The Lady's Man
Page 23
At her look of horror, he laughed. “I was under the misapprehension that I was in love. It didn’t take me all that long to figure out that I was wrong.”
“Thank God!” she said. “Somehow I can’t see you in Chicago. Not that there’s not wildlife in the big city,” she added, her lips twitching, “it’s just not the kind people normally get a Ph.D. in. You’d have been miserable.”
“You’re right,” he agreed. “This is where I belong. Right here on this spot. I’ve known it since I was a kid. I’d just given up hope of ever finding a woman I could share it with. Until I met you.”
Surprised, her eyes flew to his. “What are you saying, Zeke?”
“I love you,” he said roughly. “That’s what I needed to tell you when I found out that Butch had taken you.” A tortured look passed over his face, and his hand tightened painfully around hers. “If something had happened, I’d have spent the rest of my life regretting not telling you when I had the chance. Because I knew this morning. I knew when I fed you breakfast and watched you fall asleep. And I never should have left you without—”
She stopped him with a kiss, her mouth sweet and hungry and loving on his. “Stop,” she choked softly. “Nothing happened. I’m fine and we’re together and I love you, too. Nothing else matters.”
Careful not to crush her close the way he longed to and hurt her sore muscles, he kissed her and wished life was that simple. But they both had a past that they had to deal with if they were going to find happiness in the future.
Drawing back, he framed her face in his hands and laid his heart on the line. “I want to marry you, sweetheart, and spend the rest of my life with you, but we’ve got to talk about your father. I know you think I’m like him, but I’m not, and there’s no way to prove that to you except with time. I promise you I’ll never play around on you or betray you in any way, but that’s a promise you’ll have to take on faith. If you have a problem with that, then tell me now. I need to know where I stand.”
Tears welling in her eyes, she stared up at him and wondered how she could ever have been so blind when it came to Zeke McBride. Yes, he was a flirt, there was no question of that. He liked to tease, but he was just as likely to flash his dimples at seventy-eight-year-old Myrtle and make her laugh as he was at Ed’s three-year-old granddaughter. And when it came to proof of just what kind of man he was, she already had it. Rather than destroy the reputation of his former fiancee in a town where most people didn’t even know her, he’d taken the rap for something he hadn’t even done and let friends he’d known all his life think the worst of him.
No, he wasn’t like her father. He would never sneak around behind her back, never betray her or hurt her. He had too much integrity for that.
Her heart in her eyes, she said huskily, “I don’t need proof of the kind of man you are. My heart knew it the first time you kissed me. I could have never fallen in love with you if I hadn’t trusted you.”
She kissed him then because she couldn’t help herself, because she thought she would die if she didn’t, and when she drew back just enough to catch her breath, they were both smiling. “Now, about this house we’re going to build I think you should know that we’re going to need lots and lots of bedrooms.”
Lifting a brow at her, he grinned. “Oh? And why is that?”
“Because we’re going to have lots and lots of babies, so we’d better get started.”
“On what?” he teased, dragging her closer. “The house or the babies?”
Mischief dancing in her eyes, she grinned and lifted her mouth to his. “Guess.”
Epilogue
One year later
From the forest-service lookout tower, Elizabeth and Zeke stood side by side and watched one of Napoleon’s nowgrown pups try to woo a female yearling from the newest pack of wolves released that spring. His tail held high, he pranced around in front of her as if to say, “Look at me, sweetheart. Aren’t I something?” Far from impressed, she stared off into the distance, apparently bored to tears. But every once in a while, when she thought he wouldn’t notice, her tail twitched in interest and she sneaked a peek.
Laughing, Zeke slipped an arm around Elizabeth’s waist and tugged her close, his hand coming to rest on her belly and the place where his baby was just beginning to grow. “Conniving female! Look at her, playing hard to get.”
“Her!” she gasped indignantly, her green eyes dancing. “What about him? The flirt. He thinks he only has to look at her and she’s going to drop at his feet? I don’t think so.”
“I don’t know about that,” he teased. “It worked for me.”
“Oh, really?” she said archly. “And just who dropped at whose feet?”
Eye-to-eye, they grinned, knowing they’d both been lost the second they laid eyes on each other. There’d never been any question that they belonged together, and over the course of the past year, the love they shared had only grown stronger, richer, more wonderful. In full view of God and family and most of the population of Liberty Hill, they’d married on the hilltop where they planned to spend their life together. Then they’d spent the next ten months building their house, complete with plenty of room for children, including the one that was already on the way.
Any fears for their children had died with the conviction of Butch Jenkins and Chester Grant for the roles they’d played in the killing of Napoleon and terrorizing of Elizabeth. Because he’d cooperated in the end, Chester had gotten a lesser sentence and would only spend the next ten years of his life behind bars. Butch, on the other hand, would never hurt Elizabeth or anyone else again.
With the trial over, they’d finally put the past behind them and gone on with their lives. Their home was on the ranch now, and they hadn’t wanted to take any chance that their jobs could pull them away from each other or Liberty Hill. So they’d both quit their jobs to open up a wildlife refuge for injured animals right there on the ranch. And every chance she got, Elizabeth took time to track down Napoleon’s babies and keep an eye on the next generation. Life didn’t get any sweeter than that.
Gazing down at the two wolves, who were now nuzzling each other playfully, Zeke nodded toward the scene below. “Looks like Napoleon’s son has found his mate.”
“So have I,” she said huskily, turning in his arms for a long, mind-numbing kiss. “So have I.” And like the wolves, it was for life.
ISBN : 978-1-4592-5886-0
THE LADY’S MAN
Copyright © 1999 by Linda Turner
All rights reserved Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 300 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 U S A
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
“I don’t have to tell you you’re an incredibly attractive woman,”
Letter to Reader
Books by Linda Turner
About the Author
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
&n
bsp; Chapter 12
Epilogue
Copyright