It was closer to ten minutes when she parked off the square across from Harry’s. By the time she got out of the car, Chase had crossed the street to meet her, casually kissing her mouth, then sliding his arm around her. “Walk with me.”
She gave him a sidelong look. “If you’re thinking to build up an appetite, I know better ways to do it, no special clothes, no equipment required. In fact, it works best without any clothes at all.”
“Now you’re tempting me.” But he didn’t lead her back to her car and head for home. Instead, they strolled across the street and into the square. The grass was lush, the flowers in bloom, and a few birds chirped overhead. How much more perfect could the center of town be?
At his urging, she followed him up the steps of the bandstand, where he backed her against the railing. “Did you know I got my first serious kiss here?”
She shook her head. “How old were you?”
“Fifteen. I also came to my first band concert here and sat on Santa’s lap for the first time right over there. I smoked my first cigarette here, too, and got caught by the chief of police.”
“A place for firsts,” she said with a smile.
“Yeah.” His dark gaze turned serious, and for a moment he simply looked at her, as if memorizing the lines of her face. When he spoke again, his voice was low, throaty, his emotion intense. “I love you.”
She knew that. Of course she knew it. How could she not? Oh, but it was sweet to be sure he knew it, too. She raised her left hand to touch his face. “What a coincidence. I love you, too.”
“I was counting on that.”
Catching her hand, he stroked the skin, worn smooth after seven years of the wedding band she had removed last night. She’d tucked it into a velvet box and slid it to the back of her lingerie drawer, along with the agreement signed by Marlene and Obie. She’d felt a moment’s sadness, as if she was saying good-bye to Jeff all over again, then she’d glanced into the dresser mirror and seen Chase watching her from the bed. It wasn’t good-bye. She’d loved Jeff dearly, and always would.
Just as she loved Chase dearly and always would. Abruptly he let go of her hand, laid his hands on her shoulders, and turned her so her back was to him. “Choose a star and make a wish.”
She laughed. “It’s the middle of the day. The stars aren’t out.”
“They’re out. You just can’t see them.”
“How can I make a wish on something I can’t see?”
“You take it the same way you’ve taken me. On faith,” he murmured, his mouth close enough to her ear to send a shiver through her. “Besides, you said yourself you close your eyes when you wish on stars. So close your eyes, pick a star, and make a wish with me.”
Feeling foolish and not caring, she did as he said, envisioning a sky filled with stars, choosing the best and brightest one, and making the best and brightest wish. For a moment, the air around them seemed to shimmer with expectancy, making her skin tingle and her palms grow damp.
Or was that merely Chase’s body pressed close against hers?
“Open your eyes,” he commanded softly.
The day was just as bright, the breeze just as warm, the town just as normal, but her heart couldn’t decide between beating double-time and not at all, and her breath was caught in a knot in her chest. She stared, wondering how his hand could be so steady when her entire being was shaky, but he was steady as a rock. The ring he held for her inspection didn’t tremble at all.
“Oh, Chase, it’s beautiful.”
“It reminded me of you.”
Nestled in a burgundy velvet box, the ring was antique gold filigree with one perfect pearl in the center. It was beautiful, warm, and lustrous, and would look lovely on her hand. She reached out to touch it, but he pulled it away.
“Not until you say the magic word.”
Turning in the circle of his arms, she was about to ask what the magic word was, but she knew. She could see it in his eyes, could feel it in her heart. “Yes,” she whispered.
Still he withheld the ring. “You’d better be sure, ’cause once I’ve got you, I’m never letting you go.”
“Yes.”
“You know, I come with baggage—a sister who’s always getting her heart broken, a father I have a lot of unresolved issues with, and a mother I haven’t seen in years.”
“Yes.”
“And there’s the little matter of my background—”
Catching handfuls of his shirt, she yanked him to her and kissed him. Almost immediately, he took control, sliding his tongue into her mouth, taking his sweet, lazy time tasting her. Not that she minded. Oh, no, they could kiss like that all day and into the night . . . once she got one important matter out of the way.
“Ask me to marry you, Chase,” she murmured.
“Will you marry me, Nolie?”
“Yes. Now give me the ring.”
And he did.
AS NIGHT EASED INTO DAWN, COLE SLID OUT OF Leanne’s bed, careful not to wake her. He dressed quickly, quietly, then stood for a time looking down at her. He’d tried to stay away from her, he really had, but it hadn’t worked. Every morning he left, intending to end things with her once and for all, and every evening he found himself right back in her bed. He’d been born with a weakness for women in general, but he’d never had one for a particular woman . . . until now.
In his business, he couldn’t afford a weakness.
He wanted to walk out without a look back. To strip down and crawl back into bed with her. To put off leaving until tomorrow. To already be gone.
He settled for touching her, just his fingers against her bare shoulder. She smiled in her sleep. He’d never been good at good-byes, mostly because he never stuck around long enough to say them. It seemed he was always leaving town in a hurry, either of his own will or with the cops on his tail. He rarely had the time or the inclination to prolong his departure with farewells.
But he’d never left anyone important behind before. He touched her once more, for the last time, then left the room. Across the narrow hall, he went into Danny’s room and crouched next to the bed. The kid had kicked off his covers, so Cole slid them back into place before turning his attention to Ryan, asleep on an inflatable bed.
Lamplight illuminated his face and kept the nightmares at bay, making him look like any normal twelve-year-old boy. No one would guess to look at him now that he’d been abandoned and betrayed by everyone in his life who should have cared. When he woke up in a few hours, he would lump Cole in with the others, but damn it, it wasn’t a matter of caring. The kid needed a regular home and respectable parents who could raise him right. He needed things Cole couldn’t give him, but someone in Bethlehem could.
Before he started second-guessing his decision, Cole got to his feet, moved stealthily down the hall and the stairs, then crossed the street to the Miller house. He didn’t bother to shave or change clothes. He packed his bags, quickly and efficiently, and carried them along with his laptop computer to the Lexus. Within twenty minutes of leaving Leanne’s bed, he was driving past the town limits sign, heading out of Bethlehem, out of the valley, and out of Leanne’s and Ryan’s lives.
Forever.
About the Author
Known for her intensely emotional stories, Marilyn Pappano is the author of nearly fifty books with more than six million copies in print. She has made regular appearances on bestseller lists and has received recognition with numerous awards for her work. Though her husband’s Navy career took them across the United States, they now live in Oklahoma, high on a hill that overlooks her hometown. They have one son.
Also by Marilyn Pappano
SOME ENCHANTED SEASON
FATHER TO BE
FIRST KISS
GETTING LUCKY
HEAVEN ON EARTH
CABIN FEVER
A Dell Book / July 2003
Published by
Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either
are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is
entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2003 by Marilyn Pappano
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
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eISBN: 978-0-307-42282-8
v3.0
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