She nodded, resigned but sincere. “Johnny wouldn’t want it all broken up.”
Cooper frowned. “I hate to burst your bubble, but I don’t have the money to buy a boat. I’ve put almost all my liquid assets into Remington Charters already.”
Now she was the one who was surprised. She’d been thinking of Cooper as having an endless supply of cash. “I could lease it to you until you’re ready to buy.”
“Actually, I have another idea. But I don’t want to get my head bitten off again.”
She put her face in her hands, deeply regretting the drama-queen hissy-fit she’d thrown in Houston. “I’m really sorry about that,” she mumbled between her fingers. Then she looked up at him. “I understand now you weren’t trying to cheat me or manipulate me. You really were trying to find a solution that would benefit everyone.”
He shrugged. “I’m not that honorable. The truth is, when I proposed the partnership, I was looking for some way we could be together. I didn’t want to lose you. But I ended up saying the one thing that would alienate you for good.”
Allie was touched at the vulnerability in his voice. How could she have gotten it so wrong? “I wasn’t alienated for good,” she assured him. “Sara made me come to my senses. But I figured by then I’d burned my bridges.” She paused, hoping he would deny she’d done any such thing.
But he didn’t.
“Cooper, who’s Heather?”
He looked surprised at the mention of the name. “How did you hear about her?”
“I overheard Derek say something about her when I went in to get him a beer. I wasn’t listening on purpose, but I couldn’t help hearing.”
Cooper took a deep breath. “I was once engaged to Heather. She ripped me off for close to a quarter million dollars before disappearing into the night.”
Allie gasped. “That’s horrid! Did you put her in jail?”
“No. She got away clean. I imagine she’s happily fleecing some other sucker by now.”
Allie knew how it felt to be fleeced and betrayed by someone who was supposed to love you. But Cooper was the last person she would call a sucker.
“Would you read the letter?” he said impatiently.
“You were going to tell me your idea for solving all our problems.”
“It’s in the letter. But it’s so obvious, I don’t know why you haven’t thought of it.”
“You…you still want to set up a partnership?” she asked, afraid to hope. She’d figured that possibility was off the table.
“A very special kind of partnership.” He took her hand and placed something in her palm, wrapping her fingers around it. It was cold and hard, and it had sharp edges. “Since you won’t read the letter, I’ll tell you what’s in it. It says, Allie Bateman, I love you with all my heart. I think I fell in love with you that first day I saw you, when you threatened to get your gun and shoot me. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Allie couldn’t breathe. Honestly, she thought she was going to pass out. Her ears were buzzing and her head felt like it was about to float away from her body.
But then she remembered to inhale, and her vision cleared. She opened her hand and looked at the object Cooper had given her. It was a diamond ring. An enormous square diamond ring.
“I’ll give you Remington Charters as a wedding present,” he added. “Reece and Max agree.”
“Oh, Cooper.”
“Is that ‘Oh, Cooper, yes’? Or ‘Oh, Cooper, get lost’?”
“Oh, Cooper.” She couldn’t seem to say anything else. She’d never seen this coming. “I mean, yes. I love you, too. Yes.” She threw her arms around him with so much enthusiasm it knocked him over into the sand. He laughed, and then he was kissing her and she felt like her entire world had just flip-flopped and she’d landed in the place where all her dreams were coming true-even the ones she’d never admitted she had.
“DAD, I SEE THE BIG DIPPER!” a seven-year-old boy shouted. He stood near the railing with his glow-in-the-dark star chart, trying to identify constellations while Cooper helped his older sister to view the planet Mars.
With all the celebrating, Cooper and Allie had nearly forgotten they had their first stargazer cruise scheduled for that night. But they’d scrambled to get the new telescope mounted and prepare cookies and brownies-and the promised champagne.
Their first stargazer passengers were a family of four from Houston. Allie remembered talking to them at the trade show. They’d been looking for a new and different getaway weekend.
The kids were clearly enchanted with the night sky. The weather had cooperated, providing them with a crystal-clear, cloudless sky. The parents lounged on side-by-side deck chairs, holding hands and sipping their bubbly from plastic flutes.
Navigating the calm waters at night was no problem, and unlike with the fishing cruises, Allie could find a nice spot and throw out the anchor, allowing her to join in the fun.
“Cooper, is that Cassiopeia’s chair?” she asked, pointing to five bright stars that formed an M-shape on the southern horizon. She knew it was, but since he was their resident expert, she let him play the part.
“Yeah, it sure is,” he answered.
“Where? I want to see!” The boy rushed to Allie’s side and peered up where she pointed.
“Me, too,” said the girl. Brother and sister got into a good-natured argument about whether it actually looked like a chair or not, and who was Cassiopeia, anyway?
Cooper and Allie drew back into the shadows, and he kissed her softly. The ring winked at her, even in the dim light. She knew it wasn’t that smart to wear it while she was working, but she couldn’t bear to take it off, not today.
Reece and Max had seemed genuinely pleased when they heard news of the engagement, both swearing they’d seen it coming. Allie insisted they retain a percentage of ownership in the fishing business, but they’d seemed unconcerned about that.
Sara had been over the moon, and she and Miss Greer had fixed a special dinner that night.
“Where should we get married?” Allie asked Cooper, leaning against him in the moonlight.
“Hmm. You’re the captain of a boat. Maybe you could marry us right here.”
She laughed. “I don’t think I could officiate at my own wedding. Besides, I’m not the captain. We’re co-captains. The sign says so.”
She’d been surprised and thrilled when she’d arrived at dock a few hours ago to see that Cooper had hired someone to repaint the sign over the Dragonfly’s slip. The sign had listed both “Captain Allie Bateman” and “Captain Cooper Remington,” side by side, with both of their phone numbers.
“You were pretty sure this was going to work out,” she commented.
He shrugged. “Not really. But I was hopeful.”
“In that case, I pronounce us husband and wife,” she said.
“Does that mean tonight’s our wedding night?”
“As far as I’m concerned, every night’s our wedding night. For the rest of our lives.”
Kara Lennox
Texas native Kara Lennox has earned her living at various times as an art director, typesetter, textbook editor and reporter. She’s worked in a boutique, a health club and an ad agency. She’s been an antiques dealer and even a blackjack dealer. But no work has made her happier than writing romance novels. She has written more than fifty books.
When not writing, Kara indulges in an ever-changing array of hobbies. Her latest passions are bird-watching and long-distance bicycling. She loves to hear from readers; you can visit her Web page at www.karalennox.com.
