Manhattan Merger

CHAPTER TEN

“RAINEY?”

“Yes?”

She heard the zip open on her two man tent. “Are you asleep?”

“Not now,” she muttered as Craig crawled inside.

“Liar. I heard you crying.”

“Then I guess everybody else did too,” she lamented.

“Don’t worry about it.”

He closed the zip, then sat down cross-legged on the floor in the semidarkness next to her sleeping bag. Now that the sun had gone down, it was cooling off fast. With the screened windows left open, it would be cold inside by morning.

“People are still being flown in. The ones already here are too excited for tomorrow’s run to go to bed yet. Besides, I purposely placed your tent away from the others to give you some privacy. Are you ready to talk about Mr. Megabucks yet?”

“Please don’t call him that.”

“It was a term of endearment,” he teased.

“He’s anything but that kind of person.”

“Tell me about him.”

“Right now he’s in Paris with his fiancée. They’re getting married August first. H-he admitted he isn’t in love with her.” Suddenly it all came out in a torrent of words. Everything.

Craig let out a low whistle.

He put a hand on her arm. “That’s tough.”

She wiped the moisture off her cheeks. “After the hearing you were the person who told me that one day I’d look back on my big adventure and laugh about it. That counsel is the only thing holding me together.”

“But it doesn’t do anything for your pain right now. Still it’s nice to hear I’m good for something.”

“You’re good for a lot of things.” She sniffed. “Why else do you think I’m here? I’m just afraid you’re going to be sorry I joined you on your last river trip.”

“Are you kidding? I’m anxious to run some new ideas past you for the store. Tell you what? I can hear the helicopter coming now with the last bunch of tourists. If you’re still awake after they’re settled, we’ll talk.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t think I’m ever going to sleep again.”

“Sure you will. After a day on the river tomorrow, you’ll sleep like a baby.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Would I lie to you?”

“You never have before.”

“There you go then. You want me to light your lantern?”

“That’s all right. I have my flashlight if I need it.”

“Okay.”

When he left the tent, she lay down again. In this protected area of the canyon, the sound of the helicopter rotors reverberated more loudly than normal against the rocks.

She’d never hear one again without thinking of Payne. The sight of him growing smaller as his pilot whisked her away from Crag’s Head filled her with such desolation, Rainey thought she couldn’t bear it.

On a sob, she buried her face in the pillow.

The convulsions that shook her body were worse than ever. Her soul was inconsolable.

While she lay there racked in torment she heard the helicopter take off for Las Vegas. It wouldn’t be long before her brother came back. She was glad because she knew she needed help to get through the night.

Finally she heard him undo the zip of her tent again.

“Craig?” she called out automatically as he crept inside.

“No. It’s Payne.”

“That’s not funny, Craig.”

“I agree,” came a deep, familiar male voice.

Convinced she was hallucinating, Rainey grabbed her flashlight and turned it on.

When she saw Payne hunkered down next to her looking so handsome and alive, she let out a cry.

“Shh, darling.” He brushed his mouth against hers before turning off the light.

She couldn’t believe this was happening.

“I’ll explain everything later. All you need to know is that I’m free. Diane has given us her blessing. Now come here to me and let me hold you, feel you.”

Her heart thudded feverishly as he unzipped her sleeping bag and pulled her into his arms.

“Rainey-” he said her name on a ragged breath, kissing her in every conceivable place on her face and neck. “I’ve been living for this.”

“I’ve been dying for it,” she confessed against his lips.

Then she gave up her mouth to him and was lost in the fierce hunger of his kiss. They were both starving for each other.

She let out little moans of ecstasy. With each sound he drank more deeply until they were one throbbing entity of need.

Rainey clung to his rock-hard body, arms and legs entwined. Her lips roved over the unforgettable face she’d memorized in her dreams. Now she had the real thing to explore to her heart’s desire.

“I love you,” she whispered feverishly. “I love you with an ache that’s never going to go away.”

He cradled the back of her head, kissing her with refined savagery. Then he crushed her against him.

“I’m so in love with you, I don’t know if there are words to describe how I feel.”

“Those are the words I’ve been waiting to hear. I don’t need any others.”

She heard his sharp intake of breath. “Marry me, Rainey. I can’t live without you.”

“I wouldn’t let you.”

Once again they were devouring each other.

“You made a mistake crawling in here tonight. I’m already addicted to the taste and feel of you,” she confessed when he allowed her to breathe again. “It’s possible you’ll never get out alive.”

He buried his face in her neck. “You smell so good, Rainey. You feel so good. I love to look at you. Everything about you is a miracle.”

In a lightning move he rolled her over so he was looking down at her. The full moon gave off enough light for them to see each other.

“Right now I can’t see the color of your eyes. All I can tell is that they’re dark. At this moment you resemble my Prince of Dreams.”

His white smile dazzled her. She’d never seen him look like that before.

That’s when her breath caught.

The smile faded. “What’s wrong, darling?”

“Nothing. It’s just something I remembered when I’d finished painting the cover for Manhattan Merger.”

He kissed the end of her nose. “What was that?”

“You were the embodiment of my dreams come to life on a piece of canvas.

“You had rich dark brown hair that looked vibrant to the touch.

“Your Nordic blue eyes seemed to envision things no one else could even imagine.

“Those rugged facial features denoted a life of hard work, sacrifice and triumphs.

“You had the build and stance of a conquerer beneath your business suit. Someone who dared to explore new frontiers.

“But you were a man who hadn’t yet been transformed by a woman’s love…

“When you smiled at me just now, I realized that was the ingredient that had been missing. It was missing when you were with Diane, but I refused to acknowledge it. If I were to paint you now, you would look different.”

“That’s because I am different,” his voice shook. “You’ve transformed me until I don’t know myself anymore.”

His head descended. Once again they were kissing with a passion that was spiraling out of control.

“Rainey-” he cried. “I don’t want to go down the river tomorrow.”

“Neither do I.”

“I want to meet your family as soon as possible.”

“We’ll go home in the morning and I’ll introduce you. Mother’s already a big fan of yours. Dad will be thrilled to learn that the great love of my life really is going to be the great love of my life.”

Payne embraced her again. “He’ll think this has gone way too far too fast,” he murmured into her shimmery hair.

“So will your parents.” She kissed his lips quiet. “But no man knows our history except you and me. After the tragedy that befell Diane in a split second’s time, I don’t want to waste any more of the moments destiny has allotted to us. Life is too precious.”

“Amen to that.”

He drew her to him in a possessive move that thrilled her to the tips of her toes. “You’ve never been with a man before have you.”

“No. I’ve been waiting for the right one to come along.”

“Oh, Rainey-” He rocked her back and forth for a minute. “Since I don’t know how I can wait much longer to make you mine, we need to get married as soon as possible. Out of respect for Diane and her family’s feelings, I want to keep it low profile.”

“So do I. I’ve always planned to be married in our family’s church. The timing is perfect. Craig will be through here the day after tomorrow.”

“That will give my family time to fly out. Catherine will be overjoyed.”

“She adores you, Payne, but then who doesn’t.” Emotion made her throat swell. “Payne? Tell me about Diane.”

She heard the deep sigh that came out of him before he turned so they were lying side by side and he could look at her. He traced the arch of her brow with his finger.

“Would you believe she took Manhattan Merger with her? When I got back to the apartment on Tuesday afternoon, she’d read it and was waiting for me.”

“Oh, darling.” Hot tears trickled out of the corners of her eyes. “I was afraid if she ever broke down to find out what was inside, she could be hurt by it.”

“Hurt isn’t quite the word. She was shaken with guilt.”

For the next little while Rainey lay there in wonder while he told her how Diane had given him his freedom and asked for forgiveness.

She kissed his lips. “I’ll pray she can walk again.”

“We both will.”

“I owe Diane my life. She let you go so we could have one,” Rainey cried before breaking down in tears.

He held her tight against his heart. “She said the same thing about you. Your paintings put certain forces to work with the result that she wants to walk again and fall in love.”

“One day I’ll have to call Bonnie Wrigley and tell her everything. She’ll be so thrilled to think one of her stories had such a life-changing effect on Diane.”

“It changed all our lives, Rainey. I’ll never underestimate the power of a romance novel again. Who knows? By the time you’ve become Mrs. Sterling, my sister Phyllis might be the next highbrow to crack.”

Rainey flashed him a mysterious smile. “If she does, can I tell Grace Carlow?”

He gave her a passionate kiss. “Why is that so important?”

“Do you remember the question she asked right at the end of the hearing about how you found out your picture was on the cover in the first place?”

“I remember everything. That was the day Rainey Bennett entered my life.”

She nestled closer to him, still unable to believe the man of her dreams held her in his arms.

“After court was over, Grace told Bonnie and me it would make Mr. Finauer’s day to know Senator Sterling-Boyce’s daughter and maid read Red Rose Romances.”

Payne chuckled. “You’re welcome to tell Ms. Carlow whatever you like.”

“That reminds me I better get up and let Craig know we’re not leaving with him in the morning.”

“He already knows.”

“How?”

“I had a little powwow with him before I climbed in your tent. He’s already welcomed me to the family.”

“I’m so happy I think I’m going to burst.”

“Don’t do that,” he growled against her neck playfully. “I’ve got plans for us in the morning. The pilot’s going to pick us up at eight. When we reach Las Vegas, we’ll take the plane to Grand Junction. I’ve been anxious to meet my rival.”

She frowned. “What do you mean? There’s no other man in my life.”

“Oh, yes, there is. According to your mother, you and this guy have been inseparable since you flew home from New York. I understand he sleeps in your bed.”

“Winston?” she half-squealed in delight.

“Who else?” He chuckled. “If he’s going to live with us at Crag’s Head, I want to start making friends with him now. If we can reach the point where he tolerates me, then we’ll be doing well.”

“Tolerates you-”

Rainey wrapped her arms around him. “He’ll love you. He won’t be able to help himself anymore than I can. Diane spoke the truth. I’m the proverbial putty in your hands.”

“Such heavenly putty.” The kiss he gave her set her on fire. When he finally tore his lips from hers, she wasn’t ready to let him go.

“Come on.” His breathing had grown shallow. “I don’t trust myself in here with you any longer. Let’s take a walk to the river and make plans while we wait for the sun to come up.”

It already has, darling. Don’t you know the whole universe filled with light the moment you set foot in my tent?

The continuous clank of the buoy which marked the channel beyond Phantom Point brought Payne back to a cognizance of his surroundings.

He reached blindly for his bride of twenty-four hours, needing her like he needed air to breathe.

Instead of her warm luscious body gravitating to his, as it had done so many times throughout the night, he found a cool sheet. In place of the avid mouth he yearned to plunder all over again his lips met the pillows redolent of her fragrance.

Coming fully awake, he jackknifed to a sitting position. The semi-dark room below deck revealed he was alone. Maybe she was in the main salon off the galley.

“Rainey?”

No answer.

Though his thirty-five foot sloop was anchored in the bay, it still listed. The swells were bigger than usual.

Payne leaped to his feet and threw on a robe.

He called to her again. Still no response.

That sent him racing for the stairs. By the time he’d reached the deck, his heart was thudding at a sickening rate.

With whitecaps surrounding him, and no sign of his wife in the aft cockpit, a blackness started to engulf him as real as if he’d just been knocked overboard by the boom.

He dashed toward the foredeck on a run. “Rainey?” he shouted at the top of his lungs.

“I’m right here, darling!”

Her answering voice had to be the sweetest sound he’d ever heard in his life.

They met midship and fell into each other’s arms. He crushed her to him, lifejacket, backpack and all.

“Dear God, I thought I’d lost you-” He was trembling so hard from fear he could hardly stand up. “Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“I won’t- I promise-” Her voice shook. “I’m so sorry I frightened you, Payne. Forgive me.”

He couldn’t stop kissing her face and hair. “If anything had happened to you-”

She burrowed closer. “I swear I’ll never knowingly do anything to alarm you like that again.” She lifted wet green eyes to his. “After last night you know I love you more than life itself.”

Last night…

He hadn’t known what living was all about until last night. Her loving had made him feel reborn.

“You are my life, Rainey. When I reached for you a few minutes ago, and you weren’t there-”

“It’s because I love you so much. I wanted you to catch up on some sleep. While I waited for you to wake up I reached for my sketchbook. All these images were running through my head, but I needed more light so I came up on deck.

“The wind turned fierce a few minutes ago, so I put my things away and planned to bring you lunch in bed. I was just coming back when I heard your frantic voice. I thought maybe something horrible had happened to you and I couldn’t get to you fast enough.”

He felt the tremor that rocked her body and clung to her. “Something horrible did happen. You weren’t there when I wanted you.”

“That’s exactly how I felt when the helicopter flew me away from Crag’s Head and I knew I’d never see you again.” Tears ran down her cheeks already wet from salt spray.

“That’s all in the past,” he whispered, kissing her with a hunger even greater than before. “You’re my wife now, and I love your plan for lunch in bed. But the next time you feel an irresistible urge to sketch, tell me first. My heart won’t be able to withstand this kind of punishment a second time.”

“Neither will mine. I adore you, Payne. I couldn’t live without you now.”

“Then we understand each other,” he whispered against her lips. “Come on. Let’s get out of this wind and take a nice warm shower.”

Her cheeks filled with color. “If we do that first, you’re going to be starving later.”

He drew in a deep breath. “I’m starving now. For you.”

Obeying a need that had grown out of control, he picked her up and carried her back down to their bedroom.

It wasn’t until mid-afternoon that they surfaced to fix a meal together and take it back to bed. Once they’d eaten, his gorgeous wife curled up against him with her adorable blond head nestled between his neck and shoulder. He heard a sigh of contentment. Before he knew it, she’d fallen into a sound sleep.

And no wonder.

After their ten-thirty a.m. ceremony at Rainey’s family church, followed by a meal at her parents’ home, the pilot of his company jet had flown them and his family and bodyguards back to New York.

At that point he and Rainey had taken the helicopter to Crag’s Head, where they’d immediately boarded the sloop so their honeymoon could begin.

Once out on the ocean, to give Rainey a view of their home from the water, he weighed anchor in the bay so he could give his bride his full attention.

Until the last few hours there’d been no sleep for either of them. Worried that he might have worn her out with his insatiable appetite for her, it thrilled him to realize her desire for him was every bit as boundless.

He’d married a talented, generous, deeply emotional woman whose passion for life thrilled him to his very soul. Marrying Rainey had set him on the adventure of a lifetime.

She wanted his baby right away. Secretly he’d wanted that too, but he’d told her he didn’t want her to feel rushed. That’s when she’d asked him to close his eyes while she handed him her sketchbook.

When she gave him permission to look, he looked. She’d entitled the drawing Our First Little Engineer. She’d drawn a six-month-old boy wearing boots and a hard hat. He was riding on top of Payne’s shoulders. The likeness of father to son was unmistakable. It touched a place in his heart he hadn’t known was there.

Rainey’s green eyes blazed with light. “I did this the first night you stayed at my parents’ house. Since I couldn’t creep into bed with you, I did the next best thing to feel close to you.”

He’d already been given proof his wife had second sight. Like pure revelation he knew that baby boy was destined to make an appearance at some point.

Putting the sketchbook aside, he’d reached for her. “No more ‘next best thing’. I plan to give you so much closeness you’ll cry for mercy.”

“I’m afraid it’s going to be the other way around,” she admitted in a tremulous whisper.

“Then we’re the luckiest man and woman alive.”

“We are.” Her voice caught before rapture consumed them for the rest of the night.

Payne drew her sleeping body close against him one more time. Then he laid her down and moved off the bed, compelled to see what she’d been drawing.

He found her backpack and pulled out the sketch pad. After studying the little engineer one more time, he turned to the next drawing and came face to face with himself.

It was the picture on the cover of Manhattan Merger. But there was a different woman in Payne’s arms, a different look in his eyes. This time he held his adoring wife in his embrace. They both wore their wedding clothes. The gold band she’d given him was on his finger.

She wore his diamond ring and wedding band. The picture on his office wall had been changed to depict Crag’s Head and the sailboat. There was another little picture propped on the desk next to Winston. It was Bruno.

The eager, tremulous look of joy on their faces brought tears to his eyes. She’d dated and titled it, The Look of Love.

Emotion made his throat close up.

“I wanted to capture our wedding night so we’d have it forever.” Rainey had come up behind him and slid her arms around his chest. She pressed her cheek against his back. “I love you so much I never want to do anything to take that look away.”

He put the sketchbook on the end of the bed. Turning in her arms, he cupped her precious face in his hands. “We’ll hang this in our bedroom. It’ll be our guiding star as we navigate through life together.”

“Yes-” she cried as her eyes filled.

Payne lowered his head to taste those salty tears before he swept them away to the place destiny had reserved for them.