Sultry. Mary Baxter Lynn

      “That’s not true,” Tim countered mildly.

      So mildly that Lindsay picked up on the insincerity behind his tone. It was obvious Cooper had, too, for he snorted again, this time with more disgust.

      Tim’s face flooded with color, but he didn’t say anything.

      In order to fill the growing and uncomfortable silence, Lindsay asked, “How long do you have to stay in bed?”

      “Through today only,” Cooper said fiercely.

      Tim merely looked at him. “We’ll see.”

      “No, you’re the one who will—”

      “Hey, time out!” Lindsay exclaimed. Then, turning back to Tim, she added, “Now that I’m home, I’ll see that he behaves.”

      Cooper’s eyes shone with disapproval. “I’m not at all happy you cut short your trip and deserted your friends.”

      Tim held up his hands. “I’ll let you two duke that out. I’m gone.”

      “Don’t go. Not yet, anyway,” Lindsay said quickly. “Dolly’s making some tea cakes.”

      Tim halted with a smile. “In that case, I’ll meet you on the porch.”

      Once her brother had left, another silence descended over the room. Finally Cooper broke it. “You’re a good daughter, Lindsay.”

      “I try,” she said, not sure where this conversation was leading. His out-of-the-blue statement took her aback. Rarely did Cooper compliment her on anything. Yet there were moments when he was warm and appreciative of her and what she did for him. These moments she treasured.

      But by and large, he made more demands than anything and expected them to be carried out. Within the confines of the house and grounds, one soon learned that Cooper ruled and didn’t like to be crossed.

      “Sometimes you try too hard.”

      Lindsay almost shivered, thinking how difficult he was to love, and how much he tried to make both Tim and her bend to his strong will.

      “How’s that?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.

      “You know. It’s time you married and had children. You’re certainly not getting any younger.”

      How well she knew. At twenty-six, she had never even lived away from home. She had remained here, occupying her own suite. When she wasn’t busy raising money and heading her favorite charity, she acted as Cooper’s hostess when he entertained, which was often.

      To the outside world looking in, she had everything money could buy.

      “I want you to stop dallying and set a wedding date.”

      Lindsay rubbed her forehead. “You know I don’t want to marry Peter.”

      “Why the hell not?”

      “You know that, too. I don’t love him.”

      “So what?”

      “Daddy!”

      “You’ll learn to love him. It’s that simple.”

      Lindsay felt as if she were beating her head against a rock. He was one stubbornly opinionated man. “Simple? I don’t think so.”

      Cooper’s features turned cold. “I’m counting on this marriage. Please don’t disappoint me. Do it.”

      Two

      When Lindsay walked out onto the porch, she paused for a moment, feeling a sudden but added sense of homecoming, thinking that houses without porches were like diamonds without the sparkle. They were missing something truly special.

      “Hey, your tea’s waiting.”

      Lindsay forced her limbs to move, reaching for the glass of iced tea her brother held out to her. After nodding her thanks, she gazed at the beauty that surrounded her, drawing the sweet smell of roses into her lungs.

      Summer.

      This was her favorite time of the year, especially on a day when the sun was about to call it quits.

      “You look beat,” Tim said, his head cocked to one side, eyeing her carefully.

      “I am. Actually, I feel like someone beat me.”

      Tim almost smiled. “Not someone, but something—jet lag.”

      “That and worry about Daddy.”

      “You should feel better about him now.”

      Lindsay made her way to the white wooden railing and leaned against it, feeling the gentle breeze ruffle her hair. “I do, but I’m still concerned about his heart.”

      Tim sipped his tea, then shrugged. “That’ll always be a concern, that’s for sure. But at least the wreck didn’t seem to put any extra stress on it.”

      “I hope that continues to hold true,” Lindsay said in a slightly unsteady voice.

      “We both know there are no guarantees in this world.”

      Lindsay’s own heart skipped a beat. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

      “Nope. At least, nothing you don’t already know. Accident or no accident, Dad’s heart could stop at any time.”

      Although Lindsay hated to face that brutal fact, she had no choice. Admitting that, however, hadn’t been easy. Even though Cooper had had several attacks already, caused by a defect that couldn’t be fixed with bypass surgery, she had refused to acknowledge that he wasn’t immortal. He’d always been so big, so full of life, so larger than life, that she couldn’t imagine him not being alive.

      “On the bright side of all this,” Tim added, “Dad could live to the ripe old age of ninety-five, going full steam ahead.”

      Lindsay sipped on her tea. “He’s definitely in that mode now.”

      Tim’s lips twisted. “What’s he on your case about this time?”

      “Same old thing, only he came right out and gave me an ultimatum for setting a wedding date.”

      “Why the hell don’t you just tell him you’re not going to marry Ballinger, and be done with it?”

      Lindsay’s eyes flared. “I already have, but he still refuses to take no for an answer.”

      “Well, I’ll admit you have a problem. When the old man digs his heels in, it’s his way or the highway.”

      “Tell me something I don’t know,” Lindsay said.

      Tim merely shrugged.

      Lindsay crossed to the antique swing, which was comfortably cushioned in a floral pattern. Once she was seated, she held her silence, setting the swing in soft motion.

      “Would you be willing to help me out?” she asked at last, feeling her insides unwind.

      “Depends.”

      “Maybe if you talked to him.” She was testing uncharted waters, as she rarely ever asked her brother for anything, especially when it pertained to something personal. She never felt she could count on him.

      “Wow, hold on a minute. You’ll have to take care of this one on your own. It’s your baby, you’ll have to burp it. Besides, I’ve got enough problems of my own.”

      She still couldn’t count on him, she thought, and not without a trace of bitterness. “Problems seem to go hand and hand with this family,” she said on an emotional note. “And that shouldn’t be. Both of us have the best of everything.”

      Tim cut her a sharp glance. “Speak for yourself.”

      Lindsay cringed against