Wise Folly by Rita Clay Page B

other way—If not working for your company, then for someone else’s.” The silence was loud as she waited for his answer. He didn’t move, just looked at her through narrowed lids. She cleared her throat again. “ I'm sure you understand,” she murmured, wondering how she could expect him to understand when she didn’t herself.
    His face turned to stone. “As far as I'm concerned there is no other company.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Exactly what I said. You either accept my offer or you’ll never work in the computer field again.” He slung a dinette chair around and sat down, resting his arms on the back as he watched her closely.
    Her mind whirled. “I don’t understand. Why would you want to marry me while there are so many others waiting in the wings? Why me?” she exclaimed, totally frustrated.
    Noah gave a tight smile. “It’s nice to know you don’t think I'm completely poisonous. I'm glad you can see that other women might not be offended at what I'm offering,” he stated dryly. “But the fact remains that I want you—and Tabby.”
    “Oh, of course,” she retorted , becoming angry that he was so unreasonable. It should be her decision to make, not his ! “We’d both be so grateful to you for taking us out of the slums we’ve lived in for the past six years!”
    “It certainly hasn’t been a picnic, judging from the looks of things,” he answered coolly, waving a hand around the small kitchen. The homey touches were visible, but it was also clear that there had been a distinct lack of money. ‘You’ve got the inside looking marvelous for what you had to work with, but the outside is in drastic need of repair. How long do you think it will be before you have to replace the roof, the shutters, repair the plumbing? I'd give six months. It’s already long overdue.”
    She knew the house was already having problems, but it wasn't up to him to decide her future. It was up to her! “Am I supposed to be grateful that you’ve offered to take me away from all this? Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life with you in order to prove just how wonderful you are and how lucky I am?”
    “If that’s the way you want to look at it , but let there be no misunderstanding. You take her away and anything happens to her before you can have the necessary surgery, you'll be responsible for the error. ” he replied softly as he stood and placed the chair back in its place. “Let’s go.”
    She had no other flare of indignation flowing through her to fight the problem of being corralled like a cow into the barn. She was exhausted and couldn't think at all, let alone fight. But the top of her list of problems was Tabby. She was the fuel that made Dianna run. And he was right. Everything hinged on Tabby's health. She could fight battles later. Now it was to get Tabby well.
    Later that evening Dianna called her sister and then spoke to Tabby, explaining as clearly as possible about her upcoming marriage to Noah. Surprisingly, the little girl did not seem at all perturbed by the news. As soon as she was reassured that she would see her mother and her "new Daddy " again on Tuesday, she seemed to be eager and happy to start their new life. A pparently, Dianna mused, Tabby was no more immune to Noah’s charm than she had been.
    That night Dianne undressed in one of Noah’s guest bedrooms and took a warm, tingling shower. The water sprayed her shoulders, rinsing her clean as it washed away the aching feeling of tension. The little house in Irving held an old tub with an unworkable shower, so this was a luxury she had not been able to indulge in until now.
    "Count the blessings, Dianna," she muttered to the shower. "And shut up...at least for now."
    Her nightgown was old but clean. Slipping it over her head, she thought of all the new ones she would be able to buy whenever the whim seized her. Tabby would have the best of clothing, schools, doctors. Yes. It was all worth it . She could live pleasantly with