by Sally Falcon
“I guess I deserved that,” he admitted with a rueful smile, kissing her nose. “I thought I wouldn’t be gone longer than a day and a half tops, and it kept dragging on and on. I never guessed that this would be the worst time for me to go out of town or that it would be so hellacious for you.”
“It wouldn’t have been so bad if you’d been here. Where were you?” Jessie pulled back to inspect the tuxedo he was wearing. He looked like he’d stepped off the pages of a glossy magazine. The tux was custom-made for his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He wore it with a negligence that said he was accustomed to formal dress.
“Hey, are you paying attention?” He tipped her chin up, stealing another kiss. “I have to stop that, or we’ll get caught by the tourists. I went to Maryland to get something for you. This.”
“This” was a yellow marquis diamond in an old-fashioned gold setting that he held between his finger and thumb. Jessie tried to swallow, but her mouth and throat had gone completely dry. She wasn’t knowledgeable about gems, but she knew this one was spectacular. Her eyes misted over, and all she could manage was, “Oh, Trevor.”
“That’ll do.” He gently pushed the ring on her finger and kissed it in place. “Does that mean you will marry me? None of this nonsense about a new relationship and taking time to get adjusted to each other?”
“Where did you get this ring?” she asked suspiciously, beginning to realize that there had been a plan behind his disappearance. She’d foolishly told him to surprise her without considering how Trevor didn’t believe in half measures.
“It’s my maternal grandmother’s engagement ring,” he said softly while brushing back a tendril of her hair from her temple. “All I planned to do was take a quick trip to Maryland and get the ring. Only Gran insisted she had to come back with me, and it took forever for her to rearrange her schedule. She insisted that she wanted to see her only grandson married as well as bringing the family veil.”
“Trevor?” An apprehensive shiver went down her spine. Even he wouldn’t do what she was thinking, she thought nervously, but then she spied for the first time the froth of antique lace lying on the bed.
“Yeah, this is going to be the hard part. Come on.” He clutched her hand and barely gave her time to lift the hem of her skirt before he strode toward the hall. She realized that he was headed for the small balcony at the back of the house. Stepping out into the late afternoon sunshine, Jessie was amazed to see what had taken place behind her back.
The gazebo was festooned with white ribbons and white baskets filled with spring flowers. More white ribbons and bows formed a walkway from the house to the gazebo with several rows of white folding chairs on either side. Catching a glimpse of her mother and Aunt Lena talking to Gina, Jessie spun around to confront her fiancé.
“I thought you wanted to elope?” she accused him, stunned by what he had done. And she knew that he hadn’t done it alone. This had all the earmarks of a major conspiracy.
“A man in love resorts to some desperate measures when he finally convinces his lady that he’s the right man,” he said solemnly, gathering her hands together in his. “I wanted to be sure you didn’t start checking that list again and find someone who would make a better husband and father. It seemed so easy when I discovered there’s no blood test or waiting period in Arkansas. T.L.’s clout helped with some minor details.”
“I don’t know whether to kiss you senseless or push you over the railing,” she exclaimed, wondering if she should laugh or cry at his audacity.
“I vote for the kissing part,” he stated firmly. “One thing I’ve learned this week is that I’ll have to curb my impulses. Until now I haven’t had to worry about anyone but myself. Loving someone makes you responsible to them.”
How could he do this to her? she thought wildly, looking down at the people beginning to gather in the garden below them. He’d managed to get Betsy here from Missouri as well as her brother Miles all the way from South Dakota. Though she didn’t see all of them, she was sure that almost thirty DeLord relatives were waiting below. What did a woman do with a man like this, a man who plans a beautiful wedding on the spur of the moment? How many men would dare such a thing? Only hers.
Looking up into his anxious brown eyes, Jessie knew exactly what she was going to do with a man who believed in spontaneity instead of organization and planning. “You realize that you’re committing yourself to forty or fifty years of revenge for the last seventy-two hours you just put me through?”
“Oh, Jessie, I’m an idiot. I didn’t even think about how you’d worry. Believe me, I’m never going to stay away from you more than twenty-four hours again,” he murmured against her lips. The kiss was one to heal the hurt he had caused by his impetuous behavior. “I knew if I talked to you even once that I would blurt out all the plans. So put me out of my misery, please. Are you going to marry me?”
“Yes, sir,” she said primly, just as her mother had trained her. They wouldn’t have a placid marriage, she knew, but she didn’t care. Both of them were willing to adjust to each other’s idiosyncrasies. “I hope you know how lucky you are that I have a forgiving nature.”
“We’re a lucky couple already with twelve rabbits’ feet in the family,” he answered proudly before guiding her back into the house.
“Twelve? I only have five rab— Trevor, what have you done?”
“You haven’t seen the cake yet,” he said impishly, which set Jessie off into a fit of giggles at the thought of a bunny bride and groom. She hoped they were scaled to the size of the cake. “I hear they’re very fertile, you know.”
“Jessie, you can’t stay in there and pout all night.” Trevor’s frustrated words were accompanied by a thump on the bathroom door.
Looking at her reflection in the gilt-framed mirror, Jessie decided she was just about ready to join her husband of eight hours in their honeymoon suite. Pouting was the last thing on her mind as she sprayed perfume in her cleavage, but Trevor didn’t have to know that. With one last look at her ice-blue satin gown, she opened the door.
The bedroom room of the bridal suite was dark; the only light was the moonlight coming through the open sliding-glass door to the balcony that overlooked the Arkansas River. She heard the clink of glasses and realized that her husband had taken the champagne onto the balcony.
“I wasn’t pouting, but I do think you could have told me you were younger than I—” She broke off as she crossed the threshold and caught a glimpse of her bridegroom silhouetted by the full moon overhead. Laughter burst from her lips, making her clutch the curtain to keep her balance.
“I was trying to be romantic and remind you of our first meeting,” he said with mock dignity, straightening his rabbit ears. He stood by the railing, loose-fitting white pants riding low on his lean hips. The white vest was missing from his ensemble, but Jessie didn’t mind.
“What else could I expect from a younger man?” Jessie finally managed, walking toward him in slow, measured steps. “Maybe I should have worn my red satin outfit, since you’re being nostalgic.”
“Not nostalgic, just testing you to see if it’s really me you fell in love with or my manly chest.”
“Your manly chest, of course.” Jessie proved her statement by sliding her hands over his warm skin to entwine her arms around his neck. “I think I’m going to toss those ears of yours in the river so you won’t proposition any other unsuspecting women.”
“Only if they look like a fairy-tale princess, have legs that go on forever, and are named Jessica,” he murmured while nibbling kisses along her jawline. “Did you have to wear a long nightgown?”
“I thought you’d like the challenge,” she whispered in return, beginning an exploration of her own. “I’m a little new at the seduction game, but I think I did better with my selection than yours.”
“I think we tied. Each of us wants to take off what the other is wearing.” He proved his point by slipping the strap of her gown off her shoulder and branding her skin with a
fervent kiss.
Jessie reached up for his ears, plucked them from his head, but didn’t throw them into the river. Instead, she held them against her cheek for a moment. “I’m relieved to see these little darlings. You were almost too serious most of the evening, even when the news crew showed up to cover the wedding. You didn’t even yell at T.L. for arranging that. I was beginning to think I’d married a stranger—a young stranger.”
“Does it really bother you that I’m almost four years younger than you?” He raised his head to look deep into her eyes.
“Not now, but a few weeks ago I might have used it against you. Just one more thing I would have used to defend myself,” she admitted with a rueful smile, “before I surrendered to the inevitable. I kept telling myself you weren’t the responsible, sensible man I needed in my life.”
“I’m surprised my behavior this week didn’t cinch it,” he muttered, running his fingers through her loose hair. “My big romantic gesture turned into a lot of work and frustration for you while I was trotting off to Maryland.”
“Trevor, one thing I’ve learned since I met you is that I need romantic gestures in my life.” Jessie cupped his face in her hands, standing on tiptoe to kiss the crook in his nose. “Look what being too serious did for me—got me a date with someone like Connor MacMurray. Can you imagine what kind of husband and father he would make, if some woman was crazy enough to marry him? He probably makes love on a schedule and wouldn’t ever think of sending anyone a stuffed rabbit.”
“Speaking of rabbits and children, why don’t we go test that theory about women reaching their sexual peak in their late thirties?” He picked her up before she could say a word, but she reached down and snagged the champagne bucket as they passed the table.
“I promise never to bring up your age again if you stop making rabbit jokes,” Jessie declared solemnly, softening her words by feathering a kiss along his cheek.
“Does this mean you don’t want any more bunnies, even on our anniversaries?” Trevor asked as he sat on the bed, Jessie held snugly on his lap. “And aren’t bunnies supposed to be ideal for decorating nurseries?”
“I told you that we don’t have to start a family immediately,” she informed him as he took the silver bucket from her and placed it on the nightstand. Snuggling into the cradle of his shoulder, she chastised him. “You even told my mother the bunnies on the wedding cake were a traditional fertility symbol in your family.”
“That’s because she and Lena were telling T.L. how disappointed they both were that they didn’t have more grandchildren,” he returned absently, his lips exploring the nape of her neck. “I wanted to make a good impression on my new mothers-in-law.”
“You’re making a very good impression on their daughter right now, Mr. Planchet.” She almost sighed as his hand closed over her breast.
“That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do from the very beginning, Jessie love.” He placed her across the satin bedspread, hovering over her. When she reached up to entwine her arms around his neck, he forestalled her. “I promise you, Jessica Planchet, that from now on all the misadventures are behind us. You’ll never be sorry that you trusted me with your love. You’ve gotten yourself that dependable, responsible husband after all.”
Jessie didn’t bother to answer in words, simply smiling as she pulled his head down until his mouth covered hers. As she lost herself in Trevor’s embrace, she knew that she was in for the adventure of her life, her own personal wonderland with an incredibly sexy white rabbit as her personal guide.
Epilogue
“Which one do you think will give in first?” Tory Herrington asked her sister-in-law as they sat on the porch swing of T.L.’s house watching the men and children play.
“Never-Say-Die Planchet give in to No-Guts-No-Glory Herrington? It’s a tough choice,” Jessie answered, taking a long sip on her lemonade. She winced as Trevor went sprawling on the soft grass of his father’s side lawn. “I thought soccer wasn’t a contact sport.”
“It isn’t supposed to be. Those two clowns made up their own game of tackle-soccer. These days I’m not sure who’s more immature, my brother or my husband. I think I’ve taught Logan to be a little too laid back.”
“If Trevor thinks I’m letting my son play this stupid game, he’s crazy,” Jessie muttered, looking across the lawn for the black-haired urchin in question. She spotted the four-year-old sitting in the gazebo with his three-year-old cousin, Miriam Herrington, listening to Arnette read Dr. Seuss.
“I don’t think you have to worry about Chase, but you’d better watch out for Darcy.” Tory pointed to the three-year-old girl running like her father’s shadow along the sidelines.
“Tell me something I don’t know. She’s given both Trevor and me a few more gray hairs than we need,” she informed her quickly. “This morning he found her trying to learn how to fly by jumping off the balcony. She told us, and I quote, ‘I don’t need a parachute because my wings are dynamically sound.’”
“Hey, darlin’, have you got a kiss for a needy man?” Trevor easily scaled the porch railing and stole his kiss before he got an answer.
“A hot and sweaty man,” Jessie declared, wrinkling her nose as she smiled up at him. A movement behind her grinning husband quickly distracted her. “Okay, hotshot, turn around and grab your daughter. She’s following your example of avoiding the steps.”
“Whoops.” With practiced reflexes, he swiftly scooped up Darcy, then perched on the railing with his daughter sitting snugly in his lap. “So what horrible plot are you two hatching?”
“Well, I was just about to ask your sister what we should do for your fortieth birthday,” Jessie explained sweetly. “Or would you like us to ask your daddy to plan it?”
“You still haven’t forgiven me for that, have you?”
“For what?” Logan asked as he came around the corner with two beers in his hand.
“My sneaky husband tricked me into marrying him by withholding vital information.” Jessie gave Trevor a look that dared him to contradict her. His salacious grin in answer sent a shiver of delight skating up her spine.
“It wasn’t that important,” he responded before taking a swig from the water-beaded can in his hand.
“I didn’t realize it was going to be then,” she shot back, her eyes gleaming with amusement, answering the promise of his smile with one of her own. Even a mock argument deserved a passionate reconciliation, and her husband always enjoyed proving his point about the sensuality of older women. “I heard you tell Chase that you were going to be as old as Mama pretty soon. He asked me if I was as old as Granner this morning.”
“And a fine-looking woman she is,” Trevor responded hardily, gesturing for the others to join in a toast to the lady. “Now admit you married me because I’m a sexy devil.”
“Daddy’s a silly devil,” Darcy chanted and wiggled to get down, skipping off to join her older brother in the gazebo.
“I think I need to have a talk with my daughter.” Trevor looked thoughtfully after the little girl before casting a suspicious eye at his sister. “You haven’t been coaching her, have you?”
“Be nice, or I won’t babysit for your kids next week end, she shot back.
“What’s this?” His dark eyes took on a speculative gleam as he turned to look at his wife, who was squirming in her seat.
“Why is it, no matter what, I can never surprise the man? He managed to spring an entire wedding on me, but I still haven’t managed one tiny little surprise,” Jessie complained good-naturedly as Tory apologized for her blunder.
“It takes time to learn to be conniving and crafty like the Planchets,” Logan stated firmly in her defense. “You and I have been exposed to the breed for only a short period of time.”
“Very true.” She nodded in agreement, waiting for the expected protests from Tory and Trevor.
“I’ll have you know you stunned me when you told me you were pregnant with Darcy,” her husband related with a grin. “We hadn’t
planned on that little dividend. I guess all those rabbits did the trick after all.”
“I guess I deserved that one,” Jessie admitted, but didn’t hesitate to throw an ice cube at her unrepentant husband. He dodged easily out of the way. “I did promise not to tease you about your age if you’d give up rabbit jokes.”
The cry of a baby from inside the house kept Trevor from answering immediately.
“That sounds like little Preston.” Tory got to her feet as she spoke. Linking her arm with her husband, she asked, “Want to come help me feed your son?”
“Don’t mind if I do,” he answered quickly, an amorous smile curving his lips.
As the couple disappeared around the corner of the porch, Trevor slipped into his sister’s place on the swing. Dropping an arm around his wife’s shoulders, he pulled her close to his side, his fingers toying with the strap of her sundress. “Too bad we don’t have the excuse of feeding the baby to slip away.”
“Too true, but somebody’s got to watch the kids until Curtiss and Leeanne get here,” Jessie answered, turning her face up for his kiss.
“That’s the one thing they didn’t put in the baby books—the lack of privacy for the more important things in life,” he stated hoarsely as his lips claimed hers.
“Daddy’s a silly devil,” exclaimed a high-pitched voice from directly in front of them.
“Didn’t Gina say she and Jeff wanted a little girl?” Trevor asked as he reached out to tickle his daughter, a carbon copy of himself.
Jessie’s laughter blended with Darcy’s giggles. “She was talking about having a little sister for David. Besides she turned you down the last time you offered to sell her the kids, the day that Darcy put epoxy in your running shoes, I think.”
“So where are we running away to for my birthday?” he asked after he sent his daughter into the kitchen, where Arnette had taken Miriam and Chase for cookies.
“Damn, I thought you might have forgotten about that.”
“Not if it involves spending time alone with my incredibly sexy wife,” he murmured, returning his attention to the hollow of her neck. “I love my kids, but I have this incredible thing for their mother. I don’t get to have her all to myself very often, and I cherish the moments.”
