Over the years he’d learned the value of timing, and he knew that picking the right moment to tell Melanie how he felt about her was critical. He’d considered talking to her during their last night together. He had confessed his feelings, in fact, but she obviously hadn’t realized that he’d meant exactly what he’d said.
No doubt she’d thought that his all yours statement had been made in the heat of the moment. Other men might throw those words around when they had sex with a woman, but he never had. She couldn’t know that, though.
Thank God she’d taken his suggestion of flying home with him. Had she insisted on going commercial, he would have had to do that, too. It would have been ugly, but he would have done it.
She was such an independent little critter, and he loved that about her, but damn, he would have liked her to take home all the clothes Josette had picked out. She’d refused. Maybe it didn’t matter, because she’d get them eventually, unless everything went horribly wrong between them.
She boarded his corporate jet wearing the same outfit, she’d had on the morning he’d first seen her, although it had been freshly washed by his staff. It reminded him of what had attracted him in the first place—a woman who’d grabbed the chance to experience awe. From now on, if he had anything to say about it, she would have someone there to share the awesome moments.
Because they’d been awake most of the night, they both slept for the first few hours. Drew encouraged that. He wanted her to be rested when he broached the all-important topic of where they went from here.
He woke before she did and lay in the reclining seat gazing at her. She’d won his heart without even trying. She’d won it by being herself, a person who wasn’t dazzled by his wealth and didn’t expect him to shower her with material things. He’d never in a million years thought he’d fall for a cowgirl, but there it was. He had.
She made him laugh, and even better, he made her laugh, too. They’d connected in a way he never had with the socialites he’d dated his entire adult life. Had finding the right woman been simply a matter of moving out of his social circle?
No, he didn’t believe that. Materialistic women existed in all parts of society. Those who shared his values existed at all levels, too. He’d met a few, but they’d been friends, not lovers. A combination of shared values and unbelievable chemistry didn’t come along every day. It had never happened to him. Until Melanie.
She opened sleepy eyes and caught him staring at her. For one precious moment, warmth that mirrored his shone from those gray depths. Then, as if she was censoring the emotion, her gaze gentled to friendliness.
“Good dreams?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“About me?”
“Egotist! I’m not telling.” She grinned at him.
He had his answer. She’d been dreaming about him, and the glow of happiness in her eyes when she’d first opened them gave him hope. “Ready to eat?”
“You know it.”
He’d looked forward to offering her the gourmet food onboard his plane, and she was gratifyingly appreciative of the cheese soufflé, glazed fruit, and steamed veggies. The chocolate lava cake, though, sent her over the moon.
She leaned close. “It’s almost better than sex,” she murmured with a furtive glance at Suzanne, the cabin attendant.
“Almost.” He winked at her. “But not quite.”
“No, not quite.” Her smile flashed, but she looked away quickly, as if not wanting to meet his gaze.
Hm. He hadn’t considered this trip from her point of view, but now he realized it could seem like slow torture, a long, excruciating good-bye. That wasn’t fair, when he had a totally different scenario in mind. He put down his spoon. “It’s not over, Melanie.”
“You mean lunch? There’s more?” But then she met his gaze, and saw how serious he was. All merriment left her expression. “Yes, it is. We both know that, so you don’t have to pretend. I was happy to accept your offer of a ride home, but when we get there, we’ll each move back into our respective worlds. It’s okay. I completely understand.”
“No, you don’t. I—”
“I’m grateful for all we’ve shared. You’re a wonderful host. You showed me Paris as no one else could have, and I’ll never forget it.”
“You’re talking as if we’ll never see each other again!”
“I doubt that we will.” Her expression seemed absolutely blank. Was she protecting her feelings? Or was she actually as okay with that idea as she sounded?
He’d expected an argument, but not this solid wall of resistance. And his timing sucked. He’d started this discussion while they both sat, seat belts fastened, so they could eat a messy chocolate lava cake. Worse yet, Suzanne hovered within earshot.
He called over to the flight attendant. “Suzanne, would you please take our trays? Keep the deserts warm. We’ll finish them later. And please give us some privacy.”
Melanie glanced at him in alarm. “What’s wrong?”
“Everything.” Once the trays were gone he unbuckled his seat belt and got up. Then he crouched down in front of Melanie’s chair. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment to talk to you, but I didn’t stop to think that you’d spend the whole blessed flight anticipating the end of our relationship.”
She lifted her chin. “I’m not, either. I had a nice nap, and a wonderful meal. I promise you I’m not brooding about what happens after we land.”
“No, you wouldn’t do that.” He took both her hands in his. “You’re not a brooder. It’s one of the many things that I love about you.”
Her eyes grew wide and she began to tremble. “Drew . . .”
He forged on. Might as well lay all his cards on the table. “I love other things, too, like the way you really look at the world around you with wonder in your eyes, and your fierce independence, and your spirit of adventure, and your lack of concern about luxury, and the way you react to me in bed.”
She stared at him as her whole body quivered.
He gripped her hands more tightly. “I love you, Melanie Shaw. I never thought I’d fall in love with a cowgirl, but it looks like I have. I began to love you that first morning, and that love has grown stronger every hour of every day we’ve spent together. But I knew you wouldn’t believe me if I said that too soon, so I’ve been hoping to find a moment when this speech would make sense to you.” He searched her expression for some sign, some flicker of understanding. “I’m powerfully afraid this isn’t that moment.”
She blinked. “You love me?”
“Yes. I know it’s fast, darlin’, but I’m a fast mover. I don’t expect you to love me back, at least not yet. All I ask is a chance. Just . . .” His throat closed with fear as he realized how much was at stake. “Just give me a chance.”
She continued to gaze at him without speaking.
He waited, massaging her cold hands, letting her see the caring in his expression, and praying that she would accept that he was not a raving lunatic, just a man in love.
The light in her gray eyes was faint at first, and he almost missed it. Then it grew brighter, and he felt the pressure of her hands clutching his. Heart pounding, he watched her expression change from disbelief to tentative hope.
“I love you,” he murmured again.
Her smile began slowly, and as it widened, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
“Do you believe me?”
Still not speaking, she swallowed and nodded.
“Will you give me a chance?”
“Oh, Drew.” Her voice was hoarse with emotion. “You don’t need any more chances. You had me the minute you ran after those muggers.”
“I did?”
“Of course! Didn’t anyone ever tell you a woman loves a knight in shining armor?”
“I wasn’t trying to be—”
“I know.” She pulled her hands from his and cupped his face. “And that’s why I love you.”
She loved him. He felt the tightness in his chest give way as warmth flowed in. She hadn’t known about his money, and she hadn’t been looking to cash in on her relationship with him. She’d been taken by his effort to protect her not with his money but with his strength. She loved him.
She leaned closer. “Do you believe me?”
“Yes.” He was grinning like an idiot and couldn’t stop doing it. “You know this means we’re getting married, right?” Then he winced. What a boneheaded proposal. He was not bringing his A-game.
“My mama and daddy will like that.”
“What about you? Will you like that?”
“You mean will I like sleeping in your bed every night and making love whenever we feel like it?”
He chuckled. “Among other things. Listen, I can give you a much better proposal than this. You don’t have to say yes yet. Let me get the ring and do it up right.”
“Good grief. Never mind all that drama. My answer is yes, I will like being married to you. I will like it very much.”
“Good. I’ll slip the ring under your pillow some night after we’ve had lots of good sex. How about that?”
“Sure. Whatever.”
“You don’t care about the ring?” He should have known that, too.
“I only care about you.” She met his gaze.
“And that’s why I’m the luckiest man on Earth.”
“And I’m the luckiest woman. I guess that takes care of everything, huh?”
“Almost.” He reached for her seat belt and unbuckled it. “Except for the kissing part. Please stand up. My knees are killing me.”
Laughing, she let him pull her up and into his arms. Their kiss was long and heartfelt, punctuated by more murmured words of love. It lasted until the plane lurched and Suzanne came back to advise them of turbulence.
Drew held Melanie close for one second more and gazed into her eyes. “There’s so much to talk about—whether we want kids, where we’ll live, the size of the wedding, where we should go on our honeymoon . . .”
“We have a long plane ride. We’ll figure it out. But I know where I want to go on our honeymoon.”
“Bali? Tahiti?”
She shook her head. “Paris. There’s this small hotel there, and—”
“I can’t think of anything better.” He supposed at some point in his life he’d been this happy, but if so, he couldn’t remember when.
Epilogue
It was a three-margarita night when Melanie met her friends Astrid Lindberg and Valerie Wolitzky at Stetsons & Golden Spurs, their favorite watering hole in downtown Dallas. Two weeks earlier, Drew had joined them so Val could meet the paragon Melanie planned to marry, and Astrid could get reacquainted with the childhood friend she hadn’t seen in years. But tonight was just for the girls. Melanie wanted to show them the antique ring Drew had given her, which was perfect and so much better than a huge rock. And meanwhile, Astrid said she needed some advice on her own love life.
The three friends went back a long way. They’d met and bonded their freshman year at a small college in east Texas. They’d joined the same sorority, and because they were all only children, they’d cherished the sense of sisterhood more than most. After graduation, they’d stayed close. Val, the only one who wasn’t from the Dallas area, had deliberately taken a job with a Dallas law firm so she wouldn’t lose touch with her buddies.
Melanie’s wedding plans took up most of the first round of drinks. They discussed dress designs, venues, and the bachelorette party. Because Melanie was the first to get engaged, they spent part of the time on their phones doing internet research on current wedding fashions.
By the second round of margaritas, Astrid began to open up about her problems. Blonde and petite, she didn’t look like anyone’s idea of a large-animal vet, but she loved the work. She also came from money and was expected to marry a wealthy man. She was currently dating Edward, who had all the right credentials.
“My mother loves him,” Astrid said. “So does my father. Edward fits into my family beautifully. And he’s a nice guy. I just . . .”
“What?” Val, a redhead with an eccentric sense of style, leaned forward. “Is he terrible in bed?”
Astrid shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Melanie stared at her. “You’re practically engaged to the guy. You haven’t kicked the tires?”
“He hasn’t pushed for that, and neither have I. I don’t . . . like how he kisses.”
Val threw up her hands. “Don’t you dare marry him. Mark my words, a bad kisser is going to be a nightmare between the sheets. Somebody needs to educate this guy, but not you. And some men are tone-deaf when it comes to these things. Edward could be one of those.”
“But my parents are wild to have him as their son-in-law.”
Melanie laughed. “Yeah, but they don’t have to go to bed with him. Val’s right. Back in the Dark Ages, women had to make a bad match for the good of the family. Those days are gone.”
“Maybe it’s me.” Astrid polished off her drink. “Maybe I’m a cold fish.”
“You are not.” Val smirked. “We remember what you were like in college. You have the soul of a seductress, chica. You just need the right Zorro to light your fire.”
“Like Fletch.” Astrid gazed dreamily into her empty glass.
“Who?” Melanie leaned forward. “Who’s Fletch?”
Astrid glanced up, startled. “Oh, nobody. Just a client. He’s the one with the mare who’s having a rough time.”
“A client.” Val nodded wisely. “Methinks he’s a sexy client. Tell us more.”