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Missy put down her tea. "You do understand that he can't marry both of us?"
Sandy smiled. "Certainly, I do."
"Well...then what are you going to do?"
"I'm going right down to Jacobsville with you to tell him what I think of him," Sandy said flatly. She
got to her feet. "Let's go."
Missy's indrawn breath was audible.
"Come on!"
She got up. "Right now?" she exclaimed.
"Right now. You've got your car, haven't you?"
"Y...yes."
"You can follow me. I'll just get my purse..."
They went out the door together. Sandy was enjoying herself. She couldn't wait to see the look on
Jobe's face. It would be something to tell their grandchildren. It would also show Missy exactly where
she stood.
"Two birds with one stone," Sandy said to herself as she led the way down the highway to Jacobsville.
Missy parked near the front door, but she was slow to get out of her car. Jobe's black pickup was
parked nearby.
He was probably in the office, cursing the computer, Sandy mused.
She led the way into the house with Missy dragging behind, and went right into the office.
Jobe was sitting on the edge of the desk, talking on the phone. He looked up and saw the two women,
and ended his conversation.
"This is a surprise," he said.
Sandy smiled. "I'll bet it is. Uh, Missy has something to say. Go ahead, dear," she coaxed the other
woman, waving a hand in her direction. She sat down in the nearest chair and prepared to be amused.
Missy cleared her throat. She was flushed as she looked from Sandy to Jobe.
"I'm pregnant," she blurted out.
Jobe looked hunted. His eyes went immediately to Sandy, and he scowled, as if he was daring her to
believe what any normal person would at the moment.
She didn't crack a smile. She did arch an eyebrow, and the twinkle in her eyes grew more noticeable.
"I said, I'm pregnant!" Missy returned. She folded her arms over her chest and smiled smugly at Jobe.
"What are you going to do about it? I've already told her," she added, nodding toward Sandy.
"What did she say?" Jobe asked curiously.
"She understood that you're going to have to marry me."
Jobe's lip curled up. "We'll call the newspapers and the television people, too," he mused. "You're
going to make history if I'm the father of your child."
She looked uneasy. "I don't understand."
He picked up the telephone. "Of course, I'm certain that the real father of this child will be eager to
learn about it. I'll set you up with an appointment this very afternoon at Coltrain's clinic. They can take
a blood sample to check if you are pregnant and then when the baby is born they can do a DNA test.
That will rule me out immediately as the father."
Missy's face went red. "They...they can't do that sort of thing!"
"Sure they can," he said. "Coltrain has a lab in Houston do his important work. You'd be amazed at
what a test will reveal these days. And if you're pregnant, you should be seen at once." He held on to
the receiver. "Betty?
This is Jobe Dodd. I want you to set up an appointment today for..."
"No!" Missy cried.
She rushed forward and hung up the receiver at once, panting for breath. "No, I...uh, I don't want to do
that!"
"Why not?" Sandy asked. "I'd think a pregnancy test would be the first thing on your mind right now."
Missy looked hunted. She stared at Jobe, who had his arms folded across his chest. He wasn't smiling.
He glanced at Sandy. "While we're on the subject," he began, "I'd like to know right now if you
believe her," he added, nodding toward a frozen Missy.
Sandy smiled softly, her eyes full of love and trust. "Don't be silly," she said gently.
"You said you believed me!" Missy accused.
Sandy got up. "I wanted to see how far you'd go," she replied simply. "Now stop this play-acting and
tell the truth, Missy. You don't want to do something like this to Jobe. You're not a bad enough person
to try to ruin his life deliberately."
Missy's lower lip stuck out. "I love him!"
"No, you don't," Sandy said. "If you did, you wouldn't be trying to trap him into marriage. You want
people to be happy if you love them. We all know that Jobe wouldn't be happy with you unless he
really loved you. And he doesn't."
Missy's eyes clouded. She looked mutinous. "I could love him enough for both of us!"
Jobe shook his head. "That isn't possible. I love Sandy. I always have. You're a sweet kid, honey, but it
wasn't love."
Missy's shoulders slumped. "I guess I knew that all along. I didn't want to admit it." She flushed even
more. "I guess I made a real fool of myself."
"Not to me," Sandy said. "Not to Jobe, either. I imagine he's flattered, in a way. But it's time to stop
pretending."
"Okay," Missy admitted, "I'm not pregnant. He only kissed me once, like you'd kiss a kid who was
hurt. I built a lot of dreams on it." She drew in a long sigh. "I guess there's somebody out there for me.
Maybe I'll find him one day."
"Of course you will," Sandy said gently. "But in the meantime, I think it might be better if you found a
different job. One where there's an eligible man or two."
"Not here," Missy mused.
"Not here," Sandy agreed. She looked at Jobe quietly. "This one belongs to me," she said, and watched
his high cheekbones go ruddy.
Missy saw it, too. She managed a smile on her way out. "Well, I hope I get invited to the wedding, at
least," she said. "I'm not a bad loser."
"No, you're not," Jobe agreed. He smiled at her. "Stay out of trouble, sprout."
"I'll do my best. I'm really sorry," she added sheepishly. "It seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe
I wasn't really grown up until now." She went out the door quickly, closing it behind her.
Jobe got up from the desk with a sigh and walked to Sandy, pulling her into his arms. "You didn't
believe a word of it, hmm?"
She shook her head. "I know you too well. You've never lied to me. Not even when it would have been
kinder.
It was pretty simple to tell where the truth was. Besides," she added, pulling his head down, "I love
you."
"I love you, too," he whispered, and kissed her back hungrily.
Chapter 6 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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