Page 46 of Hayes

"I have a better idea." Her smile came swiftly, warming his heart. "A picnic."

His eyebrows shot up. "In case you have not noticed, we are in the dead of fall, and the weather is far from being warm."

"We could go for a drive to the cottage you inherited from your grandmother. I know you still own it."

His eyes flared in memory. He had inherited the place when he was fifteen—a tiny cottage on a large parcel of land that had been there for almost a hundred years. He had taken her there. The first time he got his license, he had taken one of the vehicles home and drove her to the cottage so that they could celebrate.

"I do. I made several attempts to sell it, but something always held me back. I couldn't stand going there after you left."

"What kind of condition is it in?"

"It's in excellent condition because there is a couple who take care of the place." His eyes met hers. "And you are right. We should go there. It will give us some privacy and a chance to be alone together." His glance strayed to the hated magazines. "Try and forget what's in those."

"I don't want to forget, and really, it does not bother me as much as I thought it would." her dazzling smile came, revealing deep dimples. "Let's go pack a basket."

*****

The place was several miles away, but he would not have cared if it was toward the end of the earth. She looked happy and carefree. She had insisted on helping to pack the basket and it was brimming over with food. They had also brought blankets with them because she wanted to eat in front of the fire.

He admired her tremendously. It was no wonder he was head over heels in love with her. Camelia DeWinter defined strength and resilience, and she had courage in spades. Qualities he was praying she was going to pass on to their children.

And he wanted more than one. He had taken to praying for a miracle. He had not ventured into the subject yet.

Now that they were a couple and were out in public, he wanted permanence. The last twelve years had shown him that life had a way of taking a turn, and he could not bear the idea of not being with her.

He intended for them to have a lavish ceremony so that it left no doubt in anyone's mind as to his devotion to her. But he had no idea the appropriate time to broach the subject. He didn't want to spring it on her, not after what had been written in the magazines about her.

They had brought up the hated gossip about her mother and her various affairs. The bastards had spent time itemizing everything that had gone wrong in the couple's marriage and how Camelia had been caught in the backlash.

There were speculations as to why she had turned tail and run, and someone had found out that he had gone chasing after her.

He wanted those terrible memories erased and her story rewritten. She did not deserve all that happened to her, and he wanted to give her another chapter, one with a happier ending. Turning his head, he glanced at her briefly, a smile tugging at his lips.

She was sleeping. Had been sleeping since they started the journey and she looked peaceful. He had kept her up most of the night and this morning.

The heady sensation of being in public with her had fueled his intense desire, not that it took anything much to do so, he thought ruefully. Now they were going to a place that held so many happy memories for them.

And they needed that happiness. After spending a blissful two years together, tragedy had torn them apart, and they had almost lost each other. He was not going to waste a single moment in the past. They had a future together, and for that, he was thankful.

She stirred just as he reached the turn-off.

"Some company you are., " he teased as she stretched languidly. "I was here all by myself, trying not to nod off."

"I must have been extremely tired." She rubbed her eyes. "I wonder whose fault that is."

"Blaming me is not going to work." Stopping the vehicle in front of the cottage, he killed the engine.

"It looks the same," she murmured, staring out the window.

"Aside from doing little repairs here and there, nothing major has been done. The amenities are upgraded. The old range was falling apart, and we threw out the old fridge. Ready?"

She nodded and pulled her jacket around her tighter as he came around and opened the door.

"Let's get you inside; you are shivering."

"The stuff–"

"I will come back and get them." Wrapping the scarf around her neck, he took her hand and started for the front door.