The Rocky Mountain Heiress Collection (116 page)

He and his wife. She was truly breathtaking, this wife of his, and he struggled to keep his composure without frightening her. For as much bravado as Charlotte wore, as she looked up at him, he saw uncertainty.

But he also saw love.

“Charlotte,” he said against the warm skin of her neck. “I love you. Do you know that?”

His wife bit her lip then nodded. “Yes, I think I do.”

“You think?” His palm slid down her arm to entwine her fingers with his.

“Well, no … I know you love me. And I love you,” she said slowly. Her gaze scorched the length of him.

He released her hand and stepped back. “Before I forget, I want you to open the gift I’ve brought.”

She shook her head. “Now?”

“Yes, now.” He retrieved the wrapped box he’d brought her before their reception, gestured for her to sit on the bed, and set it in her lap. “Go ahead. Open it.”

Her fingers tossed aside the bow, then tore at the wrapping. “Alex,” she said in a trembling voice as she examined the gift. “How did you find one so like …”

“Like the paint box you lost in the river?” He shrugged, allowing himself the slightest bit of pride for the reaction his gift had elicited. “Actually, that is your paint box.”

“What?” She ran her hand across the surface then looked up at him. “It can’t be. Mine was lost.”

“Yours was found. It took some doing, but I managed to locate the box and have it restored.” He removed the paint box from her hands and set it on the bedside table. Soon enough she would open the paint box and find the treasure trove of jewels he’d had made for her. For now, however, there were more pressing things to discover. “Back to the matter at hand—the fact that we are in danger of losing grounds for ending our marriage.”

“Yes, I believe we are.”

“This inconvenient marriage of ours has begun to appeal to me, Lady Hambly,” he said. “So put any thought of annulment out of your mind.”

Charlotte lifted her head to meet his kisses. “Stop talking, Viscount Hambly,” she said against his lips. “Or I shall be forced to do something to get your attention.”

“Such as what? Pick my pocket?”

Her giggle was smooth as silk. Smooth as the skin of her neck beneath the palm of his hand.

“Silly viscount,” she said, her gaze direct and her intentions obvious, “you won’t have any pockets to pick.”

“Quite inconvenient,” was the only reply he could manage.

Wrapping up the Women of the West series and saying good-bye to the Beck family is bittersweet. Charlotte Beck has lived in my mind and heart, first as an impish child in
The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper
, and then as a young lady longing for adulthood in
Anna Finch and the Hired Gun
. I hope I’ve met the challenge of giving Charlotte a story with her spunk.

The making of any book is no solitary endeavor. First and foremost I want to thank my fabulous editor Jessica Barnes for taking my lump of coal and polishing it to find the diamond beneath all that dust. Thanks also to Shannon Marchese for your encouragement and mentorship and to Amy Partain and the copy editing team for a job well done. To the rest of the WaterBrook team: I am in awe of all you do!

And to my fabulous agent, Wendy Lawton, thank you for perfecting that combination of task master, psychologist, and confidante. You’re the best!

In preparing to write this novel, I traveled to London to scout locations for scenes. I could never have made that trip if my amazing children hadn’t made me cry once again at Christmas by giving me a round-trip ticket to London. Thank you, Josh, Andrew, Jacob, and Hannah! I love you guys!

Also while in London, I met the lovely Vanessa Miter, who gave me invaluable insight into Victorian England. From one history buff to another, I am in your debt, Vanessa. And to my cousin Susan Cunningham and her husband, Mike, thank you for hospitality. If only I could have managed to somehow set a scene at Crazy Homies.

Finally, to my husband Robert Turner, whose encouragement and penchant for punctuality and detail got me through those moments when I was tempted to rename this novel
The Never Ending Story
. Thank you, sweetheart, for understanding that a writer sometimes must work, even on her honeymoon. Mission accomplished! Next time we go to Hawaii, I promise to leave my computer at home.

About the Author

Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple RITA and Carol Award nominee of over forty novels with more than one million copies of her books in print in the United States and abroad. A certified family law paralegal and tenth generation Texan, she was recently nominated for a Career Achievement Award by Romantic Times magazine. Kathleen Y’Barbo has four grown children, seven bonus children, and her very own hero in combat boots. Find out more about Kathleen at
www.kathleenybarbo.com
.