Seeing the tears in his eyes, she knew that there was indeed hope for salvaging a relationship.
“May I, please?” As her father held out his arms for the child, she allowed him to take her.
Tristan wrapped his arms around Lily once more as Sabina looked at the man who held her. “Are you my grandpa?”
He nodded gravely. “I am your grandpa.” His gray eyes glistened. “And you have a grandma as well.”
Sabina clapped her hands. “Where is my grandma?”
As Robert Gray spoke with the child, Tristan turned Lily in his arms and kissed her gently, tenderly. “You see, Lily, she will understand.” He smiled into her eyes. “By the time it is necessary to tell her all, she will see that I love you more than my own life. She will believe the story we tell is true, for nothing less could have kept me from making us a family—kept me from you.” He touched her hair with a trembling hand. “I lost you in the winter and it was in winter that I found you again. You are my winter lily, now and forever. Nothing will ever separate us again.”
Her gaze held his. “May I take that as your pledge?”
His voice held a promise of all the love and devotion she would ever need. “Upon my life you may.”
And she did.
* * * * *
eISBN 978-14592-5092-5
WINTER’S BRIDE
Copyright © 1999 by Catherine J. Archibald
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
Printed In U.S.A.
Winter's Bride Page 25
