Page 31 of May I Kiss the Bride
Viola’s gray eyes stared into his own. He’d have given a right arm and possibly one of his legs to know what was going on in that brain of hers. “This is unexpected, Rey.”
“Is it? In a good way, or a bad way?”
She smiled then, and his heart soared with hope. “In a good way. I don’t know what you see in me, sir, but there’s no other man in the world I’d rather be courted by than you.”
Rey moved his hand to her face and ran his thumb along her jaw. “I see my future in you, dearest Viola.”
Her eyelashes fluttered as he moved his hand behind her neck. “It looks like we’re in agreement.” She ran her hands up his chest, then looped her arms behind his neck, pulling him down.
He obliged.
“I think we should shake on our agreement,” she whispered.
Their faces were only inches apart, and he could barely think beyond the words coming from her lips. “Shake hands? I have a much better idea.”
“What’s your idea?”
“This.”
Rey kissed her then, because how could he not? He was no greenhorn, and neither was Viola. He’d been married before, and she’d been engaged before. But none of that mattered now. The past slipped away, and only the present surrounded them.
Viola’s mouth was soft, warm, and welcoming. Her fingers moved into his hair as she tugged him even closer. He smiled against her mouth, grateful for the privacy of this garden because he planned to give her a thorough kissing. None of that quick or furtive stuff.
Viola seemed in no hurry either. She smiled as well, then kissed him some more. He lifted her against him and wished they could skip the months of courting and go straight to the married part. But she needed time. He knew that.
“Put me down, Rey,” she said with a laugh.
He chuckled and lowered her to the ground, then gathered her close, his mouth moving more slowly over hers this time. He settled his hands on her hips, the cotton of her dress warm and smooth beneath his fingers.
She sighed against his mouth, then drew back, her eyes a dreamy gray. “How long are you in Cheyenne?”
“I have to return this morning, but I can come back tonight or tomorrow. Whatever works for your schedule.”
Her smile appeared. “You’re going to wear your horse out.”
“I have more than one horse, and besides, exercise is good for them.”
Her fingers moved against his jaw, her thumb dragging against the stubble on his cheek. “Tomorrow morning, then. Same time, same place.” She rose up on her feet and kissed the edge of his mouth.
Before he let Viola Delany get too carried away, he had to clarify something. “Wait. Does the same time mean seven o’clock or eight o’clock?”
She puffed out a breath. “Seven is a little too early, but maybe some days I can get out that early.”
“Noted.” He moved his hands behind her lower back and drew her flush with him. “I’ll be here at seven o’clock tomorrow morning, and if I have to wait, I’ll wait.”
He loved the light in her eyes, the pink of her cheeks, and how her lips were swollen because of him. He didn’t know how much time he had with Viola this morning—or in future mornings—so he decided to make the most of it. Slowly he lowered his mouth to hers again. He was in no hurry.
Five Months Later
VIOLA DELANY, SOON TO BE Viola Christensen, stood in the small living room of Aunt Beth’s apartment. The upright mirror in the corner reflected a woman with blonde hair piled upon her head, wearing a white velvet dress. The pearl earrings and pearl necklace had been sent to her by her mother as a wedding gift.
But her parents weren’t coming to the January wedding.
The cold wind whipped the bare trees outside along Main Street, but even the mournful howling didn’t deflate Viola’s heart. Parents or not, she was marrying Reynold Christensen this afternoon.
“You look like a beautiful winter rose,” Aunt Beth said, coming into the front room. She wore her best dark blue dress with lace at the collar and cuffs. She beamed a smile and joined Viola in front of the mirror.
There were similarities between aunt and niece, but they only made Viola miss her mother more. This unexpected feeling had persisted all week—maybe it was because she and her mother had planned her last wedding together.
