by Jane Toombs
Zed said, “Imagine the time as shortly before Karen and I were to be married—for all the wrong reasons, or so we both believed. Talal had the wits to see this and to do something to alter it. I’d confessed to him my deep love for my reluctant bride, so when we were all gathered in this room, he asked if I’d ever thought to tell Karen how I felt.”
“He hadn’t, of course,” Karen put in.
“But with my brother’s urging, I blurted it out then and there,” Zed admitted.
“Then Talal turned on me,” Karen said, “and asked me the same question—did I love Zed and had I ever told him so?”
Zed smiled at her. “She’d kept it a well-concealed secret.”
Karen took his hand. “It was secret no more, after that.”
Talal looked at Jade. “You were a witness. Do you remember the occasion?”
Apprehension choked her, but she managed to mumble, “Yes.” What was all this in aid of?
Talal focused on Nathan. “As unwitting eavesdroppers, we all heard you propose marriage to Jaida earlier today. Why did you? You must think about what your real reason was before you answer.”
She felt Nathan tense beside her and opened her mouth to protest.
Talal forestalled her. “Jaida, are you willing to uphold what is now a family tradition, or do you intend to go on being your usual argumentative self? Pride can sometimes be a virtue, but more often it closes doors. You refused Nathan’s offer. He will now make it again and you must scuttle that troublesome Zohir pride and answer him honestly.”
All eyes focused on Nathan, but he, turning to Jade, looked only at her. She saw him swallow convulsively.
“I love you,” he said hoarsely. “It’s been a long incubation period, but the bug finally conquered me. I’m in love with what may be the stubbornnest woman in Nevada, maybe the entire country, and there’s no way I’m ever going to get over it.” He took her hand. “Will you marry me, Jade?”
Almost too overcome to speak, she fumbled for words. “I... you...” Getting hold of herself, she said, “And you think I’m stubborn? Why didn’t you tell me that in the first place? I’ve probably been in love with you from the moment you first stepped out of that red Jeep with its crazy snowplow attachment, only I wouldn’t admit it to myself until lately. Of course I’ll marry you.”
She looked away from him, her gaze traveling over her jubilant relatives. “In fact, maybe we’d better elope right now.”
As Nathan pulled her into his arms and kissed her, she heard Karen say, “Not on your life, girl. You planned my wedding—now it’s my turn.”
Then Jade was caught up in the wonder and passion of the love they shared and there was no one but Nathan.
They were married in September, close to Linnea’s due date, so she made a very pregnant matron-of- honor, sharing the the responsibility with Karen. Surrounded by her family, Jade felt a renewed closeness to them all.
Yet she knew when she walked up the aisle, flanked by her twin brothers who would be giving her away, that she’d renounce the entire world for the man who waited for her at the altar. Love struck when you least expected it, and when it did, it was for keeps.
Tim, the proud ring bearer, kept his cool until after the ceremony ended and the groom was told he might kiss the bride. At this point, Tim faced the guests and announced proudly, “That’s my mama and daddy kissing.”
Which they would legally be very soon.
At the reception Laura took Jade aside. “I’m so happy Nathan came to his senses,” she said. “I knew as soon as I met you that you were right for him, and I was so afraid he wouldn’t let go of his bitterness. I hope you’ll forgive me for telling you he’d never marry again. How glad I am to be wrong!”
“I’m as glad as you are that you were wrong,” Jade told her. “And I hope now that your brother has shown you the way, you’ll give some thought to giving marriage a try.”
Laura’s smile faded and she shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Someone else came up before Jade could continue her conversation with her new sister-in-law, and in the flurry of congratulations and wishes for happiness, she forgot about Laura.
Later she heard Karen teasing her brother, saying if Nathan had the guts to stand up to bat again, why didn’t Steve consider giving the marriage game a second chance?
“I can’t imagine any circumstance where I’d be willing to marry again,” Steve told her. “Give it a rest, sis.” He turned to Jade, asking, “So where are you going to live? I understand it posed a problem.”
“Gert—she’s a colleague of Nathan’s—found us the perfect house in Tourmaline. It’s an old Victorian in need of TLC but livable while we’re having it returned to its glory days. Nathan and I adore the house and so does Tim—he and the cat enjoy all those funny little nooks and crannies.”
“How about that fantastic place of yours up at the lake?”
“I’m keeping it for now. A friend of Zed’s will be renting it for the next year while he builds along the lake, then we’ll see.”
“I almost envy you,” Steve said. “But not enough to get caught in the trap myself.”
When Steve moved on, Tim said to her, “What did he mean about a trap?”
“He said that because he doesn’t understand,” she told Tim. “You and I and Nathan know the truth.”
“About what?”
“About love, silly.”
“Oh, yeah—that.”
Jade smiled as Nathan appeared. He ruffled Tim’s hair and put an arm around her.
She looked up into her husband’s eyes, more blue than the Nevada sky, and said, “Remember the time you refused to write a prescription for me because you knew it wasn’t necessary? What if I asked you for an unwritten one now, a prescription for happiness?”
He brushed his fingers over her lips. “Any doctor worthy of the name knows that love is the best medicine to guarantee being happy. And, hey, we got that already.”
Look for Jane Toombs’s next book,
DESIGNATED DADDY,
coming in September,
available only from
Silhouette Special Edition.
ISBN : 978-1-4592-6012-2
ACCIDENTAL PARENTS
Copyright © 1999 by Jane Toombs
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Jade wished she had someone to reassure her that she wasn’t making a mistake by
Letter to Reader
Dedication
Books by Jane Toombs
About the Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Teaser chapter
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