“Hello, Cathy.”
He moved off the porch and approached her. The night was still with bright stars but no moon. She searched his face, but she couldn’t see him clearly. It was just like when she’d first been at his house. Meetings in the dark.
“Stone. This is a surprise.”
He stopped in front of her. “Are you angry?”
“I probably should be, but I’m not.” She took a step toward the house. “Let’s go inside and you can tell me why you’re here.”
“As calmly as that?”
She shrugged. “What did you expect? A scene?”
“No. I suppose you’ve forgotten all about me. I wouldn’t blame you. I don’t deserve more.”
“You’re right, you don’t. Unfortunately I haven’t forgotten. But at least I’ve learned to live without you.” A cool breeze made her shiver. “Come on, it’s cold. Let’s go inside.”
She led the way. Well, he was going to get quite a shock when she took her coat off. The thought was almost enough to make her smile. Whatever he had to say, she would handle it, just like she’d handled everything else recently. She’d learned that she was pretty tough.
She unlocked the door, then reached for the light switch. Stone placed his hand on top of hers. “Please don’t. Not yet anyway.”
“I’ve seen the scars.”
“I know. Humor me.”
He closed the door behind them, and they stood there in the dark.
“I’d ask you to sit down, but I’m afraid we’d both crash into something.” She took a breath, prepared to add something witty yet biting. Something to show how well she’d done without him. But he touched her face. Strong, warm fingers stroked her cheek, and she melted.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, his voice low and husky. “Every day, every hour. I was an incredible fool. You are an amazing woman. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted, and I was so stupid. I lost you. I don’t know if it was pride or anger at myself or guilt. It’s taken a while, but I’ve learned to let go of the past, just like you told me.”
She opened her mouth, but couldn’t speak. Was Stone saying what she thought he was saying? She couldn’t be sure.
“You were right,” he continued. “About everything. Ula was right, too. She said I was an ass, and I was.”
“Ula said that?”
“More than once.”
She felt more than saw him move closer. He cupped her face. “I’ll understand if you’ve moved on and left me behind. Or even if there’s someone else. But if neither is true, would you please give me a chance? I love you, Cathy. I believe I always loved you, but I was afraid to admit it. That business about fixing your life was just an excuse to have you near me and not have to take responsibility for my feelings. I love you. Please come back home with me.”
She couldn’t believe. “Are you really here?” she asked. “Are you really saying these things to me?”
“Yes. All of them. I love you.”
“Oh, Stone.”
She threw herself at him and kissed him. Their bodies pressed together, and in the darkness they clung to each other.
“I love you, too,” she said, pulling back enough to catch her breath. “There’s no one else. How could there be? I gave you my heart and I don’t have it back to give again.” She laughed. “This is so amazing.”
“So you’ll come back?”
She hesitated, not sure what he was asking. “I love you and I want to be with you. But I can’t be a rich man’s mistress. I’ll see you whenever you want, but I’m going to live here. I’ve also gone back to college. I refuse to give that up.”
Stone chuckled. “So I really blew that one, huh? I wasn’t asking you to move in, love, I was proposing. I want you to marry me.”
“Oh.” Marriage? To Stone? “Oh.”
“Oh yes, or oh no?”
Tears flowed again, but this time they were from happiness. “Yes,” she said, and kissed him over and over. “Yes, yes, yes.”
“And if we’re married, you will live in our house, right?”
“Of course.”
“I think college is a great idea. You’ll do well.”
“I already have.”
He laughed.
Cathy leaned against him. Her belly brushed his, and she caught her breath. “Stone, I have something to tell you.”
“I have something to tell you, too.”
“I’d like to go first,” she said.
“Actually so would I.” Before she could protest, he reached behind him and flicked on the light.
She blinked in the sudden brightness, then her gaze focused on his face. Her breath caught in her throat. On the left side of his face, thin pale lines took the place of the ridged scars.
He rubbed the lines self-consciously. “The doctor assures me they’ll fade quickly. I’ll always have a few marks, but nothing like what was there before.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want you to be married to half a man. I want to show you the world. At least what I remember of it. The rest I thought we’d discover together.”
“You’re so beautiful,” she murmured, in shock. “I can’t believe how good-looking you are. Women will be all over you.”
“But I’m yours. For always.”
She touched his face. “I never cared about the scars.”
“I know. That’s one of the reasons I was ready to get rid of them. The other…” He shrugged.
She understood. They had been his strongest ties to the past and he’d let them go. It had been time.
She realized she had to expose her secret, as well. She took a couple of steps back. “I haven’t been eating chocolate again. I know I didn’t tell you when I first found out, and that was wrong. I should have. But it was the day I left and I just couldn’t bear to talk about it. I tried calling a couple of weeks later, but you were gone. I hope you won’t be angry. If you are, if it means you don’t want to marry me, I’ll understand.”
The last bit was a complete lie. She wouldn’t understand at all, but she felt as if she had to give him an out.
She shrugged out of her coat and let it fall to the floor. Stone stared at her belly. “You’re pregnant,” he breathed.
“Five months.”
His expression softened. “A baby. You’re having my baby. A new life and a new chance.” He dropped to his knees and reverently pressed a kiss to her belly. “I’ve been incredibly stupid. Can you ever forgive me?”
“Yes.”
He hugged her tight. She stroked the top of his head. She knew there would be questions later. They weren’t important now. It was enough that they were together.
He rose to his feet and took her hand, then led her to the sofa. “I just want to hold you,” he said. “I’ve been so empty without you.”
She went with him, finding peace in his arms. He placed his hand against her tummy and grinned. “It’s going to be a boy.”
“Oh, please.” She laughed. “That’s just so typically male.”
He hugged her close. “Promise me you’ll never leave me again.”
“I promise.”
“And I promise you forever. I love you. You are the best part of me.”
Cathy rested her head on his shoulder and listened to the steady beat of his heart. Together they’d healed each other and found their peace.
Forever, she thought happily. Now, there was a promise to hold on to.
*
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Books by Susan Mallery
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Tender Loving Care #717
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*Hometown Heartbreakers †Triple Trouble ‡Montana Mavericks: Return to Whitehorn SUSAN MALLERY
lives in sunny Southern California, where the eccentricities of a writer are considered fairly normal. Her books are both reader favorites and bestsellers, with recent titles appearing on the Waldenbooks bestseller list and the USA Today bestseller list. Her 1995 Special Edition novel, Marriage on Demand, was awarded Best Special Edition by Romantic Tunes Magazine.
eISBN-13: 978-1-4603-7810-6
The Millionaire Bachelor
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