The Count From Wisconsin (17 page)

She pulled down his head to kiss him. "Thanks for doing it. It made me feel like an equal. . . no, even more—I felt like Charlemagne's daughter."

"I didn't know he had a daughter. What did she do?"

"She carried her lover to her bedroom on her back so that there would be only one set of footprints showing in the snow." She sighed. "They don't make women like that anymore."

"Thank God," he said vehemently. "She was probably built like a water buffalo. I think I'm glad they don't make them like that anymore."

"I'd do it," she insisted. "I'd carry you on my back—that is, if I could lift you, I would."

"That's my point," he said, sliding down to kiss her breasts, then up to kiss her nose. "You are definitely not built like a water buffalo."

Pulling her knee up across his thigh, she unconsciously began to move it back and forth over his wet body. "I'm glad if you're glad," she said, then she fell silent, her brow creasing in thought. After a moment she said, "You know, cartooning is going to seem awfully dull after all this. It's going to take me a while to settle down again."

Alex didn't speak right away. He reached down to run a hand over her derriere and thigh, pressing her closer, then he sighed. "Do you have to settle down again, Katy?" At her puzzled look, he continued. "I guess what I'm trying to say is—" He suddenly stood up, dumping her with a splash that showered her confused face.

"You're trying to say what?" she demanded as she climbed from the tub.

"I'm trying to say that now we're both pruny," he said, his voice muffled by the towel as he dried off and walked into the bedroom at the same time.

"No you weren't," she said hotly, following him from the bathroom. "That wasn't what you were going to say at all. What on earth is wrong with you? You haven't been shy about telling me anything since we met." She snorted. "Shy! Lord, that's a laugh. You've bulldozed me from the first moment you saw me. You've—"

She stopped speaking abruptly when he swung around to face her. He stared down at her for a moment, then sighed and pulled her onto the bed. Reaching up, he pulled the hairpins from her hair and let it fall into his hands.

"Alex?" she prompted in bewilderment.

He looked up from her hair. "I simply wanted to ask you if you had ever thought about . . . about visiting Wisconsin," he said gruffly.

"Visiting?" she asked, turning around to stare at him.

"All right! Have you ever thought of living there?" He slumped slightly as though it were a great relief simply to have said it.

She sucked in a sharp breath. "In Wisconsin?" she whispered, then swallowed in agitation. "I've . . . I've always wanted to see Wisconsin."

"Kate," he said, framing her face to stare down at her. "I'm asking you to marry me."

"Yes—yes, I know," she replied, her voice distracted. "I'm thinking."

"About what, for God's sake!" he said shortly.

She slowly lifted her gaze to stare into his eyes. "Alex, we've known each other for three days."

He looked stunned for a moment, then said, "Well, okay. So we've known each other for three days."

Before she could say anything else he stood and walked a few feet away, then turned back abruptly. "I know what you're doing. You're giving me that 'normal' business again. I thought you promised not to do that."

"And I thought you promised not to push me," she said irritably.

"So who's pushing?" he said, shrugging casually, but avoiding her eyes. After a moment, he said, "Okay. I'm pushing. But tell me this—if we had known each other for three months or three years, what would your answer be then?"

She bit her lip, then sighed and answered honestly. "I guess I'd say there's nowhere on earth I'd rather be than Wisconsin if you're there."

He exhaled explosively and pulled her to him. "Then I can wait," he said, kissing her fiercely. A hard, hungry kiss that ended only when he pulled back and grinned at her. "At least, I can wait to get married. There are some things that I can't wait for."

"Gimme a for instance," she murmured, leaning her chin on his chest to look up at him cockily.

"How about"—he spoke lazily as he led her toward the bed—"how about I show you a for instance," he finished as they fell onto the bed with their arms entwined.

And so, like the practical, sane people they were, they waited to get married . . . they waited for as long as it took to fly back to Wisconsin and obtain a marriage license.

Six months later, Kate and Alex walked down a Street in Madison. Spring was finally beginning to take hold and the air was as sparkling clear as fine champagne.

Kate hadn't managed to bring about her world-shaking cartoon soap. Instead she had created what she considered her masterpiece. It was an adventure cartoon using a husband-and-wife team as the main characters. At last she was able to use Splak! and Kapow! as often as she wanted to.

The cartoon had been so successful, Kate had been approached recently about a Saturday-morning television series. It was an offer she was still considering as she and Alex walked toward the restaurant where they had reservations for lunch.

"So . . . what do you think?" she asked again.

"I think you 11 figure it out by yourself without my interference," Alex said, laughing at her disgruntled features.

"What's a husband for if not to interfere?" she muttered. "I know I'd interfere if it were your business."

"And have done so many times in the past," he added cheerfully.

"Exactly," she said. "And it's the very least you can do for me."

"So sign the contract," he said finally.

"But—"

"So don't sign it," he said, interrupting her. Pulling to a stop, he pushed her against the wall of a building and bent to give her a slow, heart-stopping kiss. When he pulled away, he said softly, "Kate, I'd love to help you out on this, but you're the only one who can say if it's what you want to do. Now do you understand?"

For a few seconds her hand remained on the top of her head, holding onto her wide-brimmed hat, and her eyes remained closed. When she opened them at last to look up at him, they were dreamy and docile.

"Yes," she whispered, then cleared her throat. "Yes, I understand."

They had walked several feet when she suddenly stopped walking and stared up at him. "You did it again!" she accused. "Why do you do that every time we have an argument?"

"I thought you liked it," he said, his look guileless.

"Well . . . that's not the point. It always puts me off so I forget what I was saying."

"Uh-huh," he said agreeably.

"It's not fair, dammit," she said, but she grinned as she said it because he was irresistible and he knew it.

They began walking again and she turned the problem of the series over in her mind. It would take up so much of her time, time she wanted to give to Alex instead. Later they would start a family and that would take some of the intimate moments away from them, moments they had come to treasure in their almost six months of marriage. They should spend every minute with each other while they still could.

She turned to him to give him her decision when something odd caught her eye.

"Alex," she whispered. "Did you see that?"

"What?" he asked, glancing around.

Her forehead was creased with her intense concentration. "Those men." She nodded at the other side of the street. "You know, I saw something just like that on television the other night. Two men had packages that were wrapped exactly alike. When they bumped into each other, the packages dropped. Then they each picked up the other's package."

"Interesting," he said, staring down at her in curiosity.

"That's not all," she said urgently. "The men were dealing in drugs and one of the packages contained heroin; the other contained money."

"This is all very interesting, Duchess, but why are you telling me now?"

"Because those men"—she nodded sharply toward the street—"did the same thing." When he started to protest, she continued. "I swear it, Alex. They switched packages." She jerked her head around. "One of them is crossing the street," she hissed, then moved away from him to see around a couple who were walking toward them on the sidewalk.

"No, Kate," he said firmly as she looked back to grin at him, then began to follow the man. "Kate. Will you listen? Katy ..."