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“I don’t want to hear another word about Ryan!” she hissed. “Your husband has reason to hate me, too. He’s probably in on the whole thing.”
“True.” Wi
The music swelled. Sugar Beth straightened her shoulders and fought her fear. As she made her way around the corner, the congregation rose, temporarily blocking her view of the altar. She clutched the bouquet more tightly, her palms sweaty. Four husbands! What kind of fool got married for the fourth time?
A sea of faces turned toward her, three hundred of them, but not the one she most needed to see. Until she took her place at the end of the aisle . . . There he was, with Ryan at his side, both men dressed in black tuxedos. Colin wore his as comfortably as other men wore jeans. The tucked white shirt gleamed against his tan face, which was thi
Colin’s heart swelled as he watched Sugar Beth approach him. She was dressed entirely in black. He chuckled, and for the first time in nearly two months, he began to relax.
Her gown was beautiful despite its color. Long, slim, and strapless, it had diagonal panels of tiny black beads that grew wider as they reached the hem. She floated toward him, exquisite in form, countenance, and movement, her blond hair and smooth white shoulders rising from the gown like foam from a stormy sea. The brittleness she’d worn like a second skin when she’d first come to Parrish had broken away. She was softer, more exquisite, more precious to him than he’d ever imagined, but the perilous flash of silver in those pale blue eyes reminded him of what a dangerous game he’d been playing. And it wasn’t over yet.
She stopped at his side and passed over the bouquet to Wi
The ceremony began. He’d have preferred writing his own vows, ones that spoke more personally to the depth of his feelings for this magnificent woman, but then she would have had to write hers, too, and he hadn’t trusted her not to curse. Browbeating her was the only way he’d known to slay the dragon that had held this princess as a prisoner for far too long. They belonged together, and he’d been determined to put her out of her misery as quickly as possible.
The minister’s voice broke into his thoughts. Pastor Daniels was a traditionalist, and it hadn’t occurred to him that he should modify the ceremony.
“Who gives this woman to be wedded to this man?”
There was a long pause. The congregation began to stir uneasily. Colin frowned. Ryan smiled and stepped forward. “I do.”
The pastor came to his senses after that and quickly deleted the speak now or forever hold your peace part, which would surely have sent people hopping to their feet all over the place.
The vows followed. Sugar Beth spoke hers flatly, almost angrily. He understood. She’d lost faith in vows, and this particular ceremony held a lot of unhappy memories for her. Still, it had to be done.
The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur, something to be endured rather than cherished. She had a ring for him, which was a surprise, a simple white gold wedding band. He slipped a perfect two-and-a-half-carat diamond on her finger. She wasn’t a woman for subtlety.
More vows and the pronouncement. “You may kiss the bride.”
He gazed down at her and, as he drew close, whispered against her lips, “Don’t bite.”
She didn’t. But she didn’t really kiss him back either.
Ryan and Wi
The guests seemed to have entered into a conspiracy to protect him because no one suggested he and Sugar Beth stand still for wedding photographs, and not a single person tapped a knife on a water goblet to encourage them to kiss. When it came time for the wedding cake to be cut, Wi
Sugar Beth spent most of the reception with either the Seawillows or Gigi and her teenage friends. Finally, Wi
As it came time to leave, Wi
“Forget it. I have more important plans for these.” Wi
“What honeymoon?”
Wi
Eventually, he was able to get her to his car, which had been decorated with white streamers and a sign on the passenger door that read 4th Timz the Charm. Rice flew. Meryli
The interior of the car grew tomblike. Sugar Beth stared straight ahead. Colin tried to think of something to say, but he hadn’t slept well in weeks. Most nights he’d stayed at his computer till dawn, caught a few hours of rest, then gotten up and begun to write again. Except for a weekly trip to a convenience store, he’d seen no one. He’d forgotten to shave, forgotten to eat. Occasionally he’d subjected himself to brutal day-long hikes in the desert, hoping the exertion would wear him out enough so he could sleep for more than two hours at a stretch, but it seldom worked. He’d had no taste for food, no taste for much of anything except writing and torturing himself with thoughts of Sugar Beth.
They passed the Quik Stop, and she finally broke the silence. “What honeymoon?”
“I considered the Virgin Islands, but for now I think it’s better if we just head to the lake. Amy and Clint have given us their cottage for the night. Why were you eating cauliflower?”
Her gown gave an angry rustle. “Tell me where you’ve been for two months.”
“A little adobe house I rented outside Taos. Three rooms near an aspen grove. Simple but serviceable.”
“You look tired. And you’ve lost weight.”
He heard concern in her voice—a chink in the armor of her resentment—and his fatigue instantly vanished. “I’m exhausted. Tired to the bone.” He gave a weary sigh and studied her reaction through the corner of his eye. “It’s been an extraordinarily difficult two months. I haven’t been well at all.”
“Probably suffering from overacting disease.”
He smiled and turned his head to drink in that perfect face. “Do you hate it so very much? Being married to me?”
Her eyes flashed. “We didn’t even sign a prenup! And I’m a wealthy woman.”
“Are you worried, then?”
“Of course I’m worried! I just got married for the fourth time! But I’ve never had a lick of common sense, so why should I be surprised.”