A Good Yarn Page 0,119

think I never remarried?"

She'd wondered and had never wanted to ask. His question implied that he'd had opportunities, and maybe other romances; she had no difficulty believing it. But none of that mattered. Not even the gambling mattered anymore.

"All those wasted years...all those empty, empty years," she said brokenly. "Now...now it's too late.... Aurora told me - she told me you're...dying." It was difficult to say the word.

A deep sigh expanded his chest. "I was afraid she would."

"No, no, I needed to know." But she'd made it impossible for Maverick to tell her himself.

"I'm so sorry." Her sobbing increased. She couldn't tolerate the fact that she was about to lose Maverick so soon after finding him again.

His hold on her tightened. "I'm not dead yet."

If she hadn't been immersed in grief she might have smiled at his wry tone.

She took a long, shuddering breath. "I know...but I regret so much. I'm not sure where to start."

"We both have regrets, my darling."

Elise clung to him. That he could refer to her as his "darling" after the way she'd treated him said a great deal about this man she loved. This forgiving, passionate and often reckless man. A man who saw the best in others, who laughed at himself - a man who loved her.

"I...do want to move in with you," Elise announced. "If you'll have me."

She felt his smile before she saw it. "I'd rather you married me again," he said.

"Yes," she whispered. "Yes."

He tilted her chin and gazed deeply into her eyes. "I'll probably keep gambling as long as I'm able to."

She agreed with a half nod. Gambling was an important part of his life. She loved Maverick; loving him meant accepting him for the man he was.

"I'm sorry you lost the poker tournament," she whispered. "For your sake."

"You saw me on television?"

She shook her head. "Aurora and the boys told me."

"Second place wasn't so bad."

His spirits were unusually high. "You have a good attitude about it," she murmured. But then, he'd always been an optimist.

"Let's get married as soon as we can," he said. "Next month? Maybe over Thanksgiving?"

When she nodded, he said, "We have a lot to do to get ready for the wedding. I want to buy you a diamond ring."

"Maverick, no! "

He frowned. "Are we going to start our marriage with an argument?"

"No, but a plain gold band will do nicely."

He shook his head. "Let me take care of that. I also want to hire Bethanne to arrange everything for us."

"I don't know if she's equipped to manage that yet," Elise said, although she was grateful he'd thought of her friend.

Elise offered no resistance when Maverick silenced her with a kiss. In his arms, she had no doubts or questions. If he wanted to hire Bethanne, then that was what they'd do. After all, their wedding was really just a party - wasn't that what Bethanne had said about weddings? A celebration. She smiled at the image of a dinosaur-shaped wedding cake or Alice in Wonderland decorations.

"Yes, let's ask Bethanne," she agreed. "And I'll have Aurora be my maid of honor," Elise said, arms around his middle and smiling up at him.

"I want you to invite your knitting group."

"What about my reading club?" she asked.

"As many of your friends as you desire."

She frowned. All this expense was an extravagance. "It isn't necessary," she insisted one last time. "I'd be happy just to - "

"It is for me," Maverick said.

With that she acquiesced. However, she did feel it was only fair to remind him that she came with encumbrances. "Maverick," she began, "don't forget I'm in the middle of that lawsuit and - "

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"It's a legal and financial mess."

"It'll work itself out. Just promise me you won't worry about it." He studied her intently.

Elise walked farther into the apartment and collapsed onto the edge of a brown leather sofa. "How can I not worry? You have no idea how much money I've lost. I can't just forget about it."

"No, but you can't worry yourself sick over it, either. What will be will be. Nothing you do now is going to change anything. It's in the hands of the courts - isn't that what you told me?"

She nodded.

"From now on, I'll take care of your financial concerns."

At her automatic protest, he said, "Elise, I want to help you. I'm a rich man."

She blinked twice. Rich? Maverick?

"Don't look so shocked."

"You're a gambler, Maverick. No one makes money gambling."

He sighed deeply. "I wasted too