Quiet Walks the Tiger - By Heather Graham Page 0,44
and their eyes met. For a second it seemed as if Wesley stared at her with cold, fathomless disdain. Then the look was gone, and she dismissed it from her mind as fancy. She was smiling up at Wes, handsome and as benevolent as an ancient god in the formfitting tux and exquisite laced shirt which seemed but to enhance every majestic line of his masculinity. Sloan reeled with the impact of his return smile, drunk from his aura and presence. She felt like Sleeping Beauty; awoken by a kiss only to find the real prince of her dreams. Was it a dream? she wondered blissfully. It was all too good to be true. Or did every bride feel the way that she did at the moment, even if it was the second time around?
The reception passed in as much of a blur as the wedding. Wes’s brother and sister-in-law were an attractive, charming couple; Dave was a slimmer version of his brother and every bit as personable; Susan, a vivacious, down-to-earth woman Sloan immediately liked. The children pranced about gleefully, delighted to be participating in grown-up affairs, stealing sips of champagne from any available glass that fell their way. Before she knew it, Sloan, higher than ever on her cloud after several glasses of the delicious champagne, was being ushered into Wes’s room to change for her honeymoon.
“Oh, Sloan!” Cassie marveled breathlessly as she followed her sister into the room and closed the door behind her. Tears of happiness formed in her deep brown eyes. “You’re so beautiful today, so radiant! I’m so happy for you.” Flying across the room, she embraced Sloan with a strangling hug.
“Thanks, Cassie,” Sloan whispered. Then they were laughing and crying together, and Sloan’s dress was spotted by their joyous tears.
Cassie finally extracted herself and smiled at Sloan from arm’s distance. “I’m going to miss you...”
“I won’t be gone long, and I’ll deluge you with postcards—”
“That’s not what I mean,” Cassie said, choking on a sniffle. “You’ll be gone for good when you get back.”
“Not for good!” Sloan protested, feeling nostalgic pangs of departure herself but determined to cheer Cassie. “We’ll be living in Gettysburg part time!”
“Yeah,” Cassie agreed, forcing a smile. “What am I doing?” she moaned. “I’m not supposed to be making you weepy on your wedding day!”
“Zip my zipper then,” Sloan directed. “We’ve a long ride to the airport.”
Sloan’s travel outfit was a tailored, powder-blue dress with a matching jacket for the sound possibility of cooler weather when their plane landed in Belgium. The sisters chatted as Sloan retouched her makeup and unnecessarily straightened her clothing for a last time. “I’m ready, I guess,” Sloan finally said.
“You sound reluctant,” Cassie laughed. “Nervous?”
“Yep.”
“Goodness—why?” Cassie demanded.
Sloan had to stop and think. “I don’t know. Aren’t all brides nervous?”
“To a point,” Cassie agreed. “But not all brides get to marry Wes! He’s the nicest man...always so calm and gentle! I’d trust him with my life and—” Cassie broke off, blushing.
“And what?”
“I’ll bet he’s a hell of a lover!”
Sloan started to giggle. “I’ll bet you’re right!”
Just then Laura came racing into the room, tears flooding down her little cheeks. Sloan scooped her daughter into her arms. “Darling! What’s the matter?”
It was difficult to understand Laura’s garbled sobbings, but Sloan eventually deciphered the cause for her daughter’s misery; Laura had just realized that her mother was actually leaving her for two weeks.
Crooning into Laura’s silky-soft hair, Sloan assured her that she wouldn’t be gone long and that Florence and Cassie would take good care of her. Laura continued to cry.
“What’s the problem?”
Sloan looked up to find Wesley leaning in the doorframe. Raising her hands helplessly, she explained, “Laura doesn’t want us to go.”
Without another word to Sloan, Wes took the little girl from her arms. In a soothing voice, but one which he might also use on an adult, Wesley patiently told her that they were going on a honeymoon, and people usually did when they were married. He promised sincerely that they wouldn’t be gone long and that they would send postcards and bring home special presents for everyone. Laura’s sniffles slowly subsided, and before long she was asking Wesley to make sure he brought her a doll. She was all smiles by the time he set her down, eager to kiss them both good-bye.
Sloan and Wes had no further problems leaving. Jamie told them good-bye and to have a great time in a very adult manner; Terry was happily crunching crackers his aunt had