Under The Midnight Sun
Page 21
Epilogue
Brian and Malinche lay on Brian’s bed, moist and languid from lovemaking that was sweeter each time. His bed was narrow but more than adequate; they didn’t need much room.
“Are you sure you don’t mind all the fuss of a formal wedding?” Malinche adjusted her head into the curve of his arm.
“As long as you’re there, we can be married in an igloo.”
“Not scared?” Malinche teased. “It’s a big commitment.”
Brian kissed the hollow at the base of her throat. “It was never my commitment that worried me, sweetheart.”
“I know. You didn’t trust me.”
“Forgive me. I know better now.”
“You’d better.” Her face became serious. “Dad’s adamant that the wedding be in Seattle, and a rather formal affair, I’m afraid.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not about to cross Buck in this. There will be plenty of other things to fight about. And I look great in a tux.”
“You look great in nothing, too.” Malinche nuzzled Brian’s ear. She couldn’t have been happier. They had returned to Anchorage a week ago, leaving Wilson to sort things out in Ketchikan, and had gone straight to Brian’s apartment. She was still recovering from the shock of the past few weeks, but telephone calls to her father, and making plans with Brian were having their effect. Now she felt the sublime serenity of a woman who has been well and truly loved.
“As to the wedding, I want whatever you want.” His husky voice sent ripples of desire along her veins. “Always.”
“I’d like the show and the drama of a big wedding. It’s like icing on a cake,” she admitted. “Dad won’t be happy without it. And I don’t feel the need to rebel just to rebel anymore. Besides, he’s been so reasonable.”
“Considering his only daughter has consented to live in Alaska as the wife of a mere geologist, I’d say he has. Not that he liked it.” Brian grinned, remembering the fireworks that had followed that announcement. “I really had to talk fast to escape being head honcho of one of his companies.” A shadow crossed his face. “What about you, love? Are you sure? When we first met you had so many conflicts about where you belonged.”
“I learned something from Ward Cove.” She moved to lay her head on his chest, listening to the strong steady thud of his heart. “The past is just that—past. I don’t have to identify with any one culture. I am who I am, and I finally know who that is—the woman who loves you. I know where my home is—it’s with you, wherever you are.” She gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. “But it certainly took you long enough to learn that.”
He caught her hand and raised it to his lips. He’d finally realized that love came with no guarantees; when love came, you grasped it and trusted in the future. “I never realized I was such a slow learner. I loved you from the first moment I saw you, but I was so obsessed with the fact that we were from two different worlds, that you couldn’t face up to my life, that I tried to drive you away.”
“You’ll never get away from me.”
“I believe you, with all my heart. And I will never shut you out again. It would be like shutting out my soul.”
Brian placed his finger under chin, and tilted her head so he could look into her eyes. “Darling, is it really all right if Joe Pasco is best man? He’s trying so hard to make amends.” Brian wouldn’t mention his own soul-searching; his decision to forget Joe’s comments about Malinche. Joe had been under extreme pressure and said things he hadn’t meant.
“Of course. And it wasn’t really his fault Carl Bettnor was very persuasive, and he was CIA. He just had his own agenda. Joe was in a quandary between his friendship for you and his love for his country.”
“He did try his best for me. Even that threatened transfer was to save my life.”
“I still don’t understand about Jim Wilson,” she said.
“Apparently the CIA have been suspicious of Bettnor for some time—too many plans backfiring, too many agents dying. When Bettnor came to Alaska, Wilson was sent by the CIA to watch him without Bettnor’s knowledge. Pasco thought Wilson really was a Universal Oil man.”
He saw the shadow of pain in her eyes. “What is it, love?”
“Bettnor—the terrible way he died. I know it might be called poetic justice, but it was so horrible. I wouldn’t have wished it on anyone, even him.”
He put his finger gently on her lips. “Try not to think of it. That part’s over. Just remember that thanks to you, Dimitri is vindicated, and the perpetrator of an old crime finally received justice.”
She snuggled closer. “And the new part—the best part—the rest of our lives is just beginning.”
eISBN: 978-14592-6181-5
UNDER THE MIDNIGHT SUN
Copyright © 1998 by Marilyn Cunningham
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Table of Contents
Cover Page
Table of Contents
Excerpt
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dedication
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Copyright