Summer Wedding Bells: Marriage Wanted / Lone Star Lovin'

“Not yet.”

“Don’t you think you should clear it with her first?”

“It might be too soon, because a good deal of this hinges on one thing.”

Savannah frowned. “What’s that?”

“If you’ll agree to attend the wedding as my date.”

Five

“Your date?” Savannah repeated as she leapt to her feet. No easy task when one leg was as unsteady as hers. She didn’t often forget that, but she did now in her incredulity. “That’s emotional blackmail,” she cried, before slumping back in her chair.

“You’re right, it is,” Nash agreed, leaning forward and pressing his hands against the edge of her oak desk. His face was scant inches from her own, and his eyes cut straight through her defenses. “It’s what you expect of me, isn’t it?” he demanded. “Since I’m so despicable.”

“I never said that!”

“Maybe not, but you thought it.”

“No, I didn’t!” she snapped, then decided she probably had. She’d been shaken by his kiss, and then he’d apologized as if he’d never meant it to happen. And, perhaps worse, maybe he wished it hadn’t.

A slow, leisurely smile replaced Nash’s dark scowl. “That’s what I thought,” he said as he raised his hand and brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. His fingertips lingered at her face. “I wish I knew what’s happening to us.”

“Nothing’s happening,” Savannah insisted, but her voice lacked conviction even to her own ears. She was fighting the powerful attraction she felt for him for all she was worth, which at the moment wasn’t much. “You aren’t really going to blackmail me, are you?”

He gently traced the outline of her face, pausing at her chin and tilting it upward. “Do you agree to attend the wedding with me?”

“Yes, only—”

“Then you should know I had no intention of following through with my threat. Susan can have the wedding of her dreams.”

Savannah stood, awkwardly placing her weight on her injured leg. “I’m sure there are far more suitable dates for you,” she said crisply.

“I want you.”

He made this so difficult. “Why me?” she asked. By his own admission, there were any number of other women who’d jump at the chance to date him. Why had he insisted on singling her out? It made no sense.

Nash frowned as if he wasn’t sure himself, which lent credence to Savannah’s doubts. “I don’t know. As for this wedding, it seemed to me I could be wrong. It doesn’t happen often, but I have been known to make an error in judgment now and again.” He gave her a quick, self-deprecating grin. “Susan’s my only sister—the only family I’ve got. I don’t want there to be any regrets between us. Your card helped, too, and the way I see it, if I’m going to sit through a wedding, I’m not going to suffer alone. I want you there with me.”

“Then I suggest you ask someone who’d appreciate the invitation,” she said defiantly, straightening her shoulders.

“I want to be with you,” he insisted softly, his eyes revealing his confusion. “Darned if I know why. You’re stubborn, defensive and argumentative.”

“One would think you’d rather…oh, wrestle a rattlesnake than go out with me.”

“One would think,” he agreed, smiling boyishly, “but if that’s the case, why do I find myself listening for the sound of your voice? Why do I look forward to spending time with you?”

“I…wouldn’t know.” Except that she found herself in the same situation. Nash was never far from her thoughts; she hadn’t been free of him from the moment they’d met.

His eyes, dark and serious, wandered over her face. Before she could protest, he lowered his head and nuzzled her ear. “Why can’t I get you out of my mind?”

“I can’t answer that, either.” He was going to kiss her again, in broad daylight, where they could be interrupted by anyone walking into the shop. Yet Savannah couldn’t bring herself to break away, couldn’t offer so much as a token resistance.

A heartbeat later, his mouth met hers. Despite her own hesitation, she kissed him back. Nash groaned, drawing her more securely into his embrace.

“Savannah,” he whispered as he broke off the kiss. “I can hardly believe this, but it’s even better than before.”

Savannah said nothing, although she agreed. She was trembling, and prayed Nash hadn’t noticed, but that was too much to ask. He slid his fingers into her hair and brought her face close to his. “You’re terrified, aren’t you?” he asked, his cheek touching hers.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she muttered. She felt his smile against her flushed skin and realized she hadn’t fooled him any more than she had herself. “I don’t know what I am.”

“I don’t know, either. Somehow I wonder if I ever will. I don’t suppose you’d make this process a lot easier and consider just having an affair with me?”

Savannah stiffened, not knowing if he meant what he was saying. “Absolutely not.”

“That’s what I thought,” he said with a lengthy sigh. “It’s going to be the whole nine yards with you, isn’t it?”

“I have no idea what you mean,” she insisted.

“Perhaps not.” Pulling away, he checked his watch and seemed surprised at the time. “I’ve got to get back to the office. I’ll give Susan a call this afternoon and the three of us can get together and make the necessary arrangements.”

Savannah nodded. “We’re going to have to move quickly. Planning a wedding takes time.”

“I know.”

She smiled shyly, wanting him to know how pleased she was by his change of heart. “This is very sweet of you, Nash.”

He gestured weakly with his hands, as if he wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing. “I still think she’s too young to be married. I can’t help thinking she’ll regret this someday.”

“Marriage doesn’t come with guarantees at any age,” Savannah felt obliged to tell him. “But then, neither does life. Susan and Kurt have an advantage you seem to be overlooking.”

“What’s that?”

“They’re in love.”

“Love.” Nash snickered loudly. “Generally it doesn’t last more than two or three weeks.”

“Sometimes that’s true, but not this time,” Savannah said. “However, I’ve worked with hundreds of couples over the years and I get a real sense about the people who come to me. I can usually tell if their marriages will last or not.”

“What about Kurt and Susan?”

“I believe they’ll have a long, happy life together.”

Nash rubbed the side of his face, his eyes intense. He obviously didn’t believe that.

“Their love is strong,” she said, trying to bolster her argument.

Nash raised his eyebrows. “Spoken like a true romantic.”