Close Your Eyes (59 page)

‘Jenna would love to run our shop here
.
’
She
grinned
as she
imagin
ed
the other girl’s excitement. ‘
Still
, we are going to
start off
easy,
Matt
. And if after a month you still think you want me, I will be ready.’

‘Always.’ His kiss was less careful now
. P
assion and joy turn
ed
it
into a
masterful caress that set her body on fire.

‘Look, a
knight is kissing the princess
!
’
A
child’s voice interrupted
them. They pulled away from each other
and twist
ed
to the little girl who stood on the path
. She
clapped
in delight. ‘Mommy, come look.’

Meg
found herself pulled along as they escaped to the side alley, running until they reached the lawn. They slowed down and looked
in
to the illuminated library
. T
he windows glow
ed warmly
in the dusk.

‘Ready
,
milady?’
Matt
smiled down at her
. His
handsome face
was
the happiest she had ever seen
it
. As if he were lit from the inside, he glowed with joy that was too infectious to
resist
. And she didn’t really want to
,
anyway.

‘Always, sir.
For as long as you want
me
.
’
She stood
up on her tippy toes and kiss
ed
him once more before they walked ahead.
Just for good luck,
she thought as she
savoured
the taste of him, sweet and
tempting, on her lips
.

‘
The
n forever it is.’ He
let
go of her with reluctance that was very flattering. ‘And now we’d better join them before I lose my job as the Templar knight. Somehow
,
being a monk doesn’t seem so appealing anymore.’

Megan
couldn’t have agreed more.

‘
Okay
, I’ve got the rings
.
’ Ry
an
sounded quite nervous as he paced back and forth
. His
eyes
went
to
Matt
,
and
his face
crinkl
ed
into a net of laugh lines. ‘
Jeez
, I can’t believe I
’
m so nervous about
D
ad getting married. It’s not like he won’t show up or Rosemary
will
r
u
n off at
the last
moment.’

‘Well, with all the sand on the beach, it’s no wonder you’re nervous. You drop th
ose
thing
s
,
and
they’re
gone.’
Meg
giggled
at Matt’s
wry voice, teasing his brother. ‘I think we should bring a metal detector to the party just in case you do drop
them
, Ry.’

‘Oh, give it a break, will you.’ A playful wrestle ensued
. O
nly the fact that the two men looked very elegant in their white suits and didn’t dare to ruin them
prevented
them from going any further.

‘Sometimes
,
I wonder how old they
are
.
’
Meg
leaned to Alice
. They were both
relaxing on the sofa
with
the soft whirr
of an overhead
fan providing
them
with a
stream of cold
air.
It
was excellent, given
that
the temperatures
were
stifling hot.

R
upert
’s dream
had been
to get married in Italy, in the medieval castle that belonged to one of his best friends. Set in a very dramatic landscape
in the uttermost southern part of Sicily, the fourteenth
-
century castle offered a romantic and exclusive setting for the celebration of
his love for
Rosemary.
W
ith its own railway station only two hundred kilometers from Palermo, the
very private
castle stood on the rocky promontory overlooking the sea.
P
alm groves and thick
,
gnarled branches of orange and lemon trees offered much
-
needed shade to the thick walled, ochre
-
colored
building.

They were staying for a whole week,
and
the private beach with the boathouse and snorkeling equipment
was
alluring to everyone who was lucky enough to
have been
invited. There were horses
,
too,
and Meg was looking forward to
trips to the valley of Greek temples and ancient
R
oman villas scattered liberally over the area after the ceremony.
Matt
had made sure she became an avid rider
. H
is patient
,
yet demanding lessons
made
it easy
for her
to keep up with the rest of the
Harper
clan
,
though she had no illusions
that
she could ever match them
.

‘All right, I guess we should go and find the groom
.
’ Ry
an
looked at
Matt
. T
he two brothers nodd
ed
in unison
,
which
brought smiles to both
Alice’s
and
Meg
’s faces. They were a team,
and she enjoyed watching their bond, which
she
was glad not to have destroyed. Ry
an
often leaned on
Matt
for advice and help, not always listening to his good
-
natured comments
,
but definitely appreciating his input.

‘I still think that having
the wedding
on the beach is rather crazy
.
’ R
y
an
shook his head in disbelief. ‘I
mean, knowing
D
ad and R
osemary
,
wouldn’t you just assume they
’d
get hitched in botanical gardens or such? Instead
,
they will be boiling
in the sun, and we with them.’

‘Dad is a romantic at heart, Ry.’
Matt
grinned, his eyes playful. ‘
And
don’t forget, this castle can have only fifty visitors at
a
time, so he could cut the list
to
a tenth of what would be expected at home. Never doubt his brain, bro.’

Later,
Meg
thought
he’d made a good point
as she watched the gathering on the beach. The intimate group was a far cry from
the crowd that the occasion would have drawn
back home,
with their
countless friends, acquaintances
,
and distant relatives bringing the number of guests
in
to
the
hundreds.

Here
,
everything
was different. She watched
Rupert
and Rosemary exchange their vows,
and
her eyes tear
ed
up
when they kissed.
She found it hard
to believe that she
had found Matt’s father
cold and distant
not so long ago
.
He looked happy and relaxed
. H
is eyes
were
glued to his bride,
looking
splendid in her simple white linen dress. The flowers
in Rosemary’s bouquet
were
Meg
’s idea
. T
he small round bouquet of white orchids
was
surviving the hot weather better than any other blooms
would have
. She, Alice
,
and Amelia held light
-
pink bouquets
that matched
their
bridesmaids’
dresses
, which
var
ied
from the lightest hues of pink to deep magenta.