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  “Thanks,” she said with a shy smile.

  “Now, you hold me up and make sure I don’t fall, because I’m real nervous,” he whispered at her ear.

  She laughed helplessly. The wedding march started and all eyes turned to the back of the church. Merrie let Tony lead her to the altar, where a nattily dressed Ren was waiting for her.

  * * *

  THE SERVICE SEEMED to be over in no time. After they said their “I dos,” Ren kissed her with breathless tenderness. Merrie looked up at him with her heart in her eyes. He brushed away her tears and kissed her again. They ran down the aisle to cheers.

  The fellowship hall was as full as the church had been. Barbara’s Café had catered the event. Ren fed Merrie cake while the photographer they’d hired took candid shots for their wedding album.

  “Nice turnout,” Cash Grier said with a grin, his beautiful redheaded wife, Tippy, on his arm. “I think I see a few familiar faces from the FBI’s Most Wanted list,” he added in a low tone.

  “That’s no way to talk about my adopted father,” Merrie teased.

  Cash sighed. “We all have our crosses to bear. See the tall, dignified gentleman standing with Hayes Carson and his wife, Minette?”

  Merrie and Ren glanced at the sheriff and his wife.

  “He’s known far and wide as El Jefe,” Cash whispered. “He runs the biggest drug cartel in the Northern Hemisphere.”

  “What?” Ren exclaimed on a laugh. “And you haven’t arrested him?”

  “He hasn’t broken the law in Jacobs County,” Cash assured him. “He has a brand-new granddaughter. He’s not risking that for business. Not on this side of the border, at least,” he added, tongue in cheek.

  “You never know about people,” Tippy commented. “You look beautiful, Merrie,” she added. “Congratulations. I hope you’ll be as happy as we are.”

  “Thanks,” Merrie said softly.

  Ren agreed, squeezing Merrie’s hand. “I hope we have fifty years,” he told Merrie. “Maybe more, if we’re lucky.”

  She sighed and looked up at him with pure adoration, just as the photographer snapped a photo. It would go into the wedding album as her favorite of them all.

  * * *

  REN AND MERRIE stopped by his mother’s house on the way to New York, where they’d catch the plane to Belgium. From there, they’d fly to Casablanca, and then on to Tangier. It would be a long trip, but Merrie and Ren had wanted someplace exotic and memorable. North Africa seemed to be it, for both of them.

  Ren’s mother, Retha, was small and delicate, with blond hair and brown eyes. She was so overcome with emotion to find Ren standing in her living room that she almost passed out. Tears formed in her eyes as she approached him.

  “It will be all right,” Ren said haltingly, going to take her cold hands in his. “I’ve been doing some research. If it’s confined to that one area,” he said delicately, “it’s almost one hundred percent certain that you’ll recover.”

  “Oh, I hope so,” Retha said huskily. She studied his hard, lean face. “You look...different, Ren. It’s been so long.”

  “Too long,” Ren replied quietly. “I should have stayed, that Christmas. I did the wrong thing by taking off.”

  She managed a smile. “Sometimes God tests us. Everything happens for a reason. I’m just very happy that you came to see me.”

  He drew in a long breath. “So am I.”

  Retha’s eyes went past him to the pretty blonde woman on her sofa. “And who’s this?” she asked.

  “Meredith Grayling Colter. My wife,” he added gently. “We were married this morning in Jacobsville, Texas. That’s where she’s from. She’s an artist.”

  “Like me,” Retha said, beaming. She went over to Meredith and hugged her. “I wish you joy and happiness with my son.”

  “Thank you,” Merrie said softly. “I’ll take good care of him.”

  Retha’s eyes brightened a little too much. She forced a smile. “I’ll hold you to that.”

  Merrie pulled her close and hugged her, rocked her while Retha cried. “There, there,” she said softly. “Everything will be all right. I’m so looking forward to having a mother again. I lost mine when I was a child. And you paint, too! I’ve been using your studio at Ren’s ranch.”

  Retha pulled back, wiping away tears as she laughed. “Randall told me you have genius in your fingers. He said you paint people as they really are.”

  “I guess I do. I love my work.”

  Retha touched her soft blond hair. “After raising two boys, I’ll love having a daughter,” she said gently.

  Merrie grinned at her.

  “When are they doing the surgery?” Ren asked.

  Retha winced. “In two weeks. I’m a nervous wreck already. They’ll be doing reconstructive surgery at the same time. I’ll take a long time to recuperate.”

  “We’ll be here for the surgery,” he said, glancing at Merrie, who nodded. “You can stay with us at Skyhorn, if you like,” Ren said a little stiffly. “We’ll take care of you.”

  Retha was conspicuously surprised. “You...would let me come there?”

  “You’re my mother. Of course you can come there. It’s your home, too.”

  “It was, once. I’ve made a hash of my life,” Retha said quietly. “I did things the wrong way. But if you can forgive me for hurting you...”

  “It’s my place to ask forgiveness,” Ren interrupted. “I hurt you more.”

  Retha stared up at his face. “It’s time we both left the past behind us. We have a much happier future to look forward to.”

  He smiled gently. “Yes, we do.” He drew her against him and rocked her, quietly, while she wept.

  * * *

  IT WAS A long and tiring trip to Tangier. They arrived in the wee hours of the morning. It seemed to take forever to get through passport control and customs. It had been fortunate that Merrie had applied for, and been given, a passport before her father died. Her father had arranged it, because he’d planned to marry her to a cousin of the Middle Eastern prince he’d picked out for Sari.

  “We’ll have to walk to Tangier from here,” Merrie said wearily. “There won’t be a cab in sight at this hour of the morning.”

  “Yes, there will,” Ren assured her. “Don’t worry.”

  Sure enough, when they got outside the airport, there were cabs waiting out front. The driver put their bags in the trunk, invited them into his cab and sped toward the city.

  Merrie, who’d never been overseas in her life, had found every single part of the excursion exciting. She was drooping a little now, but she sat up to look at the beautiful lights that trailed the highway all the way into town. There were people on the streets, some in long robes, some in European dress, all moving along lazily and stopping to talk to people they knew.

  The cab pulled up at a hotel with no indication that it was a five-star hotel, which was what Ren had assured her it was.

  But when they got inside, the luxury was unmistakable. Merrie was fascinated by her surroundings, so much so that she barely noticed Ren signing them in. A bellhop came forward to escort them up to their room.

  The room had shutters that opened onto the courtyard below, where sculptured gardens and a swimming pool were visible in the security lights. The air smelled of unfamiliar spices and sea air. Meredith drew in a long breath before she closed the window again.

  “It’s so beautiful here,” she told Ren sleepily. “I can’t wait to go exploring.”

  “Neither can I,” Ren said, tongue in cheek. “But I’d rather wait until you’re awake, for the sort of exploration I have in mind,” he teased. “You’re dead on your feet, honey.”

  “I guess I am. I’m sorry.” She sighed, leaning against him. “I didn’t get much sleep last night from being nervou
s about the ceremony. I was so afraid I’d slip on the hem of my wedding gown and fall into the pews.”

  “But you didn’t.” He laughed.

  She yawned. “I’m so sorry!” she groaned. “I wanted to be awake...!”

  He pulled her close and kissed her softly. “We have the rest of our lives. Tonight, you rest. Okay?”

  She smiled against his broad chest. “Okay, Ren.”

  * * *

  SHE AWOKE TO the smell of fresh, hot coffee. She followed the scent up with her eyes still closed, aware of a deep chuckle...

  “It’s good,” he told her as he handed her the cup and steadied it in her hands. “I just had mine. If you’ll get dressed, we’ll go down to breakfast. I understand that it’s something of a special buffet that they put out for visitors.”

  “I’m starved!” She laughed.

  “Me, too. So hurry. I’ll wait for you outside.”

  She looked after him worriedly. He’d gone out, wearing slacks and a green casual knit shirt, without a backward look. She was eager for him, although there was still a little niggle of fear in the back of her mind.

  He’d gone without having a woman for months, and he wanted her badly. Didn’t that mean he was likely to lose control and hurt her? She’d heard horror stories from other girls when she was in high school, about how their dreams of love had been turned to ash in a bed with an inconsiderate lover.

  Not that Ren would be inconsiderate. She flushed with pleasure, remembering their first encounter on the night of the party. She tried not to remember the way it had ended. Ren had been furious.

  But that same man had come to the hospital, had sat with her, encouraged her, never left her for a minute, even when she went home. He’d been with her every night, to make sure she felt safe and protected.

  Could he have wanted to marry her just from a guilty conscience, about the way he’d treated her? She didn’t think so. He might feel bad, might apologize, might even come to the hospital to see how she was.

  But the confirmed unbeliever who’d gone into a chapel in the hospital when she was in critical condition wasn’t a man who felt nothing more than guilt. It was a life-changing event for him. It had changed him.

  It had changed her, too, seeing the happiness he felt just being with her. He didn’t like other men near her. He was possessive. She smiled to herself. She wasn’t going to admit it, of course, but she loved the fact that he was possessive of her. She felt the same way.

  She got up and put on a yellow patterned sundress. It fell to her ankles in soft folds, and the bodice was held in place by spaghetti straps. The back was high, covering the scars she carried from her father’s brutality.

  It had surprised and delighted her that Ren didn’t mind the scars. That was another indication of how he really felt about her.

  She picked up her small purse and went out the door after Ren.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  THE BUFFET WAS EXTRAORDINARY. They found every breakfast choice known to man, including several kinds of fresh bread, fruit and, most surprising, bacon and ham. Since Tangier was largely Muslim, it was unusual to find pork on the menu. The server, wearing a red fez, laughed and explained that they made the concession for foreigners, who were allowed pork in their diets.

  They ate on the hotel patio, a delightful place with delicate chairs at round tables, set with linen and fine china and utensils. There were flowers on every table, and a fountain that resembled an American birdbath in a recessed floor nearby. Merrie, who’d never traveled abroad, found her surroundings fascinating.

  She pumped their waiter for information. He told them about nearby tourist attractions.

  “We also have a driver and a Mercedes, which will be placed at your service while you are here,” he said, smiling. “Just tell him where you want to go. You must see the souk, in the old part of the city. It is unique. You can sample mint tea and buy handmade rugs and carpets.”

  “I can’t wait!” Merrie enthused.

  As they listened, loudspeakers began the call to prayer. It echoed through the city, a sweet and beautiful song.

  “That’s so beautiful,” Merrie told the waiter.

  He smiled. “We belong to different religions, but we are alike, I think, in some ways,” he added, noting the cross she was wearing. “We have beliefs that we cherish, in a world that wants to do away with religion.”

  “I do not plan to give up mine,” she said with a pert smile.

  “Nor I, mine,” he replied. “So we have this in common, no?” And he grinned.

  * * *

  “EVERYBODY HERE SPEAKS so many different languages,” Merrie exclaimed as they toured the caves where the Barbary pirates stashed their loot centuries before. They were Berbers, as most of the population of Tangier was. “I feel absolutely ignorant. Did you notice that our driver was fluent in French and Spanish and even Japanese. Not to mention that he speaks perfect English!”

  “Europe and Africa have more nationalities than America does. Europe has so many countries in close proximity, and many of them holiday here. The people who work in tourism have to speak a lot of other languages.”

  Her hand curled closer into his as they walked. “I should learn Spanish, at least,” she mused.

  “It would come in handy.” He looked down at her. “Will you be satisfied, living in Wyoming?”

  She looked up at him with her heart in her eyes. “I’ll be satisfied wherever I am, as long as I’m with you,” she said softly.

  His breath caught at the look on her face. He moved just a step closer. Her lips parted helplessly. He looked down at her bodice and saw two hard little points. His body began to throb.

  Merrie’s breasts felt tight. The fabric was cloying. She wanted to feel the soft breeze on her body, without clothing. She wanted to lie in Ren’s arms in the daylight and experience him in every way.

  He turned to their driver and forced a smile, saying that they had an appointment and needed to go back to the hotel. They could come back here and explore more another day.

  The driver smiled and drove them back to the hotel.

  Ren didn’t speak. His throat was too tight. He held Merrie’s soft hand in his, curling his fingers sensually into hers, his breath unsteady as the big car ate up the miles. He was on fire. He’d never wanted anything as much as he wanted his wife. His body was in agony.

  Merrie felt the tension in him. She was just as hungry as he was. The time it took to get to the hotel, through the lobby, back to their room, was an anguish of anticipation.

  He closed the door behind them and locked it. His face was like stone.

  Merrie loved the way he was looking at her. She reached up and untied the strings that held her bodice up. She let it fall, drowning in Ren’s wide, shocked eyes.

  “Meredith,” he choked. He went to her, lifted her in his arms. His mouth slid over the hard nipple, teasing it with his tongue, as he swallowed it up and began to suckle her.

  “Oh...Ren,” she choked, clinging to him.

  He pulled the covers off the bed, tossed her into the middle of it and went down with her.

  She arched under the hungry insistence of his mouth as he explored her in a silence that vibrated with tension. She felt his mouth on her flat stomach, her hips, down her long legs. He smoothed it over the inside of her thighs, loving the helpless arching of her body, the moans that were music in his ears.

  He undressed her between soft kisses, gentling her, arousing her so that she wasn’t afraid. She was so hungry for him that she couldn’t be nervous. It surprised her, that she was so passionate. She hadn’t realized how she might be with a man she loved.

  His mouth came down on hers, insistent and sweet. She felt him touching her where no man ever had, and she gasped.

  “I know,” he whispered again
st her mouth. “It’s embarrassing. But it’s necessary. And it’s going to be sweeter than you know. Sweeter than honey, my darling,” he breathed as he began a rhythm that had her crying out, surprised at the sudden pleasure he kindled.

  “My...gosh!” she managed.

  “And it’s only the beginning,” he whispered as he worked his magic on her untried body.

  He watched her the whole time, wild to have her, but determined to make sure that she was ready for him. He nibbled at her lower lip as he quickened the rhythm and watched her cry out, shuddering at her climax, the first of her entire life.

  “Ren!” she sobbed as the pleasure ebbed away.

  “I won’t stop,” he whispered. “Just a minute.”

  She watched him undress, so enthralled that it wasn’t shocking. She wanted all of him. Her hips undulated involuntarily as he turned to her, magnificently aroused.

  He moved onto the bed beside her. His mouth found hers, as his fingers probed her in a soft, delicate place. She shivered a little, but she opened her legs for him.

  His hand moved again, bringing the pleasure back. But it was elusive this time. She arched up, her body demanding in its awakened state, her eyes half-closed, displaying the hunger she felt for more of him.

  “Yes,” he said under his breath. His mouth found hers as he probed again. This time, the path was easy. His tongue went slowly into her mouth, in the most intimate kiss he’d ever shared with her. As it played with her own, his hips moved between her long legs and she felt him in a way she never had before, with nothing except skin between them.

  “Slow and easy,” he whispered into her mouth as he began to possess her. “Relax, sweetheart,” he said huskily. “Try to relax.”

  “I’m...trying,” she said unsteadily. She was looking straight into his eyes as he entered her. “Oh, Ren, it’s so...”

  “Intimate,” he finished for her. “Yes. It’s...intimate.” His teeth ground together. He had to slow down. It was her first time. He didn’t dare rush it, although he was wild to have her. He felt her body accept him, felt the warmth of her as he went deeper, deeper, deeper...