Only Hers (35 page)

He set her away, his hands cupping her face, a tender smile on his. “Do you know what it was, Shannon?”

Too full to speak, she shook her head.

“It was my heart breaking free. Diana doesn’t have any power over me any longer because you banished all the anguish with your unconditional love. Daniel was right when he said for some men there is only one woman. For me, you’re that woman.” His knuckles gently brushed across Shannon’s damp cheek. “I finally figured out it wasn’t you who I didn’t trust, but myself. I love you, Shannon. Only you. With nothing held back, no reservations.”

“Oh, Matt, I hoped, I prayed. I love you, I love you,” she repeated, overjoyed to finally be able to say those precious words aloud to him. The flow only stopped when his mouth covered hers hungrily.

After a long time he finally lifted his head. With one hand, he pulled the books closer. “Nothing I own will ever be off limits to you again. My checking account should reassure you that I can take care of the ranch in a crunch, and if not, my investment portfolio can. It’s just that I want the ranch to be self-sufficient.”

She never took her eyes from his. “Then I guess I’ll have to come clean, too.”

A moment of wariness flickered in his dark gaze, then it was gone. “Shoot.”

“My great-grandfather and Granddaddy Rhodes loved land also. In fact, they sort of collected it. Some of it turned out to be very valuable. When Granddaddy died, he left a large chunk of his estate to me.”

“You’re rich,” he almost shouted.

“Like Octavia once told me, rich is relative.”

“So you bought the Cadillac and diamond earrings for yourself.”

“Graduation presents. The car came from my parents, the earrings from Granddaddy,” she told him. “I’m really conservative with my money. You needn’t worry that I’m going to waste yours, either. I’m not like my mother who spends hundreds of dollars on clothes and lingerie.”

“Don’t let Victoria hear you say that. At least not about the lingerie.”

“Why?”

“She owns several lingerie boutiques, and from what Kane tells me, the prices are as high as a cat’s back.”

Shannon laughed at the dismay on Matt’s face. “Don’t worry, if I want something, I’ll pay for it myself.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” he told her sternly. “I can buy you whatever you need. In fact, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Matt—”

“I mean it, Shannon, I can buy my wife her clothes and nightgowns. Not that you’ll keep a nightgown on very long.”

Her face glowed. “Your wife?”

“Yeah, and that’s final. But I might as well tell you that I don’t plan to sleep single until we’re married. So we better have a short engagement.”

“Anything else?” she asked, wanting to sound stern, but knowing she was too happy to hide her excitement. She had a very good idea how to get around any objections he might have.

“Yes, there is. This going around at night is going to stop. I know you love nursing, so you and the families will have to work something else out.”

She kissed the frown from his face. “I think that can be arranged.”

“We’ll call my parents and yours in the morning.” He looked thoughtful. “I better warn you. Before Kane and Victoria eloped, my mother and her grandmother were trying to plan their wedding for them.”

“My mother will be just as bad.” She smiled down at him. “I’d opt for eloping, but she’d never forgive me. She’s waited too long for someone to put a Mrs. in front of my name.”

He turned serious. “I’m glad you waited for me.”

“So am I.” Beguilingly, Shannon looked up at him through a sweep of lush lashes. “I know it’s rude to leave house guests, but could we go to the cabin?”

Abruptly, Matt stood with her still in his arms and headed for the front door. “All you ever have to do is ask.”

The bride was breathtakingly radiant in white silk satin and French alençon lace. And the groom was devastatingly handsome in a morning coat.

The mother of the bride and the mother of the groom cried through the entire candlelit ceremony. Everyone agreed it was the most romantic and beautiful wedding they had ever seen. No one remembered such a splendid array of flowers. The scented peach candles added a nice touch. And weren’t the Taggart twins precious.

Kane Jr. refused to give the ring to his uncle and instead presented it to the best man, his father. That brought a chuckle from the father and a groan from the mother. Not to be outdone, his sister, Chandler, left the other bridesmaids and handed her father her empty flower basket.

The father had squatted down, thanked each child, then plucked the ring from the pillow and handed it to his brother. When Kane stood, both children were standing dutifully in front of their father, who somehow managed not to look awkward with a tiny flower basket in his powerful hand.

The two busloads of guests from Jackson Falls and the three from Tyler would certainly have a lot to talk about on their trip home from St. Louis. Imagine, three ministers
had officiated. One from each of their respective towns and the bride’s minister.

But the three ministers didn’t stop the groom from giving his bride a kiss that was as boldly erotic as it was meltingly tender. No one expected them to stay long at the reception and they hadn’t. Cleve Redmon, the groom’s new foreman and groomsman, and Octavia Ralston, helped the newlyweds slip away. And didn’t Cleve and Octavia look happy dancing and smiling up at each other. Could there be another wedding in the making? Time would tell.

While the wedding guests were downstairs in the Crystal Ballroom sipping on vintage French champagne, eating prime rib and lobster tail, and speculating on the absent newlyweds, the two in question were on the top floor of the five-star hotel in the honeymoon suite instead of the cabin the bride had requested. For once Matt had held firm.

Low, feminine laughter, followed by a deep masculine growl, came from the entwined couple in a tangle of sheets on the king-size bed. Bare skin touched bare skin. A kiss here, a nuzzle there. For once there was no rush to explore the other’s body.

“I’m glad you talked me out of the cabin.” Shannon nipped Matt’s earlobe.

“No gladder than I that you decided to wear one of the nightgowns from Victoria’s shop. Once my heart slowed down, I enjoyed it on you. Brief as it was.”

“You were quite demanding,” she laughed.

The smile slipped from Matt’s face. “For a while, I didn’t think I’d make it.”

“I’m sorry, Matt. My family descended on the ranch the day after you called and mother insisted I come home.”

Some of Matt’s good humor returned. “Smart lady. She took one look at me looking at you and hustled you away. I thought I had her when I insisted I drive back with you. She nipped that in the bud by telling your
brother to drive your car and you to come back on the plane with them.”

“She’s a lawyer,” Shannon said by way of explanation. “By the time you came to St. Louis we could have been together.”

Matt shook his head. “No way was I going to take you to my hotel room. I knew you wouldn’t feel comfortable facing your parents afterward. Besides, you deserved better than that.”

Shannon kissed him. “I have the best. I have you. You’ll have to thank Daniel for getting the ballroom for the reception, and the suite. I still don’t know how he pulled it off on just two months’ notice. Too bad he couldn’t be here.”

“My sister was disappointed, too. She thought she was finally going to meet him. When Daniel and I talked this morning he said the suite was a wedding gift and to stay as long as we wanted. That reminds me, I have something for you.” Getting up from the bed, Matt went to the suitcase and brought back a thick white envelope. Ferguson & Ferguson letterhead stood out in bold lettering.

“Oh, Matt, I already took care of it.” Not as comfortable with her nudity as her husband, Shannon slipped on her peach-colored lace gown before going to her suitcase. “With the wedding preparations I forgot to tell you.”

Locating what she wanted, she came back to the bed and handed Matt the envelope. The letterhead on the outside of the envelope was also Ferguson & Ferguson.

“Now, the ranch belongs only to you,” she said with a smile.

He nodded toward the envelope in her hand. “I think you better open that.”

Frowning at the strange expression on his face, she opened the letter and gasped. Her startled gaze went to Matt. It couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be.

“It seems we’ve traded ownership. The ranch now belongs to you and I have the meadow.”

Tears streamed down her cheek. “You can’t do this.”

“I already have.”

“I won’t have it. The ranch is yours. It belongs to you.”

“It belongs to a Taggart and you’re now a Taggart. You can pass the ranch down to our children just as well as I can.” He kissed the tears from her cheeks. “It’s still hard to believe Wade planned all this from reading one of Octavia’s romance novels and that she and Ferguson were in on things from the start.”

Shannon nodded and snuggled closer in his arms. “Octavia admitted she kept her romance books hidden because she was afraid you might find one, read the back, and figure things out. She certainly succeeded. I couldn’t believe it when Mr. Ferguson gave us another letter from Wade after our engagement was announced. I hope he knows his plan worked and that we’re so happy.”

“I got a feeling he does, and your granddaddy, too.”

“I never knew I could be this happy. I love you, Matt, but I’m signing the ranch back over as soon as we get home.”

Grinning, he lay back on the bed and folded his hands behind his head. “I look forward to you trying to persuade me, Mrs. Taggart.”

“So do I, Mr. Taggart.” Coming to her knees, Shannon faced Matt. A sultry grin on her face, she began to slowly inch the lace nightgown over her thighs, past her waist, over her breasts. By the time the nightgown floated over her head to land on the plush carpeting, Matt knew he was in trouble. And he was going to enjoy every second of it.

The last coherent thought Matt had as Shannon staked her claim to his willing body was eternity wouldn’t be long enough to love this unique woman of his. He wondered if she knew how special she made him feel, how loved. As soon as he got enough breath back into his lungs he was going to tell her and keep telling her every day of their lives.

She was his woman and he was only hers.