Return of the Runaway Bride (26 page)

He slammed his foot on the brake pedal and stopped at the intersection. "Sorry," he muttered.

"Just be careful," she said. Sheila leaned her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. "I can't believe I'm causing Savanna to miss her dinner."

"She didn't seem to mind," he said, turning left and heading into town.

He realized his words were true, and that surprised him. A scowl dug into his brow. First, he'd accused her of not possessing the persevering character it would take to pull off this dinner. And he'd continued to hound her with his distrust. Now that she had shown him just how resolved she was, he found it necessary to attack her again. Why was he surprised by the fact that she didn't mind missing all the accolades that were due her for her hard work, all the praise that would have surely been forthcoming if she'd been present at the gala dinner tonight?

Why, he wondered, did he continue to persist in finding fault in Savanna?

"She's a good person."

Sheila murmured her opinion as though in answer to his silent question. Then she began to breathe deeply, in a way that told Daniel he'd better hurry.

The simple statement Sheila made ate at him. Savanna
was
a good person. She had been six years ago when he'd wanted her for his wife, and she still was now. Her running away from him hadn't changed that.

When Savanna had stood in that parking lot and admitted she wanted to stay in Fulton, and then turned
right around and promised to leave if he'd stay, she'd touched a place in him that hadn't seen the light of day in a very long time. Her selflessness had warmed his soul, and the cold, hard iceberg that had been his heart since she had left him six years ago had begun the long process of melting.

He turned on his hazard lights, slowed down, and checked for traffic before cruising through a red light.

He'd spent the past two weeks rethinking the enigma that was Savanna. She had told him she'd be in town for the fund-raising dinner, but his stubbornness had kept him from believing in her. She'd tried time and again to show him how dedicated she was to the hospital's plight. But his injured pride had blinded him to her efforts.

Slowly, over the past days, he'd come to the realization that he needed to be honest with her. At the very least, he must congratulate her on her fund-raising achievements. If the charitable forecasts continued on schedule, Fulton General would be well on its way to running in the black. He knew she deserved a pat on the back.

But if he were to be truly honest with her, he'd have to tell her how he felt. He'd have to tell her…

"Daniel!" Sheila gasped. "Turn here!"

Daniel slowed the car and pulled into the hospital's emergency entrance.

~
 
~
 
~

Putting a mug of water into the microwave oven, Savanna closed the door and pushed the buttons to heat it. She glanced at the clock on Sheila's kitchen wall and thought that, if Ida was keeping to the dinner program, the scheduled speeches should have been over and dinner should have already been served.

A smile tickled across Savanna's mouth as she remembered
Miz
Ida's self-doubt when the woman found out that she would be in charge. Savanna had gently encouraged her, giving her detailed instructions and telling her where she could find the master list of who was responsible for what. Savanna had assured Ida that she felt everyone was fully prepared and that she was just a phone call away if anything went haywire. Although Ida had called her several times, it was clear that the event was going off as planned.

Savanna's smile widened further as she thought about Jimmy and little Amanda. She'd given Amanda a second bath, which hadn't been an easy task while wearing sequins. Then, after reading the toddler a story, she'd tucked Amanda into bed with a teddy bear. Jimmy had been too worried about his mother to fall asleep, so Savanna simply sat with him. It wasn't long before his eyes began to droop and she tiptoed out of his room.

The microwave beeped, signaling that her water was hot. She dropped
a
herbal tea bag into the mug to steep, wondering if Daniel would return soon, or stay with Jim until the baby was born. Either way, she hoped she would eventually see him again tonight.

What was she going to do? She wanted to move home to Fulton so badly she could taste it. And she wanted Daniel.

As a rule, confrontation was her forte. It was simply her nature to boldly go after whatever it was she wanted. The tactic was how she'd become a professional success. But the memory of confronting Daniel at the board meeting made her extremely hesitant to admit her feelings to him.

Still, the overwhelming need to know if she and Daniel had a chance refused to go away. She had to
find out, one way or the other. So taking a sip from her steaming mug, she devised a plan.
A moonlit, romantic plan.

Around ten o'clock that evening, she was sitting on the front porch swing, its chains squeaking a slow, rhythmic tune, when two sets of headlights broke through the darkness. She was happy to see a smiling Jim get out of his car. But the sight of Daniel ambling toward her, still in his tux, had her feeling nervous.
Breathless.

"Well?" she asked Jim excitedly. "Do you have a new son, or a new daughter?"

"Danielle Savanna Thompson weighed in at seven pounds, eleven and a half ounces." Jim's mouth split into a proud grin.

"A beautiful baby girl."
Daniel thumped the new father on the back.

"Congratulations!" Savanna said
,
feeling honored that the baby was named after not only herself but Daniel too. "How's Sheila?''

"She's just fine." Jim came up the porch steps. "A little tired, but real happy. She told me to scoot on home so you and Daniel could go to the country club."

"It's only a few minutes past ten." Daniel stared up at her, his hand on the newel post. "We could make it over there in plenty of time for the last dance."

"I'll need to go home and lock up," she said. Savanna descended the steps toward him, calling over her shoulder, "Good night, Jim.
And congratulations again."

"Thanks for everything, Savanna," he said.

Daniel took her hand and tucked it in the crook of his arm and they made their way along the sidewalk.

"Daniel," she began haltingly, "would you mind... terribly... if we didn't go to the country club?"

"No." He shook his head. "But I thought you might like to check on things."

"I've kept in touch with Ida. Everything's going smoothly." She offered him a sheepish little smile. "There's something else I'd rather do."

"Anything," he murmured tenderly. "This is your night."

By then, they had arrived at her house. She turned to face him at the base of the porch steps.

"My night?" she asked.

He nodded, moonlight throwing shadows on the smooth planes of his face. "I want to congratulate you on your success. Both of your fund-raising projects have gone much better than I ever anticipated. I should have said it before but..." He let his voice trail off and looked at the ground. Lifting his gaze, he said, "There's been talk."
One corner of his lips quirked up.
"A rumor, you might say, that Fulton General should become a client. Of yours, I mean."

She couldn't hide her surprise. The news that the board wanted to hire her took a back seat to his praise. In the weeks she'd been working on the dinner, not once had he complimented her.

"If it's not too far for you to travel," he quickly added.

"Oh, no," she assured him. "I have clients up and down the East Coast."
Besides
, she wanted to add,
if I have my way, I'll be living right here in Fulton
. But for some reason she couldn't utter the words. She still couldn't get over the fact that he'd said something nice about the job she'd done.

"Good." He stepped away from her and tugged at the hem of his dinner jacket. "I'll let the board know
you're open to the idea." He cocked his head slightly. "So what was it you wanted to do?"

She felt a devilish anxiety tingle in the pit of her stomach. "Wait right here. I'll only be two seconds."

Dashing into the house and through to the kitchen, she snatched the small transistor radio off the top of the refrigerator and went back outside.

"Let's go," she said, grabbing his hand and propelling him around the side of the house toward the backyard.

"I have something I want to tell you." She felt breathless and excited. She fiddled with the dial until she found a slow, romantic love song. "But first…" She leaned the radio against the tree trunk, stood and kicked off her red shoes. "Will you dance with me?"

Starlight caught the quizzical gleam in Daniel's eye. He seemed too perplexed to reply. Deciding to take his silence as affirmation, Savanna stepped close and his arms closed around her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"You want to go under the gazebo?"

From the way his question was expressed, Savanna could tell he felt as jittery as she.

"No," she told him. "Here is fine."

The grass was soft and cool against her
stockinged
feet, and she felt cocooned in Daniel's arms. He smelled so good; that sensuous scent of sandalwood that always started her nerve endings jangling. His hand enveloped hers in a loose, warm grasp. Slowly they started to sway under the night sky.

The scene was set. The perfect number of stars, the perfect amount of moonlight, everything was perfectly romantic. Now she only had to find the perfect words.

"The six years I was away," she began, "changed
me."

She watched his throat muscles tighten as he swallowed.

"I'd agree with that." His voice came out in a husky whisper.

"I've become...self-reliant." She looked up at him through lowered lashes. "Some would even use the word
bold
."

Daniel held back a grin. "I'll agree with that too."

The music ended and they stood facing each other, their gazes locked. A flash of self-consciousness ripped through her and she reached up to tuck back the curly tendrils of her hair that had escaped from the pins, but Daniel caught her wrist in his fingers.

"Don't," he whispered. "It's perfect just the way it is."

She smiled. Another slow tune began to drift on the warm evening air and they once again began to move to the alluring rhythm.

Dancing in lazy circles, enveloped by Daniel's strong arms, Savanna knew without a doubt that she wanted this man to know all that was in her heart. There could be no easy way to tell him. If he wasn't able to overcome the distrust he felt, then she'd have to learn to live with that.

"Daniel," she whispered, "I want you."

He stopped dancing and stood motionless, his arms still around her, his questioning eyes fastened on hers.

"I want you," she repeated louder. "I want to move back to Fulton, and I want you in my life. I love you, Daniel."

It was obvious that her revelations stunned him.

She rushed on, "I made a mistake six years ago…"

He cut her off by lifting his hand and placing a finger gently against her lips.

Shaking his head, he replied, "Don't ever say that. Don't ever call it a mistake."