To Woo A Wife

by Carole Mortimer

  'In that case,' Jonathan said before she could find her voice, 'consider me the loser; I would love to give the bride away!'

  'Fine. Now just go, hmm?' Jarrett instructed impa­tiently.

  Jonathan's departure left an awkward silence. Abbie felt suddenly very shy as she looked at Jarrett. But Jonathan was right about the way Jarrett looked: he was gaunt and strained.

  And yet for some reason he had chosen to come here today, after all...

  'I couldn't stay away, Abbie.' Jarrett seemed to guess her thoughts. 'I asked Jonathan to deal with this, but then I just sat at my desk, unable to work. You didn't tele­phone me, Abbie,' he chided.

  No, and if she thought she had suffered this last week because of her silence, then she could see that Jarrett had felt the same pain. She had told him they were two damaged people, and perhaps they were, but they had fallen in love with each other anyway, so perhaps to­gether they might become whole again?

  'I wanted to,' she told him as she slowly walked to­wards him. 'I wanted to so much, Jarrett.' She stood in front of him now, looking straight into those beautiful golden eyes. 'I—' She moistened her lips. 'I was fright­ened, Jarrett,' she admitted emotionally.

  'And you think I'm not?' he teased gently. 'I love you, Abbie, and that's an emotion I never thought I would feel for any woman. But it's all there, Abbie— the need to protect and care, the desire. I never felt there was anything missing from my life before. But without you in it it's colourless and dull, without any sense of purpose, each day just something I have to get through.'

  She knew exactly what he meant. She had Charlie, but it wasn't enough for her any more, either. She wanted this man in her life. Needed him. Loved him.

  'Do you think we can make it work, Jarrett?" Her eyes were huge in the paleness of her face. 'Do you think me two of us can forget all the past pain and disillu­sionment, and just love each other?'

  'I think, Abbie, that we can give it a damn good try!' he said determinedly as his arms moved about her.

  'A constant diet of baked Alaska?' she said playfully as her arms curved about his waist.

  'You are everything I could ever want, Abbie,' he told her intensely. 'Everything!'

  And he meant it. She could see that in his face, in the fierce intensity of his gaze. She knew in that moment of truth that Jarrett would love her but never stifle her. What more could she ask from the man she loved so completely?

  'Will you marry me, Jarrett?' she asked, almost choked with emotion.

  His arms tightened about her. 'I thought you would never ask!' he breathed, before his lips came down gently on hers.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Jarrett looked tenderly at the woman cradled so trust­ingly in his arms, her dark hair splayed out across his chest and the pillow beside him.

  Abbie.

  His wife.

  How he loved calling her that!

  They had been married for a week now, a week of absolute happiness, a week when he'd wondered how he had ever lived his life without her in it. He adored her, all of her, her laughter, her caring, her loving, every beautiful inch of her perfection, from her dark shining hair to the tips of her toes.

  He didn't doubt for a moment that she loved him in the same way, had known from their very first night together, when she had responded to his caresses, given her own love so beautifully, every moment of unhappiness they had ever known wiped from their lives during that night of love. And what they had, what they shared together, was too precious for either of them to ever want to lose it.

  Sometimes he woke like this, in the early hours before dawn, just so that he could lie and watch her sleeping. She was always nestled against him this way, like a con­tented cat, a smile curving her lips. He meant to make sure she always stayed as happy as she had been this last week. In fact, he intended making it a lifetime's ambition!

  Jarrett was awake beside her, Abbie knew he was, was attuned to his every movement, even the slight change of his breathing when he was awake rather than asleep.

  She could hardly believe how happy she was, hadn't known euphoria like this existed. It was because she knew herself well and truly loved, as much as she loved in return.

  Jarrett had wasted no time in arranging their wedding after their declarations of love for each other, and they'd been married barely a month later. Jonathan had given her away, Jordan had been Jarrett's best man, and Alison and Charlie had been her attendants. Stephen had just sat through the service with a smug smile on his face; whether that was because he had been the one to intro­duce the two of them, or because Alison was pregnant, Abbie hadn't been quite sure, but she'd been so happy herself that she'd just returned his smile.

  Charlie was thrilled with her new daddy; she barely remembered her own father, and, as she had adored Jarrett from the first, had taken his permanent arrival into their lives as a perfectly natural turn of events.

  Their wedding night had been a revelation to Abbie, Jarrett giving pleasure rather than taking it, but revelling in her caresses too as she shyly responded in a way that had totally surprised her. And their lovemaking had only got better, so much so that they were reluctant to leave each other's arms.

  'What are you thinking about?' Jarrett murmured softly, those golden eyes warm and loving as Abbie looked up at him.

  She wasn't surprised he had realised her own wakefulness; they were so perfectly attuned to each other now. She stretched contentedly, letting her hand rest in­timately against his thigh. 'Actually, I was wondering what you thought of the "paper-bag job" now?' she whispered mischievously.

  Jarrett moved quickly, flipping her over onto her back as he leant over her. 'You're never going to let me forget that, are you?' he chuckled.

  She grinned up at him. 'Well?' she challenged, mov­ing sensuously against him.

  'I'm thinking,' he said, 'that you need to be thor­oughly loved, Mrs. Hunter.'

  Mrs. Hunter... How she loved the sound of that! 'And I'm thinking, Mr. Hunter,' she whispered again, her arm moving up about his neck as she pulled his head slowly down to hers, 'that sounds like an excellent idea!'

  'I'm all for excellent ideas,' Jarrett groaned as his mouth claimed hers in passionate response.

  She was all for loving Jarrett for a lifetime. And longer...

  Some men are meant to marry!

  HARLEQUIN PRESENTS

  Jarrett, Jonathan and Jordan are

  BACHELOR BROTHERS

  An exhilarating new miniseries by favorite author

  CAROLE MORTIMER

  The Hunter brothers are handsome, wealthy and

  determinedly single—until each meets the woman

  of his dreams. But dates and diamonds aren't

  enough to win her heart. Are those bachelor boys about to become husbands?

  Find out in: To Woo a Wife

  Harlequin Presents® #2039, July 1999

  To Be a Husband

  #2043, August 1999

  To Be a Bridegroom

  #2051, September 1999

  Available wherever Harlequin books are sold.

  HARLEQUIN*

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