Nerd Gone Wild (43 page)

He nodded, too pleased with himself for words.

“Omigod!” She leaped up and came around the table to hug him. Then she stood there staring at the letter and quivering. “How did you do this? What did you say? What did she say? Is she really coming?”

“She’s really coming.” Mitch had never been this thrilled about any present he’d given.

“I have to sit down.” She put a hand to her chest and fumbled her way back to her seat, still staring at the letter. Then she began to smile. “Mitch, did you see this letter?”

“Uh, no. She didn’t show it to me, although I watched her write it.” His elation faded some as he wondered what else Tanya had said. He hoped she hadn’t gotten him into hot water.

Ally kept reading, and her smile wobbled and disappeared. Then she sniffed and wiped her eyes.

This wasn’t the reaction Mitch was looking for. “What’s wrong? She didn’t say it was all a joke or anything, did she? She promised me she would come. She said this weekend, and she’d plan to stay a week and then see how it went. Ally? God, Ally, what’s wrong?”

She looked up at him, her eyes swimming. “Nothing.” She sniffed again. “Mitch, will you marry me?”

He nearly fell off his chair. “M-marry you?”

“Yeah.” She took a long, shaky breath. “Because I love you, too. And I don’t know what to do about the fact you hate Alaska, but you seem to like it a little better than when you arrived, so maybe—”

“Ally.” His brain was spinning. “What’s in that letter?”

She shoved it across the table.

He skipped over the first part, which she’d already read aloud. The next sentence was about the week Tanya planned to stay in Porcupine. Then she’d started a whole new paragraph.

I don’t know how you feel about Mitch, but he’s madly in love with you. He admitted it, but said it wasn’t important. I disagree. Any man who would track me down and recruit me with the enthusiasm Mitch has shown is worth taking a look at, Ally. I know he dresses kind of like a nerd, but you could fix that. If I were you, I wouldn’t let this one get away.

Sincerely,
Tanya Mandell

Mitch felt as if he’d been hit over the head with a brick. He opened his mouth and tried to speak, but nothing came out. Finally he cleared his throat a couple of times and managed one sentence. “Ally, I didn’t tell her to write this.”

Her smile was watery. “I’m sure not.”

“You don’t want to marry me. I don’t have any money and I’m out of a job.”

“But is it true? Are you madly in love with me?”

“That’s not the point.” He was drowning.

“It’s the only point. Do you love me or not?”

He looked into her eyes. He’d promised himself no more lies. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

Her eyes shone. “Then it’s settled. We’ll get married.”

“No, it’s not settled! Ally, think of what you’re saying! You’re on the brink of a new career. You need to be free to go where you want, do what you want. You don’t need a husband, and you sure don’t need me, a guy with nothing to offer you.”

She snatched up the letter. “Are you kidding? You have this to offer!” She shook it in his face. “No one,
no one
has ever done something like this for me. And you don’t even really want me to be a wildlife photographer!”

Mitch became aware that everyone in the Top Hat was staring at them. He lowered his voice. “I do, Ally. I want whatever makes you happy.”

“And that’s why we should get married!” She glared at him as if daring him to contradict her.

He ran a finger under his collar. “Maybe… maybe we should go somewhere else to discuss this.”

Betsy walked into his line of sight. “Don’t you even
think
about sneaking away to settle this. We’ve been watching things develop ever since you two got here. We’ve been a part of it so far, and we deserve to see how it’s going to come out.” She crossed her arms over her sizable chest as if that settled the matter.

Leaning forward, Ally smiled at Mitch. “It will all come out okay, right? You wouldn’t turn down my proposal and embarrass me in front of all these fine people, would you?”

“He’d better not,” Rudy said. “I like you, Mitch, but if you don’t do right by this lady, you’ll answer to me.”

Mitch found himself weakening fast. It seemed as if everyone in the room wanted the same thing, including him. But he still worried about the huge gap between his puny financial resources and her tremendous inheritance.

Her gaze searched his. “If it’s Alaska that bothers you, Mitch, just remember that warm weather is coming. And we’ll have to take trips back to Bel Air to check on the place. You won’t lose the sun and heat permanently.”

Clyde hooked an arm around Betsy’s waist. “And long nights have certain advantages.”

“Alaska’s not the problem,” Mitch said.

“You don’t love me?” Her composure began to crumble.

“No, no! I love you!” Boy, that really seemed to echo through the room.

Her smile returned. “Then it must be my freaking fortune.”

“That would be it.”

“You’re worried ‘cause she’s rich?” Rudy shook his head. “And I thought I was messed up, putting chickens ahead of Lurleen, but you’re worse. A rich woman falls in love with you and wants to get married, and you’re
worried
? You should be thanking your lucky stars!”

“Yeah,” Clyde said. “It’s not every day you get to marry for love
and
money. And Ally’s not the type to lord it over you. We can all see that.”

“I’ve heard enough.” Dave walked over to the table. “I came in on the last part of this, but I get the drift. Mitch, if you’re too chickenshit to marry this woman, then stand back, because there’s plenty of men in Porcupine who would love the chance.”

Suddenly Mitch got a picture he didn’t like at all. “Such as you?” he asked, remembering Dave’s maneuvers not so long ago.

“Well, no. Serena and I have come to an understanding, so I’m off the market. But that leaves plenty of others, guys who wouldn’t let their egos get in the way of a good thing.”

And that, Mitch realized, summed it up nicely. Dave might not be so good with a chain saw, but he’d certainly nailed this situation. Mitch stood and held out his hand. “Thank you, Dave, for pointing out that I’m a total geek.”

“You’re welcome.” Dave flashed his gleaming choppers. “Least I could do for the first person who bought one of my sculptures.”

“Mitch,” Ally protested. “You’re not a total geek.”

“Yeah, I am. I’m also crazy about you.” He dropped to one knee in front of her and took her hand in his. “Ally, will you marry me?”

Her grip tightened, and her green eyes glowed like the northern lights as she met his gaze. She took a deep breath. “Yes.”

And the crowd went wild.