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She put on her one seductive gown, a pret y white one with lots of lace and long elegant sleeves. She brushed out her dark hair until it was smooth and silky and dabbed on perfume. Then, looking in the mirror, she stared into her troubled blue eyes and as ured herself that she was doing the right thing. An hour later she heard Ward drive up. He came up the stairs, pausing at her door. Seconds later he started away, but Mari was already on her feet. She opened the door breathles ly and looked up at him.
He was wearing a dark pair of slacks with a pat erned gray shirt open at the throat. His creamy dres Stetson was held in one hand. The other worried his hair. He stared at Mari with eyes that devoured her.
"Dangerous, baby, wearing something like that in front of me," he said softly and smiled.
She swal owed her pride. "I want you," she whispered shakily.
He smiled down at her. "I know. I want you, too."
She opened the door a lit le wider, her hands unsteady.
He cocked an eyebrow. "Is that an invitation to be seduced?"
She swal owed again. "I don't think I quite know how to seduce you. So I think you'l have to seduce me." His smile widened. "What about precautions, lit le temptres ?"
She blushed to her toes. She hadn't expected resistance. "Wel ," she began, peeking up at him, "can't you take care of that?" His white teeth showed under his lips. "No."
Her blush deepened. "Oh."
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He tossed his hat onto the hal table and went inside the room, gently closing the door behind him. "Now, come here." He drew her in front of him, holding her by both shoulders, his face gentle and almost loving. "What do you think I want, Marianne?"
"You've made what you want pret y obvious," she replied sadly.
"What you think I want," he corrected. His eyes went over her like hands, enjoying the exciting glimpses of her silky skin that he was get ing through the gossamer-thin fabric of her gown.
"And you're right about that. I could make a banquet of you in bed. But not tonight."
She turned her head a bit, looking up at him. "Are you too tired?" she asked innocently. He grinned. "Nope." None of this was get ing through to her. "I don't understand," she said softly.
"Yes, I gathered that." He reached into his pocket and drew out a box. It was black and velvety and smal . He opened it and handed it to her. The ring was a diamond. A big, beautiful diamond! in a set ing with lots of lit le diamonds in rows encircling the large stone. Beside it was a smal er, thinner matching diamond band.
"It's an engagement ring," he explained. "It goes on the third finger of your left hand, and at the wedding I'l put the smal er one on your finger beside it." She was hearing things. Surely she was! But the ring looked real. She couldn't stop staring at it.
"You don't want to get married," she told him patiently, her eyes big and soft. "You hate ties. You hate women. They're al deceitful and greedy."
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He traced a slow, sensuous pat ern down her silky cheek, smiling softly. "I want to get married," he said. "I want you to share your life with me." It was the way he put it. She burst into tears. They rolled down her cheeks in a torrent, a sob broke from her throat. He became a big, handsome blur.
"Now, now," he murmured gently. He bent to kis the tears away. "It's al right."
"You want to marry me?" she whispered unsteadily.
"Yes," he said, smiling.
"Real y?"
"Real y." He brushed back her hair, his green eyes posses ive on her oval face. "I'd be a fool to let go of a woman who loves me as much as you do." She froze in place. Was he fishing? Was he gues ing? Did he know? If he did, how?
"You told me this afternoon," he said gently, pulling her to him. "You offered yourself to me with no Hi rings. You'd never make an offer like that to a man you didn't love desperately. I knew it. And that's why I stopped. It would have been cheap, somehow, to have Our first time on the ground without doing things properly."
"But. . but. ." she began, trying to find the right words.
"But how do I feel?" he probed softly, touching her lips with a faintly unsteady index finger. "Don't you know?" His eyes were tel ing her. His whole face was tel ing her. But despite her rising excitement, she had to have it al . The words, too.
"Please tel me," she whispered.
He framed her face and lifted it to his darkening eyes, to his firm, hungry mouth. "I love you, Marianne," he breathed against her mouth as he took it. "And this is how much.. " It took him a long time to show her how much. When he was through, they were lying on the bed with her gown down to her waist, and he looked as if he were going to die trying to stop himself from going the whole way. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Lil ian had gues ed what was going on and was trying to knock the door; down.
"It's bedtime, bos ," she cal ed loudly. "It's late., She's a growing girl. Needs her sleep!"
"Oh, no, that's not what I need at al ," Marianne said with such tender frustration that Ward laughed through his own shuddering need.
"Okay, aunt-to-be," he cal ed back. "Give me a minute to say good-night and I'l be right out."
"You're get ing married?" Lil ian shouted gleefully.
"That's about the size of it," he answered, smiling down at Mari. "Aren't you just overjoyed with your meddling now?"
"Overjoyed doesn't cover it," Lil ian agreed. "Now, speaking as your future aunt-in-law, come out of there! Or wait until supper tomorrow night and see if you get fed! We're going to do this thing right!"
"I was just about to do this thing right," he whispered to Mari, his eyes softly mocking. "Wasn't I?"
"Yes." She laughed. "But we can't admit that."
"We can't?" He sighed. "I gues not."
He got up reluctantly, rebuttoning the shirt that her darting fingers had opened over a chest that was aching for her hands. "Pret y thing," he murmured, watching her pull the gown up again.
"You're pret y, too, so there," she teased.
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"Are you coming out, or am I coming in?" Lil ian was sounding militant.
Ward glowered at the door, "Can't I even have a minute to say good-night?"
"You've been saying good-night for thirty minutes already, and that's enough," she informed him. "I'm Counting! One, two, three. ." She was counting loudly. Ward sighed at Mari. Good night, baby," he said reluctantly.
She blew him a kis . "Good night, my darling."
He took one last look and opened the door on " Fourteen!"
Mari laid back against the pil ows, listening to the pleasant murmur of voices outside the door as she mined at her ring.
"Congratulations and good night, dear!" Aunt Lil ian cal ed.
"Good night and thank you!" Mari cal ed back.
"Oh, you're very welcome!" Ward piped in.
"Get out of here," Lil ian muttered, pushing him down the hal .
Alone in her room Mari was trying to convince herself that she wasn't dreaming. It was the hardest thing she'd ever done. He was hers. They were going to be married. They were going to live together and love each other and have children together. She closed her eyes reluctantly, tingling al over with the first stirrings of posses ion.
Chapter Twelve
The next morning Mari was sure it had al been a beautiful dream until she looked at the ring on her finger. When she went down to breakfast, she found new, different Ward waiting for her.
He went to her without hesitation, bending to brush a tender kis against her smiling lips.
"It was real after al ," he murmured, his green eyes approving her cool blue knit sundres . "I thought might have dreamed it."
"So did I," she confes ed. Her hands smoothed heasitantly over the hard, warm muscles of his chest. It felt wonderful to be able to do that, to feel so much a part of him that it no longer was forbidden to touch him, too look at him too long. "Are you real y mine now?" she m
urmured aloud.
"Until I die," he promised, bringing her close against him. He sighed into her hair, rocking her against the powerful muscles of his body. "I never thought this would happen. I didn't think I'd ever be able to love or trust a woman again after Caroline. And then you came along, pushing me into indoor streams, backing me into corners about my busines sense, haunting me with your soft innocence. You got under my skin that first night. I've spent the rest of the time trying to convince myself that I was stil free when I knew al along that I was hopeles ly in love with you."
She burrowed closer, tingling al over at that sweet, pos es ive note in his deep voice. "I was so miserable in Atlanta," she confes ed. "I mis ed you every single clay. I tried to get used to being alone."
"I shouldn't have propositioned you," he said with a sigh, lifting his head to search her eyes with his. "But I stil thought I could stop short of a commitment. God knows how I'd have coped with the conscience I didn't even have until you came along. Every time Ty Wade was mentioned, I got my back up, thinking how he'd changed." He touched her face with wonder in his whole look. "And now I know how and why, and I think he must have felt this way with his Erin when he realized what he felt for her." She sighed softly, loving him with her eyes. "I know I felt like part of me was mis ing when I left here. It didn't get any bet er, either."
"Why do you think I came after you?" he murmured dryly. "I couldn't stand it here without you. Not that 1 admit ed that to myself in any great rush. Not Until that rat ler almost got you, and I had to face it. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn't have wanted to live," he added on a deep, husky note that tugged at her heart.
"I feel that way, too," she whispered, searching his eyes. "Can we real y get married?"
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"Yes," he whispered back, bending his head down. "And live together and sleep together and raise a fami ly together.. " Her lips opened for him, welcoming and warm, just for a few seconds before Lil ian came in with breakfast and knowing grins. Ward glowered at her.
"Al your fault," he told her. "I could have gone o for years living like a timber wolf but for you."
"No need to thank me," she said with a big smile "You're welcome."
She vanished back into the kitchen, laughing, Ward led Mari to the table, shaking his head with exasperated chuckle. The wedding was a week later, and old Mrs. Jes up and Belinda had come home just for the occasion. They sat on either side of Lil ian, who was beaming.
"Nice girl," Belinda whispered. "She'l make a new man of him."
"I think she has already." Old Mrs. Jes up grinned "Spirited lit le thing. I like her, too."
"I always did," Lil ian said smugly. "Good thing saw the shape he was get ing in and brought her o here. I knew they'd be good for each other."
"It isn't nice to gloat," Belinda reminded her.
"Amen," Mrs. Jes up harrumphed. "Don't I seem to remember that you introduced that Caroline creature to him in the first place?" Lil ian was horrified. "That wasn't me! That was Belinda!"
Mrs. Jes up's eyes widened as she glared past Lil ian at the restles young woman on the other side. "Did you?"
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"It was an accident," Belinda muttered. "I meant to introduce her to Bob Whitman, to get even for jilting me. Ward kind of got in the way. I never meant for her to go after my poor brother."
"It's al in the past now anyway," Lil ian said, making peace. "He's got the right girl, now. Everything wil be fine."
"Yes." Old Mrs. Jes up sighed, glancing past Lil ian again. "If only Belinda would set le down. She goes from boyfriend to boyfriend, but she never seems to get serious." Lil ian pursed her lips, following the older woman's gaze to Belinda, who was sighing over Mari's wedding gown as she walked down the aisle accompanied by the organ music. She'd have to see what she could do. .
The wedding ceremony was short and beautiful. Mari tbought she'd never seen a man as handsome as her Ward, and when the minister pronounced them husband and wife, she cried softly until Ward kis ed away the tears.
Lil ian, not Belinda, caught the wedding bouquet and blushed like a schoolgirl when everyone giggled. The guests threw rice and waved them off, and Mari caught a glimpse of tal , slender Ty Wade with his Erin just on the fringe of the guests.
"Alone at last." Ward grinned, glancing at her.
"I thought they'd never leave," she agreed with a wistful sigh. "Where are we going? I didn't even ask."
"Tahiti," he said with a slow smile. "I booked tickets the day after you said yes. We're flying out of San Antonio early tomorrow morning."
"What about tonight?" she asked curiously and Hushed at the look on his face.
"Let me worry about tonight," he murmured softly.
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He held her hand as he drove, and an hour later he drove up to a huge, expensive hotel in the city.
He'd reserved the bridal suite, and it was the most incredible sight Mari had ever seen. The bed was huge, dominating the bedroom. She stood in the doorway just staring at it while Ward paid the bel hop and locked the door.
"It's huge," she whispered.
"And strategical y placed, did you notice?" he murmured with a laugh, suddenly lifting her clear of the floor in her neat white linen traveling suit.
"Yes, I did notice," she said huskily, clinging to him. "You looked so handsome."
"You looked so lovely." He bent to her mouth and started walking. "I love you to distraction, did I tel you?"
"Several times."
"I hope you won't mind hearing it again frequently for the next hour or so," he murmured against her eager mouth and laid her gently down on the bed. Mari had expected ardor and pas ion, and she had experienced a tiny measure of apprehension. But he made it so natural, so easy. She relaxed even as he began to undres her, his hands and mouth so deeply imprinted on her memory that she accepted them without the faintest protest.
"This is familiar territory for us, isn't it?" he breathed as he moved back beside her after stripping off his own clothing. "Up to this point, at least," he added at her rapt, faintly shocked visual exploration of him. "But you know how it feels to have my eyes and my hands and my mouth on you. You know that I won't hurt you. That there's nothing to be afraid of."
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She looked back up into his eyes. "I couldn't be afraid of you."
"I won't lose control right away," he promised, bending slowly to her mouth. "Give yourself to me now, Mari. Remember how it was on the ground, with the rain soaking us, and give yourself to me the way you offered then."
She felt al over again the pelting rain, the sweetnes Of his hands, the wild fever of his mouth claiming hers in the silence of the meadow. She reached up to him, suddenly on fire with the unaccustomed removal of al harriers, physical and moral, and she gave herself with an abandon that frankly startled him.
"Shhh," she whispered when he tried to draw back at the last minute, to make it gentle, to keep from hurting her. But she reached up to his hips and softly drew I hem down again, lifting, and a tiny gasp was the only sound she made as she coaxed his mouth back to hers. "Now," she breathed into his devouring lips. "Now, now. ."
"Mari," he groaned. His body surged against hers, his arms became painfully strong, his hands biting into her hips, his mouth trembling as his body trembled. He was part of her. She was part of him. Locking together, loving, linking..
"Mari!"
She went with him on a journey as exquisitely sweet as it was incredibly intimate, yielding to his strength, let ing him guide her, let ing him teach her. She used muscles she hadn't realized she posses ed, she whispered things to him that would shock her later. She wound herself around him and lost al her inhibitions in a wild, fierce joining that ripped the veil of mystery from the sweetest expres ion of shared love. Even the first time it was stil a kind of pleasure that she hadn't known existed. She stretched lazily, contentedly, and snuggled
close to him under the lightweight sheet, nuzzling against his mat ed chest with a face radiant with fulfil ment.
"I love you," he said softly as if the words stil awed him. He smoothed her hair tenderly. "I always wil ."
"I love you just as much." She smoothed her hand over his chest. "Cousin Bud wasn't at the wedding." She frowned. Her mind had been curiously absent for a week. She lifted up. "Ward, Bud hasn't been at the house!"
"Not for a week," he agreed complacently, grinning. "Not since that day I took you to see Ty and Erin."
"But this is horrible! I didn't notice!" "That's al right, sweetheart, I don't mind," he said, drawing her back down. "Where is he?"
"Oh, I sent him on a lit le trip," he murmured at her temple. "I told him that bull he wanted was out to stud at a cat le ranch in Montana, and he went up there looking."
"Looking?" she frowned.
"Wel , honey, I didn't exactly tel him which ranch it was on. Just the state. There are a lot of ranches in Montana."
"You devil!" she accused, digging him in the ribs.
He pulled her over him, smiling from ear to ear. "Al 's fair, don't they say? Cousin Bud always did cramp my style." He coaxed her mouth down to his and kis ed it softly. "I didn't want him on my case until I had you safely married to me."
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