“I’m ready to start a family,” he told her.
“You’re sure?”
“I’m sure,” he answered without hesitation. “What about you?”
“I’m sure too, Sam,” she whispered. “Are you happy now?”
“Baby, you have no idea,” he told her, smiling. He leaned closer to kiss her lips lightly. “Thank you.”
“For what?” she asked, laughing before she reached out to touch his cheek lightly.
“For wanting babies with me.”
“Babies, as in more than one?” she asked in surprise. She laughed, dropping her hand from his face and finding it captured within his immediately.
He looked at her smiling, the twinkle in his eyes evident as he leaned away from her slightly to hold her hand tenderly against his chest. “Being an only child was very lonely, Rachel. I want our babies to have each other to help them through their lives. Is that okay with you, honey?”
Rachel felt an ache in her chest as she thought of Sam’s loneliness and nodded. “It’s more than okay,” she whispered, squeezing his hand tightly.
“Would you like to dance?” he whispered, staring at her lips intently.
Rachel looked at his mouth and smiled, wanting very much to kiss him just then. “I’d love to,” she whispered.
Sam stood and reached out to take her hand in his, then led her to the sparsely populated dance floor. She went into his arms willingly, holding him gently as his body swayed in time with the music, gliding her around the perimeter of the floor.
“This is nice,” Rachel told him, looking up at him happily.
“Mmmm…” Sam agreed, leaning forward to rest his cheek against hers as he held her.
Rachel closed her eyes as happiness filled her. She loved the feel of his strong arms surrounding her. Dancing with him allowed her to openly enjoy his touch, the way he held her, the gentleness of his hand against the small of her back, and the masculine scent of him. He was an excellent dancer and she found herself following him effortlessly. Joy radiated from her. As she looked up at him, she couldn’t help but smile before she leaned into him so that her forehead rested against his cheek.
“You make me so happy,” she whispered into his ear, tipping her head back to look up at him.
His blue eyes sparkled as he looked down at her. He released his hold on her to capture her hands tightly within his own. The music stopped but they didn’t move. Neither of them wanted to break the wonderful spell that surrounded them as they danced. The music began again and Sam took Rachel within his arms once more to glide her across the dance floor.
Rachel smiled and closed her eyes with pleasure as Sam pulled her closer to him and led her in a perfectly executed waltz. He was a wonderful dancer. She could feel the rhythm and sensuality pouring from him, and she held on to him tightly, enjoying every minute of it.
“It’s beautiful here,” Rachel whispered against his neck.
Sam drew away slightly so that he could look down at her. “Yes, it is,” he told her quietly. “Only because you’re here with me.”
Rachel smiled and leaned forward to kiss his neck lightly. She heard Sam groan at the contact and pulled away quickly.
“Sorry,” she whispered, looking up to see the passion in his eyes as he looked down at her.
“Don’t plan on getting out of bed for a week after the ceremony,” he told her seriously.
Rachel laughed softly and leaned against his chest to rest her head lightly against his shoulder. “I’m looking forward to it,” she told him honestly. In two days she was going to be Sam’s wife, and she was thrilled. She had loved him her whole life. Their marriage was going to be her dream come true. Joanna McCoy had been right. He was meant to be hers.
His hand moved from the small of her back to surround her shoulders, hugging her to him tightly. The music stopped then and he stepped back to look down at her.
He looked as if he wanted to say something but he remained silent. Rachel followed him as he led the way back to their table, glad that his hand held hers tightly as they made the long walk across the dance floor. He waited for her to be seated before seating himself and pulling his chair closer toward her.
“You’d better eat something,” he told her quietly.
He handed her a cracker and she took it, smiling. She took a wedge of imported cheese from her dish and offered it to him. He opened his mouth and allowed her to feed him then returned the favor by feeding her a grape. They smiled at each other, oblivious to their surroundings. Rachel didn’t think she could be any happier.
“I wish it was already Saturday,” she told him seriously.
Sam stopped chewing and swallowed slowly. “Me, too,” he told her honestly.
He leaned toward her and kissed her lips gently, not caring where they were or who saw them. Nothing could ruin this moment for him. He loved being with his woman and looked forward to spending a lifetime enjoying and loving her.
“Well, well, well. Isn’t this sweet,” a woman’s voice interrupted them.
Rachel felt Sam’s hand tighten over hers and knew that he was not pleased by the interruption. She pulled away from him reluctantly and looked up at the woman who stood at the opposite side of the table.
She was tall and beautiful. Her blonde hair was swept up into an elegant twist on the top of her head and soft ringlets cascaded down her back and at her temples. She screamed money, and Rachel felt intimidated by her immediately.
Her strapless white evening gown had to be somebody’s original. A string of rubies adorned her neck, matched by the earrings and bracelet that she wore. Her eyes were blue, but not the soft, kind blue that Sam’s were. They were cold and distant, and they looked at Rachel with contempt and superiority. Sam didn’t have to introduce her. Rachel knew that this woman had to be Allison.
Sam stood slowly, holding Rachel’s hand to help her stand beside him as he faced his ex-fiancée. He stood slightly behind Rachel, his body secretly supporting hers as she leaned back against him. She was glad that his arm encircled her body and his hand rested possessively on her waist. Rachel found the strength of him comforting.
“Rachel, this is Allison,” he introduced her reluctantly. “Allison, this is Rachel—my wife.”
“Your wife!” Allison shot back, losing her composure momentarily. “She is
not
your wife.”
“Yes. She is,” Sam told her quietly. “Behave yourself, Allison.” The warning in his voice was unmistakable.
Rachel held her breath as she watched the two face each other. She could feel the hatred flowing from Allison and the anger emanating from Sam. She wanted to hold him to calm him down. She was surprised that he had introduced her as his wife, but it would only be a matter of days before that fact was true. If saying that they were married already would help him get through this night, it was fine with her. She already felt in her heart that they were married anyway.
“Samuel, I knew you wouldn’t let me down, son,” a deep, familiar voice said calmly, bringing Rachel’s thoughts back to the situation at hand.
She looked at the man who stood beside Allison and literally froze in fear at the sight of the one person who had so thoroughly changed her life the last time she had seen him. He was still a handsome man despite the gray that now dominated his hair. She felt Sam stiffen beside her and was concerned for him when she saw his father looking at him without an ounce of warmth in his gaze.
“Dad,” Sam acknowledged his father, not bothering to extend his hand in greeting.
“I hope that your coming here is proof that you’ve come to your senses and will be returning to Denver Memorial,” his father told him sternly. “I’ve waited long enough for your decision, boy.”
“I came here because someone convinced me to honor your accomplishments, Dad,” Sam told him honestly, his voice strong and his body straight as he spoke. “That does
not
mean that I’ve agreed to come back to work here.” He emphasized the word
not
as he faced his father stonily. “I’m going back to the mountains and will be joining a medical practice there.”
Father and son looked at each other silently for a moment. It was obvious that both were trying not to lose their tempers or make a scene. Rachel looked at one, and then the other, and found her heart breaking for Sam.
“Edwin, Sam says that this girl is his wife,” Allison told him coldly, touching his arm and indicating Rachel.
“Your wife!” Edwin McCoy hissed, making sure to keep his voice low so as not to draw any attention.
“My reaction exactly,” Allison said sarcastically, looking Rachel up and down, contempt obvious on her face.
Edwin McCoy’s gaze bore into Rachel. She knew that it took him a minute to recognize her, knowing the exact minute when the realization finally hit home.
“Ms. Williams,” he said slowly, stiffening slightly as he fought to control the anger that he found consuming him. “Our last conversation led me to believe that you would be living far from the mountains of Colorado. Was I mistaken?”
“No, Mr. McCoy,” Rachel answered him calmly, angry at the way he had once manipulated her. “You were not mistaken. But things have changed. We’ve all grown and become successful. Funny how life takes care of itself, isn’t it?”
“Ms. Williams, you are and always will be insignificant,” Edwin McCoy spoke with chilling coldness. “Old deals have a way of ending exactly as promised. If not in one way, then in another.” He made a point of looking at his son and then back at Rachel. “How are your aunt and your cousin?”
“Don’t threaten them again, Mr. McCoy,” Rachel warned him. “I won’t sit back and let you hurt them. I’m not the same girl you intimidated years ago.”
“He what?” Sam asked her, his jaw clenched in anger.
“He made me promise not to see you, write to you, or influence you in any way or he would make sure you couldn’t complete medical school. He also said that he would see to it that no school across the country would take you in and no bank would guarantee your loans for tuition.” Rachel’s eyes never left Edwin McCoy’s face. She felt great satisfaction at the surprise she saw there as she told Sam the truth. “He also threatened to ruin my aunt’s ranch and Roy’s future.”
“Rachel,” Sam started, so incensed with this knowledge of his father’s cruelty that he could barely speak. She had carried the weight of responsibility for his success and the safety of her family all these years. No wonder he had barely heard from her.
Rachel finally tore her eyes from Edwin and faced Sam. She saw the horror on his face and felt his hand tighten on hers. She reached up with her left hand to cover his hand and rubbed it reassuringly. She could feel that things were getting out of control and knew that she had to try and diffuse the situation.
“It’s okay, Sam,” she told him sincerely. “Everything worked out for the best.”
Allison looked at the two of them with nothing short of pure hatred. She glanced at their clasped hands then looked up at Rachel and actually sneered at her.
“They’re lying,” Allison said sarcastically. “They aren’t married. She isn’t wearing a ring.”
“You’re right, I’m not,” Rachel spoke up calmly, her voice strong and unwavering. “I was a little swollen today and it didn’t fit.” She looked up at Sam, beseeching him with her eyes to go along with her.
Sam looked into the brown softness of her eyes and smiled, the anger slowly releasing its hold on him. His eyes were warm and twinkled as he saw how straight she was standing and how determined she was to protect him.
“I guess you should have had the ring made a little bigger,” she told him seriously, aware that both Edwin McCoy and Allison were watching her intently. “I’ll never be able to wear it if we end up having as many children as we plan on having.”
The tender look in Sam’s eyes as he gazed down at her told her that her words had made him happy. “I guess you were right,” he told her, smiling. “That’s why I had it made bigger today.” He reached into the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket and pulled out a small, black velvet jewelry box.
Rachel’s heart pounded as she watched him take out the ring case. When he opened it and took out the platinum gold wedding band that was a ring of diamond baguettes that alternated between white and pink diamonds, she was shocked into silence. She had never seen anything more beautifully feminine. It took her breath away.
Sam took her left hand in his and slipped the ring onto the third finger of her left hand. Drawing it toward his mouth, he kissed the ring tenderly then lowered her hand and smiled.
“How does that feel?” he asked her quietly.
Rachel looked down at her hand and tried to calm her racing heart. When she looked back up at Sam’s face, her eyes were sparkling with joy and filled with love for the man before her. He was looking at her tenderly, and she could barely breathe due to the myriad of emotions that were bursting within her.
“It’s just right,” she whispered, smiling. “Thank you, Sam.”
“Excuse me, Mr. McCoy, but they’re ready to start the ceremony,” the maitre d’ interrupted them.
Sam turned and faced his father squarely. “Don’t keep your public waiting, Dad,” he told him coldly.
“I’m not through with you, Samuel,” Edwin McCoy told him angrily, his voice low but threatening. “I’ll deal with you later.” He turned and looked directly at Rachel. It was then that he saw the necklace that she wore.