She went still. “You won’t?”
“Not a chance.”
Hope soared. Made her blood race and her breath catch. Made her forget that his rain-drenched clothes were now soaking through her apron. She raised her eyes to his, saw something there she hadn’t seen before. Prayed that it wasn’t just what she wanted so desperately for it to be.
“Nothing, no one like you, has ever come into my life before,” Guy said quietly. “I never believed that anyone would, that it was even possible. I think I must have known that first day, in Doc’s office, when I opened my eyes and you stared back at me. But I was too cynical, too afraid, to believe it.”
“Just say it, Blackwolf,” Holly said tightly, afraid that she was going to be the one to have a heart attack if he didn’t hurry. “For God’s sake, just say it.”
“I’m crazy about you.” He lightly pressed a kiss to her nose, then smiled softly down at her. “I love you.”
Relief poured through her, warmed the chill that had settled into her limbs and her heart. “You love me?”
“Yeah.” He kissed one cheek, then the other. “I do.”
Holly thrilled at his words and when he kissed her, a gentle melting of lips and hearts, she felt a tear slide from the corner of her eye. No one had ever kissed her like this, with such tenderness. With such love.
When he pulled away, then brought her hands to his mouth and kissed her fingers, Holly blinked at the moisture in her eyes.
“I would have come after you,” he said as he stared into her eyes. “I don’t give a damn about the money. All that matters to me is you, Holly. Being with you.”
“Is that why you left?” she asked in amazement. “Because you knew about the money?”
“I know it was stupid.” He sucked in a breath. “It just spooked me. My God, ten million dollars. I was afraid you’d think I stayed because of it. That you’d always have doubts. But I’ll sign a prenuptial if you want,” he rushed on. “I just need you to know, to be certain that—”
She put her hand over his mouth. Wide-eyed, she stared at him. “Did you say prenuptial?”
He nodded, but with her hand still covering his mouth, he stayed quiet.
“Guy Blackwolf,” she said breathlessly, “are you asking me to marry you?”
He nodded again, then gently tugged her hand away. “Will you, Holly?” he whispered. “Will you please marry me?”
Would she marry him? Dazed, her mind reeling, she had to wait for oxygen to return to her lungs before she could speak.
Laughing, she threw her arms around his neck and dragged him closer. “You big idiot, of course I’ll marry you.”
He gave a whoop, then kissed her long and hard, until her body and bones and mind turned to the consistency of warm taffy. It was a kiss that spoke of love and caring, of forever.
When he drew back, she slowly opened her eyes.
“Holly,” he asked, “what made you decide to come here?”
“Miranda,” she said softly. “She told me that if I loved you, I should never let you go, no matter what the cost. I could see in her eyes that there was someone in her past, someone she’d loved and lost. She was so sad, Guy. Looking at her, I knew that if I didn’t at least try, if I didn’t come here, that I’d have that same look, feel that same emptiness for the rest of my life.”
She took his face in her hands. “I don’t care about the money, either, Guy. Not without you. But I will be able to help the school in Twin Pines and get my store back on its feet, as well.” She smiled at him. “I just might buy you a new plane, too.”
“My insurance company will take care of that, thank you very much. But I was thinking that I could set up a base in Twin Pines and fly the day shifts and short runs for the outback regions. Keegan was the one who first suggested it.”
She looked at him in disbelief. “Keegan suggested that?”
Guy smiled. “He’ll probably kick himself for giving me the idea, but then, he’s going to have to get used to me being around permanently. Between tourists and shipping runs for locals, I just might make a good enough living to support a wife and, oh say, three or four kids?”
Three or four? Her throat thickened and she could barely whisper, “You want children?”
He nodded. “Ever since I saw you with all those kids, reading that silly story about a zebra, I couldn’t stop wondering what it would be like, how it would feel, to have a son or daughter of my own, our son or daughter.” He hesitated, then furrowed his brow at the sight of tears in her eyes. “You want them, don’t you? If you don’t, it’s all right. I love you and if—”
She reached up and dragged his mouth to hers, poured her love into the kiss. She had everything now, the family she’d missed and the man she loved. If this was a dream, she never wanted it to end.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she murmured, her lips still on his. “I want it all, Blackwolf. You, babies, a house. Everything.”
At the sound of a man’s familiar voice coming from the living room, Guy lifted his head and frowned. “Is that Gerald’s voice I hear, from Storm’s Cove?”
Holly grinned. “I taped the past two weeks’ episodes for you, just in case you missed any.”
He chuckled softly. “I’m going to be too busy to watch them for a while.” He slid a hand up her bare leg. “Lord, woman, have you any idea what you do to me?”
She sucked in a breath when his hand moved up her thigh. “Only what I want to do to you,” she said, amazed at the dexterity of his fingers when he found the snaps of her teddy.
At the faint smell of something burning, her eyes flew open.
“Oh, no!” She rolled away from him and flew into the kitchen. “Dessert!”
“You made dessert, too? Damn, but I’m one hell of a lucky guy.” Grinning like a fool, he rose and followed her into the kitchen, watched as she grabbed a set of hot pads, then whisked her creation from the oven and set it on the stovetop. It looked like a fluffy cream pie, slightly charred on the top.
Baked Alaska.
He started to laugh, then scooped her into his arms and hugged her close. She laughed, too, wound her arms around his neck.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said breathlessly between kisses.
“Later.” He carried her out of the kitchen, into his bedroom.
And it was. Much, much later.
Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Barbara McCauley for her contribution to the FORTUNES OF TEXAS: THE LOST HEIRS series.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-0443-0
FORTUNE’S SECRET DAUGHTER
Copyright © 2001 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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*Hearts of Stone
†Secrets!
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