Midnight Marriage by Victoria Bylin

Author:Victoria Bylin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2006-08-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Three hours later, Susanna was sitting next to Rafe in the surrey with Nick in the back seat. The temperature had dropped by twenty degrees, and the clear sky had turned to silver. She smelled snow in the air and huddled under the blanket Rafe had offered from his things. Behind her, Nick was wrapped up in a wool cocoon and talking so much that she wished she’d given him a dose of chamomile to make him sleep. It was painfully obvious that he wanted a mother, and he’d figured out a way to make that happen.

Rafe, tell Dr. Sue about how you captured Frank Benton….

Rafe, tell her how you found me….

Dr. Sue? Did Rafe show you the engraving on the carbine? He draws roses.

Her heart ached for the boy, but she’d endured enough matchmaking to last a lifetime. Every time an eligible bachelor showed up at church, her mother jabbed her in the ribs. As annoying as Abbie could be, Susanna didn’t mind. Her parents had worked hard for their marriage and they wanted her to have the same happiness.

“Dr. Sue?”

She clenched her teeth. “Yes, Nick?”

“Did you know that Rafe can recite whole poems?”

“Is that so?” She tried to sound disinterested, but she glanced at the man sitting next to her. He’d turned up his collar against the cold, but she could see a hint of a smile. Far from being annoyed, he was enjoying Nick’s matchmaking. He’d even winked at her, a sign that he knew what Nick was up to, and that had made her even more uncomfortable.

But why? Rafe LaCroix was all charm and no substance. Never mind that dancing with him had been a joy and his kiss still burned inside her. She had to forget the way he made Nick laugh and the shiver she’d felt when he’d tucked the blanket around her hips. There was no point in losing her heart to a man destined to leave. Except he’d already taken a piece of it. She’d yearned to say yes when he’d asked her to the dance, mostly because she understood the offer for the gift it was. He’d been willing to risk himself for her. It was far more than Tim would ever do. Solid and steady, the rancher would never change.

But Rafe could if he wanted to. It was a matter of facing the past. Her parents had done it, and like them, Susanna believed in a God who offered second chances. If Rafe would tell her the truth about who he was and what he’d done, she could help him set down the chip on his shoulder. It was time to ask a few questions of her own.

“Which poems do you know?” she asked.

Nick piped up. “Do ‘Charge of the Light Brigade.’ That’s my favorite.”

Rafe shook his head. “I’ve got something better for Dr. Sue.”

“Go right ahead,” she said.

“It’s Shakespeare. Sonnet One Hundred and Thirty.” He gave her a long look. “Do you know it?”

“Not offhand.”

With his gaze locked on hers, he made his voice low.

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