by Jean Barrett
“Samantha is keeping it in the family as her grandfather wanted,” Roark told them. “It’ll be operated under the direction of the Western Museum, which will keep it open to educate the public on ranching in Texas. Place should be of real interest now that the longhorns are in place. As for the fossils in the ravine, they’ll be responsibly excavated by professionals. The profits from them will benefit everyone, including the St. James Monastery. It’s all Samantha’s idea.”
“Speaking of which,” Casey said matter-of-factly, nodding in the direction of the driveway, “here’s your bride now. Safe and sound, just like we all told you she would be.”
Roark was off the porch as if shot from a cannon and racing toward the driveway where Samantha had just emerged from her car. She looked radiant in a silky full-skirted creamy affair, with flowers woven through her lustrous chestnut hair. And he was furious with her. Which it was difficult to be since the smile she directed at him was doing exciting things to his heart, never mind several other areas of his body.
“Where the devil have you been?” he thundered when he reached her, taking her hands in both of his just to be sure she was really here and still belonged to him.
“Why, just down the road, of course,” she said mildly.
“I’ve been sick with worry.”
“I’m sorry, darling. You were so busy thanking Wendell for his legwork and for taking all those photographs that I didn’t want to interrupt. But I told Ramona where I was going and why. Didn’t she give you my message?”
“Ramona,” he informed her in exasperation, “is in no state to remember anything. Ernie arrived just after you disappeared, and he wasn’t alone. The director of the Western Museum was with him.”
“His father?” Samantha said, her eyes glowing with pleasure. “You mean he’s finally recognized his son?”
“Looks like it. Anyway, the three of them are over on the other side of the yard engaged in a family reunion. Down the road? Where down the road?”
“The cemetery. It was all the flowers here. I looked around and decided that it couldn’t wait, that I had to take some and lay them on his grave.”
“Your grandfather,” Roark said, beginning to understand her errand.
“It was time to make peace with him, lay all the ghosts to rest. I knew suddenly that I had to do that before we were married, a clean start, and it was something I had to do alone. Did I do the right thing?”
“Yes, you did the right thing.” Roark drew her toward him, releasing her hands in order to gather her into his arms. “You are one hell of a woman, Samantha Howard, and I am the luckiest guy in Texas.”
He kissed her long and deeply, demonstrating his love for her with every nuance of his body molded to hers. There was no telling how much more he would have eagerly expressed, and in what manner, if they hadn’t been interrupted by the husky voice of his eldest brother, Devlin.
“I think as best man it’s my duty to point out to you that all this is supposed to wait until after you’ve exchanged the ‘I do’s.”
Roark reluctantly ended the kiss and swung around to face his grinning brother. “Bad timing, Dev. Okay, lead the way then so we can take care of that little formality.”
He was suddenly impatient to have the ceremony and banquet ended and all of them gone so he could carry his wife into their bedroom, where he hoped to get a start on that brood of their own.
Meanwhile, he thought, catching up Samantha’s willing hand in his own and hurrying her in the direction of the arbor, he would have to be content with an exchange of their vows sealed by a kiss that he intended to be a promise of forever.
Come to think of it, that wasn’t such a bad thing to settle for.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-4093-3
COWBOY PI
Copyright © 2003 by Jean Barrett
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* The Hawke Detective Agency