Bachelor at Her Bidding (Bachelor Auction Book 2)(45)
He gave her a smile that made her heart flip. “Maybe we both need to make it up to each other.”
In her bed?
Her skin heated at the thought.
“But there’s something else I really want to say to you. In your kitchen, I think.”
Her kitchen. Where he’d lifted her up against the wall and made love to her until she saw stars. Her knees went weak at the memory and she only just managed to walk to the kitchen with him.
And there, to her surprise, he dropped down on one knee.
“Ryan?”
“Take the lid off the box,” he said, holding it toward her.
She did so.
Inside, on another of the silver cake boards, was what looked like an individual chocolate tart. Set in the middle of the chocolate was the thinnest, most delicate slice of whole orange she’d ever seen, looking like a circle of sunshine.
“It’s a Tarte au Chocolat,” he said. “With orange sweetcrust pastry and an orange crisp. Which involves a mandolin, a pan of sugar syrup and a bit of patience.”
True to form, the pastry came with a label written on chocolate. Except this time Ryan was the one to read it out. “Rachel Cassidy, I love you from the bottom of my heart. Will you marry me?”
The sincerity in his face was enough to melt her last remaining doubts. So there was only one answer to his question. She smiled. “Yes.”
Epilogue
?
Six months later
“Ready to walk up the aisle with me, Gram?” Ryan asked as they waited outside the church door.
Phyllis smiled, and rested her weight on her walking frame so she could reach up to adjust his buttonhole. “I am now. You look so handsome, just like your dad and your grandpa,” she said. “And I’m so glad you’re marrying…”
For a nasty moment, Ryan thought she’d forgotten the name.
Was this a bad omen?
But then Phyllis smiled again. “Rachel. She’s a lovely girl. So right for you.”
And Ryan smiled right back. “She certainly is.” And, best of all, it seemed that today was one of Gram’s more lucid days. He was going to get married to the love of his life, with his closest family right there. Making memories that would last a lifetime.
“And a spring wedding, too.”
Ryan didn’t have the heart to correct her that it was Fall.
He simply walked down the aisle with her, smiling his head off, and helped her into the pew at the very front.
The church was already almost full. Rachel’s family, their friends, people they’d both grown up with over the years. Most of the staff at Grey’s – who were then going to rush back to finish cooking the wedding feast. Even Carol Bingley was there and smiling, wearing one of her louder patterned dresses and sitting next to her husband, Don. Since Ryan had stood up to her on Rachel’s behalf, her gossiping had been just that little bit less mean.
In a few minutes, his bride would be arriving. Although they’d lived together in Phyllis’s house for the last couple of months, she’d spent last night in her family home, saying she wanted to keep the tradition of not seeing him on their wedding day until she walked down the aisle towards him.
And, right on cue, the organist started to play the bridal march.
Ryan turned to watch Rachel walk towards him on her father’s arm, her sister carrying the train of her dress and her twin nieces walking in step behind them, carrying flower baskets.
All was most definitely right with their world.
He took her hand and mouthed, “I love you,” as the preacher began to intone the first words of the church service.
And his heart overflowed as Rachel mouthed back, “I love you, too.”
If you enjoyed Bachelor at Her Bidding, you’ll love the other Montana Born Bachelor Auction stories!
The Bachelor Auction Series Bound to the Bachelor by Sarah Mayberry Buy now!
Bachelor at Her Bidding by Kate Hardy The Bachelor’s Baby by Dani Collins Coming soon – March 2015
What a Bachelor Needs by Kelly Hunter Coming soon – March 2015
In Bed with a Bachelor by Megan Crane Coming soon – March 2015
One Night with Her Bachelor by Kat Latham Coming soon – March 2015
About the Author
Kate Hardy is the award-winning author of more than 60 novels for Harlequin, Entangled and Tule Publishing.
She lives in Norwich in the east of England with her husband, two teenage children, a springer spaniel called Byron, and too many books to count. She’s a bit of a science and history nerd who loves cinema, the theatre, and baking (which is why you’ll find her in the gym five mornings a week – oh, and to ballroom dancing lessons). She loves doing research, especially if it means something hands-on and exploring. (That’s how the ballroom dancing started…)
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