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look
straight into his eyes. “A private joke, huh?”
    “What would you have had me say? That we were
playing an elaborate game of seduction?”
    “Seduction!”
    “That’s usually the game men and women
play.”
    The look in his dark eyes did strange things
to her heart. She took a moment to catch her breath and recover.
Then she gave him a playful pinch on the cheek.
    “I’m going to teach you some new games,
Samuel.”
    “I can hardly wait, Venus.”
    They joined their parents at the dining
table, and much to their surprise, the meal was painless. All four
of them were sharp-witted people, and the conversation flowed
smoothly, covering topics as diverse as flower arranging and
stock-market reports.
    After the meal was over Molly excused
herself, and Jedidiah led his guests into the large and airy music
room. Lamplight gleamed across the rich wood of a baby grand piano,
and moonlight shone through two enormous arched windows, making a
glowing path on the hardwood floor. It was a lovely room, full of
charm and graciousness, but what caught Samuel’s attention was the
enormous watercolor over the mantel. It was a field of flowers,
their colors so brilliant they seemed to spill off the canvas and
invade the room. Sunlight tipped the edges of the petals and gave
the illusion of warming the observer.
    He walked closer, lifting his head to gaze up
at the work of art.
    “Do you like it?” Jedidiah asked.
    “It’s unbelievable.”
    “Molly did it. Of all her work, it’s my
favorite.”
    Samuel studied the painting. He didn’t know
much about art, but he had heard that it reflected the spirit and
soul of the artist. If that were true, Molly had a soul as rich as
the earth and a spirit as freewheeling as the sun. Something in him
reached out to the painting, and he felt a tiny glow spring to life
in the deep, dark recesses of his own battered soul.
    He continued to gaze at the painting.
Suddenly there was a sound at the doorway, and he turned.
    Molly was standing there, posing. She was
both mischievous sprite and lusty
femme fatale
, and she
made the room as bright as new copper pennies. She’d been gone only
a few minutes, and he was surprised to discover that he had missed
her. Not her, he corrected himself. He’d merely missed her
particular brand of excitement.
    He leaned against the mantel, smiling. He
could hardly wait to see what she would do next.
    She slowly lowered her hand from the
doorframe and began to walk into the room. Her eyes locked on his,
and Samuel had no doubt whatsoever that the show was entirely for
him.
    Molly didn’t simply enter a room; she came in
like a full-fledged parade. Her feet clicked against the wooden
floor and her face was alight with mischief. Samuel peered behind
her, expecting to see her followed by a band of pirates, or at the
very least a string of prancing ponies.
    “I’m sorry I took so long.” Her skirts danced
around her as she moved.
    “That’s all right. You are worth waiting for,
isn’t she?” Jedidiah looked at Samuel for confirmation.
    “Indeed, she is.” Samuel smiled at Molly to
see how she took his hearty declaration. With aplomb. That’s how
she took it. He would have been disappointed by anything else.
    Molly moved toward the piano, gliding across
the room directly in the path of moonlight so that she and her
dress appeared to be liquid.
    “Is everybody ready for the show, Daddy?”
    Jedidiah beamed and escorted Glory Ethel to
the large wing chair beside the piano. Then he seated himself on
the piano bench and ran his fingers lightly over the keys.
    Samuel didn’t know much about music, but he
did know enough to recognize a masterful touch. The man had
talent.
    But the person who riveted his attention was
Molly. She was leaning against the piano now, her hip pressed
against the gleaming wood. Everything except the woman at the piano
vanished from Samuel’s mind. Moonlight shimmered over her, turning
her skin and hair to liquid gold. Lamplight