by T. L. Haddix
Now, lying in Charles’s arms after having made love—after having really loved—she was trying to find the confidence to ask the man to marry her. It was unconventional, yes, but they’d not exactly had the most conventional courtship. Ideally, she would get him on the beach and ask him there, but she didn’t want to wait. That was surprising given how recently she’d been reluctant to consider the idea of marriage. But Charles had been surprising her from the first time they met, so maybe that fit the pattern of their relationship as well.
“I’ve been thinking about your kitchen problem,” she said. She was lying somewhat on her side, her back pressed against his side. One of his arms was over her shoulder and across her chest as she played with his fingers.
“Have you now?” He stroked her hair back off her face, tracing her ear. “Have you come up with any solutions for me?”
“Mm, I have. I think you should get married.”
Charles froze, then he carefully extricated himself from her, sitting up to stare down at her. “You think I should…”
“Get married. Yes.” She propped herself up on an elbow and traced a finger down his chest, making the muscles jump. He was terribly ticklish, and she teased the skin around his belly button. When he grabbed her hand, she shot him an impish look. “I hear a lady at the department store has taken a fancy to you. I’ll bet she’d be amenable.”
Using that captive hand, he bore her back down on the bed, coming to rest between her legs. “Would she now?”
His heat was intoxicating, and Kathy ran her hands up his chest and across his shoulders, enjoying the play of his muscles under his skin. “Uh-huh. I think so. And since it’s a leap year, she can ask you to marry her. But maybe she’s concerned that you aren’t ready for marriage, so she’s a little afraid of what your answer might be.”
After a kiss that had her closing her eyes, he asked, “Why would she be afraid? She knows I love her.”
“Mmm, she’s starting to believe that, I hear.” She looked at him. “Do you think she should ask you?”
“Only if she wants to find herself engaged.”
Kathy touched his chin. “Do you think you might want to marry me someday, Mr. Kelly?”
Charles rested his forehead against hers. “Nothing would please me more, Ms. Browning, but I don’t want to marry you someday. I want to marry you soon.”
A few tears slipped from the corners of her eyes and ran down into her hair. “I’ve got a lot of things to work through still.”
“I know. That doesn’t scare me in the least.”
“The medication might stop working. I don’t know how I’ll be if it does.” She shrugged. “You might be getting a real lemon.”
“Well, if you said you were a peach, we’d have a problem.” Though the words were playful, his tone and eyes told her he was serious. “But as it happens, I’m fond of lemons. So yes, to answer you, I will marry you and gladly, Kathy Browning.”
She kissed him. “My decidedly odd friend, I love you. I’m so glad you found me that day on the beach.”
Charles nodded. “So am I. Oh, Kathy, so am I.”
Chapter Forty-Three
There she was again, the dark-fire woman who’d haunted him so exquisitely for months. She stared at the mostly calm waves, standing out like a beacon in a red dress that lovingly hugged her breasts and hips as she waited for him halfway down the beach. The wind that had a tendency to be fierce was a gentle breeze today, a soft blessing from beyond the universe, he thought with a sense of whimsy. It was only strong enough to tease the airy fabric of her skirt and lift her hair gently.
This time, she wasn’t alone on the beach. A crowd of people had gathered farther along, dressed in finery and surrounding a flower-adorned arch. But she didn’t join them. Instead, she turned, her solemn expression turning into a radiant smile as she saw him.
Charles held out his hands as he reached her. “Ms. Browning, you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I love you.”
Kathy leaned into him, hugging him tightly. “You’re so damned handsome it hurts to look at you. Oh, Charles, I love you so.” She kissed him. “Are we really doing this?”
“Absolutely. Ready?”
In answer, she slid her hand around the crook of his elbow.
Together, they walked to the spot where he’d seen her last year, the spot marked by family and friends. With the sun shining brightly upon them, they pledged their lives to each other.
When it was over, after they’d been pronounced man and wife by the pastor from his mother’s church, a tide of cheers and love and laughter surrounded them.
“Come along, everyone. Let’s get out of this sun,” Augustina said, blotting her eyes with her handkerchief. “I have sand in my eyes and in my shoes.”
Charles hung back, keeping Kathy with him as they watched everyone make their way to the path through the dunes. Sarah and Owen had driven down for the wedding, as had Jack and Gilly. Daphne and Stanton were there, as were Herman and Sally, and much to his relief, so were Roy and Nancy. Kathy’s aunt hadn’t completely come around, but he figured they had a few decades to convince her.
Once everyone had gone, he pulled her close and kissed her deeply. “You weren’t the only one saved that day,” he said, his cheek pressed to hers. “You saved me as much as I saved you. Maybe more in some ways.”
Kathy traced his lips. “I don’t know about that.”
He nodded. “I do. My life wouldn’t be complete without you in it. I love you, Kathy.”
“I love you, Charles. So much… I might have to spend the next forty or fifty years proving it.”
“That sounds like the best plan ever,” he whispered. “I can hardly wait.”
Also by T. L. Haddix
The Firefly Hollow Series:
Firefly Hollow
Butterfly Lane
Dragonfly Creek
Cattail Ridge
Cricket Cove
Stormking Road
Fern Valley
Snapdragon Way
Stardust Valley
Kathy
The Shadows Collection:
Secrets in the Shadows
Under the Moon’s Shadow
Shadows from the Grave
Hidden in the Shadows
In the Heart’s Shadow
Deception in the Shadows
Seduction in the Shadows
Redemption in the Shadows
Writing as Mallory Love:
Capturing Colleen (Sunset Motel, Book One)
Seducing Samantha (Sunset Motel, Book Two)
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