by JoAnn Ross
Drawn by forces he could not fully understand, Gavin left the porch and walked over to the fire, which was beginning to hiss from the rain. Steam rose and curled around him like a cocoon. He felt the heat, smelled the scent of burning leaves. He put his hand into the circle of rain. The silvery raindrops he captured on his palm. They were not illusions.
Which meant there was only one possible explanation.
"My God." He turned toward her. "You really are a witch."
She nodded, watching his face carefully, waiting for the expected derision. "You don't sound surprised."
Gavin thought about that for a moment. "Strangely enough, I'm not. The thing I do find surprising is that I think I knew it all along."
"Well?" She had to ask. "Does it bother you?"
He didn't even have to stop and think about the answer to that question. "Not at all. Actually, I think it's pretty cool."
He walked back over to stand in front of her. "Do you realize how ironic this is," he murmured. "That Morganna, a sexy witch born in my imagination, gave me the freedom to move here to Whiskey River, where I was destined—"
"With a bit of help from my grandmother," Tara interjected.
"With bit of help from your grandmother," he agreed with a slow smile that had her toes curling in her ski socks, "to fall in love with a luscious, real-life witch."
"This isn't how I expected you to respond." Which made sense, Tara decided. Nothing about her visit to Whiskey River had turned out as planned.
"Did you actually believe I'd tuck my tail between my legs and run like that uptight creep you made the mistake of getting engaged to?"
"He was worried about what people would think. How it would affect his career."
"The guy was an idiot. You're lucky you found out he wasn't the kind of man to stick around before you promised to love, honor and cherish. And, needless to say," he tacked on, drawing her into his arms and rubbing soothing circles against her back, "it was his loss."
Tara laughed, because she'd never known that giving her heart to another could make her feel so free.
Gavin touched his lips to hers. "I have something for you." He reached into his pocket, pulled out a gray velvet box and handed it to her.
Tara drew in a quick stunned breath at the sight of the one-of-a-kind ring resting on a bed of white satin. Three stones—a tigereye representing the dawn, silver hematite for the dusk and a heart-shaped piece of obsidian for midnight—had been set in a woven-gold band. "Sky stones?"
"Brigid once told me they hold special significance," Gavin explained carefully, hoping he hadn't made the wrong choice.
"They do." She slipped the ring on her finger and felt a comforting warmth that felt so very right. "They were used by early druids for divination."
"So it's okay? You like it?"
She held the ring up to the streaming silver moonlight, admiring the way the gold gleamed so warmly. "I love it." She lifted her smiling face to his and rewarded him with a long, loving kiss. "I can't imagine a more perfect gift."
It was more than a mere gift. He hoped she understood it represented a pledge. "You are going to marry me, aren't you?"
"Absolutely." Tara refused to be coy. "And make babies with you. Lots and lots of babies. So many we'll have to build an addition on to the house."
"This house?" Although he'd never thought himself a coward, Gavin had been afraid to ask.
"I thought it might be nice," she agreed. "After all, your cabin, charming as it is, is a little small to raise a family."
"So you are staying." He smiled as he thought about how it was so characteristic of her, with her intrinsic need to plan ahead, to be already creating a new, detailed road map for her life. He couldn't think of anything he'd rather do than travel that road with her. For the rest of their lives.
"I don't see that I have much choice." Her quick grin assured him it was not a decision she'd ever regret. "Brigid, as usual, was right all along. I belong here. And fortunately, as a consultant, I can set up my business anywhere. Although I'll probably have to do a bit more traveling."
"So long as you always come home to me. And all those babies you were talking about us making."
"Always." The thought was so overwhelmingly wonderful, it nearly made her weep. "How about you?" she asked. "How will you feel being married to the Witch of Whiskey River?"
He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "It's a little hard to put into words." He scooped her up and carried her back into the house. "Perhaps I'd better just show you."
As a rich, joyous love shimmered through her, Tara laughingly lifted her mouth to Gavin's kiss and surrendered to the magic.
Don't miss the next two installments of the
MEN OF WHISKEY RIVER
—three very magical romances featuring three sexy, unforgettable men and three beautiful and unusual women.
Whiskey River, Arizona, is a place, says JoAnn Ross, "where anything can happen. And often does."
Come and be spellbound by
WANTED! in November
and
AMBUSHED in December.
