Wyoming True - Diana Palmer Page 0,66
you know that’s my favorite?”
“I didn’t,” he returned, surprised. “It’s my favorite.”
She laughed. “Something else in common. What restaurant?”
“The Plaza, of course,” he teased. “Unless you’d rather go to the Bull and Bear.” The latter was at the Waldorf Astoria.
“There’s one I want to see very badly, in Manhattan, and I’ve only been there once. It’s the Algonquin Hotel...”
“My God!” he exclaimed. “Dorothy Parker and the other literary lights of the day!”
Her blue eyes widened and softened with delight. “Yes!”
He just shook his head. “Ida, we’re going to be the greatest marital success story in the history of Catelow,” he mused softly.
She grinned at him. “We just might be.”
She was over the moon. She wasn’t even impatient waiting for Maude. Her heart felt so full it was almost to bursting. What she’d dreaded at first was turning into one of the best decisions she’d ever made. Gone was the fear of Bailey and his thugs. Gone was her uneasiness about marrying Jake. She was suddenly positive that they really were going to make a wonderful marriage.
It was a long way to Manhattan, a tiring trip. But she wanted to go very much. An evening with Jake would be out of this world. She thought about travel with him after they were married. There were worlds of places to go and see. And just being married to him would be very nice.
The only thing was, she wanted a child. She’d spoken to Dr. Menzer about it, without Jake’s knowledge, because she had to know, just in case, if she could carry a child with her health issues.
He’d assured her that she could. It might put more stress on her bad hip, but there were ways of coping with that. He’d grinned and teased her about her so-called platonic marriage to the most eligible bachelor in town. She was quick to mention that she and Jake had agreed that it would be a marriage of friends. The doctor, however, was certain that it wouldn’t remain that way for long. Not if she was asking about her chances of carrying a baby to term. But he didn’t say that.
She glanced at Jake, wondering what a child of his would look like. He had silver eyes and hers were blue. They were both tall and musically inclined. Their child might be a prodigy, who could say? She allowed herself a brief daydream, of her holding a baby in her arms and Jake bending over her with joy in his face, his eyes. Truly a pipe dream, she thought after a minute. An impossible dream.
* * *
MAUDE WAS BACK by the time Fred got really twitchy. He was tapping in rhythm on the steering wheel and looking all around him, as if he expected the police any minute. It amused Ida, who had no idea why he was so nervous. She’d mention it to Jake later, if there was time.
Fred took them back to the house, and Maude, after a minute of heartfelt gratitude to them both, went to the kitchen to cook something magnificent for supper.
“You need to rest for a while,” Jake told Ida. “You’ve been on your feet too long.” He felt the weight of the dress she’d purchased, in its neat bag that he couldn’t see through. “Going to show it to me later?” he asked with a wicked grin.
“Not until the wedding,” she said firmly.
“Does it come with a veil?”
She laughed. “Yes. It comes with a veil.”
He moved closer, one lean hand going to her cheek as his silver eyes looked intently into hers. “I’ll lift the veil when we’re married, and be the first to see you as a married woman,” he whispered.
Her heart ran away with her. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at him with fascination. She’d never known anybody like him, and she’d have bet her life that he’d never raise a hand to her or shout at her as Bailey had.
“Mrs. Jake McGuire,” he added in a husky whisper, his eyes all over her beautiful face as he studied her.
She just stared at him helplessly. “Yes,” she managed.
He bent his head and brushed his mouth softly, tenderly, against her own, briefly, so that he didn’t upset her or make her feel threatened.
He drew back. She tasted like honey. He smiled. “Don’t panic,” he teased. “I’m just practicing for when Tolbert marries us.”
She laughed very softly and her eyes were full of her own delight. “Okay.” She hesitated. “Are you sure we don’t