Other couples also planned to be wed here during the next few weeks. Besides being romantic, it was a perfect way to test the hotel staff before paying customers arrived. It was also a special time, when Hidden Hot Springs still belonged exclusively to the people who had built it.
The fall season was booked almost solid. Hank's arrest and the recovery of the jewels had made national news, while short videos of the mountain lion and its cub, posted by some of the men, had gone viral on the Internet.
"Lost in a daze?" Kieran teased as a waiter served their salad. "Where are you?"
"On cloud nine," she answered.
“I’m right there with you.”
After lunch. the three bridal couples took the dance floor for a waltz. Guests joined them as the band segued to a rock beat, then a cha-cha. Waltz music was followed by a tango.
"I requested this one," Kieran whispered in Samantha's ear.
With a rush of emotion, she remembered that first night and the dance that had stirred her. She was afraid if she tried it again, she might cry; but so what?
"I'm game if you are." She rose to her feet.
On the floor, Kieran caught her against him, one arm claiming her waist, the other cradling her hand. Her body traced the hardness of his chest and the taut muscles of his thighs. He aroused the same heart-thumping response as on the night they’d met.
As before, Kieran spun her around, but this time she was ready for him. And when she struck a pose draped over his arm, he held rock-steady.
Bodies tight together, the two of them dominated the room. They extended their long steps dramatically, then tapped sharply during the short ones.
Samantha anticipated Kieran's next move as soon as she detected the slightest shift in his balance. The room, and their admiring friends, faded. They were flying through the streets of New Orleans at Mardi Gras, transported to Spain, then to Africa, then to a Pacific island whose name no foreigner could pronounce.
Only in the grasp of a man so strong could a dancer enjoy true freedom. When Kieran spun Samantha, there was no fear, no possibility of falling. When she pulled away from him, clapping and clicking her feet flamenco-style, she knew he would wait until the precisely right moment to claim her again.
How could all the realms of the world coexist on one small dance floor? How could the highways and flight paths of Samantha's universe merge into the endless path of the tango?
Finally, she understood why she would never feel restless again. Staying with Kieran didn't tie her down; it set her free.
She ended the dance breathlessly, in his arms. She wanted to tell him what she'd discovered, but Lew and Pete were calling him away for a series of toasts.
*
After a long and very special day, they observed the sunset from the glider on Kieran's porch. Samantha had traded her wedding gown for a yellow sundress. Kieran thought she looked softer, as if the wedding had changed her.
The ring on her finger was too simple for his taste. He wished he could afford a huge diamond, instead of three small ones, but Samantha hadn't minded. She'd said it would be easier to bake cheesecake without getting goop caught in her stone.
He’d like to give her so many things—an elegant house, beautiful clothes, a new car with no awkward memories. And someday he would.
She was gazing at the sunset-streaked sky as if she'd found heaven on earth. “Let’s stay in the cabin as long as we can,” she said.
“We’ll be starting construction on the houses soon,” he told her. “I’m planning a big one for us.”
“Will our friends be close by?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“I’ll miss this place.” Samantha sighed. “But even if we’d had to move to an apartment in the city, that would be fine too.”
“Seriously?” Kieran asked. “I was afraid I’d have nothing to offer you.”
“What do you mean?” She faced him, startled.
“If I’d lost the property,” he explained.
“Much as I love this place, that’s not why I’m staying,” she told him earnestly. “It’s because of you. Of us.”
“You don’t miss traveling?” Kieran shifted her tighter against him.
“I figured something out.” Samantha rubbed her cheek across his shoulder. "The funny thing about total freedom is that it limits you. If you aren't free to stay, then you aren't really free."
"I never thought about it that way." He clicked his tongue in pretended disappointment. "I guess I'll have to send the tickets back, then."
"What tickets?" She raised her head to regard him dubiously. “We agreed you can’t be away long enough for a honeymoon.”
“True.” Kieran had to stay on top of every detail of the opening. “But following that, I've arranged for a week on a private island in Fiji. And then a week in Australia. The cook's recommended some places to visit off the beaten track. But of course, if you'd rather not ..."
Samantha poked his arm. "Just try to send them back, Kieran. I dare you."
"I'd rather make love to you."
"Prove it."
Wordlessly—since no words were needed--he scooped her up and carried her over the threshold. It was, Kieran decided en route to the bedroom, the very best way to enter a house.
The End
About the Author
Best-selling author Jacqueline Diamond has sold more than 90 novels, including romantic comedy, romantic suspense, fantasy, mystery and Regency historical romance, to a range of publishers. A two-time finalist for the Rita Award, Jackie received a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times and is a former reporter and TV columnist for the Associated Press. She also writes the Safe Harbor Medical miniseries for Harlequin American Romance. To learn more about Jackie and her monthly ebook specials, please visit www.jacquelinediamond.com, or, on Facebook, JacquelineDiamondAuthor. Say hello to her on Twitter at @Jacquediamond.
More romantic comedies by Jacqueline Diamond
A Warm December
When wealthy executive Dave Anders goes to the vet to pick up his dog, he ends up chasing a monkey and kissing the vet herself. Dr. Merrie McGregor never expects to see him again—until he shows up as Santa Claus on her doorstep on Christmas Eve with gifts for Merrie’s niece Steffie…and a growing passion for Merrie. Then, when her sister decides to stick the little girl in boarding school, Merrie will go to any lengths to get Steffie entrusted to her, even claiming an engagement with Dave. The problem is that Dave seems to be taking the whole engagement business a little too seriously.
Capers and Rainbows
She’s zany, notorious…and in love with Mr. Wrong. Heiress Whitney Greystone is a reformed rebel…well, sort of. Now that she’s running her family’s soft-drink business with Jonas Ameling, the handsome, old-fashioned man she secretly adores, she’s determined to stay out of trouble. But when her latest promotional stunt goes awry, it’s Whitney’s job to save the day--while hoping to save her nights for Jonas.
One Husband Too Many
Magic sends her back through time…to the wrong man. On the verge of a divorce, Jana Edwards wishes she could go back six years, before she met the rogue she impulsively married, and respond to the online profile of a farmer who sounded like an ideal husband and father. To her astonishment, her heirloom pendant grants her wish, but the "perfect" man turns out to be the same rogue, using another name and involved in a shady project. Jana knows Drake Edwards—intimately—but he has no idea who she is. And no matter how hard she wishes, her pendant refuses to send her home to the future. Could it be trying to tell her something?
Yours, Mine and Ours
Lighthearted dance teacher Robin Lindstrom donated eggs eight years ago, but never knew whether any children resulted. Now, out of work, she reluctantly takes a job as nanny for earthquake consultant Flint Harris, a widower who lives up to his hard-edged name. He’s a strict but loving dad to his mischievous triplets. They’ve driven away all the other nannies, but not this one. The precocious kids have d
one some snooping and found out that Robin’s their biological mother—plus, they like her. That’s why they maneuvered their dad into hiring her. Unaware of the trio’s plotting, Robin and Flint begin falling in love, but they’re complete opposites.
Lady in Disguise
In Regency England, life can be a masquerade. Lady Victoria Courtney has abandoned hope of winning the heart of the dashing Richard, Marquis of Lansdon, but fate appears to have other plans. On a journey to meet her new stepmother, Victoria is mistaken for a woman of the London stage and impulsively takes on the role. Before she knows it, she’s caught up in a masquerade, but when it’s over, will Richard believe she’s the heroine or the villain? Mistaken identities, separated lovers and love gone astray–it’s all part of the comedy in this romance set in England during the time of Jane Austen.
More contemporary romance
By Leaps and Bounds
Capers and Rainbows
Old Dreams, New Dreams
The Ghost and Cheri
Unlikely Partners
Additional Regency romances
A Lady of Letters
A Lady’s Point of View
Song for a Lady
The Day-Dreaming Lady
The Forgetful Lady
Run, Run, Runaway Bride Page 21
