“I, uh, thought you were going downstairs.”
“I wanted to go with you.”
His words filled her with warmth. Was it possible for them to overlook the past? Fear nibbled at her joy. They had to learn to trust each other again. But Danielle was even more afraid of what would follow. Because if she allowed herself to trust, love would surely be the final result. And only Jace held the ability to destroy her. In all the years they were apart, she’d never met another man who held such power over her emotions. She’d barely survived the first time Jace had turned away from her. A second time would be a mortal wound.
She looked into the burning eyes of her fiancé. This was her wedding day. Danielle forcefully swept her doubts aside. She would enjoy the moment, savor Jace’s attentions. The past would still be with them another time. But for now, she wanted happy memories to cling to just in case their past did catch up with them.
After a light breakfast, Jace went to the front desk to check on the status of their snowbound minister.
“No sign of him yet.” Jace took her hand, an action that had seemed foreign yesterday, but today was natural, right. She threaded her fingers through his, savoring the strength he offered.
“So what do we do until he arrives?”
Jace’s answer was in his eyes.
“No.”
“Are you a mind reader?”
“I don’t have to be. You’ve made it very clear these past few days just what your short-term goals are.”
He moved closer, tucking her into the circle of his arms. “And how do you know my long-term goals aren’t the same?”
She could learn to subsist on his passion alone. It fed an empty place in her heart that she hadn’t managed to fill in the corporate world.
He suggested another walk outside and she agreed, thinking the fresh air would clear her mind, help release the sensual hold Jace seemed to have woven around her. It was becoming more and more difficult to view their relationship rationally, to remember that their marriage was a business arrangement, not a love match.
But when they walked to the glassed front of the lodge, a cold wind was swirling the snow while heavy clouds covered the jewel-blue sky of yesterday. Not a bad omen, she hoped. With the ragged mountain peaks in the distance, the scene looked frosty and foreboding.
A shiver raced through her, but the chill immediately turned to warmth when Jace draped an arm across her shoulders.
“Cold?”
She smiled and shook her head, not willing to admit to the negative bent of her thoughts.
“Let’s browse through the gift shop. Maybe I’ll find a wedding present for you.”
“You don’t need to buy me anything.” He’d given her too much already and her pride felt the sting.
“I want to. I want to give you something special to remember this day.”
I’ll have you. The words almost slipped from her lips. But she couldn’t bear to shatter the fragile truce growing between them with any reminders of what waited for them back in Jackson.
They wandered among the displays, stopping to examine various pieces of Western-flavored artwork. When they came upon a section of more modern works, Danielle paused in front of an abstract wooden sculpture of a man and a woman, their arms and bodies intertwined. Jace had turned away to study something else, and she took the opportunity to stroke her fingers over the smooth wood.
The sculpture represented her little-girl dreams wound together with fantasies only big girls envisioned. It was a poignant symbol of what she hoped to build with Jace someday.
“Do you like it?”
His voice sounded close to her ear, his breath tickling her skin as he settled his hands on her shoulders.
“It’s beautiful. It speaks of love and a lifetime of devotion.” She winced as soon as she spoke. Her words hadn’t been intended as a hint. But maybe her heart had chosen to speak for a reason.
He stood silently for several heartbeats, then motioned to the clerk.
Before she could protest, the study of love was boxed and paid for. A twinge of doubt tweaked her conscience. Could she and Jace ever manage a lifetime? He’d sworn that he didn’t believe in divorce. But when the thrill of the chase wore off, would he change his mind? Once he’d possessed her again, would he realize memory didn’t match up to reality? Without love to bind them through the hard times, could they truly remain together?
Her fingers caught the locket at her neck, looking for the reassurance it always gave her. Her father’s love had been the only constant in her life until now. At times, his love had bordered on smothering, but she had always known he simply wanted what was best for her. And no matter what, since she was five, he had always been there for her, always supported her.
But she was a little disturbed to realize that she hadn’t thought of him, or of the family business, since they’d left Jace’s ranch yesterday. She’d been too wrapped up in herself, her rediscovery of Jace—and the possibilities he represented.
She tried to ignore the twinge of guilt.
Her father deserved to know what was happening. He was probably worried sick about the loan that was due tomorrow. But there was no way she could assure him that she’d taken care of everything.
He would know soon enough. When she arrived in his office, money in hand, he would share in the triumph. Only after they had celebrated would she tell him of her marriage.
Jace made arrangements for the package to be delivered to their room, then steered her back out into the lobby.
They wandered around the rustic expanse, reading information about skiing, dogsledding, sleigh rides and every other imaginable winter sport. Danielle wondered what it would be like were this a real honeymoon, one where they spent a week or more simply being together instead of rushing through a quick two-day whirlwind.
“Let’s sit, talk awhile.”
An unnamed emotion skittered down her spine. So far, conversation had only brought on arguments. Settling next to him in front of the wall of windows, she contemplated the winter scene in front of her, absorbed in her own thoughts. lace pulled her close, tucking her against his side, then stared out the window.
She shifted, becoming uncomfortable with the growing silence, and he finally spoke. “What are your dreams?”
So different from anything she’d expected, the question threw her off balance. “My dreams?”
He twisted to face her with a frown. “What do you want to do, to be? Where do you want your life to go?”
She returned his frown, his question sparking her rebellion. “I thought you had that all mapped out, Jace. From what I’ve seen so far this week, you make the plans and I’m supposed to follow along.” She hated to disrupt the camaraderie they’d shared, but he’d brought up a touchy subject.
He was silent for a moment. “I never intended to dictate your entire life. I’m sorry if I gave that impression.”
She stared at the man who had suddenly become a stranger. Jace Farrell was apologizing to her again. Danielle didn’t think she’d be able to speak if there were a fire licking at her toes.
Finally, the words to describe her dreams bubbled up, needing to be said. “I want to have kids, but we’ve already discussed that. I want work, to have an important place in the world, but I don’t want to be away from any children we have when they’re small.”
She paused, hoping he would settle for her small offering, that he wouldn’t force her to dig deeper into her confusion. But he simply waited patiently.
“I guess you could say I want the best of both worlds, working woman and mother, without sacrificing any part of either one.”
He hesitated, seeming to choose his words carefully. “Could you be happy staying at the ranch all the time?”
After giving her heart and soul to her job for so many years, the idea held a certain appeal. It would be glorious to wake every morning without having to be somewhere by a specific time. To give up nylons and heels would be the ultimate luxury. “If there
were more for me to do than cook and clean, I might.”
“I could use the help. The ranch has grown to the point where I’m having difficulty doing it all myself.”
Her heart sang. He was offering to share his life with her, offering her the chance to work at his side like a true wife. Still, she answered cautiously. “It’s something I would like to try.”
“What about Daddy?” A touch of bitterness edged Jace’s voice.
“What about him?”
“Aren’t you planning on going to work for him now that you’re back in Jackson?”
She bit her lip, not wanting to dig into the old emotions just now. But Jace was forcing her to face her future, to confront what was happening around her even though she wasn’t yet willing to recognize anything as fact.
“After you...” She swallowed, feeling as if she were tiptoeing through a minefield. “After we... weren’t together anymore, I wanted to work with him. But he said I didn’t have the education. So I went to college, got a degree in business.”
She stared out the window, trying to draw strength from the mountains, needing to ignore the old hurts that were welling up inside her. “Then when I graduated, he said I didn’t have enough experience. I took a job in Denver and I’ve been trying to gain that experience ever since.
“He hasn’t let me near the business once. I’ve finally realized that my father believes a woman’s place is in the home, and he won’t back down, not even for me.”
Jace’s only acknowledgment of her words was a tightening of his jaw. The joy of the day faded a little for her, leaving her open once again to doubt her decision to marry Jace.
Reaching out, Jace smoothed a finger over her cheek. “I think you belong wherever your heart leads you. I’ll bet Daddy would be surprised to know that you can do anything you set your mind to.
She blinked, trying to reconcile the support he was offering with the hard-edged cowboy she knew he was.
He stood abruptly and held a hand out to her. “Let’s go see if there’s any sign of that minister yet.”
Wrapping his fingers around hers, he offered a silent reassurance that he would stand behind her in anything she tackled. And Danielle couldn’t help but wonder what changes would take place in her life after the wedding.
The possibilities were endless.
It was closer to four o’clock before the wedding actually took place.
Jace left her just long enough to check at the front desk. When he walked back to her, a suppressed excitement hummed around him. Danielle knew the time had come for her to pledge her life to him. Fear mingled with longing; doubt tangled with desire. And she knew no other choice lay before her. She was destined to be Jace’s bride.
“It’s time for you to get dressed” He smoothed a stray curl away from her cheek and she clung to the warmth of his touch. “I have a few things to look after, then I’ll come upstairs to escort you.”
Her stomach fluttered with anticipation.
She had just finished fluffing her hair when his knock sounded. Feeling overwhelmed with a sudden shyness, she opened the door.
He still wore the same charcoal-gray suit, but something had changed. She felt pulled, like he was forbidden fruit, and suddenly, she didn’t want to resist any longer. Raising her hand, she held it toward him, urging him with her look to take it.
And he did.
Need shot through her, pooling low in her stomach. All traces of shyness fled. It was her turn to tease and tantalize, to make him ache with the wanting.
She tugged him closer. “I was having a little trouble with my zipper. Can you help?” With a smile designed to tempt, she turned and lifted her hair out of the way. It was a small tease, but the sound of Jace’s indrawn breath brought her a sense of satisfaction. Two could play this game.
After all her running, she was ready to stop. And if she had her way, she would become the hunter. It had taken her all day to reach the conclusion that their physical relationship was inevitable and that she might as well enjoy it. That first time, what they’d shared could only be called magic, an explosion of feeling that had haunted her every night since.
A shiver raced over her as Jace’s fingers tickled the skin of her upper back. Just before the zipper ended its journey to the top, he pressed a kiss to the skin at her nape. When his tongue darted out for a quick taste of the same spot, she felt the shock all the way to her toes.
She turned in his arms, placing her hands on his shoulders. “I believe we have a wedding to attend?”
He sighed and leaned his forehead against hers, his deep blue eyes just inches away from hers. The heat from his look singed her.
“I don’t suppose we could just pretend we said the vows and get right to the honeymoon?” His rueful grin made the words a joke, but she was tempted to agree to his suggestion.
“We’d better not. The minister is waiting.”
They entered the small room and Danielle was struck with wonder once again. Just as they stepped inside, the sun broke from the shadows of the clouds. As if they’d been given a blessing, the room was graced with a suffused glow from the leaded glass dome in the ceiling. The hushed silence surrounding them generated a hope that they were doing the right thing, that everything would turn out for the best.
To add to her delight, arrangements of white roses decorated a small table behind the minister, their delicate fragrance speaking of love and commitment.
But when Jace handed her a bouquet of flowers to carry down the short walkway, her eyes filled with tears of joy. He’d even remembered how she loved roses—white roses—and the handful of fragrant blooms overflowed with delicate buds. She blinked rapidly, not wanting to ruin her makeup.
The ice that had encased her heart for so long cracked. Jace tucked her fingers into the crook of his elbow and started the slow walk. With each step they took drawing them closer to the minister, the crack widened.
The ceremony took on a surreal quality. Danielle struggled to absorb every word, each gesture, all the precious seconds, wanting to engrave this moment on her memory. lace acted as if he truly loved her.
The thought pounded through her brain, opening her to the wonder of their future. Jace curled his warm fingers around hers and she felt a flow of strength reaching out to her. They stopped as one to face the minister. With a gentle smile, the man started speaking of love and all that the bonds of matrimony stood for.
She experienced the sensation of floating above the scene. Joy filled her, and for the first time since her mother had deserted her, Danielle felt fulfilled. She was worthy of love, a conclusion it had taken her far too long to realize.
Now she just had to find a way to make her husband fall in love with her.
At the minister’s instruction, Jace turned to face Danielle, taking both her hands in his. Bringing each hand up to his lips, he kissed her fingers, then gave her that slow smile that had caught at her heart from the beginning.
When Jace pulled a ring from his pocket, she couldn’t swallow her gasp of delight. Antique gold and beautifully engraved, the simple band slid onto her finger as if it had been made just for her. As it nestled against her small engagement ring, Jace’s husky voice intoned the words she’d longed to hear eleven years ago. “With this ring, I thee wed...”
Blinking rapidly, she struggled to concentrate on the remainder of his vows. The gesture with the ring was so unexpected, so perfect, that her throat closed with her emotions. She’d forgotten just how romantic Jace could be.
“Danielle?”
She raised her gaze to meet his and his slow smile answered her question. He’d planned this, had wanted the moment to be special in spite of everything standing between them. Her heart swelled as she searched his blue eyes.
There was warmth, there was humor, there was kindness.
But no love.
Biting her lip, she forced herself to ignore the disappointment, telling herself they could build on what was between them now.
When he
picked up her right hand and pressed another ring into her grasp, the joy doubled. He had a matching ring for himself. He was willing to brand himself a married man, to advertise to the world that he was hers. Her voice a mere whisper, she haltingly repeated the words that would bind her life to his.
Suddenly, she was certain she was doing the right thing—the only thing possible.
She was marrying the man she was destined to spend the rest of her life with—for better or for worse.
Chapter Eight
The moment he had been anticipating for what seemed an eternity had finally arrived. Danielle was his bride. And very, very soon, he would hold her, explore her body, hear her sighs of pleasure.
Jace watched as Danielle moved around the room, smoothing the bedspread, straightening her hairbrush, closing the closet door. Her movements were slow, sensual, a dance that teased his senses. The soft firelight gave her hair and skin a warm glow.
But the knowledge that she was truly his wife set him on fire.
Her wedding band caught the light, flashing an invitation before her hand swept out to tidy something else.
She was nervous.
Suddenly, Jace found himself wanting to draw out the moment a little longer. Now that he knew he could have her, he found himself in no hurry. They had all night—and after that, the rest of their lives.
“Danielle.”
She turned, waited.
“Come here.”
It was only a second, but he caught her hesitation. When she stood in front of him, her eyes were wide, holding twin reflections of the fire behind him. His gut clenched when he realized just how strong her apprehension was.
He caught her hand and tugged until she relented and tumbled into his lap. With one finger, he traced her lower lip, the soft skin trembling slightly under his caress. “Don’t be afraid of me.”
Then she made the admission that almost stopped his heart. “I’m not. I think I’m more afraid of myself.” Slowly, she laced her arms around his neck. “I want you so badly, Jace.”
The Cowboy Proposes... Marriage? Page 10