To Love & Protect Her (15 page)

“Not here, Willa,” he said softly. “Anyone could walk onto the porch at any time.”

She pressed another kiss against his chest, then reluctantly rebuttoned his shirt. “I'm sorry. You're right.”

He brought her hands up to his mouth. “Don't ever be sorry. You know I love to have you touch me. I just don't want you to be embarrassed.”

Leaning against him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked away, knowing her face flamed with color. “You're right. I can't believe I…”

He chuckled in the darkness. “I learn something more about you every day, Willa. Will it always be that way?”

She looked up at him. “I don't know, Griff. Will it?”

He stared down at her for a moment, then he pulled her close again. “I love you, Willa. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. When I saw you lying on the dirt floor in that shack, with Betsy and Clint standing over you, I thought for a moment that you were dead. And I wanted to die, too.

“Seeing you that way was the worst moment of my life. And when I saw that you were still breathing, it changed my life.”

He eased away from her, and his face was hard and closed. “I don't deserve you, Willa.” He held up his hand when she opened her mouth. “Don't say it. I don't care what you think—the truth is that I have stains on my soul that even you can't erase. But I love you. And because, by some miracle, it seems that you love me, too, I'm not going to let you go.”

He paused, and a look of uncertainty came over him. “You do love me, don't you?”

“Of course I love you.” She pulled his mouth down to hers and kissed him with all the passion in her soul. “I was afraid to tell you. I was afraid that you would start running and not stop until you were halfway around the world.”

He gave her a crooked half smile. “Smart woman. I would have been gone so fast that there wouldn't even have been a vapor trail.”

“I decided that I'd just hang around until you came to your senses.”

“I'm glad you did.” His smile faded. “I'm hard-headed, Willa. You can see how long it took for me to figure out that I loved you.”

“Is this called truth in advertising?” she asked with a loving smile. “Am I going to have to catalog all my faults and failings, too?”

He scowled. “I just want to make sure you know what you're getting.”

“Then I guess I should tell you that I'm very opinionated and bossy. I lose track of time when I'm involved in a project. And I'm very crabby until I get my coffee in the morning.”

“That last one isn't news to me,” he said, grinning.

She raised her eyebrows. “‘I just want to make sure you know what you're getting,'” she mimicked.

He framed her face in his hands. “I love everything about you, Willa. Including your bossy, opinionated ways.”

“And I love everything about you, including your hardheadedness.” She grinned up at him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I imagine we'll have a few fights when your stubbornness comes up against my bossiness.”

“I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make you happy, Willa. Will you marry me?”

She felt her eyes filling with tears. “Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, I'll marry you, Griff.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, then bent down and kissed her again. This time he kissed her lightly—a pledge and a promise. But when she put her arms around his neck and fitted herself against him, he groaned and set her away from him.

“How soon can we get married?” he asked hoarsely.

“I'd marry you tomorrow,” she said. “But don't you want your parents to be here? And the rest of your brothers, and Mattie?”

He scowled. “I suppose they have to be.”

She smiled. “And I know Ryan is going to want to throw a big wedding for me here at the ranch.” She felt her eyes watering again. “He always told me that he was looking forward to my wedding. Since all
of his children are married, he was counting on me to have an excuse for another big party.”

“I guess we can't disappoint your godfather,” he said.

Willa leaned against him, holding him close. “I've waited for you all my life,” she murmured. “I can wait a few more months, as long as you're with me.”

She felt him tense before he cleared his throat. “As a matter of fact, I won't be here for the whole time. I have to go back to London.”

She lifted her head. “That's right, you said you had to talk to your boss. Is it about your next assignment?”

Dread filled her heart, but she was determined not to let Griff see. His job was a part of who he was, and she wouldn't ask him to change it. But she knew she would worry about him.

“Not exactly.” He looked down at her. “I'm going to resign. And I need to tell him in person. There are a lot of things to discuss if I'm leaving the department.”

She moved away and looked up at his face. “Griff, I don't want you to quit your job because of me. I know you must enjoy what you do, because you've been doing it for a long time. And I know from firsthand experience how good you are at it.”

“Willa, when I'm on an assignment, I'm gone for months at a time. I couldn't bear to be separated from you for that long. I wouldn't be able to contact you at all. You wouldn't know if I was dead or alive, and I wouldn't put you through that kind of worry.” He
drew her closer and gave her a reassuring kiss. “I was good at my job, but I have another focus for my life now. I want to come out into the light and stand in it with you.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, then held her breath.

“Positive.” His voice was firm. “I've just spoken with my brothers, and I'm going to go into the family business with them.” He smiled at her. “There's even a small college not too far from our family ranch. I'm sure they would be interested in a very talented political science professor.” His smile widened as he took her hands. “Do you think you could bear to live on a ranch in Australia?”

“I would love to live on a ranch in Australia, as long as you were there,” she whispered. “That's all that matters, Griff. My home is wherever you are, because that's where my heart is.”

“It's not going to be like Texas,” he warned. “You'll be living on a ranch in the back of nowhere. We're an hour from that town with the college. There's no one around but family.”

“You can't scare me away,” she said, smiling up at him. “You're stuck with me now.”

“I don't want you to regret this.”

She moved closer, close enough to feel the tension that suddenly emanated from him. “How could I regret anything about us?” she said. “I love you.” Her mouth curled into a grin. “And you know I like adventures.”

“This is going to be one hell of an adventure for you.”

“No, it's going to be an adventure for
us.
Marriage always is. But there's nothing I want more. I love you, Griff.”

“And I love you, Willa.”

He wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned against him. “It doesn't matter where we live,” she whispered. “I'm already home.”

“W
ith this ring, I thee wed.”

Griff's clear voice washed over Willa as she stood next to him in the inner courtyard of the house at the Double Crown Ranch. He slipped a heavy gold band onto her ring finger, then looked up at her.

The love in his eyes made her throat tighten. Then the minister spoke again, and without taking her gaze from his, Willa repeated the same words to Griff.

“With this ring, I thee wed.”

Her hand trembled as she pushed an identical gold band onto Griff's finger. Griff turned his hand to hold hers tightly for a moment, then he brought her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips over their joined fingers.

The minister beamed at them. “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Slowly Griff turned her to face him, then he bent his head and touched his mouth to hers. The caress was meant to be light and brief, but their lips clung and held as they melted together. Finally Griff pulled away, but he didn't let go of her hand.

“May I present Mr. and Mrs. Griffin Fortune.” The minister smiled out at the people behind them.

She turned with Griff to face their relatives and
friends, and suddenly the courtyard erupted into wild clapping and cheering.

Griff grinned at her and leaned down to murmur in her ear, “I guess that's what happens when you get a bunch of Australians and Texans together in one place.”

She slipped her hand through his arm and grinned back at him. “I'd clap and cheer, too, if I thought I could get away with it.”

“You can do anything you want to do today,” he replied, his eyes gleaming.

“Mmm. Hold that thought for several hours,” she murmured.

As they walked down the narrow aisle between the chairs set up in the courtyard, he tightened the muscles of his arm, pulling her closer to him. “Is that a promise?” His voice was husky, sending shivers up her spine.

“You can count on it.”

By the time they reached the back of the courtyard and turned around, Griff's eyes held a promise of their own. But before she could lose herself in it, Matilda jiggled her arm.

“As matron of honor, it's my job to keep the bride from ogling the groom in the reception line,” she said with a grin. “Pay attention here, Willa. And you, too, Griff. There'll be a test later.”

Willa turned to Mattie with a smile, and gave her a quick, hard hug. “Thank you for being my matron of honor,” she said quietly. “You don't know how much it means to me.”

Mattie's grin turned into a tender smile. “I was
thrilled that you asked me,” she said. “And so was Junior.”

She laid her hand on her protruding abdomen, then gave both Willa and Griff a sly grin. “And speaking of Junior, Dawson and I have some news of our own.”

“Did you find out the sex of the baby?” Willa asked eagerly.

Mattie gave her a mysterious smile. “Dawson and I will tell you later. This is your wedding day. We don't want to steal your spotlight.”

Willa was about to protest that she didn't mind, but then Ryan enveloped her in a huge bear hug. “I can't believe my goddaughter is married,” he said.

Willa clung to him for a moment, then stepped back so she could look at him. “Thank you for letting us have the wedding at the Double Crown,” she said softly.

“I wouldn't have let you have this wedding anywhere else. This is where you belong. After all, you're my only goddaughter. You were a part of the family even before you married a Fortune.”

He turned to Griff. “You're one lucky young man,” he said.

Griff took his uncle's hand, and it looked to Willa as if both men held on longer than necessary. “I know that, Uncle Ryan. I'll take good care of her.”

“I know you will, Griffin.” Ryan squeezed his hand tightly, then let him go and slapped him on the back. “And I'll expect to see both of you back at the Double Crown on a regular basis.”

“You will.” Griff looked over at Willa and smiled.
“We've already talked about that. We'll come back to Texas several times a year.”

“There will always be room at the ranch for you. And your children.” He gave them a pointed look, and his wife Lily grabbed his hand to lead him away.

“You stop pestering Willa and Griff, Ryan. This is their wedding day. There's plenty of time to talk about children.”

Ryan grinned at them over his shoulder as Lily pulled him away, and Griff leaned down to whisper in Willa's ear. “We'll have to discuss getting you pregnant, sweetheart. I think we have a lot of practicing to do.”

“I'm a firm believer in the old ‘practice makes perfect' adage,” she whispered back.

Griff's eyes gleamed at her, but before he could say anything, another guest approached and gave him a hug. Willa waited, inhaling the fragrance of the blossoms that filled the courtyard, while the two chatted. Besides the cut-flower arrangements that had been brought in for the wedding, the area was overflowing with flowering plants that had begun blooming a few weeks earlier.

Spring in Texas filled the air with the fragrance of a thousand different plants coming back to life. The sky was a pure, sparkling blue and the air was warm as it blew gently across her face. April was the perfect time for a Texas wedding.

She and Griff hadn't wanted to wait that long to get married, but Ryan had been determined to throw them a big wedding, with all his friends and his family invited. He'd told them that since all his children
were already married, Willa and Griff's wedding was the last one he'd have a chance to arrange for a long time. It would be a while before his grandchildren started to get married.

Besides, waiting a few months had given Griff's parents the chance to come to Texas for the wedding.

Fiona and Teddy stopped in front of Griff and embraced first their son, then her. “You're beautiful, Willa,” Fiona said.

Willa saw the sheen of tears in her eyes.

She smiled at her son and his bride as she wiped her eyes. “Don't mind me. I always get weepy at weddings.”

Griff hugged her again. “I'm glad you both could make it.”

“We wouldn't have missed it for anything,” Teddy said, clapping his son on the back and taking Willa's hand. “Your mother and I never thought we'd see this day. We were afraid you were going to spend your life roaming the world. I didn't think you were ever going to settle down.”

“Is that what you call it?” Griff asked, his voice amused. “Settling down? I thought life on the ranch was more exciting than that.”

Teddy's eyes twinkled. “We'll give you more excitement than you ever imagined,” he said, slapping him on the back again. “Just you wait.”

Fiona turned to Willa. “Have you heard anything more about that job at the college?” she asked.

Willa nodded. “I talked to them again last week. They sound very interested, but they can't offer me a job until they interview me in person. When Griff and
I come home after our honeymoon, I'm going to talk to them. If they offer me the position, I'll start teaching next semester.”

“You'll get the job,” Fiona said with an assured smile. “They'll see how lucky they would be to have you.”

“Thank you.” Willa felt herself blushing. She and Fiona had hit it off immediately. Fiona had taken Willa under her wing, helping her with the final details of the wedding, and Willa was still dazed with happiness.

All the Australian Fortunes had acted as if she were already one of them. Suddenly having four brothers and a sister was a bit overwhelming after being an only child all her life, but she loved every minute of it.

“Where are you going on your honeymoon?” Teddy asked.

“We're going to wander the world for a while.” Griff glanced at Willa again and gave her a secret smile. “I've been a lot of places, but I haven't seen much. And Willa has an incurable travel bug. We'll be back at the ranch in a month or so.”

“Take your time,” Teddy said understandingly. “You haven't had a lot of time to yourselves the last few months, with the investigation and then the wedding to plan. And as much as I love it here at the Double Crown Ranch, it's not like there's a lot of privacy.”

Fiona hugged Willa, then Griff. “We'll see you before you leave.”

“You know we'll make sure we say goodbye to you,” Willa answered.

Teddy and Fiona moved away, and another couple came up and gave them a hug. After a while, it felt like they'd been standing in the receiving line for hours, greeting friends and relatives. But Willa reveled in it. Even Griff didn't seem to mind.

But when the last of the guests drifted away, Griff turned to Willa. “I didn't think I'd ever have you to myself again.”

“And you won't for another few hours,” she said, reaching up to give him a quick kiss. “I want to find Mattie and Dawson. They had an ultrasound scheduled, and I think they've found out the baby's sex.”

But before they could find Griff's sister, a baby started crying. They turned to see Brody and Jillian trying to ease their way through the crowds. Jillian was holding a red-faced, squalling Sarah. Their daughter was just two months old, and right now she looked very unhappy.

Willa hurried over to Jillian. “Is she all right?” she asked.

Brody grinned. “She's just hungry. And she doesn't like to wait.”

“I'm going to find a quiet corner and nurse her,” Jillian said. “I didn't want her to make a scene at your wedding.”

“Don't be silly,” Willa said immediately. “She's not making a scene. She's just hungry, aren't you, sweetheart.” She cooed at Sarah, who stopped crying long enough to look at her with interest. “What a charmer you are.”

“She takes after her mother completely,” Brody agreed, wrapping an arm around Jillian and dropping a kiss on top of her head.

“Except for her stubbornness,” Jillian added dryly. “That comes straight from her father.”

The couple exchanged an intimate glance, then Brody eased Jillian through the crowds and into the relatively deserted house. Willa watched them go, then turned to Griff. “Sarah is such a darling,” she said, knowing her voice sounded wistful.

“I can hardly believe I have a niece,” he said, watching Brody and his wife disappear into the house.

“You're going to have two more nieces or nephews in a few months once Mattie and Mallory have their babies,” Willa said, grinning at him. “By this time next year, there'll be a bunch of little Fortunes.”

Griff smiled again. “We'll have to see what we can do to contribute.”

Love tightened almost painfully in Willa's chest at the tender look in Griff's eyes. But before she could reply, she saw Reed and Mallory coming toward them.

Mallory was glowing, her gently rounded abdomen just visible beneath her maternity dress. “I can't believe you two aren't surrounded by people,” she teased.

“We were just talking to Brody and Jillian. Sarah had decided she wanted to eat.”

Mallory laughed. “Meaning, she was making a big enough scene to scare off the crowds.”

“Something like that.” Griff bent down to kiss her. “How are you doing, Mallory?”

“I'm great.” She looked up as Reed joined her. “We're more than great. We had an ultrasound last week, and the baby is perfect.”

“Did you find out the sex?” Willa asked.

Reed shook his head. “Nope. We don't want to know—we want to be surprised in four months. All we wanted to know was that the baby is healthy.”

“We did pick out names, though,” Mallory said.

“What did you decide?” Willa asked eagerly.

Reed grinned. “If it's a boy, he'll be Geoffrey Theodore after Mallory's father and mine. If it's a girl, she'll be Kyla Marie, because we just like the name.”

Griff rolled his eyes. “Am I going to get as sappy as my brothers when we have a baby?” he asked Willa.

“You'll be far worse,” she answered with a laugh. “The tough guys always are.”

Griff laughed and gave her a kiss.

Then Willa listened as Griff and Reed talked about the business of the ranch in Australia. As they were talking, Ryan came up to them.

“I need to talk to all of you. I'm looking for Mattie and Dawson, and Brody and Jillian,” he said. “Do you know where they are?”

“Jillian and Brody went inside so that Jillian could nurse Sarah,” Griff answered. “I don't know about Mattie and Dawson.”

“They're talking to Mom and Dad,” Reed said. “Over there in the corner.”

Everyone turned around to look. Fiona was wiping her eyes and smiling. Teddy looked stunned. “What
ever it is, it looks interesting,” Griff said after a few moments.

“You can find out later,” Ryan said. “Right now, I want to update all of you on Betsy Keene.”

“Is she all right?” Willa asked.

Ryan gave her a strange look. “You act as if you're concerned about her.”

“I am,” Willa answered immediately. “She loved Clint, and she didn't realize what he had planned. And she did save my life and Griff's.”

Ryan's eyes softened as he watched her. “I should have realized that's how you would feel. Come on.” He herded them toward the house. “I don't want to interrupt your wedding, but I thought you would all want to know. Why don't you go into my study while I fetch Mattie and Dawson?”

After the noise and gaiety of the courtyard, the house felt still and silent. Reed, Mallory, Willa and Griff waited in the study, along with Jillian, Sarah and Brody, whom they had found preparing to return to the party. In a few minutes, Ryan ushered Mattie and Dawson into the room.

“I wanted you all to know what was going on with Betsy Keene, since you were all involved with her and Clint to one degree or another. She's still in prison and undergoing a psychiatric evaluation. I've talked to the psychiatrist, and he feels that there is a chance she might be released in another year or so. How do you all feel about that?”