Two Hearts Unspoken (Two Hearts Wounded Warrior Book 2)

by Tamara Ferguson

  “Penny, would you mind taking a few pictures?” When Sam smoothly pulled her into his arms, to quickly run through the basic operation of the camera, Penny found it was extremely difficult to concentrate. Leaning back, she suddenly become aware of his shaky indrawn breath. What a relief, she thought—Sam appeared to be just as affected by her as she was by him.

  Sam’s smile was unsteady when he gently twisted her around, gazing intently into her eyes. “We’ll dance later. Okay?”

  With a shaky smile, Penny nodded.

  Reluctantly pulling away, Sam glanced over at his mother. “May I have this dance?” he requested, with obvious tenderness.

  Shirley answered with a radiant smile.

  Gently raising her from her seat and silently offering her his arm, he carefully escorted her out onto the dance floor. For several minutes they drifted along slowly and gracefully, in perfect time to the music.

  Shirley was aglow with happiness when Sam finally returned her to the table. After settling back in her seat, she gazed at her son curiously. “Where in the world did you learn how to dance like that Sam?”

  He smiled, wryly. “Vanessa made me take lessons.”

  “Humph. Probably about the one and only good thing that woman did for you.” Shirley’s tone of voice was uncharacteristically vehement.

  Sam barked out a laugh, appearing astonished by her candor. “Mother—you’re talking about the woman I married. But that’s alright,” he reassured her, turning his eyes back to Penny.

  Appearing uncomfortably indecisive, Penny was aware of her stomach fluttering nervously as Sam continued holding her gaze. She quickly returned her attention to the camera. After snapping several pictures of Sam with his mother, Penny switched her angle and added a few quick shots of Shirley with Craig. With his dark auburn hair only touched by a hint of gray, Craig was the picture of health for a man his age. The contrast between them was evident as Craig cradled Shirley tenderly in his arms, and the pose brought tears to Penny’s eyes.

  Apparently recognizing the disparity of Penny’s thoughts, Sam quickly stood up from the table, in an obvious attempt to distract her. “I’m, most definitely, willing to admit, that I made a huge mistake when I married Vanessa.” Meeting her gaze, he held it reassuringly. “Maybe the biggest mistake of my life,” he whispered into her ear, as he carefully pulled the camera strap from around her neck and laid the camera on the table.

  Craig turned to Shirley, somewhat reluctantly. “Well, sweetheart. I’d say we’ve probably had enough excitement for one day. I’m tired.”

  “Me, too,” Shirley admitted. “It’s been a beautiful day for Jake and Danielle—hasn’t it? I can’t wait to see all of their pictures.”

  After running through a succession of farewells to everyone who was seated nearby, Craig tugged at Shirley’s chair while easing her gently to her feet.

  Penny smiled reassuringly. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” After a shake and a squeeze to Craig’s outstretched hand, Penny wrapped her arms around Shirley and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

  While Craig hovered behind Shirley, Sam wrapped a steadying arm around his mother as they moved slowly through the crowd, and began their escape to the lobby.

  Penny dropped back into her seat at the table. Reaching for assurance, she was sipping on her second glass of champagne when Brian and Dawn returned.

  “Penny. You’ll dance with me, won’t you?” Engaged in another friendly argument with Dawn, Brian was obviously suffering her rejection. Reaching over to grab Penny’s champagne from her hand, he rested the flute on the table.

  Suddenly, a disapproving voice cut in, “Hands off, Brian. She’s gonna dance with me.”

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  Tamara Ferguson

  Multi-Award Winning, International Bestselling Author of 8 #1 Books.

  Contemporary Romance Suspense, New Adult Romance, & Military Romance-

  That Unforgettable Kiss-New Adult Romance

  2015 Romance Reviews Readers’ Choice Award WINNER

  A Touch Of Passion

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