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.`Why, it's Peggy and Arnold!' she exclaimed pleasurably.`And Mickey too!' as the tow-headedyoungster sped past.`I'm glad to see he appears completely recovered from his ordeal.' She flashed awide, entrancing smile upwards.For a time amethyst eyes became inescapably locked with tawny gold, scattering Dale's senses andmaking her struggle for breath as her heart began drumming a ragged beat against her ribs.Then, withan imperceptible, tensing in the arm about her shoulder, Corey broke the spell.`After all your worrying last Sunday, I thought you'd be pleased,' he said in much deeper accents thanusuaI.`Yes, he looked very woebegone the last time I saw him,' she acceded thickly, and stepping quicklyahead, moved out from beneath his arms as she went forward to speak to Mickey's parents.`Here, have a seat, and I'll get you both a cup of tea,' offered Peggy as soon as she had finished greetingthem.Arnold immediately looked across at Corey with enquiringly raised brows.`Or would you prefersomething cold?' he grinned.`No, neither for me, thanks all the same,' Corey smilingly included them both in his refusal.`1 promisedIrwin I wouldn't, be away long.I just brought Dale down to see you, and to show her that Mickey'sapparently back to his effervescent self again.'`Oh, yes,' Peggy confirmed happily as she poured a fresh mug of tea from the Billy hanging over thecampfire.`Two days and you'd never know it happened.' Smiling her acceptance of the mug the olderwoman passed to her, Dale asked interestedly, `He's suffered no ill effects from the experience, then?'`None whatsoever, thank heavens, apart from a reluctance at present to go beyond the house paddock,but I don't think that's such a bad thing,' laughed Peggy in response.`If he's learnt that lesson, it's donesome good at least.'Dale nodded understandingly, her eyes involuntarily seeking the little boy under discussion, and thenglancing absently over the other children he was playing with.Two of them were his brother and sister;the remainder she couldn't place except for a couple she knew lived in town, and it was on one of thelatter that she found her gaze concentrating the most.Reuben Gilchrist's extremely blond hair made himvery conspicuous, even among his mostly fair-haired contemporaries, and she couldn't help looking upat Corey as he stood behind her chair in order to gauge whether he had noticed the child too-only todiscover, however, that his gaze was fixed in another direction entirely.It was focussed squarely onherself.file:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/kerry%20allyne/1982%20%20spring%20fever%20TXT/spring%20fever.txt (62 of 80)05/05/2010 14:42:13 file:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/kerry%20allyne/1982%20%20spring%20fever%20TXT/spring%20fever.txt`I'm sorry, but I guess I'd better get back to the stall.It's Irwin's busiest time during the lunch break.Sowill you be all right?' Warm honey-brown eyes surveyed her thoughtfully.`Don't worry about Dale.We'll look after her for you,' chuckled Arnold before she could reply, andthereby negating the need for her to do so, even if she hadn't felt capable of taking care of herself.`Thanks,' Corey smiled back.And with an encompassing, `I'll see you all later, then,' he gave a gentle,parting tug to one of Dale's dark curls and began heading back the way they had come.The conversation turned to more general topics after he had left, but whenever there was a pause Dalecouldn't prevent her eyes from straying back to young Reuben again.Seeing him had brought AlmaFletcher's comments flooding into her mind once more, and she surreptitiously studied the child at everyopportunity.Abruptly, on one such occasion, one of the other children apparently did something to annoy him, andthe infuriated look that came over his face arrested Dale's attention in shocked incredulity.Oh God, Kurtwas Reuben's father! she suddenly realised to her horror.The evidence was too damning to ignore.In atemper, their expressions were so alike as to be indistinguishable!A feeling of revulsion began to engulf her.No wonder he appeared discomfited in Wanda's presence, butit wasn't on Corey's behalf, as she'd mistakenly believed, it was on his own! Just what sort of a man washe? It was bad enough that he refused to acknowledge his own child when he obviously knew the childwas his, but that he should have allowed Corey to take the blame, and then stood silently by and seenhim disowned for it as well, was sickening! She could also guess now why he hadn't wanted to meet hisstepbrother when he first heard Corey had returned.He had probably been too embarrassed to face him!Not that her behaviour had been exactly creditable either, she went on to muse painfully.Her tauntsregarding his reputation must have rankled unbearably for Corey, and the temptation to put her in herplace by disclosing all he knew about Kurt must have been very great.So great, in fact, that she doubtedwhether she would have been as forbearing in not divulging everything had their positions been reversed!But now, knowing that she at least owed him an apology, it suddenly seemed imperative that she give itimmediately, and replacing her mug on the table she rose swiftly to her feet, much to her companion'sobvious surprise.`I'm sorry, but I just remembered something,' she half laughed excusingly.'I-I had a message for UncleIrwin, but I forgot all about it when I was talking to him.I'll just go back and tell him, if you don't mind.I won't be long.'`No, you go ahead.' Peggy waved her on her way goodnaturedly, then gave a teasing grin.`I expect thesight of Corey put it right out of your mind.It's amazing what love can do to the memory at times!'.`I g-guess so,' Dale stammered selfconsciously, and made good her departure before any further suchcomments could be made.One particular word that Peggy's remark had instilled in her mind wasn't quite so easily left behind,though, and before she had left the camping area even, she was being swamped by her second totallyunexpected revelation of the day.And this one was perhaps even more devastating than the first.She was in love with Corey! Hopelessly,, fervently, everlastingly in love with the man she wassupposedly about to become engaged to for all the wrong reasons.Now she knew why she found it sodifficult to play the part when he was around.She wanted the role on a permanent basis, not a temporaryone!As she neared the refreshment stands, her steps slowed and her eyes promptly sought the second onealong.On finding the figure they were searching for, Dale sighed disconsolately.Not only were herfile:///E|/My%20Library/books/ROMANCE/kerry%20allyne/1982%20%20spring%20fever%20TXT/spring%20fever
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