Hearing her name called, she jumped to her feet. She put the baby in the cradle by her chair, then ran into the arms which had not held her since Philippe had left to go to Wilkes-Barre to sell a second pair of colts.
She kissed him with fervor to try to make up for the kisses they had been denied during their days apart. As her fingers stroked the strong sinews along his back, she exulted in having him against her. He smiled and twisted a strand of hair around his fingers.
“I don’t have to ask if you missed me, ma petite.”
She gave him an impish smile. “Lucienne is asleep. Come with me, and I’ll show you exactly how much I missed you.”
“Not yet.”
“Not yet?” Her eyes narrowed as she saw the glimmer of devilment in his. When he moved aside so she could see two people standing behind him, she gasped and stared at the white-haired man and the woman with her hand on his arm. “Papa? Maman?”
She was swept into an embrace which bridged the years of separation. Fingers touched her tear-washed face, and she smiled as her mother asked, “Is she as lovely as she feels?”
Papa’s laugh was the one Lirienne remembered so well. “She looks exactly as you did when you were a young bride.” Turning to Philippe, he asked, “Where is that granddaughter you promised us?”
Lirienne pointed to the cradle as Philippe’s arm went around her shoulders. “Thank you,” she whispered. “How—?”
“It was simple. I sent money for their passage with Giselle when she returned to France with Charmaine.” Tapping her on the nose, he teased, “After all, this isn’t only for you. I need help with the horses. Who better than your papa, Monsieur Gautier?” He grew serious as he added, “I didn’t forget my first vow to you, ma petite. I told you if you’d help me, that I would give your parents a home on my lands.”
She laughed. “Who would have guessed you’d fulfill that promise here?”
Her face was tilted beneath Philippe’s as his mouth covered hers. The thrill of desire surged through her, unstoppable.
He lifted his lips to gaze into her eyes. “Shall we go and welcome your family home?”
“Our family,” she corrected softly. “And our home forever.”
“Forever,” he echoed as he took her hand.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1998 by Jo Ann Ferguson
Cover design by Neil Alexander Heacox
ISBN: 978-1-5040-0891-4
Distributed in 2015 by Open Road Distribution
345 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
www.openroadmedia.com
Destiny's Kiss Page 20