Read Online Saxon's Lady by Stephanie Janes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stephanie Janes
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good colt for sale down there, too. I thought we'd have a look at it while we're in the area. Doesn't that seem reasonable?"
"You're going to spend my honeymoon buying property and horses?"
"I told you," he said earnestly, "there's no reason we can't kill two birds with one stone."
"Let's get one thing clear, Garth Saxon. I do not intend to kill any birds on my honeymoon. I don't like the sound of your wedding plans. I'm going to scrap all of them, from Bev Middleton's lunch to the honeymoon."
Garth felt himself grow suddenly, searingly cold. He realized he was gripping the wheel of the pickup as though it were a life preserver. He'd been so certain it was finally settled between them. "Devon, what the hell's the matter with you? I thought we'd worked this out. You know you're going to marry me."
"If marriage is what you want, Garth, marriage is what you'll get. But we'll do it my way."
He snapped a forbidding glance at her and discovered her soft mouth was set in a very firm line. "What, precisely, do you mean by your way?" he asked evenly.
"Well, for starters, I don't like the sound of a quickie wedding with only a few close relatives in attendance. Tacky. And the thought of Bev Middleton cooking up a mess of gray-green beans and roast beef for the wedding lunch is enough to make me nauseated in advance. I like Bev, but I don't care for her cooking. And last but by no means least, I have no interest in a weekend honeymoon on the coast, where I'll get to amuse myself trailing around after you watching you look at land or horses."
"But, Devon..."
"I'll take over the planning of the wedding. And I'll need at least a month."
"A month! "
"That's right. I'll need that long to get out the invitations and plan the menu for the reception. I am not having green beans and beef at my wedding party."
"Devon, this is getting ridiculous."
"It gets better," she promised him. "I think we'll go to Hawaii for our honeymoon."
"Hawaii!"
"Don't worry, we might be able to find a ranch on Hawaii for you to look at. We'll also find volcanoes and beaches and palm trees and luxury hotels. We'll be a few thousand miles from Hawk Springs and you won't be able to concentrate on anything except us."
"Devon, I told you, I can't just take off like that."
"Of course you can. You're just not used to the idea of taking a real vacation."
"Honey, be reasonable," he pleaded, "If we do things my way they'll be a whole lot simpler."
"They'll also be a whole lot less interesting. I want a big wedding celebration and a real honeymoon. Don't worry, Garth, I'll handle everything. You won't have to do a thing except show up on time."
She was serious, he realized. Devon was dead set on making a big production out of an event he had always assumed could be handled with the minimum of fuss and disruption. This past year had caused enough disruption in his life, as far as he was concerned. All he wanted to do now was get Devon legally bound to him and settled in at the ranch so that they could get on with their lives.
Now, here she was, making things difficult.
But at least she wasn't trying to wriggle out of the marriage altogether, he reminded himself. With that realization, Garth was aware of a giant wave of relief washing over him. For a few minutes there, he'd thought she was about to tell him she'd changed her mind about marrying him altogether. He'd been terribly afraid her inner uncertainty had gotten the best of her desire for him. Garth had been aware of the tightrope he was walking from the moment he'd arrived in San Francisco and found her looking so sophisticated and at ease in that singles bar. He could only be grateful that the latest stumbling block she'd placed in his path was relatively small.
"You're sure you want to go through all the hassle of a big wedding and a trip to Hawaii?" he asked Finally .
Devon heard the resigned acceptance in his voice and smiled to herself. Already she was feeling much better. The trick to dealing
"You're going to spend my honeymoon buying property and horses?"
"I told you," he said earnestly, "there's no reason we can't kill two birds with one stone."
"Let's get one thing clear, Garth Saxon. I do not intend to kill any birds on my honeymoon. I don't like the sound of your wedding plans. I'm going to scrap all of them, from Bev Middleton's lunch to the honeymoon."
Garth felt himself grow suddenly, searingly cold. He realized he was gripping the wheel of the pickup as though it were a life preserver. He'd been so certain it was finally settled between them. "Devon, what the hell's the matter with you? I thought we'd worked this out. You know you're going to marry me."
"If marriage is what you want, Garth, marriage is what you'll get. But we'll do it my way."
He snapped a forbidding glance at her and discovered her soft mouth was set in a very firm line. "What, precisely, do you mean by your way?" he asked evenly.
"Well, for starters, I don't like the sound of a quickie wedding with only a few close relatives in attendance. Tacky. And the thought of Bev Middleton cooking up a mess of gray-green beans and roast beef for the wedding lunch is enough to make me nauseated in advance. I like Bev, but I don't care for her cooking. And last but by no means least, I have no interest in a weekend honeymoon on the coast, where I'll get to amuse myself trailing around after you watching you look at land or horses."
"But, Devon..."
"I'll take over the planning of the wedding. And I'll need at least a month."
"A month! "
"That's right. I'll need that long to get out the invitations and plan the menu for the reception. I am not having green beans and beef at my wedding party."
"Devon, this is getting ridiculous."
"It gets better," she promised him. "I think we'll go to Hawaii for our honeymoon."
"Hawaii!"
"Don't worry, we might be able to find a ranch on Hawaii for you to look at. We'll also find volcanoes and beaches and palm trees and luxury hotels. We'll be a few thousand miles from Hawk Springs and you won't be able to concentrate on anything except us."
"Devon, I told you, I can't just take off like that."
"Of course you can. You're just not used to the idea of taking a real vacation."
"Honey, be reasonable," he pleaded, "If we do things my way they'll be a whole lot simpler."
"They'll also be a whole lot less interesting. I want a big wedding celebration and a real honeymoon. Don't worry, Garth, I'll handle everything. You won't have to do a thing except show up on time."
She was serious, he realized. Devon was dead set on making a big production out of an event he had always assumed could be handled with the minimum of fuss and disruption. This past year had caused enough disruption in his life, as far as he was concerned. All he wanted to do now was get Devon legally bound to him and settled in at the ranch so that they could get on with their lives.
Now, here she was, making things difficult.
But at least she wasn't trying to wriggle out of the marriage altogether, he reminded himself. With that realization, Garth was aware of a giant wave of relief washing over him. For a few minutes there, he'd thought she was about to tell him she'd changed her mind about marrying him altogether. He'd been terribly afraid her inner uncertainty had gotten the best of her desire for him. Garth had been aware of the tightrope he was walking from the moment he'd arrived in San Francisco and found her looking so sophisticated and at ease in that singles bar. He could only be grateful that the latest stumbling block she'd placed in his path was relatively small.
"You're sure you want to go through all the hassle of a big wedding and a trip to Hawaii?" he asked Finally .
Devon heard the resigned acceptance in his voice and smiled to herself. Already she was feeling much better. The trick to dealing
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