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as she rarely dressed: a pale saffron jersey dress with a looped gold belt that cinched her waist. The color set off her eyes, just as the fit of the dress enhanced the sensuous curves of her figure. The makeup she wore had been carefully applied; a touch of eye shadow and mascara to deepen the amber tint of her eyes; blusher to accent the line of cheekbone; lipstick to emphasize the exact curve of her mouth. “A lovely woman,” Robert had approvingly labeled her.
    For a moment, she closed her eyes, hearing the crackle of newly turned leaves in the wind. She had made no clear-cut decision in the four days since she’d seen Brian. She had told herself to wait and see him again. To see…what she could handle. And dressing attractively was one way to test that.
    When she opened her eyes and turned around, he was there. There had been no sound of footsteps, or of his car. In brown cords and a loose brown-and-gold velour shirt, he looked like a very different man…yet not necessarily an easier one to deal with. The casual clothes, if anything, only accentuated the disturbingly masculine aura of control that surrounded him.
    “Good morning.” His black eyes took in her face and dress before moving on to the landscape around him. He passed, just that quickly, his first test.
    The cement patio ended in steps leading down a slanting terraced lawn, with an orchard of mixed fruit trees on the distant left, a vegetable and flower garden on the right. The grounds had never been formally landscaped, but Leigh had spent a great deal of time and effort on the garden and lawn, and the effect always pleased her.
    “About three acres?” he questioned.
    She nodded. “Back here. With the woods as you come into the drive, it’s just under five.” Her tone was polite, distant. She could feel her emotions rising to the surface, an automatic response to his mere presence—defensiveness, antagonism, apprehension—and willed herself to remain calm.
    “Have you changed your mind, Leigh?” he asked bluntly.
    She looked away from him. “I still don’t know about the marriage,” she admitted honestly. “But there’s no question about my wanting a child.”
    “There won’t be one without the other—not if you want me involved.” There was just the hint of a rebuke, and she flushed.
    “I understand that,” she said coolly.
    “Would you like some coffee?” Robert’s beaming face appeared at the French doors, taking in the pair of them standing together. “I just made a fresh pot for myself.”
    “No thanks, Robert. We’re off,” Brian answered easily. He moved briskly then, forcing Leigh ahead of him into the library, and headed for the front door. Robert followed, hovering, as if by looking at them he could discover a clue to the exact nature of their relationship, which Leigh had refused to define for him over the past few days. It seemed that Brian understood. “I’ll have your girl back before dinner, Robert, if that suits?”
    It seemed just the line Robert had been waiting for. “I wouldn’t take it kindly if anything should happen to her.” He had to look up almost a full foot into Brian’s face to say it, and involuntarily Leigh smiled. For a protector, Robert lacked both height and youth, but if Brian made fun of him…
    “I promise you she’ll be safe with me,” he said gravely.
    “That’s fine then.” Robert was satisfied. “Have a good time, sweetheart. God knows it’ll be peaceful without you,” he added acerbically. She knew he was referring to her noisy cleaning onslaught, and she smiled again. With a gallant flourish, Brian opened the door for her and she stepped out. Brian had unknowingly passed another test, accepting Robert without mockery or even comment.
    The next ten minutes passed in silence, and by then Leigh and Brian were on one of Chicago’s busiest freeways. “What kind of car is this?” she finally asked.
    “A Morgan.”
    “I’ve never heard an engine with quite that kind of