Harbor Street (Cedar Cove #5)(80)

“Maybe we should do it,” she said, thinking out loud. “Elope, I mean.”

Cliff came to an abrupt halt and dropped his arm from around her waist. “You aren’t just saying that, are you?”

Grace supposed she’d meant it more as a comment than a suggestion, but then realized how badly she wanted to end this craziness and—just marry him. “Olivia could perform the ceremony.”

“We can get the license Monday morning.”

Then she remembered she was flying out on Monday. “Oh, no—I’ve got that conference.”

“Where is it again?”

“San Francisco.”

Cliff smiled. “All the better. We’ll be married there.”

That sounded perfectly wonderful, if not for one minor detail. “Cliff, I’m attending a huge library conference.”

“We’ll go on a real honeymoon later.”

“You’re serious?”

“Are you?” He studied her as if he wasn’t sure.

“I…I was just thinking I might have to forget about the conference altogether. Maryellen and Jon need my help, and I’m feeling guilty about not doing more.”

“Can you cancel out at this late date?”

“Well, yes, although it’s a problem. And, Cliff, I want to go. I have workshops scheduled each day, plus there’s a banquet one night and I’m even on a panel about literacy.”

“Then you should go. Why don’t we hire a housecleaning service to help Maryellen out? We’ll arrange it for Monday. And we’ll have The Lighthouse send out a few meals. Then there’s no need for you to feel guilty—and you and I will go to San Francisco.”

Grace stared at him. “You are a miracle worker,” she said.

“Aw, shucks, ma’am,” he muttered with fake modesty.

When she laughed, he said, “You do have some free time during the conference, don’t you?”

“Some. On Wednesday afternoon.” She’d hoped to steal away and do a little sightseeing.

“Some is enough. We won’t need much.”

“But—”

“Are you looking for an excuse to get out of this?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Good, because I’m going to make it happen. Wednesday afternoon it is, March eighth. Don’t you worry about a thing.”

They weren’t even inside the house yet, but she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. “We’re running away to get married!” Cliff lifted her off the ground and with a shout of jubilation, whirled her around and around.

Cal came out of the barn and gave them an odd look. He stood there, apparently waiting for an explanation.

“We’re getting married,” Grace told him when Cliff set her feet back on the ground.

Cal grinned. “I…th-th—figured as much.”

“Next week,” Cliff added.

Cal straightened his hat. “You got that m-m-mare coming from Ken-tuck-ky.”

Cliff’s smile slowly faded, but then he shook his head. “You can handle her. You’ll have to, because I’ll be in San Francisco with my bride.”

“Y-yes!” Cal laughed and nodded. “Go!” he yelled, waving them off.

Cliff wrapped his arm around her waist. “If we waited for the perfect time, it could take years. I, for one, am not willing to wait a minute longer than necessary.”

“Are we going to tell anyone?”

“And risk the wrath of the entire universe?” he teased. “Lisa will probably hire a hit man and I know your daughters won’t be thrilled with us, either. That’s the risk we’ll have to take. As far as I’m concerned, no one needs to know we’re married until we decide to tell them.”

“But if we don’t tell everyone we’re married, I won’t be able to move in with you.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t let my family assume we’re living together.”

“If I had my say, you’d be living with me now.”

“Cliff!”

“All right, all right,” he said, opening the front door to let her into the house. The fire in the fireplace warmed the room, welcoming her, and she glanced around at the log walls, the simple, solid furniture, the old-fashioned braided rug. This would be her home….

“We’ll announce that we’re married when we return and let the chips fall where they may,” he said.

“Good.” That solved that. “We’ll schedule a wedding reception at a date convenient to all.”

“That’ll be years from now.”

“Okay,” she amended, smiling. “We’ll schedule the reception when it’s convenient to most.” Then, because it was impossible to contain her excitement, Grace turned into Cliff’s arms and kissed him again.

“Wednesday can’t come soon enough for me,” he murmured, his voice husky against her ear.

“Do you know how long the waiting period is in California?” she asked. It was three days in Washington State, and she didn’t want any last-minute problems if it happened to be longer in California.

“No,” Cliff said, “but I’ll find out. Now don’t worry—we’re getting married, come hell or high water.”