Further Than Passion (38 page)

She smiled. "I'd have to visit Doncaster occasionally. To see my sister."

"Absolutely. She'd have my head if you didn't."

"And you'll have to buy a new bed, one that's been used just by us."

At the request, he chuckled. "I already have."

"I expect you to be a real husband to me. That you'll be at home, and not off gallivanting, where I'm worried about you and wondering where you are."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere but by your side."

"You'll have to give me many, many children, and be around to help me raise them."

"I can't wait."

"There can be no other women. Only me from now on."

"Only you, Kate. Only you, forevermore."

"Then, yes, I'll marry you."

He nodded solemnly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"I'm
so glad."

"So am I."

"I'm not much of a catch."

"I think you are."

"But I swear that I will always love you. Till my dying day and beyond. I will always make you happy."

"I know you will."

The sun dropped below the horizon, and they lingered in the grass, listening to the sounds as night fell around them. The sky faded to indigo, and the stars began to twinkle. There were so many things that needed to be said, so many issues that had to be addressed, but they could be postponed till later. It was so marvelous

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simply to be together. No words could make the moment any more special.

"Are you going to invite me in?" he ultimately asked.

"I'm tired of eating supper alone, so yes, I guess I am."

Without warning, he scooped her up into his arms, one hand behind her back, and the other under her knees.

She giggled and swatted at his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I'm claiming you." ,

"As your what?"

"As my prize."

"Put
me down."

"No. I want your servants to have something about which to gossip."

This was the Marcus she remembered. He could be imperious, he could be bossy, he could be impossibly arrogant, but he was hers, and he loved her beyond imagining. How lucky she was!

She hugged him, as he marched across the grass, entered her house, and kicked the door shut behind them.

"I'm here to stay," he announce
d
—
l
oudl
y
—
f
or anyone lingering nearby, and she grinned, thrilled to know that he meant it.

Bestselling author CHERYL HOLT is a lawyer, novelist and
mom who lives on the Oregon coast. Her varied employme
n
t history includes public school teacher, mediator, cook
,
bartender, lobbyist, musician, and political activist.

A graduate of the University of Wyoming College of Law, she worked as a law clerk for the Attorneys General of Colorado and Wyoming. Later, she served as a deputy district attorney in metro-Denver.

Her writing has been nominated for numerous national awards, and she's proud to have received the prestigious Reviewers' Choice Award from
Romantic Times Book Club
m
agazine.

Further Than Passion
is her thirteenth book.

www.cherylholt.com
[email protected]