The Groom, I Presume?

“This doesn’t sound at all like you, Chris,” she finally said. “You’re not the impulsive type. So why would you suggest something so unusual?”

He took her hand, placed it on his palm and traced the length of her fingers with his other hand. “What’s so unusual about it? Think about it for a moment. You’ve been planning to get married for sometime now. You can still get married. You’ve known me for almost as long as you’ve known Bobby, so it’s not as if we’re strangers. You pointed out earlier that you had spent most of your life on the ranch. Well, now you can come with me and see something more of the world.”

“I can’t take advantage of you,” she said slowly, her gaze fixed on their linked hands.

Chris couldn’t help but be amused. She sounded so earnest. And so scared. “Sure you can. You have my permission to take advantage of me at anytime, starting right now.” He released her hands and tipped her chin up so that she could see his face. He’d never been more sincere in his life when he said, “I can’t think of anything that would give me more pleasure than to marry you, Maribeth.”

Her expression was difficult to make out. It was only then that he realized the light was fading rapidly from the sky.

“Oh, Chris,” she said in the gathering darkness. He could hear the tears in her voice. She wiped her hand impatiently across her eyes once again. “I don’t know what to say.”

A surge of exultation shot through him. She hadn’t turned him down cold. Was it fair to take advantage of her while she was so vulnerable’?

Something needed to be done. And done quickly.

Giving in to temptation, Chris slid his arm around her waist and with his other hand, tilted her chin upward. Moving slowly in order to give her time to stop him if she wished, he leaned closer until his lips brushed hers.

She didn’t flinch and she didn’t pull away. That was enough encouragement for him to put all the yearning he felt into the kiss that he’d fantasized giving her for more years than he could remember.

Her lips were even softer than he had imagined. She tasted of tears and temptation. He took his time molding his mouth to fit hers, easing his way as her innocence imprinted itself on him.

He pressed her against him, his hands exploring her back from her nape to the base of her spine while he nudged her lips apart and dipped into the sweetness of her mouth.

By the time Maribeth understood that Chris intended to kiss her, he was already doing it. The first touch of his mouth froze her into immobility. This was Chris Cochran kissing her! She would have known it was him even if she’d been wearing a blindfold because of the tingling sensation she’d experienced as soon as he touched her. Her body must be some kind of tuning fork where he was concerned!

That was her last coherent thought. Maribeth had thought that she was experienced in the art of kissing at least, but she’d never experienced anything like this before. All she could do was wrap her arms around his waist and hold on.

By the time he drew away from her with obvious reluctance some untold time later, she was having trouble getting her breath. He seemed to be having a similar problem. He leaned his forehead against hers.

“So what do you say?” he whispered. “Shall we shock everybody and do it?”

She was already in shock, and all she’d done was kiss Chris Cochran. Perhaps it would be better to say that Chris had kissed her.

Her head was still swimming.

In a few short hours everything she thought she knew and understood about herself and her life had been turned upside down. She’d been grieving over Bobby one minute and wholeheartedly participating in a kiss with Chris the next.

Had the whole world gone mad, or was it just her?

“Oh, Chris. I can’t make a decision like that right now. I can’t even think right now.”

He couldn’t see her face, but he could hear the pain and confusion in her voice. He wasn’t certain what to say. He knew better than to kiss her again. That way led to madness if he couldn’t place her on the blanket nearby and make passionate love to her.

“I need to get back home,” she said, only now stepping away from him. “Everybody will be wondering why I’ve been gone so long.”

“You’re twenty-six years old, Maribeth, not sixteen. Believe it or not, you don’t have to account for every moment of your life anymore.”

“You’re right, of course. I guess it’s a habit.”

“I sometimes wonder if you don’t feel as though you’re in some kind of suspended time frame, like Sleeping Beauty, waiting for your prince to come claim you. You’ve been content to stay here with your family working on the ranch while you waited for Bobby to return home.”

“Perhaps. I don’t know. I’ve stayed here because this has been my life. I never envisioned another kind. There was no reason to, until now. I never would have guessed that Bobby would do something like this. I knew he wasn’t in any hurry to come home, which is why I didn’t push him to set a date for the wedding. After four years on the road, I thought he was getting ready to settle down. How could I have known… ?” Her voice trailed off, leaving her feeling so empty. The life she thought she’d had was no longer there. What could she do to create an alternate future? The thought was scary, no matter what she chose.

“Come with me, Maribeth. Give me the opportunity to show you what’s out there on the horizon. Will you do that for me… and for yourself?”

“I don’t know, Chris. Everything is happening at once. This must be how a person would feel when they’re enjoying the scenic countryside and then suddenly step on a land mine. My world’s just exploded into little pieces.”

He kissed her again, a gentle, soothing touch that still set all her senses on red alert.

“Give me the chance to help put your life back together, will you?” he murmured. “I don’t want to leave here with you feeling so shattered.”

“And how do I explain the switch to people?”

“It’s too late to say much, isn’t it? If you agree to marry me, you don’t really need to make any explanations. Everyone will come to see you get married as planned. You’ll still be getting married. Only the groom will be different.”

“You don’t think they’ll notice?” she asked, almost laughing at the idea. “Chris, this isn’t some kind of play where suddenly the understudy has to fill in.”

“Maybe not, but it would certainly give the people in the county something to talk about for years to come.”

“Oh, Chris, how could I have forgotten your crazy sense of humor?”

“If you’ll marry me, you’ll be able to stay in closer touch to be reminded.”

“I must be out of my mind. I’m actually considering the idea.”

That was as much as he could hope for. He didn’t want to push his luck. “Why don’t I take you home? You’re exhausted and still in shock. I’ll spend the night at my family’s place and we’ll talk tomorrow. See how you feel about things then. A good night’s sleep will do wonders for you.”

“I’m not sure I could sleep. I don’t know how I could get my mind to slow down. It seems to be running off in all directions.”

He gathered up the blanket and led her back to the car. Once inside, he took her hand. “I just want you to remember that you don’t have to deal with this on your own. I’m here for you. I want to help. You know that I’ll accept whatever you decide, but I want you to consider my offer. Will you do that for me?”

Her face was a pale blur in the dark. He couldn’t read her expression. “I can’t believe you’d be willing to make such a sacrifice.”

“Sacrifice?”

“Marrying me.”

His laugh was self-mocking even though she wasn’t aware of it. “Someday I hope to convince you that marrying you is definitely not my idea of a sacrifice.”

He started the car and backed around, taking the road back to the highway. He was encouraged by the fact that she had left her hand in his. It remained there all the way back to the ranch.

“Well, there you are,” Megan said when Maribeth walked into the house. “I was wondering if we needed to send out a search party for you.”

Maribeth kept her head down, hoping Megan wouldn’t notice her face. She still clutched Chris’s handkerchief in her hand.

“We just got to talking,” she replied, her voice sounding hoarse in her ears, “and didn’t notice the time.”

They were in the kitchen and Maribeth opened the refrigerator as though looking for something to eat.