Dreams (Part Two) (Dreams #2)(12)
Author: Jayne Ann Krentz

“They came to see you, Colby. They wanted to congratulate you. You’re the town’s local celebrity, in case you don’t know it. How does it feel to breeze back into Fulbrook Corners twenty years later and find out you’re a legend?“

“Damn weird, if you want to know the truth. And don’t be taken in by all the big smiles and hearty handshakes today. Some of those people who were offering lots of good wishes this afternoon were the same ones who wouldn’t let me date their daughters and who couldn’t wait to see if I’d wind up in jail twenty years ago.“

“Well, you didn’t wind up in jail. You showed ‘em all, Colby. And now they’re proud of you.“

“I wouldn’t bet on it. They all showed up today out of sheer curiosity,“ he muttered. But he didn’t sound particularly annoyed.

“Don’t be such a grouch. This is our wedding night. I hope you’re planning something romantic out there.“

“I’m planning to jump on top of you just as soon as you get your little tush out of the bathroom.“

“Be still, my beating heart.“ Inside the bathroom Diana shimmied into the peach-colored negligee her mother had given her and surveyed herself in the old, cracked mirror. It was definitely the sexiest nightgown she’d ever worn.

“Diana?“

“Yes, Colby?“

“I liked your mother.“

“She liked you. It was nice of Brandon to pick her up in Portland and drive her back to the airport this evening.“

“She’s different from what I expected.“

“What did you expect?“

“Oh, I don’t know. From what you’d told me about your past, your father deserting her after he got her pregnant and all, I guess I expected her to be more bitter toward men in general and her daughter’s husband in particular.“

“Mom’s not like that.“

“So I found out. She’s really happy about the baby. She told me she’d been afraid her own experiences raising you alone had warped your attitude toward men forever. You were so determined not to trust men that she was afraid you’

d never let yourself fall in…“ Colby broke off abruptly. “Afraid you’d never take the risk of marrying anyone, let alone the risk of having a kid. She actually thanked me for barging into your life and rearranging things for you.“

“That sounds like Mom,“ Diana said with a barely stifled groan. She was as ready as she would ever be. “Colby?“

“Yeah, honey?“

“I’m coming out. Don’t jump on top of me right away, okay? I want you to see this nightgown. It’s beautiful,“

“I don’t care how pretty it is. It’ll look better off.“

Diana cautiously opened the door. Colby was on the far side of the small bedroom. His back was turned toward her, and he was doing something at the dresser. He had the light turned down low, and she could see that he was naked except for his sexy briefs. His broad shoulders gleamed in the faint light. She saw the traces of silver in his dark hair and her heart quickened. She was lost every time she looked at him.

Diana wondered if he realized even vaguely how much she loved him. She hadn’t found the courage to tell him. She was just beginning to acknowledge it fully to herself.

“Colby?“

He swung around at the sound of her voice, and she saw that he was holding a small vase full of wildflowers in his fist. His gray gaze moved over her slowly.

“I can’t believe it,“ he finally said.

Diana looked at him uncomprehendingly. “Can’t believe what?“

“That you really do belong to me at last.“ He became aware of the flowers he was clutching. “Here, these are for you. I picked them this morning and put them in water to keep while we drove over to the courthouse. Not much of a wedding gift, but Fulbrook Corners’ general store didn’t have much to offer. Ill get you something nice when we get to Portland.“

“Oh, Colby, they’re beautiful. The most beautiful flowers in the whole world. Thank you.“ Diana was afraid she was very close to tears. She had never been more touched by a gift in her life.

Colby was no grand romantic, as she had informed him often enough. But the vase of delicate blooms held so carefully in his strong hand had to constitute the most romantic present she’d ever received.

“You like ‘em, huh?“ He looked down at the flowers with a small, lopsided grin.

“I love them.“ Almost as much as I love you, she added silently. She went forward to take the flowers. Her hand came around from behind her back, and she handed him his wedding gift.

“What’s that? A stone? from the river?“ He took the small, polished rock from her palm, examining it as if it were a gemstone.

“As you said, the shopping available around here is a little limited.“ Diana was suddenly nervous. Maybe this hadn’t been such a great idea after all. “But I got this idea of going out to Chained Lady Falls yesterday, and I found that stone at the base of the falls. It looked so beautiful shining there in the water, almost as if it had been professionally polished. I guess all that water pounding over it all those years did the polishing job.“

Colby looked up from the stone in his palm, his eyes burning with an intensity that took her breath away. “You went out to Chained Lady Falls to get this?“

She nodded quickly, uncertain of his reaction. “I know you said we weren’t to talk about what happened between us that night in the cave, about how we were reckless, and I got pregnant, and why we had to get married and all, but…“ Her voice trailed off.

“But?“

She couldn’t look away from the gray fire in his eyes. Diana swallowed and sought an explanation. She’d never felt this tongue-tied in her whole life. “But I wanted to tell you somehow that I don’t think that what happened that night was so terrible after all. In fact, the more I get used to the idea, the more I think it’s going to be all right. This baby I’m carrying feels as if it was meant to be. Do you know what I mean?“

“Diana…“ he began gently.

She interrupted him, the rest of the words tumbling out in a rush, “If it had happened to me with any other man, it would have been a disaster. But it happened with you and you’re different, and I want you to know I appreciate that and I… I won’t be looking back on that night as an awful mistake for which I’m now having to pay a high price.“