It seemed in that moment that the wind ceased to blow, that the ocean no longer roared and that the sea gulls went still, frozen in their flight pattern against the backdrop of a dazzling blue sky.
John’s gaze narrowed, as if testing the truth in her words. As if he was afraid to believe them.
“The craziest part of it was that Bob insisted you loved me.” She tried to make light of it, and knew she wasn’t any better at disguising her feelings than he was with her. “I was rather hoping that was the reason you’d decided to fire me…although I have to say your thinking is a bit twisted.”
“I do love you.” He paused and granted her a half smile. “Enough to give Bob your address and allow you to make your own decisions when it came to your ex-fiancé.”
Just the way he said the words told her how difficult it had been for him to sit back and wait.
She smiled and leaned her head against him, and John wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer. He gently kissed the top of her head.
“I thought you wanted me out of your life,” she said, struggling, even now, to release the hurt his words had caused her.
“No, never that, but I wanted you to be free of any obligation to me should you decide to leave. I’ve never done anything more difficult in my life than release you.”
“I wasn’t going to leave.”
“But you didn’t know about Bob then.”
“I knew everything I needed to know about him.” She looped her arm around his. “Actually, several people had approached me in the last few weeks about doing their window displays and I thought…I hoped… I could make enough doing that to survive until you came to your senses.”
“It’s not such a bad idea.”
“I could set up my own small company and work…”
“Part-time,” he inserted, and at her questioning glance, he added, “Until the children are in school.”
It felt as if the world were suddenly devoid of oxygen. “Children?”
“I’m praying like crazy that you’ll agree to marry me.”
Unable to find her voice, Dani eagerly nodded. “When?”
“Oh, I figured since we had something of a whirlwind courtship that we should wait a year or so to start our family. But basically, I’ll leave the decision up to you.”
“Wedding…when?” She waved her hand as if fanning a fire and hoped she was coherent enough for John to understand her question.
His eyes widened as if he found her inquisitiveness something of a surprise. “I’d prefer it if we could be married soon. Very soon. The sooner the better. Are you free next weekend?” At her stricken look, he amended, “You decide the date, just promise you won’t keep me waiting much longer.”
All at once she was in his arms. John’s kiss was filled with a desperate kind of longing, one that matched her own. Dani groaned in welcome and opened her mouth to him. John’s tongue eased forward, probing deeply, mating with hers in a frenzied erotic game. When he finally dragged his lips from hers, he gulped air into his lungs.
“You’d better make it quick,” he urged in a rough whisper.
“Quick?”
“The wedding. It’s getting to the point that even a public beach isn’t safe. I want you so much I’m willing to be arrested.”
“I don’t think it’ll come to that,” she said with a lazy, happy smile.
“Don’t be so sure, Dani. You don’t have a clue how tempting you are.”
“Temptation is good for the…” She wasn’t allowed to finish because John was kissing her again; this time he tangled her hair with his fingers and dragged his lips over hers. The kiss was warm and moist. Warm and potent.
“Do you think we could arrange a wedding by next week?” She whispered the question when she could breathe.
He nodded. “We’ll find a way.” He braced his forehead against hers. “Mother is going to gloat.”
“Let her,” Dani said, more than willing to be generous with John’s mother. “She deserves to, don’t you think?”
She felt his smile against her skin. “I suppose you’re right.
“Shall we tell her?” He stood and offered Dani his hand.
“Now?” Everything was happening so fast, her head was spinning. She accepted his help and reached for their untouched lunches.
“You object?”
“No…no, it isn’t that. I’ve got so much to do. I need to call my parents and my sister and tell them. Delia will have to fly in and… Oh, good grief, you’ve never even met my parents. What will they think when we announce we’re getting married so soon?”
“Well,” John said, looping his arm around her waist. “Either they’ll assume we’re madly in love, or that you’re pregnant.”
Dani laughed, and covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers. “No doubt Dad will thank you for making an honest woman out of me.”
“And your mother?”
“She’ll ply us both with a thousand questions. She’ll want to be assured we know what we’re doing, rushing into marriage this way.”
“Do we?” John asked.
“Probably not,” Dani answered, wondering if he’d already changed his mind. She studied him, searching out his face, looking for telltale signs. John was a man who seldom acted impulsively.
“No, Dani love,” he said and kissed her temple. “I haven’t changed my mind. Nor will I. Now come back to the store because I have a gift for you.”
“A gift?” Dani wasn’t sure what to think.
John held her hand and together they trotted across the busy intersection back to Osborn Antiques. Mamie was occupied with a customer when they walked into the store. She stopped abruptly, said something to the client and looked to John and Dani.
“Well?” she asked expectantly.
“We’re getting married,” John announced.
Mamie folded her hands and raised her eyes skyward. “Praise be to the saints.”
“Next week, Mother.”
“Next week?” Mamie pulled out a chair and literally fell into it. “These youngsters think everything has to happen overnight. I can’t believe this. I really can’t. Do either of you realize how much is involved in arranging a wedding?”
“Not really,” John said, smiling at Dani. “I guess we’ll just have to wing it.”
“I’ll take care of the flowers and the music. Bertha Johnson does fabulous cakes, but I think you and Dani should be the ones to pick it out.”
“We will, Mother,” John promised.
“I’ve heard that before.”
Dani wasn’t sure who Mamie was speaking to, but it didn’t matter. John walked over to his desk and took out a key. He led her to the storage room she’d discovered all those weeks ago. Dani didn’t realize he kept it locked these days.
He unlatched the padlock and opened the door. Then he leaned into the compact room, and turned on the light. “This is for you,” he said, with his back to her. When he turned around, Dani realized that he held the cradle she’d loved so dearly in his arms.
Tears leapt to her eyes, and she struggled within herself for a couple of moments. “You said you’d sold it.”
“Not exactly. The gist of what I told you was that it was going to a good home. What I didn’t say was that I sincerely hoped it would be our own. Whatever happens between us, I want you to have the cradle.”
“I won’t accept it,” she said, and after a sufficient pause added, “Without you.” Closing the storage room door, she walked over to the man she loved with all her being.
John set the cradle aside, and wrapped his arms around her. “You already have me, Dani. You have for a very long time.” Their kiss was deep, slow and potent enough to weaken her knees.
“We’re crazy,” she whispered.
“But it’s a wonderful kind of crazy,” John added, and she couldn’t agree with him more.
* * * * *
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CHAPTER ONE
Riley Erickson’s life was perfect. Happily, there was no other way to describe it. She was engaged to a perfect man—good-looking, easygoing, kind to little old ladies, liked her friends—and they were getting married during her favorite time of year. (Christmas weddings were the most beautiful.) She had an equally great family—generous, fun-loving and supportive (now that she and her bro and sis had outgrown the sibling-rivalry stuff)—and a job she loved, teaching fourth grade at Whispering Pines Elementary School. Kids still liked their teachers at that age, so it was fun to go to work. And you couldn’t beat the vacation time since teachers got summers off as well as spring and winter breaks…which made getting married in December, well, perfect.
Riley smiled as she took the small ceramic turkey off her desk and substituted a snowman. The wedding was only three weeks away. By Christmas, she and Sean Little would be hanging their Christmas stockings side by side. Humming Christmas carols as she worked, she took down the rest of the Thanksgiving decorations in her classroom and put up her Christmas-themed ones. The children would return from their Thanksgiving weekend to find the classroom all ready for the holidays.
Once her decorating was finished, she took a moment to admire her reindeer and Santas and candy canes. Yes, it looked very festive here in Ms. Erickson’s fourth-grade classroom. It was oh, so satisfying to be organized.
Speaking of being organized, she wondered how her friend Emily was doing. Riley knew Emily was getting ready to visit her family in Portland for the weekend. Maybe she could use some help putting her classroom in order. Riley wandered down the hall to Emily’s room.
Emily Dieb was new to the school, new to the town of Whispering Pines, Washington, in fact. But settling in well. The other teachers liked her and so did her students. Actually, all the boys in her fifth-grade class had a crush on her. This was hardly surprising, since Emily looked like a Victoria’s Secret model.
Having a pretty friend was no threat to Riley. Granted, she’d never be mistaken for a model. She certainly wasn’t as glam as her sister, Jo, the fashionista, whose hair was always styled and highlighted, but with her round face, and freckles and long, light brown hair, she was cute enough. Cute enough for Sean Little to fall in love with, anyway, and that was all that mattered. Sean thought she was cute, adorable even, and had told her so on plenty of occasions.
Besides, it was hard to be jealous of Emily when she was so nice. Like Riley, she loved to read and watch old movies. Unlike Riley, she enjoyed working out and had the size-four body to prove it. She was going home to Oregon for the holiday, where she’d spend the weekend playing indoor volleyball and hitting the gym. Yuck, but to each her own.
“I don’t want to get too fat for my bridesmaid’s dress,” she’d said when Riley teased her once about being obsessed with the gym.
After Jo had gotten pregnant, she’d resigned from her position as matron of honor, so Riley had upgraded her best buddy, Noel Bijou, to maid of honor status and brought Emily on board to step into Noel’s bridesmaid shoes. “I’d love to be a bridesmaid,” Emily had gushed.
Emily didn’t seem as gushy about being in Riley’s wedding lately, but hey, Thanksgiving was coming, and Riley was sure that Emily was preoccupied with her looming family drama. Her parents were divorced and she was going to have to deal with parent rivalry and eat two Thanksgiving dinners—no easy feat for a size four.
She entered Emily’s room to find her friend perched on her desk, looking gorgeous in a red knit dress and high boots, talking on her cell phone. Her cardboard Pilgrims and turkey were still hanging on the wall, and there was no sign that Christmas was right around the corner. Good thing Riley had stopped in.
Emily gave a start at the sight of her and said to her phone, “I’ve got to go.”
“Sorry. Did I interrupt something?” Riley asked.
“Oh. No. I’m just, um, getting ready for the weekend.”
“I thought you might be in a hurry to get on the road so I came by to see if you needed any help setting your room up for Christmas,” Riley said.
“Oh. Well. Thank
s.” Emily seemed distracted.
“Is everything all right?”
“Yes. Um, everything’s fine.”
Poor Emily. She was obviously trying to make the best of her upcoming family visit. “Must be hard having to go home and try to keep everyone happy,” Riley said.
Emily nodded.
“I wish you were going to be around. I’d sucker you into going out and getting something to eat tonight. Sean has to work at the gym.” Sean owned a Fit and Fine franchise, and when you owned a business, it actually owned you. Of course, once they were married it would own both of them. Sean was giving Riley a membership as a wedding present. She could think of better ways to work up a sweat together but oh, well. She’d learn to love treadmills. Maybe someday she, too, would be a size four.
“Yeah, I’m afraid I’ll be busy tonight,” Emily said.
“I hope your mom doesn’t try to match you up with someone again.”
According to Emily, last Thanksgiving her mom had tried to set her up with her yoga instructor. Emily had just broken up with her boyfriend and had been in no frame of mind for a new man. The fact that the man had been fifteen years older could’ve had something to do with it. Emily’s mom wasn’t a very good matchmaker.
Neither was Riley. She kept trying, though. “Sean’s friend Guy is going to be in town this weekend,” she said casually. Maybe Emily would like to come back early. They could all go out on Saturday night.
Emily was already shaking her head. “I appreciate the thought, but…”
Riley sighed. “I know. You’re not interested. But Em, you don’t want to wind up alone, do you?” Honestly, Emily wasn’t even trying to fix her love life.
Emily blushed and bit her lip.
Now Riley had made her uncomfortable. “Sorry,” she said. “I guess I just want to see everyone as happy as I am.” Maybe Noel and Guy would hit it off. Noel needed someone new in her life.
“You’re such a good friend,” Emily said, her pretty blue eyes filling with tears. “I don’t deserve you.”
That seemed a little over-the-top but it was Thanksgiving. Everyone got sentimental at Thanksgiving. “You’re right,” Riley joked. “Come on. I’ll help you get your Christmas stuff up. Then you can enjoy yourself this weekend without that hanging over you.”
Rock-A-Bye Baby Page 9
