Quiet Walks the Tiger - By Heather Graham Page 0,37
beautiful cities in the world, and he’s surrounded by hilly forests and sparkling little streams. We can spend a week there, and then a week in Paris. How does that sound?” Wesley sipped his coffee and watched her over the rim of his cup.
“It sounds lovely,” Sloan replied with a slow smile. Belgium and France! She had never been out of the eastern United States! Wesley was opening doors for her which she had never even dreamed existed. “But, what about the children?”
“Florence will watch them, of course,” Wes told her with a wave of his hand. “I’ll have her move her things into your house tonight so that she can get used to your routine. Cassie and George will be around if anything she can’t handle comes up, and hopefully, Dave and Susan will be here with their kids, and Jamie, Laura, and Terry can meet their new cousins and aunt and uncle. My sister lives in Arizona near my folks, so I doubt if she’ll be able to make it or my mom and dad for that matter.” He grimaced as he idly ran a finger over the top of her hand. “Dad has a heart condition, so he doesn’t travel frequently. We’ll fly out to meet them in a few months.”
Sloan’s head was reeling. There were so many things she hadn’t taken into consideration! A small chill knotted in her stomach. “Wes,” she said slowly. “What happens when we come back? Do we”—she licked dry lips—“Do we move to Kentucky?” Kentucky, away from everything she knew, away from Cassie and George. It almost sounded like an alien planet! And what about his family? What if they disliked her? What if they resented her barging into their lives with a household of children? What if they felt she were too old for Wes, too encumbered? His parents would want him to marry a younger girl, she was sure, one who would provide him with his own family.
Wesley’s hand was warm over hers. As usual, he was reading the worries she couldn’t voice aloud. “I promise you,” he guaranteed her softly. “You’ll love Kentucky. So will the kids. And my brother is a wonderful guy; Susan’s terrific. We’ll be in the same house for a while, but don’t worry, it’s huge. You don’t have to see anyone else if you don’t want to. I’ll have George put my house here on the market while we’re gone, but we’ll keep yours and spend as much time in Gettysburg as we can. Okay?”
The secure pressure of his hand filled her with contentment. “Okay.”
“And,” he added with a conniving wink, “we have several good, professional dance companies in the nearby cities.”
“Bribery will get you everywhere!” Sloan laughed happily. Wes was magic. He could work everything out.
Their sandwiches arrived, and Sloan found she had a good appetite for her ham and cheese. She was going to miss Wes terribly, but as he had said, his absence would be for the best. When he came back, there would be less than twenty-four hours left for anything to go wrong!
They discussed a few more details as they ate. The wedding would take place at Wesley’s house with just their families and a few close friends in attendance. Sloan was to cater whatever she wanted, as long as she didn’t put a strain on herself. After a quick reception, they would fly overseas right away.
“Oh! One more thing,” Wesley added, his green eyes twinkling like gemstones as he reached into his vest pocket for a small jewel case. Flicking it open with one hand, he gently took her slim fingers with the other and slid the ring from the velvet box. “I’d like you to start wearing this,” he said, extracting first the plain gold band which had adorned her finger since the day Terry had put it on. Then his ring went on, and Sloan stared at her finger with a mixture of nostalgia and joy. Terry’s ring was gone. But Terry was gone, and somehow it didn’t hurt so badly anymore. Oh, his memory would always sadden her; he had been her youth, her first great love, the father of her three children. But nothing could bring him back. She would always remember him with love, but...her eyes widened with shock. Water filled within them, but she was laughing too, with pure happiness. The loss of her love didn’t hurt so much anymore because she had found new love without even knowing as it