Dan had been right about his family's reaction to Sue. They all seemed to love her. As for Sue, she thought they were pretty nice, too. But her nervousness was still with her. She could not forget the idea that she had been brought to these people's house so they could inspect her. It was not in Sue's nature to be self-conscious, but being taken home to meet the family made her feel shy as a sparrow-for a while, at least.

Luke, Dan's father, gave Sue a warm hug when he met her, and proceeded to try to ply her with alcohol-before, during and after dinner. He was not at all what Sue had expected in the father of a twenty-eight-year-old man. She had expected someone balding, pot-bellied arid nice.

Luke was nice all right, but he was tall and brawny, like his oldest son, and very handsome. He had just enough gray in his hair to give him an air of authority, but otherwise, there was little about him that gave away his age. Dan had told her he was forty-nine, but to the blonde he did not look a day over forty. She did not like the little throbs of excitement she felt in her belly when Luke bent over her to pour her wine. They were not appropriate sensations for a young woman to feel for her future father-in-law.

Dan's mother, Lucy, was a couple of years younger than her husband, but she did not look as young. Still, she was a handsome woman. Her grey-blonde hair was pulled into an attractive chignon that made Lucy look, at the same time, both motherly and elegant. Her figure was still trim, and Sue admired the way the older woman moved about her house, managing the comfort of her family and guest. Lucy was the one Sue instinctively felt closest to. She thought she could understand at a glance exactly what motivated Lucy. It was the father and the younger son who presented the dilemma.

Dick was the smallest of the Walker men. True, he was only sixteen, but already it was clear he would never achieve the full-bodied girth of either his father or his big brother.