Sunshine and the Shadowmaster (23 page)

Heather grabbed his arm again and turned him back to her. “I'm not finished.”

“Damn it, Heather.”

“Listen. I've been trying to tell you something since yesterday and you wouldn't let me. If you'd only listened, you could have saved us both a lot of misery.”

He said nothing, only looked at her, waiting for her to get it over with.

She began, “As I said, I'll always love Jason Lee. I'll remember him with...great affection. He was a good man. But he's gone, Lucas. And sometimes now I can't see his face in my mind. His face is...blotted out by another face. By
your
face.”

Beneath her palm, Lucas's arm went rigid. “What are you saying?”

“That I'm in love with
you.
”

“Excuse me?”

“I thought I said it clearly. I'm—”

Before she could say it again, Lucas grabbed her, shoved his hands in her hair and brought her face up close to his own. “Don't say things like that. Ever. Don't say them unless you mean them.”

“Oh, I mean them. I mean them with all my heart. Lucas, I...admire you.”

He grunted in disbelief.

“Don't do that,” she said. “Don't make light of that. I mean it. I admire you. So much. You're a wonderful man. Some men are born in goodness. And some never have a chance. That's you, Lucas. You never had a chance. But still, somehow, you fought your way to a good life, so that Mark could have the start you never did. You're the most courageous man I've ever known.

“And you did
not
take advantage of me that first night we made love. I was a full-grown woman, every bit as responsible for what happened as you were. That night was what we
both
wanted. I never blamed you for it. When you left, I missed you terribly. I tried to get over you. But I never did. The world was a gray, empty place until my dad made me track you down in Monterey. And it took me a while, it's true, to understand what I feel for you. But now I do understand. I love you. With all my heart.”

Lucas stared down at her. “Would you say that once more?”

Her smile lit up the shadows. “Yes, I will. If you'll only stand beside me, let me into your heart.”

“I will stand beside you,” he vowed fervently. “I swear it. And my heart, such as it is, is yours.”

“Then I'll say it forever. I'll say it all our lives.”

“Say it right now.”

“I love you, Lucas Drury.”

“Say it again.”

She did, slow and sweetly. Lucas pressed her close, sipped the words from her lips and gave them back in kind.

* * *

A little while later, they walked down the rickety front steps of Oggie's ramshackle house. Hand in hand, they hobbled through the center of town, Heather leaning heavily on Lucas because of her tender feet.

It was nearly five when they arrived back at Heather's aunt Regina's once more. They went directly to the backyard. Though several of the guests had departed, all the family members were still there. And so was Reverend Johnson. Oggie had refused to allow the man to leave.

At the sight of Heather and Lucas, Mark cried out and ran to them, throwing his arms around them both.

“You guys look terrible.”

“We know,” they said in unison.

“But you look...happy.”

“We are,” they said, again with one voice.

“Is everything okay now?” the boy asked.

Heather and Lucas gazed at each other, then down at Mark. They nodded.

“Er, then if you've worked out your...difficulties, do you think we could get started now?” inquired the reverend.

Aunt Regina took her seat at the piano again. The wedding march began.

Dressed in her grandmother's torn and ragged wedding gown, Sunshine once more walked up the makeshift aisle toward the Shadowmaster, who stood waiting for her in his tattered tux. This time, when she reached his side, she put her hand in his and smiled up into his eyes.

And Lucas Drury learned at last what it meant to be the guy who had everything.

* * * * *

ISBN: 978-1-4592-8819-5

Sunshine and the Shadowmaster

Copyright © 1995 by Christine Rimmer

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