She opened her mouth to give him a smart reply, but Denton gripped her elbow.
"I'm afraid children aren't in our plans for a while," he said.
He ushered Megan away from a startled Uncle Guthrie to greet some newly arrived guests. He probably thought he was rescuing her. Denton could lay on the charm when he wanted to, but his sense of humor needed improvement. She scowled up at his handsome profile and squirmed from his grip.
"What plans? We haven't made any plans."
He spoke in a low voice. "Let's not argue right now." He reclaimed her elbow, his expression stern. "We'll talk about it later." He greeted Judge Riley and his wife with a gracious smile.
Once again someone was making decisions that shaped her life...without consideration for her plans. Yes, they would talk later, but this time he would have to listen. She forced the anger to the back of her mind and greeted the couple with genuine warmth.
Denton kept her busy welcoming guests until Clarissa arrived. The blond man at Clarissa's side looked familiar, but the name gave no clue to where she might have seen him. Not that Denton would have remembered right now, anyway. He was seeing no one but Clarissa at the moment. Now would be a good time to escape.
She excused herself, claiming she was needed in the kitchen. It was a well-known fact that Mrs. O'Hara would never surrender her kitchen to a maid, so the alibi passed as genuine.
Mrs. O'Hara glanced up when Megan entered.
"The cake is ready and the candles are on the counter over there."
Megan picked up the candles and began methodically poking them in the cake.
"I must be getting too old for this. I don't think there's enough room on the cake for twenty-five candles."
Mrs. O'Hara laughed. "You've been doing it every year since you were two years old. I suppose it's getting a little embarrassing now. That cake is going to look like a porcupine."
Megan stepped back and studied the cake. "Why don't we use one candle for every five years?"
"Go ahead. I'm sure you're in a hurry to get back out to Denton."
Megan rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Denton won't miss me now. Clarissa is here."
"Megan!" Mrs. O'Hara gasped. "What a thing to say!"
Megan shrugged. "It's true. Dad's so set on having him for a son-in-law that he doesn't even notice. Haven't you noticed?"
Mrs. O'Hara avoided Megan's gaze. "Now, Megan. Jealousy doesn't become you, honey."
Megan groaned. "I'm not jealous. She can have him. In fact, I think they'd make a perfect couple." She put the last candle in the cake and glanced up at her mother's startled face.