Quiet Walks the Tiger - By Heather Graham Page 0,38
snuck up on her. She wanted to scream and shout with the joy of her realization, but Lord! Wes would never understand. Instead, she clutched his large hand in hers and covered it with tearstained, sloppy kisses. “Oh, Wes!” she murmured breathlessly, mindless if the other patrons of the coffee shop thought her crazy or not, “I do love you so!”
“And I love you, my dearest princess,” he whispered in return, taking her hands tenderly to his mouth to kiss them reverently. Then the teasing glimmer leaped back into his eyes as he studied the ring objectively. “Perfect, if I do say so myself.” It was a diamond, probably about two carats, Sloan judged, surrounded by a bed of sapphires. He traced the circle of blue stones with his fingers. “For your eyes, love. They match incredibly well.” He released her hand reluctantly. “You’d better get into work so that you can quit, and I’d better head out of town. Or else, darling,” he said huskily, one sensual dark brow raised in a rakish angle, “I shall carry you from this table and savagely ravish you in the back seat of the Lincoln.”
Sloan half smiled with a rueful quirk of her lips and angled a furrowing brow herself. “I don’t think I’d mind being ravished in the Lincoln,” she murmured in teasing reply, fully aware that she now meant her words with no qualms. Love may not conquer all, but it did sweep away her doubts and insecurities. “But I’ve got a problem, Wes. I can’t just quit my job. I’m a teacher. Jim can cover me for a couple of weeks, but I have to go back, at least until the quarter ends, which will be the end of summer. I have finals to give,” she apologized lamely, hoping he would understand her commitment.
“Sloan,” Wes reassured her quickly, sensing her distress, “the end of summer will be fine. I can set up an office in your house somewhere and catch up on paperwork. And phone calls. And I can fly in and out for emergencies. Just make sure they know you won’t be back for the fall term.”
Sloan smiled, astounded that he would so willingly arrange his life-style around hers. “Thank you, Wes,” she said softly. “I promise I won’t always be this difficult.”
He laughed. “I promise I won’t always let you be this difficult! Oh—one more thing,” he added quickly. “How could I forget. It’s about the most important thing!” He handed her a business card. “My attorney,” he explained. “I’ve drawn up adoption papers for the children. I don’t want to try to take Terry’s place with them, but they can take back his name as adults if they choose. It will be to their benefit to be my legal heirs, insurance and all that. If you have any objection, I’ll understand, but I knew we didn’t have much time, so I set the wheels turning last night. Hopefully we can get a judgment by Friday.” He grinned a little dryly. “Sometimes it helps to be well known.”
Sloan suddenly felt as if she were shattering, breaking apart bit by bit. She had been so strong for so long, and now it was all being lifted from her shoulders. She was off-balance with the weight of burden gone, stunned by the depths of caring Wes showed her with his every thought. Tears glazed her eyes; she didn’t deserve this wonder that she had schemed and deceived to bring about, but it was hers now, and she would cling tenaciously to it.
“Sloan,” Wes began, his brow tight and features tense as he misread her silence. “If you prefer that I don’t adopt the kids—”
“Oh, no!” Sloan protested hastily, shaking her head and squeezing her eyes tightly shut as she fought to weld the pieces of her self-control back together. “I think it’s wonderful that you thought of such a thing,” she said hastily. “I’ll see the lawyer today for sure.” She summoned up a sturdy smile. “And I’ll get Florence on to the moving, and get George on to selling your house. And”—her voice fell deep and husky—“I’ll have everything set for the wedding, and I’ll be missing you like crazy until Friday night!”
Their eyes met across the table, Sloan’s for once covered by no shields to hide deceit. They were star-glazed and incredulous...She had never known simple feeling and happiness could be so damned good.
A moment later she was kissing him good-bye, clinging to his powerful frame with