Texas-Sized Temptation (17 page)

T
he second weekend in December Caitlin stood in the lobby waiting to walk down the aisle. Dressed in white silk, she was on Kirby's arm. Cecilia and Altheda were seated where her grandmother would have been.

“Kirby, thank you for doing this,” she said, looking at the man she had known all her life. Dressed in a tux, his weathered skin was still deeply tan even though it was winter. His brown hair was thick with gray strands. He smiled at her.

“Caitlin, I just wish your grandmother Madeline could see you. She loved you from the moment you came into this world. She always said your dad made the mistake of his life by not raising you, but it was the blessing of her life that he didn't.”

“I miss her. I loved her with all my heart.”

“Jake's a good man, Cait. He'll be good to you. He did right by all of us.”

“That he did and I think he's a good man. So are you.”

“It's time to start now,” the wedding coordinator said, kneeling to smooth Caitlin's train that was spread behind her.

Caitlin and Kirby began the walk down the aisle. When she looked at Jake, he smiled and her heart beat with happiness. She loved her handsome husband and now she would be married to him. Someday she would have her own family, hopefully soon, because she wanted elderly Cecilia and Altheda to know her children.

She forgot everything else as she drew closer to Jake and looked into his blue eyes that were filled with love.

They said vows and prayers, he kissed her and finally they were introduced to guests as Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Benton.

When they walked back up the aisle, she paused to hand roses to Cecilia and Altheda. She smiled at Jake's parents and received only a faint smile from his mother and a flat stare from his father. Walking with Jake, she laughed with joy. “I can't believe I'm a Benton now.”

“You are definitely a Benton now and forever,” Jake said, smiling at her.

It took another hour for pictures before they could get to the country club for the reception.

When toasts were given, Gabe stood up and raised his champagne flute high. “A toast to Caitlin and Jake, who have helped bring a beginning to the end of a family feud that started with the first Bentons and Santerres to settle in Texas. A toast to them for bringing peace to two families, and a wish for a wonderful future filled with love for them.”

Jake looked at Caitlin and smiled as he hugged her lightly. “No feud between this Benton and Santerre. Far from it.”

She laughed. “Absolutely, love.”

Later in the afternoon, Jake stood with his brother and friends. “Okay, Jake,” Nick said, grinning. “You didn't keep
your part of our pact to avoid marriage. Now you have to put a million in the pot because you've definitely lost the bet and Tony is our winner.”

“Thank you, guys. The pot is welcome.”

“At least both of you are happily married and not pushed into something you didn't want to do,” Tony said. “I told you I would outlast you.”

“I knew I'd outlast all of you,” Gabe said.

“Only because you're younger.”

“And more leery of marriage than anyone. Our dad will be on you now about it,” Jake said.

“He thinks I'm too young. He's told me,” Gabe stated with a grin. “I agreed absolutely, so we're both happy. But now I don't get that giant inheritance all to myself. You can well afford to lose this bet with Tony and Nick because you are back in Dad's good graces. Someday you'll be enormously wealthy. I couldn't imagine you holding out until the year was up.”

“I could,” Nick remarked dryly. “Jake can be stubborn as a mule.”

“Well, I hadn't planned on Caitlin coming into my life.” He turned to Tony.

“Okay, Tony, so what will you do with the money you've won?”

“First, I'll have a party. Gabe, you're invited even if you didn't participate in the bet. I'll find a fun place for a weekend. Nick, can you and Jake tear yourselves away from your wives?”

Jake glanced across the room at Caitlin.

“Never mind. I'll find something where the wives can come,” Tony said.

“You'll have more fun if they're there,” Nick said.

“You mean
you'll
have more fun,” Gabe said, laughing. “Thanks for including me.”

“You've always been a tag-along, you might as well continue,” Tony said and the others laughed.

“I think I've been away from my bride long enough,” Jake said, excusing himself and moving away from his friends to get Caitlin to dance.

“This is the only way I can get close to you,” he said, holding her in his arms and dancing to a ballad.

“I thought you'd never come back.”

“I'll always come back,” he said. “I figure about one more hour here and then we're gone.”

She smiled at him. “It's wonderful, Jake. It's a dream come true in my life.”

“It is for me,” he said solemnly. “It scares me when I think how close I came to losing you.”

“Not really,” she said. “I don't think you could have ever lost me. I was so in love with you.”

“I want you to show me. I'm not sure I can wait that hour.”

“Yes, you can and we will,” she said, bubbling with joy. “I have to be married to the most handsome man in the world. You look wonderful, Jake.”

He smiled at her. “I'm glad you think so. I believe you're a bit biased. While I, on the other hand, am coolly objective when I look around and then tell you that you are definitely the most beautiful woman ever.”

She laughed with him.

“Ah, Caitlin, I will never forget that first moment I saw you on my porch and couldn't believe my eyes. A beautiful woman, mysterious, unexpected, waiting on my porch. My life has never been the same since.”

“It never will be again,” she said, smiling up at him. “I'll always remember that moment, too, when you stepped out and we looked into each other's eyes. Maybe I fell in love right then.”

“I'm the one that did the falling in love then. I just didn't know it. So here we are—starting a life together.”

“We have a lot of friends here. I've enjoyed getting to know Nick's wife, Grace. When we get back from our honeymoon, we're getting together with them. She had Michael and Emily with her for a few minutes at my shower before they were picked up by her aunt. Michael is an adorable little boy who looks just like Nick. Emily looks a little like him.”

“Only Michael isn't Nick's baby. Michael's biological father was Nick's brother who died shortly after Michael was born. He never saw Michael and never married Michael's mother who also died shortly after Michael's birth,” Jake said.

“That's sad, but Nick and Grace love him as if he's their own.”

“He is their own in every way and he does look like Nick.”

“Emily is really precious.”

“You're showing a high interest in babies. Cool it until I've had a few months of having you all to myself.”

“Of course, just someday in the not-too-far-distant future—”

“I know and I agree,” he said. “Right now, I have other plans.”

“One more hour.”

“I'll try,” he said as the music changed to a fast number and she moved out of his arms to dance.

It was over two hours when Jake finally held her hand and they rushed to the waiting limousine to be whisked away to Jake's private jet.

 

After a stop in New York for three days, they flew to Switzerland for their honeymoon, moving into a chalet Jake had leased.

The view of snow-covered mountains was breathtaking, but
her attention was captured more by her handsome husband as he pulled her into his embrace.

“At last, I have you all to myself and we are going nowhere for days.”

“I feel the same,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He kissed her and she closed her eyes, standing on tiptoe, holding him, feeling his heart beating with hers. “I love you, Caitlin,” he whispered and returned to kissing her.

Joy filled her and she kissed him passionately, certain her life would be filled with happiness with Jake. She already loved him with all her heart, unable to imagine life without him. “That family feud just died completely, Jake,” she whispered. “I intend to seduce a Benton tonight and make mad, passionate love and there will never be bad moves between the Santerres and the Bentons again.”

“Absolutely not. Love, sexy love. Let me show you,” he said, his head dipping down as he showered kisses on her and began to unfasten her buttons.

“I have to be the happiest woman on earth,” she whispered, certain it was so, holding him close to her heart and knowing he would be there for all her life.