Change of Heart Read Free

mug of coffee in front of him and went to the refrigerator for milk, then reseated herself and added both milk and sugar to her cup. He took his black, she noticed. “Do you mind if I smoke?” he asked.
    Cecelia hated to be asked that question. She did mind but politeness forbade her saying so. “Of course not,” she said a little woodenly. “I’ll find you an ashtray.”
    He put the pack away. “Never mind.” His gray eyes regarded her gravely. “I have been very worried about Jennifer,” he began. “She’s so quiet. It isn’t natural for a little girl to be as quiet as she is.”
    “I know. But she’s starting to come out of her shell. She was actually giggling in the tack room with the other kids yesterday.”
    “Coming here has been very good for her,” he said. She looked down at his hand, cupped now around the coffee mug. It was a slender hand, with beautiful long fingers, yet it looked as hard as iron.
    “She has a natural aptitude for riding,” Cecelia said, raising her eyes to his face. “Even Daddy remarked on it the other day—and he doesn’t usually notice the beginners much. And she loves the horses.”
    “It isn’t just the horses she loves,” returned Gilbert Archer. “As I said earlier, you have been very good to her.”
    Cecelia’s cheeks flushed a delicate rose. “It’s been my pleasure,” she said formally.
    His gray eyes were steady on her face. “She told me you went in to see her school play this week.”
    “Yes, well, all the other children had mothers who would be going,” Cecelia explained. “I had fun. The kids did a terrific job.” A thought struck her. “I hope you don’t object? I certainly don’t want to push my way into Jenny’s life if you don’t like it.”
    There was a pause and then he gave her an absolutely charming smile. “But I do like it,” he said softly. “I like it very much indeed. In fact, one of the reasons I came by today was to ask if you’d care to have dinner with Jennifer and me tomorrow evening.” Cecelia hesitated, strangely affected by that smile and uneasy because of it. “Jennifer will be so disappointed if you can’t make it,” he added.
    “I’d love to,” said Cecelia.
    “Wonderful. We’ll pick you up at seven?”
    “Fine.”
    He grinned, looking suddenly very young. “It will probably be that hamburger place in town— the one that has popcorn on the table. Jennifer loves it.”
    She smiled back. “I know it well. Daddy always took me there too. I loved the funny mirrors.”
    “The food isn’t bad,” he said ruefully. “It’s the smell of the popcorn that gets to me.”
    She laughed. “Do they still show cartoons?”
    “They do. And they’ve added video games as well.”
    “It sounds like fun,” she said.
    A smile fleetingly appeared in his eyes. “I should infinitely prefer Gaston’s. I must be getting old,” he said.
    Cecelia looked back at him, the smile on her lips not matched by the gravity of her eyes. He wasn’t old at all, she thought. He was in fact disconcertingly young and good-looking. She stood up. “The children should be finished with the ponies by now.”
    He rose as well. “I’ll go and collect Jennifer then. And we’ll see you tomorrow night.”
    “I’ll be looking forward to it, Mr. Archer.”
    He stopped with his hand on the doorknob. “Please, won’t you call me Gil? I’m afraid I can’t think of you as anything but Cecelia.”
    She grinned mischievously. “As in ‘Cecelia says’ ... I see your point. , . Gil.”
    He raised a hand in brief farewell, then stepped through the door and closed it firmly behind him.
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Chapter 2
    Gil and Jennifer picked her up promptly at seven, with Gil coming to the front door while Jennifer remained in the car. Cecelia answered his ring, waved at Jennifer and said, “I’m all ready, but won’t you come in for a minute and meet my father?”
    “I’d like to,” he replied easily and followed her into a large, high-ceilinged