Stranger in My Arms(100)

‘Cause I don’t want to miss anything.”

Laughing, Lara returned her attention to the window, watching as Lord Tufton and Rachel came into view. Her sister was holding Tufton’s arm as they strolled together. Beneath the brim of the black mourning bonnet was the first real smile Lara had seen on Rachel’s face in far too long.

“Who is that with Auntie Rachel?” Johnny asked.

“I believe he’s going to be her next husband,” Lara ~eplied thoughtfully, and glanced at the boy with a conspiratorial smile. “But that’s our secret for now.”

This turn of thought led to consideration of another secret they shared, and Johnny tugged at Lara’s skirts. “When can we tell everyone you’re going to have a baby, Mama?”

“When I begin to show,” Lara replied. At his look of confusion, she explained with a slight blush, “When my tummy gets bigger.”

“Will it get as big as Sir Ralph’s?” he asked, naming a stout gentleman of their acquaintance.

Lara couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Good Lord, I hope not.”

His face turned sober. “Will you still love me after the baby comes, Mama?”

Smiling with perfect happiness, Lara knelt and put her arms around his slim, straight body. “Oh, yes,” she murmured, hugging him hard.

“Always, Johnny.”

In the early evening, Hunter arrived from an errand in Market Hill and found Lara just as she finished changing for dinner. He came to her and pressed a quick, hard kiss on her lips.

“I have them,” he replied in response to her questioning glance.

Lara smiled, smoothing his lapels with her fingertips. “I thought you might have forgotten what we planned for tonight.”

Hunter shook his head. “I’ve thought about it all day.”

“Shall we have dinner first?” she asked softly.

“I’m not hungry. Are you?”

He caught her small hand in his and pulled her along with him. “Then let’s go.”

He took her to the outskirts of Market Hill, driving a curricle with a matched pair of chestnuts. They reached a small stone church tucked in a grove of small trees near the rectory. The quaint little building, with its thatched roof and round Saxon tower topped with a belfry, looked like something out of a fairy tale.

Lara smiled in anticipation as Hunter swung her down from the vehicle.

He used a carriage lantern to light their way along a small path, and held Lara’s elbow lightly, guiding her across the uneven stones.

They entered the quiet church, and Lara surveyed the interior as Hunter lit a pair of candles by the altar. A simple wooden cross on one wall and a circular stained-glass window were the building’s only adornments, save for the carving on the sides of the four pews.

“It’s perfect,” Lara said.

Hunter shot her a skeptical glance. “Lara, I wish…”

“This is more than enough,” she interrupted, her face glowing in the candlelight “We don’t need an elaborate church, or a congregation, or a mister to hold a proper ceremony.”

“You deserve so much more,” he grumbled.

“Come here.” She stood by the altar and waited, her lips curved with a smile.

Hunter approached her and reached in his pocket, extracting a tiny velvet pouch. Gently he shook the contents into his hand. Lara’s breath caught as she beheld the geminal ring, two gold bands fitting together into one.

“It’s lovely,” she said, watching as he deftly twisted the bands apart and set them on the altar. Moved by the sweet serenity of their surroundings, Lara bent her head and prayed silently, her heart filled with hope and joy. She looked up to find Hunter’s bright dark gaze on her.

“Whatever amount of time I have with you,” he said huskily, “it’s not enough.”

Wordlessly she held out her hand, and Hunter took it in a solid clasp.

He held it for a moment, then picked up a gold band and slid it onto her finger. “I promise,” he said slowly, staring into her eyes, “to give you my whole self, body and soul… to take care of you… to respect and honor you… and most of all to love you until the day I die… and even after that.” He paused and added with a flare of tender laughter in his eyes, “And I won’t complain about all your charitable projects… as long as you remember to spare some time for me.”

Lara’s hand trembled a little as she slid The other band onto his finger. “I promise to be your helpmate, friend, and lover,” she said softly. “I promise to give you all my love and trust, and build a life with you … and help you to forget about the past and cherish each day we have together.”

“And you’ll give me children,” he said, placing a gentle hand over her stomach.

“Ten,” she said ambitiously, making him laugh.

“Now I see your plan. You’ll keep me in bed all the time, laboring to produce them.”

“Complaining?” Lara asked.

He grinned and pulled her close in an ardent hug.

“God, no. I’m just thinking…” He took her mouth in a string of passionate kisses. “We’d better… start practicing.”

Her hands slid around his head, and they kissed lavishly until they were both breathless.