She hesitated, waiting. "Go on."
"No rules," he said. "We take it as it comes."
She nodded. "No rules."
He kissed her then, in the middle of the dance floor, in front of their friends, strangers, the country club crowd, the whole of Newport and anyone who cared to watch. Catherine didn't care. Jarrod didn't care. They only cared about each other and their new and shining love.
***
They separated with smiles as the room erupted with the sound silver spoons striking crystal glasses. As the music continued, they returned to the table, but only to gather their things and leave.
At the house, they went right upstairs to bed.
"Where did you go this morning?" Catherine asked. Jarrod pulled her closer in the huge bed. He loved having her in his arms, and she was likely to be there for the next sixty or seventy years.
"I went to Boston and I walked."
"Without shoes?" She sounded concerned, as if he'd walked all day barefoot.
He laughed. "I bought shoes. The clerk was surprised that I wanted them there and then."
"Where did you walk?"
"All over. I looked at all the architecture. I drew pictures, took photos, trying to get you out of my mind, but it didn't work. I could see your soft lines in all the straight ones. Everywhere I looked there was your image, not the one I was supposed to see. I had to come back. I had to make you love me."
Catherine turned over. She hugged his waist, a happy smile on her face. "I'm sorry. I never meant to put you—"
"Shhh," he calmed her, stopping her with his finger on her lips. "It's all in the past. From now on, we go forward."
"I need to tell you. You once asked me why I was so afraid of marriage."
He nodded.
"I was afraid of losing myself like I said, but I was also afraid of loving you." He started to speak, but she stopped him. "Women flock around you, the Juliannas of the world."
"Cathy—"
"I didn't think I had a chance. You joked with me, so I joked with you. I didn't want you to know how I really felt about you. I didn't even want myself to know, so I did everything to keep you from finding out. Only Robert guessed."
"Robert? He never mentioned it."
"Robert can keep his mouth shut when it counts." She ran her hand over his chest. "Then you came back and there you were in the middle of the harem, looking every bit as if you enjoyed it." She pinched him.
"Ouch!" He grabbed her hand.
"I wanted to leave immediately, but you stopped me. I really thought I could handle being married to you for six months, but from the beginning nothing went according to plan."
Jarrod ran his hand through her hair. He turned her face toward his. "That's because of the third person."
Catherine frowned. "What third person?"
"The one who is created when the minds meld."
He'd told her that on their honeymoon." The process doesn't have to take place on a conscious level. Apparently we created our own matchmaker in our minds. While we fought against our fears, somehow we knew we wanted to be married."
He kissed her. She was warm and soft and sated from hours of lovemaking, but he wanted her again.
"Speaking of going forward. . ." she said when she could breathe. "We're going to need a good architect."
"Why?"
"This house is too small."
"It's not that small." He nuzzled her neck.
"It will be in nine months."
Jarrod froze. Then he moved back, pushing himself up on his elbows. "What are you saying?"
"I'm pregnant. It happened at Stone House."
"Stone House?"
"That beautiful house in the snow when we couldn't wait to make love."
"Are you sure, Catherine? This isn't a joke, is it?"
She nodded. "I'm sure."
Jarrod kicked the covers back and started to get up.
"Where are you going?" She grabbed his arm.
"I've got to get started. We don't have much time."
She stopped him. "We can at least wait until sunlight."
Jarrod turned back to her. She rolled into his arms and kissed him.
"I'm so glad I called that number," Jarrod said against her mouth. "I love you."
"I love you too," she said. "I'm glad you came home when you did. Although I doubt I would have found anyone else suitable to marry. It was you or no one.
"So I really am your 1-800 HUSBAND?"
"1-800. . .1-900. . .1-ALWAYS. . ."
Epilogue
Elizabeth Audrey Greene weighed in at eight pounds even at 3:47 Eastern Time on June 27. Next to Catherine and Jarrod in the same hospital, Michael Winston Stokes and his twin sister, Michele Catherine, were born to Audrey and Dwayne five hours later. Both sisters left the hospital the same day.
Jarrod drove her past the construction site of their new home, which was supposed to be completed before Thanksgiving. It sat above the cliffs, behind the stone fence on the land where they'd made love. Jarrod had chosen the place and Catherine agreed with his decision.
At home, he carried Beth inside, but had to quickly give her up to Elizabeth and Robert, who acted as if they were surrogate parents. Jenny, who was too valuable to let go after a year, stayed with them, hovering over Beth as if the child was hers.
Catherine went up the stairs, and on the center of their bed was the trademark rose. Propped against it was a note. This one broke the rules of haiku, but he'd written it in the same form. Catherine read:
Man, Woman
Husband, Wife, Child
Family, Forever
This one was signed, as none of the others had been. She rubbed her fingers across the strong writing. I love you, Jarrod.
Tears clouded Catherine's eyes. Life would never be the same, but she would live it with Jarrod. She loved him, and nothing could change that.
The End
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading His 1-800 Wife. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please help other readers find this book:
1. This book is lendable, so send it to a friend who you think might like it so she can discover me, too.
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Change is inevitable in our lives. Catherine Carson in His 1-800 Wife had a problem with change. To keep the status quo, she conceived a foolproof plan. Like all foolproof plans, something always goes wrong. When personal relationships are involved, they rarely follow the straight and narrow. Catherine and Jarrod found the truth of this, but they worked through it so life and love survived. I hope you enjoyed your time with them.
All my characters become personal friends. I'm glad Catherine took the phone number 1-800-WIFE and that it brought her the love of her life.
I receive many letters from the women and men who read my books. Thank you for your generous comments and words of encouragement. I love reading your letters as much as I enjoy writing the books.
If you'd like to hear more about His 1-800 Wife, upcoming releases, or other books I've written, I can be reached by e-mail or snail mail. My address is http://[email protected]. I have a monthly newsletter that you can subscribe to by sending an e-mail to [email protected] . You can also send a business-size, self-addressed, stamped envelope to me at the following address:
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Sincerely yours,
Shirley Hailstock
Discover other titles by Shirley Hailstock at SMASHWORDS.com:
Holding Up the World
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A Miracle for Christmas
White Diamonds
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Kwanzaa Angel
Joy Road
Under th
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Something To Remember
The Christmas List
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Legacy
Opposites Attract
Wrong Turn
One Christmas Night
Dangerous Secrets - Boxed Set
Under the Sheets/White Diamonds - Boxed Set
His 1-800 Wife Page 25
