekend could change her friend’s life, Teri mused. She’d either agree to marry Nate—or not. She wasn’t convinced Bruce would let himself be counted out.

On the drive home, Teri nearly fell asleep in the car. When they arrived, James helped her out, his manner even more attentive than usual.

“Thank you, James. And listen, what happened back there…”

“Yes, miss.”

“Please keep it to yourself.”

“Yes, Miss Teri.”

“I mean it.” She didn’t want Bobby hearing about this episode from his driver. James had probably guessed she was pregnant, and she’d rather Bobby didn’t figure it out quite yet. That would just multiply his worries—and hers.

James nodded, his hand supporting her elbow. He didn’t meet her eyes.

Entering the house, she went straight to the den. As she’d expected, Bobby was there, sitting in front of his chessboard.

“Hi, Bobby.”

He didn’t respond. His thoughts were on some chess move only he could see. She kissed his cheek and without another word wandered down to their bedroom. She quickly removed her clothes, then slipped beneath the covers. The sheets felt cool against her skin and she sank her head into the pillow and closed her eyes. Almost immediately Teri fell into the welcome oblivion of sleep.

The next thing she knew, her husband was sitting on the bed, his arm around her waist. She smiled and pressed her hand over his.

“The phone rang,” he said quietly.

“I didn’t hear. Was it for me?”

“It was your sister. She got your message and said she can come to dinner next week.”

Teri rolled onto her back. “Did you mention that to James?”

Her husband nodded.

“Did he look happy?”

Bobby frowned, then shook his head. “No, he looked sad.”

Teri sighed. She could see that James and her sister were going to need some guidance to get this romance off the ground.

Twenty

Rachel was so excited she could barely hold still. It’d been almost three months since she’d seen Nate and now they had a whole weekend together. A whole weekend! She paced outside the security area at Sea-TacAirport, counting the minutes until he appeared.

According to the arrivals monitor, his Alaska Airlines flight from San Diego had landed. People were streaming through, so many at a time that Rachel was afraid she’d miss him.

Then he was there, standing in front of her. She let out a squeal of delight and launched herself into his arms. Her sailor man wrapped her in his embrace, swinging her around so people near them stepped out of the way, smiling. Then his hungry mouth claimed hers again and again.

“Oh, Nate, I’ve missed you so much.”

He held her tight, drawing in several deep breaths as though desperate to take in her scent.

“I’ve never been on a longer flight in my life,” he whispered. “I kept reminding myself that every minute brought me closer to you.” Slowly he released her until her shoes touched the floor again.

“I’ve got a wonderful weekend planned,” she told him, laughing. He slipped one arm around her waist, carrying his overnight bag in the other. Walking side by side, they started toward the parking garage.

“What kind of plans?” He kissed her cheek as if he couldn’t stop touching her now that they were finally together.

“The Puyallup Fair’s on. You’ll love it.” It was a classic country fair, with rides, entertainment, animals and all kinds of exhibits. Rachel had often attended the fair when she was growing up; it had been one of the joys of her childhood. But she hadn’t been to the Puyallup Fair in years and she thought seeing it with Nate was an inspired idea.

“Sounds like fun. Anything else?”

“Yes.” It was supposed to be a surprise but she couldn’t keep it to herself. “Two front-row Seahawks tickets,” she informed him, feeling downright smug. One of her clients, who had season tickets, was going to be out of town when the Seahawks played the Raiders and had given the tickets to Rachel. The timing of this generous gift couldn’t have been more perfect. Rachel wasn’t much of a sports fan, but she knew Nate loved football.

“You’re joking!”

“Nope.” To prove she was telling the truth, Rachel pulled the tickets from her purse. “We might have to leave the game a few minutes early so you can catch your flight Sunday evening, but that’s a small thing, right?”

“Right,” he echoed. Nate hugged her again. “I knew there was a reason I loved you.”

Rachel laughed. “Well, if that’s all it takes…”

They had dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Kent that Nate had heard about from a friend. The enchiladas were the best Rachel had ever tasted. They lingered over margaritas and talked for nearly two hours; in fact, the restaurant was closing before Rachel noticed the time and suggested they leave.

On the drive over the TacomaNarrowsBridge and home to Cedar Cove, she decided to introduce the subject of Jolene. Nate couldn’t ignore the girl, as much as he might like to. Their relationship was too important to Rachel.

“Did I mention that Jolene’s running for class secretary?” she said, knowing she hadn’t.

“No.”

He didn’t say anything else.

“Bruce is helping with her campaign, and so am I.” She was intentionally probing a little, hoping he’d respond with at least a show of interest.

Nate sighed and closing his eyes, rested his head against the seat, shutting her out. “Do we have to talk about Bruce and Jolene?” he asked. “Can’t tonight just be about us?”

“Of course it can,” Rachel told him, but his indifference to Jolene hurt.

The silence between them seemed to stretch and Rachel knew it would be up to her to break it.

“I have news, but I have to swear you to secrecy first.”

“Okay.” He opened his eyes and straightened.

“You won’t tell?”

“I swear.”

“Cross your heart and hope to die?”

“Yes, yes. Now tell me.”

“Teri’s pregnant,” Rachel said triumphantly. “The crazy part is that I had to point it out to her.”

“What does Bobby think?”

“Bobby doesn’t know, which is why it’s a secret.”

“She isn’t telling her own husband?”

Rachel didn’t want to go into the details. “It’s too hard to explain. She’s ecstatic, though. I have no idea how she’s kept the news from Bobby. The poor girl’s sick every afternoon.”

“I thought pregnant women suffered from morning sickness?”

“Not Teri. She has afternoon sickness. She hasn’t managed to hold down her lunch all week.”

Nate shook his head. “This pregnancy might help her lose weight, then.”

“Nate!” That was an unkind comment and she wasn’t going to let him get away with it. “Teri isn’t fat.”

“She isn’t skinny, either.”

“So what?” Rachel frowned at him. “That was rude of you.”

For the first time he seemed to notice that she was upset. “Hey, come on, Rachel, I was only teasing. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

She nodded, unwilling to spend their precious time together arguing over how he viewed her best friend. These two days were going to be short enough.

“Listen, before I forget, I have a favor to ask you,” Nate said, effectively changing the subject.

“Anything.” They exited off the freeway to Highway 16 and then over the TacomaNarrows. In another thirty minutes, they’d be in Bremerton, where Nate was staying with a navy friend.

“My father called me about coming home for a big political rally in October. I want you to fly in and meet me there.” Nate’s father was a congressman from Pennsylvania. Nate had grown up accustomed to living in the spotlight; events such as campaign rallies, political dinners, meetings with diplomats and dignitaries were part of his everyday life.

Dread filled Rachel and although she tried, she couldn’t keep the reluctance out of her voice. “If you want me there, then of course, I’ll arrange to join you.”

“I do. This is important, Rachel. I’d like you to meet my extended family and my friends.”

The initial introduction to his parents, when they’d visited the Seattle area a few months earlier, hadn’t gone well. Nate evidently hadn’t been aware of his mother’s disapproval, although Rachel certainly hadn’t missed it. While Patrice Olsen had seemed polite and charming, her message was clear. Rachel came without connections, without influential relatives or other beneficial associations. She was from a different class than the politically based Olsen clan, and Rachel was afraid she’d never fit into his family. She was convinced Patrice had someone in mind for her only son. And that someone wasn’t an orphaned hair and nail tech from Cedar Cove, Washington.

“The rally would be a great experience,” Nate assured her.