“With a bit of pruning and care, those trees could easily produce again.”
Carl had thought of that himself, but he didn’t have the time or energy to hassle with the fruit. He’d have his hands full with everything else that needed to be accomplished on the property.
On the drive back to Candy’s place, Carl started to worry. Thus far, everything had gone real well, and he didn’t want to ruin it by doing or saying something stupid now.
“It’s still early,” Candy announced when he pulled up in front of her house. “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?”
He’d like nothing better, but it wasn’t coffee that interested him. He wavered, and involuntarily his gaze lowered to front of her sweater. For most of the evening he’d done an admirable job of avoiding temptation, but his control was slipping.
“I make a decent cup of coffee.”
His eyes snapped back to her. Candy was saying she wanted him, otherwise she wouldn’t be so eager to get him inside her house. He practically fell out of the truck in his hurry to give her what they both wanted. The way he figured, she couldn’t come right out and tell him her feelings. Women liked to think it was the man’s idea. Fine. He’d leap through hoops if that’s what it took.
It seemed to require an eternity for her to unlock the front door. She’d set her purse aside and started toward the kitchen when Carl caught her by the arm. She looked back at him, her eyes revealing her surprise.
“I don’t want coffee and neither do you.”
She came without resistance into his embrace. When his mouth settled over hers, she gave a soft little moan of welcome.
This was heaven, Carl decided, as the hunger exploded between them. More by luck than any skill, he managed to find the sofa. He literally fell into it, taking Candy with him. With a soft cry of surprise, she landed with a solid whoop into his lap.
Carl laughed and directed her mouth back to his. The kiss was slow and deep and the excitement began to pound inside of him. Their kissing had always been good, but never quite this good.
But it wasn’t enough to satisfy Carl for long. It seemed a shame to waste time with it when there were other more pressing matters that needed attending.
“Carl…”
“In a minute, baby.” He fumbled behind her back, looking to unsnap her bra.
“Carl…no more.”
“You don’t mean that.” He tried to kiss her, to convince her otherwise, but she twisted her head away.
“I do mean it.” She braced her forehead against his shoulder and drew in several deep breaths. “Either we stop now or we’ll have a repeat of what happened before.”
Wasn’t that the point? Carl tightened his jaw, all right, if that was the way she wanted to play the game, then fine, he was a patient man.
“This is only our first date, remember?” she asked in a voice that trembled softly.
Carl was comforted with the knowledge that she was having as difficult a time putting an end to their kissing as he was. But it was little consolation. What irritated him most was that he had no one to blame for this but himself. He was the one who’d come up with the brilliant idea of the two of them starting over again.
One thing was certain, many more dates that ended like this and it would be a kindness to take him out to pasture and shoot him.
Lesley’s head was spinning. From the moment she’d agreed to marry Zane, her life hadn’t been the same. In addition to completing her current work commitments, she had been expected to organize and plan a wedding to take place in less than three weeks’ time.
She’d only seen Zane twice in the past fourteen days, and when they were together, their time was filled with decision making.
What she couldn’t understand was the urgency Zane seemed to feel about their marrying quickly. It was almost as though he feared she’d change her mind.
She wouldn’t. Now that the decision had been made, Lesley had absolute confidence that she was doing the right thing. From that first day when she’d driven to the house, she’d experienced a spiritual bonding with Zane. But when she announced to her parents that she was marrying Zane, they were concerned that she could be making a mistake.
Her mother had repeated the old wives’ tales—marry in haste, repent in leisure—to convince her she shouldn’t marry Zane, at least not until she knew him better. Her father, the ever-logical attorney, had raised several legitimate concerns. He asked that she consider these questions before going ahead with the wedding.
Then her parents had met Zane.
The three of them had driven out to the house on a Sunday afternoon. Lesley knew Zane and her family were nervous about the meeting.
She’d done her best to prepare her parents, explaining the extent of Zane’s injuries. Nevertheless, her mother had gasped softly when she first saw him. Her father, his eyes dark with doubt, insisted that he and Zane speak privately. It both embarrassed and hurt Lesley that the two people she trusted most in this world doubted her judgment.
As it turned out, Zane had easily won over both her parents. She never learned exactly what was said between the two men, but her father came out of the meeting, singing Zane’s praises. By the end of the day, Zane had charmed her mother.
Two days before the wedding, Lesley was finishing up the last project when Molly Larabee arrived at her office unannounced. “I’m taking you to lunch,” Jordan’s wife insisted.
Lesley sat back in her chair and relaxed. She was as ready as she’d ever be for the wedding. It felt as if the whole world had been tossed upside down in the past weeks. Everything was crazy, but it was a wonderful kind of crazy. She didn’t know of a single other bride who worried about government contracts two days before her wedding. A luncheon escape sounded perfect.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked, a willing captive.
“There’s a new French restaurant I thought we’d try,” Molly said. “The kids are spending the day with their grandfather and I’m free until five. I figured we’d let our hair down and have some fun.”
After the hectic pace of the past few days, Lesley could do with a relaxing afternoon.
“Just think, next week at this time you’ll be an old married woman.”
It was hard for Lesley to believe, but the mere thought produced a bubble of happiness. “People think I’m nuts, you know. Marrying a man I barely know.”
“I’d marry a man like Zane in a heartbeat,” Molly announced. “Don’t listen to what anyone says. Listen to your heart.” She placed her open hand over her own breast. “I did that when Jordan and I reunited. In some ways Zane was responsible for that.”
“Zane?”
“I never told you how I met Zane, did I?”
“No.” Naturally Lesley was curious.
Molly rolled a chair toward Lesley’s desk. “Do you remember when Jordan came to get me out of Manuka?”
“Of course.” Lesley wasn’t likely to forget that time. Jordan had gone to find Molly to ask for a divorce so he’d be free to marry her. Instead, he’d ended up arriving in the middle of a political revolution and rescuing Molly.
Days before his departure, the government of Manuka had been overthrown. Rebel soldiers closed in around the medical compound where Molly served as a nurse.
In an effort to save his wife’s life, Jordan had been shot, and carried the scars of his adventure to this day.
“Zane was the leader of the men Jordan hired to get me out.”
Leader of the men Jordan hired. The words rang like church bells, clanging around inside Lesley’s head. Her surprise must have shown because Molly elaborated.
“You didn’t know that?”
“No.”
“We were trapped inside the medical compound. Zane and his men were caught in the cross fire and were forced to leave Jordan and me behind.
“I’ll never forget when I saw that helicopter lift off without us. I was certain Jordan and I were as good as dead. There was no escape left. It would only
be a matter of hours before the rebels overpowered the men defending the compound.”
“Zane saved your lives.”
“Yes. Not only did he come back for us, but he managed to keep the rebels from overtaking our weak defenses.”
Zane had been a mercenary.
If Lesley hadn’t already been sitting down, she would have required a chair. Not wanting to appear even more of a fool than she already was, she smiled and said nothing.
“That night in the jungle, convinced me were both about to die, Jordan and I made our peace about losing Jeff. You see, I’d never told him how sorry I was.”
“Sorry?” Lesley knew the death of her infant son had devastated Molly.
“Guilty is a better word,” Molly elaborated. “As a medical professional, I assumed I should’ve been able to do something to have prevented Jeff’s death. I allowed that guilt and pain to ruin our marriage.”
Lesley knew Jordan had been as much at fault as Molly in the breakup of their marriage. Unable to deal with his own grief, he’d buried himself in his work. When they’d become involved, Lesley was well aware that Jeff was the reason Jordan had refused to consider a family. Because she knew how much he’d suffered when he and Molly had lost their son to SIDS, she’d agreed.
“That night in Manuka, I conceived Bethany,” Molly admitted sheepishly.
“Thank heaven you did,” Lesley said with a light laugh, “otherwise both our lives would have been drastically different.” Lesley and Jordan might possibly have married and that would have been a tragic mistake.
“Jordan and I owe a tremendous debt of thanks to Zane.”
Zane. He hadn’t told her, hadn’t so much as whispered a word about his past. He’d been a hired gun. A hired killer.
He hadn’t trusted her enough to tell her the truth, and because she was so caught up in preparing for the wedding—the one he insisted take place by the end of the month—she hadn’t thought to ask.
His past had seemed irrelevant. She knew he’d traveled extensively, and that the injuries he’d sustained had been the result of some military campaign. She’d assumed—she’d believed—he was retired military. She’d never probed into his life before moving to Sleepy Valley and he’d never volunteered. If he’d held back the truth in this matter, it made her wonder what else he was hiding from her.
“How did Jordan know about Zane?” Lesley asked once her head was clear.
“They’re old army buddies.”
So she was right about that at least. Zane had been in the military at some point.
“Are you ready for lunch?” Molly asked enthusiastically.
“Sure.” It was difficult for Lesley to conceal her feelings. She felt as if she’d been hit below the belt, but she did a good job of keeping up a front while they headed for the restaurant. She needed to talk to Zane, confront him with what she’d learned. But she wouldn’t be able to do it before the wedding. Zane was out of town. A business trip, he’d explained.
For the first time since accepting his proposal, she nourished doubts. He’d left town with little more than a message on her cell phone. The trip was unavoidable and he’d be back the night before the wedding.
The wedding. It was going to be a small private affair with only their immediate family members, and a handful of close friends.
Until that moment, Lesley’s biggest uncertainty for the outside wedding had been the weather.
She didn’t feel she had any choice. She was calling off the whole thing. It would be impossible to enter into this commitment until there was complete and total honesty between them.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Lesley was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t realize the room was filled with friends and business associates.
“Surprise.” The cry went up like a stage curtain and shocked her. Stunned, she looked to Molly for an explanation.
“It’s a wedding shower,” her friend explained and hugged her close.
A bridal shower for a woman about to cancel the wedding.
Carl had made an excuse every day for two long, torturous weeks to see Candy. He’d taken her to dinner almost every night. He’d sat through more movies in that period than he’d seen in the past ten years. They’d gone on a picnic. He’d taken her horseback riding. One afternoon, she’d even convinced him to go sailing, and Carl hated the water.
It shocked him to what lengths he’d been willing to stretch for this woman.
He’d bought her gifts, too. Why, he’d bought out the chocolate display at Buckwald’s. Candy’s house was wall-to-wall flowers, and for good measure he’d thrown in a case of wine, a bottle of perfume and some bubble bath.
The bubble bath had come close to ruining him. He groaned aloud every time he thought about Candy bathing, her scrumptious body drenched in nothing but tiny bubbles.
After each and every outing, Carl had come away feeling like he’d slammed his head against a brick wall. The most she’d allowed him was a few token kisses.
Just enough to keep him hooked. Just enough to tantalize him into imagining more. Even now he couldn’t believe he’d allowed her to string him along for the amount of time she had.
As of this moment, Carl was through making a first-class fool of himself. As far as he was concerned, he’d proved himself in spades. If Candy thought he would put up with any more of this lolly-gagging around, then he had a thing or two to tell her.
When he called to suggest they get together that evening, Carl had made it sound as though nothing had changed. Candy had agreed easily enough, but then, she’d done that almost from the first.
He arrived right on time, only this night he didn’t come bearing gifts. She opened the door and smiled sweetly. Like she had every day for the past fourteen, she seemed right pleased to see him.
“We need to sit down for a minute,” he said, stepping into her home and plopping himself down on the sofa.
Her eyes widened at his gruff manner. “Is something wrong?”
“Just sit.” He pointed toward the chair across from him.
Frankly, it surprised him that she was so willing to do as he asked. The woman had a penchant for making his life miserable, and it wouldn’t have surprised him had she stood there and argued.
“We’ve been seeing each other on a regular basis for two weeks now,” he said, keeping his eyes trained on her.
“Yes.” Her smile was deceptive, gentle and kind. Carl was convinced she’d taken a great deal of delight in making him suffer.
“Every time I’ve taken you out, I’ve brought you a gift, just so you’d know how important you are to me.
“I don’t need the gifts, Carl. You’ve gone overboard on that.”
She was telling him!
“At the end of the date, you let me kiss you.”
She demurely lowered her eyelashes. He nearly laughed aloud. There wasn’t a retiring bone in this woman’s body.
“I want to know how much longer it’s going to take, and I want a straight answer.”
She blinked as though she hadn’t a clue what he was talking about. “How much longer?”
“Before we go to bed together.” He wanted to shout the words. “A man can only take so much frustration, and I have to tell you, I reached my limit a good ten days ago.” It was impossible for him to sit still. He sprang to his feet and loomed above her.
“Are you saying the only reason you took me out was because you wanted to get me into bed?”
Carl knew a trap when he saw one. He hadn’t spent all that time in the battlefield without gaining a few insights into the way a strategist’s mind works.
“Not entirely,” he told her. “The fact is I’ve enjoyed getting to know you.” And he had. But not one of the evenings had ended the way he thought they should.
“But taking me to bed weighed heavily into your decision to date me?”
He eyed her, wondering where she was leading, fully expecting her to steer him into a bog of verbal quicksand. “Yes. Can?
??t you see, Candy, we’re good together.”
Her eyes lit up as though he’d said the magic words. “I think we’re good together, too. These last few weeks have been some of the happiest of my life. Spending time with you, getting to know you and letting you know me has been wonderful.”
“Don’t you think all this time spent together should lead to a natural conclusion?” His gaze fastened on her bedroom door at the end of the hallway. “Candy,” he whispered, “can’t you see? I’m half-crazy wanting you.” He didn’t mention, although she must have noticed, he’d been suffering from perpetual frustration.
Her eyes were tender and Carl was sure she was going to see things his way.
“I agree spending time together does lead to a natural conclusion.”
At last. Carl was eager to have her that he pulled his shirt loose of his waistband. “Oh, baby, I didn’t know what I was going to do if you refused me.” He unsnapped the cuffs of his shirtsleeves and started working the buttons free.
“Carl, that natural conclusion should be marriage, don’t you think?”
Marriage!
Carl froze. He felt as if he’d been sucker punched. So that was what she wanted. So that was what all this was about. It amazed him that he hadn’t seen through her act earlier.
He pointed his finger at her while he started toward the front door. The jaws of the trap were fully exposed now.
“No way.”
“What do you mean, no way?” Candy was back to her normal self. Her hands were planted against her hips and her eyes tossed fire at him a flame thrower couldn’t reproduce.
“I’m not the marrying kind.” He wouldn’t give in on this one, so she’d best get used to the idea right now.
“And I’m not the type to sleep around.”
The suggestion angered him beyond reason. “I only want you to sleep with me. You’ve already done it once, so what’s the big deal?”
“You better get something into that thick skull of yours, Carl Saks.” She held up her bare left hand. “I am not going to bed with you again until there’s a ring around my finger.”
He laughed, and not because she was being particularly funny. The woman was a loony tune if she thought she could trick him into marrying her.