by Sandra Field
She’d once found herself face to face with a lion; but she lacked the courage to phone Castlereigh at ten minutes past midnight. Julie showered, pulled on her nightgown and got into bed. If she loved Travis with all her heart, perhaps, just perhaps, he’d fall in love with her.
At quarter past two, on what should have been the first afternoon of his honeymoon, Travis pulled into a fast-food place for lunch. He’d driven south to the New Hampshire border, stopped at a beach on the way back and stared for a long time at the sea, and now he was hungry. A hamburger would do as well as anything.
The restaurant was crowded. He found a table next to a family with children, placed his order and took out the newspaper, with its front page photo of the pile-up in New Hampshire. In a cold funk last night, he’d checked to make sure Julie’s name wasn’t among those dead or hospitalized. He tried to concentrate on a story about lumber tariffs. The baby at the next table was exercising its lungs in competition with the rock music blaring from the overhead speakers. Travis glanced over as the baby’s father lifted the child out of its carrying bed. The screaming stopped. Its lower lip still quivering, the baby gave its father a watery, toothless and utterly charming grin.
That’s all he wanted, Travis thought painfully, watching the mother rummage through a diaper bag and produce a bottle, which she passed over with a quick smile at her husband. He wanted to be a husband and a father. Julie’s husband. Julie, whom he loved more deeply than he’d thought it possible to love anyone.
Sure, he jeered inwardly. That’s all you want. Just heaven and all the stars.
Somehow he’d win her back. His survival depended on it.
The hamburger was excellent, as was his coffee. When he’d finished, Travis stood up, fumbling for his wallet in his back pocket, and weaved his way through the crowded tables to the cash register. The restaurant door was pushed open. A woman walked in and started down the short flight of stairs toward him. He made a choked sound in his throat.
She was wearing the flowered sundress she’d had on the first time he’d seen her. Her hair was a gleaming helmet under the lights. “Julie,” Travis said in a cracked voice.
She looked up and saw him. For a moment she was frozen in place. Then her foot slipped on the step. As she lurched forward, grabbing for the rail, he lunged toward her. She fell into his arms. Bracing himself against her weight, he hugged her to him, joy rising in him like an unstoppable tide. “Julie, darling Julie, are you all right?”
“Yes.” Her arms tightened around his neck, almost choking him. “Oh, Travis, I’m so glad to see you, I love you so much. What are you doing here? Were you looking for me? I’m on my way home, I would have left last night but it was too late. Are you happy to see me?”
He began to laugh helplessly, burying his face in her neck and inhaling the sweet scent of her skin, so familiar and so badly missed. “You’re squashing my larynx and did you say what I thought you said?”
She looked up, her green eyes smiling into his blue ones, her hands sliding down his chest. “I said rather a lot.”
“The important part. That you love me.”
“Yes, I said that. Would you like me to say it again?”
“I would. Just in case I’m dreaming.”
“You’re not dreaming,” she said with a beatific smile. “You don’t know how I’ve longed to be in your arms, I’m so sorry I ran away. I realized afterward that Leonora ran away and left you, too—I shouldn’t have, Travis, but I was so confused and unhappy.”
“Julie,” he said imperiously, “do you love me?”
“Yes, Travis,” she said, “I do.”
“Thank God for that.” Bending his head, he kissed her at some length and with a great deal of pleasure.
A teenage boy at one of the tables gave a shrill whistle; a ripple of laughter ran through the restaurant. “We’ve got an audience,” Julie said.
“Will you marry me?”
Her smile deepened. “This isn’t the most romantic of settings.”
He looked around; a number of the patrons were watching the two of them with interest. He reached down to the nearest table, grabbed the bouquet of pink and yellow artificial flowers and presented it to her with a flourish. Then he brought her free hand to his lips, and with lingering sensuality kissed her fingers one by one. “Dearest Julie, I love you more than I can say. I was a total jerk to push you the way I did and you had every right to run away. If you’ll marry me, you’ll make me happier than I deserve, and I swear I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy.”
“Yes,” she said, “I’ll marry you,” and kissed him very explicitly on the mouth.
There was a burst of applause. Julie dropped a curtsy, her cheeks pink. Travis said, “By Thursday at the latest? Bryce has to go to Hong Kong on Friday.”
“I’ll marry you tomorrow, if you like.”
“Five minutes from now wouldn’t be too soon.” Looking deep into her eyes, he said huskily, “You’re my heart’s desire. Since you left, Leonora, Charles and Bryce have all insisted I was in love with you. But I was the last one to see it. I’m sorry about that.”
“You’re forgiven. I wasn’t too swift in that department myself.” Quickly she told him about her phone calls to the hospital and the police station. “That brought me to my senses. But you weren’t home last night, so I couldn’t tell you.”
“I was at Bryce’s cottage. Missing you every moment of the day and remembering everything we did there.”
“Everything?” Her blush deepened. “Oh Travis, I can’t believe how happy I am.”
“Let’s go home.” He let his gaze wander to her cleavage. “Your place or mine, I don’t care.”
“Actually, I stopped here because I was hungry. I’m eating for two, remember?”
“You could order takeout,” he said. “It’s faster.”
“So you’re in a hurry to get home?” she said innocently.
“In a hurry to take you to bed,” he said. “It feels like forever since we made love.”
“I hope I’m worth waiting for.”
“You are,” Travis said. And she was.
The following afternoon, on the lawn of St. Margaret’s Church, a group of people stood talking among some rather puny rose bushes that could have done with Corinne’s touch. The bride, in a simple white sheath, was carrying a spray of orchids, and looked as radiant as a bride could be. Her husband, tall and debonair in a morning suit, stood close by her side, the sun glancing off his dark hair. The ceremony had been simple, the words both poetic and profound; Travis and Julie were still in their grip.
Charles, also in a morning suit, had already introduced Corinne to Leonora; all three were valiantly making conversation. Julie beckoned her own parents over. “You look lovely, Mum,” she said sincerely.
Pearl’s dress was made of leaf-green linen; her hat was massed with flowers, and her cheeks flushed with excitement. Thomas, unexpectedly handsome in his morning suit, tucked Pearl’s arm into his and said gallantly, “You’re a beautiful bride, Julie. Your wedding photo will be on the bookshelves in the living room beside our own. We bought a new frame for ours, by the way.”
“I can tell that you did, Dad,” Julie said obliquely, hugging her father and kissing her mother.
Pearl said in a rush, “We both want to thank you, Julie. What you said to us was such a shock that it brought us to our senses.” She hesitated, then plunged on. “The way we behaved was never your fault. You see, I always wanted four or five children, but Thomas only wanted one… so I was angry with him all the time. It was years before I found out that I couldn’t have had another child anyway.”
“I shouldn’t have been so stubborn,” Thomas said stiffly.
“Oh, Thomas, neither should I.” Pearl smiled at her daughter with endearing shyness. “It’s as though we’ve cleaned house the last few days, and thrown out all the garbage. It feels wonderful.”
Julie blinked back tears. “You’re both very brave… I’m so proud
of you. Now why don’t you come and meet Travis’s parents?”
Bryce was talking about sailing to Brent, who was on his best behavior, just as though he’d never forced his way into Julie’s bedroom or marooned her on an island. They, too, joined the others. As the conversation became more general, and a move was made toward the church gate, where limousines were waiting to take them to a reception at the city’s finest restaurant, Bryce said to Julie, “I’m glad I was able to be here and meet you, Julie. I know you’ll make Travis very happy.”
She smiled. “You’ve been a good friend to Travis over the years.”
“No more than he to me.” For a moment Bryce’s jaw hardened. “I owe him a lot—I’d have ended up on the streets, if it weren’t for him.”
“Someday you must tell me about that.”
“I will.” He added abruptly, “Any idea why Travis’s sister didn’t show up for the wedding?”
“Jenessa? Not really.” Julie bit her lip. “I know she and Charles don’t get along. But I was hoping to meet her… she doesn’t live very far away.”
“Mean-spirited of her,” Bryce said lightly. “At least Kathy, your matron of honor, is married. So no one’s trying to hook me up with her.”
“Remember that Travis was a confirmed bachelor,” Julie teased.
“The woman’s not born who can get me to the altar,” Bryce said confidently.
“That’s what I thought about myself,” Travis interjected, smiling at his new wife with such love in his eyes that Julie wanted to melt into his arms. “Are you feeling all right, darling?”
“Both of us are fine.”
“Then I think we should head for the reception. Champagne is called for. Our respective families are doing wonders—let’s reward them with Dom Perignon.”
Bryce had gone ahead. Julie said impulsively, “Travis, when your contract’s up in Mexico, would you think of settling in Maine for a while? We’d be nearer to all the grandparents that way.”
He brushed her cheek with his lips. “The thought had crossed my mind—but I’d wondered if you’d be reluctant to give up your travels.”
“Home is where you are,” Julie said simply.
Travis gave her the smile he reserved for her alone. “Leonora’s going to live either in Boston or New York and teach dance… she told me that just before the ceremony.”
“So we could be close to all of them.”
“We could build a summer home on Bear Island, as well. I want our children to run free every summer, just as I did.”
“Children?” Julie repeated, her head to one side. “Aren’t you rushing things a bit?”
“I doubt we’ll be satisfied with one.”
“I suspect you’re right. Travis, it all sounds perfect and I’m so unbelievably happy. I do love you.”
Travis grinned at her. “A few minutes ago, I thanked Brent for bringing you and me together. He took it like a man.”
“That wasn’t very nice of you,” Julie laughed. “We’d better catch up with the others. After all, the sooner we get to the reception, the sooner it’ll be over and we’ll be alone together.”
“So you’re thinking that way, too.”
“I am.”
“Good,” said Travis.