think I'll take it up to my room, if you don't mind."
"Go right ahead, but don't forget to come back and swim with me. I'm old, and I need supervision."
His teasing brought an answering smile to her face, a smile that competed with the sun for its brilliance. Her eyes sparkled like the rarest of sapphires, and her exquisite beauty was enough to steal a man's breath.
It was that smile she turned on Luke as he came striding onto the pool deck to join them. It stopped him in his tracks. For a long moment, all he did was stare at her while a high-voltage electrical energy crackled between them.
Susan was sure she'd be singed by the fire that leapt to his eyes. When she was finally able to drag in a steadying breath, she scooped up the dress box and held it defensively in front of her, as though it offered protection from the heat of his gaze.
"I'll take this upstairs and be right back," she managed, leaving them on trembling legs. It was hard to believe how deeply affected she was by nothing more than a searing glance from the man she'd promised to marry. How could she hope to cope with his full attention, when just his undiluted interest left her trembling?
She took the beautiful dress to her room. After washing her hands, she took it from the box, hung it on a padded hanger, and stroked the satin with loving fingers. It had been so long since she’d felt all the normal womanly reactions to pretty clothes and soft fabrics. She’d almost forgotten the pleasure. John's generosity made her feel weepy, but she fought off the melancholy and returned to the pool.
He and Luke were in the water. They'd stretched a volleyball net across one end of the pool and were batting a ball back and forth. John was in excellent condition for a man his age, but Luke was truly awesome, with shoulders that seemed impossibly wide and tightly corded muscles that rippled with his every movement.
John grabbed the ball when it came zinging his way and paused to yell at Susan. "Hey, I need some help here. I'm too old to keep up with this big kid much longer."
She grinned when he referred to Luke as a kid since he was one hundred percent adult male in thinking and physique. "I'll help, but I'm not sure how much," she warned.
The men didn't mind. They seemed to enjoy her company, and she enjoyed theirs as they laughed and teased and played. It was a rare pleasure for her to be part of a family again, even a small one. She couldn't remember the last time she'd actually played a game or laughed so much. She basked in the simple joy of it.
Later, she put together a light meal for the three of them since Rosa didn't work on Sunday. When Luke excused himself from their company to attend to paperwork, John spent a couple hours trying to teach her how to play chess. She'd always admired the older man, but the more time she spent with him, the more she grew to like him.
It was nearly ten o'clock when they put away the chess set. John said it was past his bedtime, and he'd stick his head in the office to tell Luke they were calling it a night. She worried a little about her future husband's reluctance to spend time with her, but refused to dwell on it too much. For the second night in a row, she went sound asleep within minutes of climbing into bed.
On Monday morning, Luke took her to Doctor Peters' office for a checkup while he ran some errands. Then they had blood drawn, went to the courthouse to file for their marriage license, and headed back to the ranch. Susan was relieved they didn’t run into anyone they knew too well.
Reverend Thompson came to the ranch in the afternoon, counseled them on the ups and downs of married life and then scheduled the wedding service for early Friday evening.
When he left, they remained in the ranch office for a few minutes. The room was big and sparsely furnished with a desk, some file cabinets, and three brown leather chairs. The carpet and furniture were serviceable so any dirt
"Go right ahead, but don't forget to come back and swim with me. I'm old, and I need supervision."
His teasing brought an answering smile to her face, a smile that competed with the sun for its brilliance. Her eyes sparkled like the rarest of sapphires, and her exquisite beauty was enough to steal a man's breath.
It was that smile she turned on Luke as he came striding onto the pool deck to join them. It stopped him in his tracks. For a long moment, all he did was stare at her while a high-voltage electrical energy crackled between them.
Susan was sure she'd be singed by the fire that leapt to his eyes. When she was finally able to drag in a steadying breath, she scooped up the dress box and held it defensively in front of her, as though it offered protection from the heat of his gaze.
"I'll take this upstairs and be right back," she managed, leaving them on trembling legs. It was hard to believe how deeply affected she was by nothing more than a searing glance from the man she'd promised to marry. How could she hope to cope with his full attention, when just his undiluted interest left her trembling?
She took the beautiful dress to her room. After washing her hands, she took it from the box, hung it on a padded hanger, and stroked the satin with loving fingers. It had been so long since she’d felt all the normal womanly reactions to pretty clothes and soft fabrics. She’d almost forgotten the pleasure. John's generosity made her feel weepy, but she fought off the melancholy and returned to the pool.
He and Luke were in the water. They'd stretched a volleyball net across one end of the pool and were batting a ball back and forth. John was in excellent condition for a man his age, but Luke was truly awesome, with shoulders that seemed impossibly wide and tightly corded muscles that rippled with his every movement.
John grabbed the ball when it came zinging his way and paused to yell at Susan. "Hey, I need some help here. I'm too old to keep up with this big kid much longer."
She grinned when he referred to Luke as a kid since he was one hundred percent adult male in thinking and physique. "I'll help, but I'm not sure how much," she warned.
The men didn't mind. They seemed to enjoy her company, and she enjoyed theirs as they laughed and teased and played. It was a rare pleasure for her to be part of a family again, even a small one. She couldn't remember the last time she'd actually played a game or laughed so much. She basked in the simple joy of it.
Later, she put together a light meal for the three of them since Rosa didn't work on Sunday. When Luke excused himself from their company to attend to paperwork, John spent a couple hours trying to teach her how to play chess. She'd always admired the older man, but the more time she spent with him, the more she grew to like him.
It was nearly ten o'clock when they put away the chess set. John said it was past his bedtime, and he'd stick his head in the office to tell Luke they were calling it a night. She worried a little about her future husband's reluctance to spend time with her, but refused to dwell on it too much. For the second night in a row, she went sound asleep within minutes of climbing into bed.
On Monday morning, Luke took her to Doctor Peters' office for a checkup while he ran some errands. Then they had blood drawn, went to the courthouse to file for their marriage license, and headed back to the ranch. Susan was relieved they didn’t run into anyone they knew too well.
Reverend Thompson came to the ranch in the afternoon, counseled them on the ups and downs of married life and then scheduled the wedding service for early Friday evening.
When he left, they remained in the ranch office for a few minutes. The room was big and sparsely furnished with a desk, some file cabinets, and three brown leather chairs. The carpet and furniture were serviceable so any dirt
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