Okay, enough of the procrastination. She rose from bed and felt reasonably stable. Amazing what more than twenty-four hours of sleep could do for a person. Grabbing the bag and a robe, she padded down the hall to the bathroom.
She read and followed the instructions for the test, pacing the small bathroom as she waited. When she saw the results, she took another test and waited. Same result.
“Dios,” she whispered.
It took several moments to collect herself, but she finally managed it and took a shower. Wrapping herself in the cozy terry-cloth robe, she returned to her bedroom and found Jackson waiting for her.
“Well, hello,” she said, her stomach jumping at the sight of him. Her voice still held a tinge of huskiness, but she no longer needed to whisper.
Jackson looked bone weary but gorgeous to her. Dressed in a dark business suit, he was leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees.
“Are you okay? Maria said you had to go back to Dallas. It sounded urgent.”
“I had to take care of the SUV first. I left it on the side of the road because I couldn’t get through the temporary river in the middle of the road.”
She patted her hair dry with a towel. “Is it okay?”
He nodded. “How are you?”
“Much better.”
“You sound better. You had me worried.”
“Sorry for the scare,” she said, sitting opposite him on the bed.
“I have something to tell you,” he said.
“I have something to tell you, too,” she said.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to go first.”
She felt a twisting nervousness at his ominous tone. Was he going to tell her he didn’t want to be married to her anymore? Was he going to tell her he wanted out?
He squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I think I got in over my head.”
Relief rushed through her. “You need more money? That’s no prob-”
He lifted his hand and shook his head. “No. I meant I didn’t know how being married to you would affect me and how much the money part would bother me.”
The twisting nervousness returned. “You know my financial situation, so you know that in the scheme of things, it’s not a burden.”
“Maybe not to you, but it is to me,” he said.
Lori bit her lip, bracing herself. Here it came. The big dump.
“I didn’t expect to have such strong feelings for you. And I don’t want the money thing hanging over my head, so I found someone else to back the project. I’m returning your money to you.”
Lori gasped. “So fast? Does this mean you want out? Does this mean-”
“Out,” he echoed. “Hell, no. I love you. I refuse to have the money issue between us.”
Shocked at his declaration, she gaped at him, her mouth moving, but no sound came out. “Did you-did you say you love me?”
“Yeah. Joke’s on me.” He gave a dry chuckle. “It scared the life out of me when Maria called to tell me you were out riding Lady looking for that kid.” He met her gaze. “The problem is I don’t want to stick to the original bargain. I want to be a real husband to you. I want you to be my real wife. You may not be up for that.”
Her heart pounded so hard she could hear it. She took his hands in hers and held on for dear life. “What if I am? What if I love you?”
He shifted their hands so that he enclosed hers in his. “Then we need to rewrite the rules,” he said. “We go public.”
“Yes,” she said.
“You sleep with me every night,” he said.
She smiled. “Yes.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. “When did it happen? When did you start loving me?”
“The day I met you. I’ve been fighting it from the beginning. I wanted to believe you were a self-centered airhead heiress, but you’re nothing like that.” He lifted one of his hands to her cheek. “Look at you pulling off a rescue operation during a flood.”
“Yeah, well, hopefully I won’t be doing that again for a long time,” she said.
“You rode Lady all by yourself. How was it?”
“It was okay after the first few minutes. I just pretended you were coaching me.”
“That’s what you told me when I carried you back to the house,” he said.
“I don’t remember much of what I said.”
“I do,” he said. “I remember you told me you loved me.”
She felt a rush of warmth. “I guess I let that cat out of the bag.”
“I’m glad you did,” he said and lifted her hands to his mouth.
Lori could hardly believe this was happening, that Jackson really loved her. “Could you tell me again, please?”
“Tell you what?” he asked, leaning back and tugging her onto his lap.
“That you love me,” she said.
“Yeah. I love you. You’ve brought magic and hope into my life. You once told me that your mom called you sunbeam, and I understand why your father was so protective. I’ve never met anyone like you.” He guided her mouth to his and kissed her.
Lori sighed. She’d never felt so complete in her entire life. She could almost feel her mother and father looking down at her, smiling in approval.
A knock sounded on her door. “Lori, what are the results?” Maria asked as she burst inside. The woman’s eyes rounded. “Oops. Sorry. I didn’t know you were here.” She lifted her eyebrow in silent question to Lori. “I’ll talk to you later,” she said and left the room as quickly as she’d entered it.
Jackson shot her a look of inquiry. “Results? What was she talking about?”
“Oh.” Lori bit her lip, fumbling for a way to tell him. “You remember how I had something I needed to tell you, but you said you wanted to go first.”
“Yes,” he said, drawing out the word expectantly.
“I’m pregnant.”
He blinked. “But you said the doctor told you that you would have difficulty getting pregnant.”
“Looks like he called that one wrong,” she said and fought a sinking, anxious sensation. “Are you okay with it? We’ve never discussed having children, but-”
“You’re sure about this?” he asked.
She nodded. “I took two tests.”
His face lit up like the Fourth of July. “I thought you couldn’t make me happier than when you told me you loved me. But you just did.”
Seventeen days later, Maude, Cash, Lori, and Jackson witnessed the marriage between Geoffrey and Maria. Decked out in a tux, Geoffrey stood in front of the female minister. He shifted from foot to foot as he waited for Maria to appear.
Virginia smiled at him, and he managed a strained smile in return. He didn’t doubt what he was doing. He just bloody well wanted to get on with it. He gave a nod to Cash and Jackson. Every millisecond that passed felt like an eternity. He had the sinking feeling that perhaps Maria had changed her mind.
The possibility made him sweat even more profusely. Although the sun was beginning to set, it was still hot as blazes. Folding his hands together in front of him, he told himself to settle down. Maria had declared her love to him. Despite the fact that he was broke, and likely to remain that way, and his family would detest her, she still loved him.
At least that was what she’d told him yesterday. What if she’d reconsidered? What if she was going to leave him sweating here at the altar waiting for her? Worse, what if she showed up and told him in front of everyone that she’d decided she didn’t want to marry him?
Geoffrey swiped his hand across his damp forehead. He couldn’t stand it. He turned to the minister. “If you’ll excuse me just a moment, I will-”
A collective gasp from Lori and Virginia distracted him. Looking over his shoulder, he gasped, too. Maria rode toward him on Rowdy, just as she had the first time he’d laid eyes on her. His heart swelled at the memory.
This time she wore a strapless ivory gown of beaded lace and a lace veil on her head. Her hair shimmered over her tanned shoulders, and her beautiful skin contrasted dramatically with the ivory gown. She was everything lovely and beautiful he could have ever dreamed.