Shattered
Page 33
He put a hand to her lips. “I understand you may want us to spend more time getting to know each other and letting the boys get to know me, before we take that step. But—”
“I’m pregnant,” she blurted.
Shaw’s jaw dropped.
“How did that happen?”
“You should know,” she said. “You were there.”
“We haven’t made love since the first night you spent with me,” Wyatt protested.
“Then I guess your record is perfect.”
Wyatt grinned. “Will you marry me, Kate?”
“As soon as you can get out of this bed.”
He sat up and winced. “Just give me a couple of days—”
She put a hand on his arm and said, “Stay where you are. I’ll join you.” She hitched herself up onto the bed and lay down beside him, spooned with her back to his front.
He put his hand over her belly and said, “It’s hard to believe you already have our baby growing inside you. I’m glad, Kate.”
“Me, too.”
“This must be what it’s like at the end of those romances you read,” Wyatt murmured.
“Hmm?” she said, pushing her rump against Wyatt’s hips.
Wyatt laughed. “This definitely feels like happily ever after.”
Epilogue
It was a small wedding. The bride wore white and carried a bouquet of lilies. The groom wore a tux and a broad, happy smile. The best man wore a navy-blue suit and kept trying to loosen the unfamiliar Windsor knot around his neck.
“Doesn’t Jack look handsome up there beside the groom?” Holly said to Kate.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jack in a suit and tie,” Kate said with a grin. “I didn’t know he owned one.”
Wyatt leaned past the twins and Ryan, who were sitting between him and Kate and said, “Shh. The minister’s about to start the vows.”
“Do you Grace Elizabeth Caldwell take Breed Grayhawk to be your lawfully wedded husband…”
Kate played with the beautiful sapphire and diamond ring on her left hand as she listened to Grace and Breed exchange their wedding vows. She and Wyatt had gotten married in a small church ceremony in Austin the day he left the hospital. She was halfway through her pregnancy and knew that she was carrying a little girl. She hadn’t told Wyatt. He wanted to be surprised.
Breed’s father, King Grayhawk, had walked Grace down the aisle. His leukemia was in remission and he was doing well, much better than Ryan, who was still fighting the disease.
The Grayhawk clan—born to three different mothers—weren’t close, but King had summoned them to Breed’s wedding. And they’d all come: North, his wife, Joss, and their son and four daughters; Kate’s mother, Libby, and father, Clay, and their children, Houston, Dallas and baby Austin; and King’s Brats, Taylor, Gray and Victoria. From Matthew, there had been no word.
“You may kiss the bride,” the minister said at last.
Kate met Wyatt’s intent, gray-eyed gaze over the children’s heads and smiled. She leaned toward him, he leaned toward her, and their lips met. It hadn’t been easy finding each other, but Kate had become a firm believer in fairy tale endings.
They didn’t need the words, but they said them anyway.
“I love you, Kate.”
“And I love you, Wyatt.”
And they lived happily ever after…
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Some books seem to write themselves. Others fight back. This novel was a mixture of the two, a joy and a trial. I want to thank my editor, Linda McFall, for her patient support and guidance as I figured out how to write this very different story.
As always, I want to thank my writer friends—you know who you are—for lending a sympathetic, educated ear and offering helpful suggestions. I also want to thank my publicist, Sally Schoeneweiss, of Talk Ink, Inc. for helping me get the word out when a book hits the shelves.
Finally, I want to thank you, the reader, for always coming back for the next book. It was your demand for Kate and Jack’s story that led me to write Kate’s story and Jack’s story. If you want to read more about the Blackthornes and Grayhawks, look for The Cowboy, The Texan and The Loner, in stores now.
Watch for Invincible, the next book in my Benedict Brothers/Taggart men series, coming in September 2010.
I appreciate hearing your comments and suggestions. You can reach me at www.joanjohnston.com. Be sure to sign up on the mailing list at my Web site if you’d like to receive an e-mail or postcard when the next book is in stores.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-4591-8
SHATTERED
Copyright © 2010 by Joan Johnston.
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