Under the Summer Sky

7

Before Janine could respond, Gramps wandered back into the living room, pen in hand.

“So where are those papers you wanted me to sign?” he asked Zach.

With obvious reluctance, Zach tore his gaze from Janine’s. He opened his briefcase and pulled out several papers. “Go ahead and read over these contracts.”

“Do you need me to sign them or not?” her grandfather grumbled.

Once more Zach dragged his gaze away from Janine. “Please.”

Muttering under his breath, Gramps took the documents to the small table, scanned them and quickly scrawled his name.

Janine knew she should leave; the two men probably had business to discuss. But she couldn’t make herself stand up and walk away. Not when Zach had actually admitted that he’d missed her.

Gramps broke into her thoughts. “Janine, I—”

“I was just going,” she said. She clambered to her feet, securing her hold on Michael.

But Gramps surprised her.

“I want you to stay,” he declared. “I wanted to talk to you and Zach. Fact is, I owe you both an apology. Burt and I had a good long talk the other day and I told him how I’d tried to arrange a marriage between the two of you. He laughed and called me an old fool, said it was time I stepped out of the Dark Ages.”

“Gramps,” Janine began anxiously, unwilling to discuss the subject that had brought such contention, “Zach and I have already settled that issue. We understand why you did it and...and we’ve laid it to rest, so there’s no need to apologize.”

“I’m afraid there is,” Gramps insisted. “Don’t worry, Burt pointed out the error of my ways. Haven’t got any new tricks up my sleeve.” He rose to bring Zach the signed papers, then sat wearily in the chair across from them. He’d never looked so fragile, so old and beaten.

“Janine’s a wonderful woman,” Zach said unexpectedly. “I want you to know I realize that.”

“She’s got her faults,” Gramps responded, pulling a cigar from his pocket, “but she’s pretty enough to compensate.”

“Thank you very much,” Janine whispered sarcastically and was rewarded with a grin from Zach. Gramps didn’t seem to hear her; if he had, he was ignoring her comment.

“I only want the best for my granddaughter, but when I approached her about marrying you, she made a big fuss. Fact is, it would’ve been easier to pluck a live chicken. She said she needed romance.” Gramps pronounced the word as if it evoked instant amusement.

“There isn’t a woman alive who doesn’t need romance,” she wailed, defending herself.

“I’m from the old country,” Gramps continued. “Romance wasn’t something I knew about from personal experience, and when I asked Janine to explain, she had some trouble defining it herself. Said it was a tryst on the moors and a bunch of other hogwash. That’s the reason I sent you both to Scotland.”

“We figured that out soon enough,” Zach said dryly.

“As you’ll recall,” Janine found herself saying, “that definition was off the top of my head. Romance isn’t easy to explain, especially to a man who scoffs at the entire idea.”

Anton chuckled, moving the cigar to the side of his mouth. “It’s unfortunate the two of you caught on to me so soon. I was looking forward to arranging the desperate passion part.”

“Desperate passion?” Zach echoed.

“Yes. Janine said that was part of romance, too. I may be over seventy, but I know about passion. Oh, yes, Anna and I learned about that together.” His blue eyes took on a faraway look and his lips curved in the gentlest of smiles. He glanced at Janine and his smile widened.

“I’m glad you find this so funny,” Janine snapped.

Gramps dismissed her anger with a flick of his hand and turned to Zach. “I suppose you’ve discovered she’s got something of a temper?”

“From the start!” Zach declared.

“It may come as a surprise to you, Zachary Thomas,” Janine said, “but you’re not exactly Mr. Perfect.”

“No,” Zach countered smoothly. “I suspect your grandfather was thinking more along the lines of Mr. Right.”

“Oh, brother!”

“Now, children, I don’t see that arguing will do any good. I’ve willingly accepted defeat. Trying to interest you in each other was an old man’s way of setting his world right before he passes on.”

The doorbell chimed and, grateful for an excuse to leave the room, Janine hurried to answer it. Patty St. John stood there, her face cheerless, her posture forlorn.

“I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.”

“They’d already hired someone,” Patty said, walking into the foyer and automatically taking her son from Janine. She held the infant close, as if his small warm body might absorb her disappointment. “I spent the whole day psyching myself up for this interview and it was all for nothing. Ah, well, who wants to be a receptionist at a dental clinic, anyway?”

“I’m so sorry,” Janine murmured.

“Was Michael any problem?”

“None at all,” Janine told her, wishing she could think of something encouraging to say. “I’ll get his things for you.”

It took Janine only a minute to collect Michael’s diaper bag, but when she returned to the entryway, she discovered Zach talking to Patty. Janine saw him hand her friend a business card and overheard him suggesting she report to the Human Resources department early the following week.

“Thanks again,” Patty said enthusiastically. She lifted Michael’s hand. “Say bye-bye,” she coaxed the baby, then raised his arm and moved it for him.

Janine let her out, with Zach standing next to her. Gramps had gone into the library, and Zach glanced anxiously in that direction before lowering his voice to a whisper. “Can you meet me later?”

“When?”

“In an hour.” He checked his watch, then mentioned the number of a pier along the waterfront. Janine had just managed to clarify the location when Gramps came back.

Zach left the house soon afterward and Janine was able to invent an excuse half an hour later. Gramps was reading and didn’t bother to look up from his mystery novel, although Janine thought she saw the hint of a smile, as if he knew full well what she was doing. She didn’t linger to investigate. The last time she’d agreed to a clandestine meeting with Zach had been the night they’d met at the Italian restaurant, when she’d all but blurted out the arrangements to her grandfather.

Zach was waiting for her, grim-faced. He stood against the pier railing, the wind whipping his raincoat against his legs.

“I hope there’s a good reason for this, because I don’t think Gramps was fooled,” Janine said when she joined him. “He’ll figure out that I’m meeting you if I’m not back soon.” She buried her hands in her pockets, turning away from the wind. The afternoon sky was gray, threatening rain.

“Am I interrupting anything important?”

“Not really.” Janine wouldn’t have minded listing several pressing engagements, but she’d canceled everything for the next two weeks, wanting to stay close to home in case her grandfather needed her.

Zach clasped his hands behind his back and started strolling down the pier, the wind ruffling his neatly trimmed hair. Janine followed. “I’m worried about Anton,” he said suddenly, stopping and facing Janine.

“Why?” Perhaps there was something she didn’t know about his health, something Dr. Madison hadn’t told her.

“He doesn’t look good.”

“What do you mean?” Although she asked, she already knew the answer. She’d felt the same thing during the past few days. Gramps was aging right before her eyes.

“I think you know.”

“I do,” she admitted reluctantly.

“Furthermore I’m worried about you.”

“Me?” she asked, her voice rising. “Whatever for?”

“If, God forbid, anything should happen to Anton,” Zach said, drawing in a ragged breath, “what will happen to you? You don’t have any other family, do you?”

“No,” she told him, her chest tightening at the thought. “But I’m not worried about it. There are several friends who are very close to the family, Burt Coleman for one, so I wouldn’t be cast into the streets like an orphan. I’ll have the house and more than enough money to live on. There’s no need for you to be concerned. I’m not.”

“I see.” Zach frowned as he walked to the farthest end of the pier, seeming to fix his gaze on the snow-capped peaks of the Olympic mountains far in the distance.

Janine hurried to catch up with him. “Why do you ask?” she demanded.

“He’s always said he was concerned about your not having any other family. But it wasn’t until recently that I really understood his motivation in trying to arrange a marriage between us.”

“Good, then you can explain it to me, because frankly, I’m at a loss. He admitted he was wrong, but I don’t think he’s given up on the idea. He’d do just about anything to see the two of us together.”

“I know he hasn’t given up on us.”

“What did he do? Up the ante?”

Zach chuckled and his features relaxed into a smile as he met her eyes. “Nothing so explicit. He simply told me that he’s getting on in years and hates the thought of you being left so alone when he dies.”

“I’ll adjust. I’m not a child,” she said, although her heart filled with dread at the thought of life without her cantankerous, generous, good-hearted grandfather.

“I don’t doubt you would.” Zach hesitated, then resumed strolling, apparently taking it for granted that she’d continue to follow him.

“I have plenty of friends.”

Zach nodded, although Janine wasn’t certain he’d heard her. He stopped abruptly and turned to look at her. “What I’m about to say is going to shock you.”

Janine stared up at him, not knowing what to expect.

“When you think about it, our getting married does make an odd kind of sense.”

“What?” Janine couldn’t believe he was saying this.

“From a practical point of view,” he added quickly. “Since the business is in both our names, and we’re both alone. I realize I’m not exactly Prince Charming...” Zach paused as if waiting for her to contradict him. When she didn’t, he frowned but went on. “The problem has more to do with whether we can get along. I don’t even know if we’re capable of going an entire day without arguing.”

“What are you suggesting?” Janine asked, wondering if she was reading more into this conversation than he intended.

“Nothing yet. I’m trying to be as open and as honest as I can.” He gripped the railing with both hands and braced himself, as though expecting a fierce wind to uproot him.

“Are you saying that our getting married wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all?” Janine ventured. Initially he’d made a joke of the whole thing. Then he’d seen it as an annoyance. Now he seemed to have changed his mind again.

“I...don’t know yet. I’m mulling over my thoughts, which I’m willing to confess are hopelessly tangled at the moment.”

“Mine aren’t much better.”

“Does this mean you’d consider the possibility?”

“I don’t know, either.” Janine had been so sure she was in love with Brian. She remembered how he’d done everything a romantic hero should do. He’d sent her flowers, said all the things a woman longs to hear—and then he’d casually broken her heart. When she thought about it now, she couldn’t really imagine herself married to Brian. But Zach, who’d never made any romantic gestures, somehow seemed to fit almost naturally into her life. And yet...

As she pondered these contradictions, Zach started walking again. “I’m not the kind of husband you want,” he was saying, “and not nearly as good as you deserve. I’d like to be the man of your dreams, but I’m not. Nor am I likely to change at this stage of my life.” He paused, chancing a look in her direction. “What are you thinking?”

Janine sighed and concentrated as hard as she could, but her mind was filled with so many questions, so many doubts. “Would you mind kissing me?”

Shock widened his dark eyes. He glanced around, then scowled. “Now? Right here?”

“Yes.”

“There are people everywhere. Is this really necessary?”

“Would I ask you to do it if it wasn’t?”

As he searched her face, she moistened her lips and looked up at him, tilting her head slightly. Zach slipped one arm around her waist and drew her close. Her heart reacted immediately, leaping into a hard fast rhythm that made her feel breathless. He lifted her chin with his free hand and slowly lowered his mouth to hers.

The instant his lips grazed hers, Janine was flooded with a sensual languor. It was as if they’d returned to the moors of Scotland with the full moon overhead, pouring magic onto their small corner of earth. Everything around them faded. No longer did Janine hear the sound of water slapping against the wooden columns of the pier. The blustery day went calm.

She supported her hands on his chest, breathing erratically, when he stopped kissing her. Neither spoke. Janine wanted to, but none of her faculties seemed to be working. She parted her lips and Zach lowered his mouth to hers again. Only this time it was a full-fledged kiss, deep and probing. His hands slid up her back as his mouth abandoned hers to explore the sweep of her neck.

Several glorious moments passed before he shuddered, raised his head and drew back, although he continued to hold her. “Does that answer your question?”

“No,” she answered, hating the way her voice trembled. “I’m afraid it only raised more.”

“I know what you mean,” Zach admitted, briefly closing his eyes. “This last week apart was an eye-opener for me. I thought I’d be glad to put this matter between your grandfather and us to rest. If you want the truth, I thought I’d be glad to be rid of you. I was convinced you felt the same way.” He paused, waiting for a response.

“The days seemed so empty,” she whispered.

His eyes burned into hers, and he nodded. “You were constantly on my mind, and I found myself wishing you were there to talk to.” He groaned. “Heaven knows you deserve a different kind of husband than I could possibly be.”

“What about you? I’ve heard you say a hundred times that when it comes to finding a wife, you’ll choose your own.”

He blinked, as though he didn’t recognize his words. Then he shrugged. “Once I got to know you, I realized you’re not so bad.”

“Thanks.” So much for wine and roses and sweet nothings whispered in her ear. But then again, she’d had those things and they hadn’t brought her happiness.

“Like I said—and I hate to admit it—our getting married makes sense. We seem to like each other well enough, and there’s a certain...attraction.” Zach was frowning a little as he spoke. “It would be a smart move for both of us from a financial viewpoint, as well.” He took her by the shoulders and gazed into her eyes. “The question is, Janine, can I make you happy?”

Her heart melted at the way he said it, at the simplicity and sincerity of his words. “What about you?” she asked. “Will you be content being married to me?”

The apprehension in his face eased. “I think so. We’ll be good for each other. This isn’t any grand passion. But I’m fond of you and you’re fond of me.”

“Fond?” Janine repeated, breaking away.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“I hate that word,” Janine said through gritted teeth. “Fond sounds so...watered down. So weak. I’m not looking for a grand passion, as you put it, but I want a whole lot more than fond.” She gestured dramatically with her hands. “A man is fond of his dog or a favorite place to eat, not his wife.” She spoke so vehemently that she was starting to attract attention from other walkers. “Would it be too much for you to come up with another word?”

“Stop looking at me as if it were a matter of life and death,” he said.

“It’s important,” she insisted.

Zach looked distinctly uncomfortable. “I run a business. There are more than three hundred outlets in fifty states. I know the office-supply business inside out, but I’m not good with words. If you don’t like the word fond, you choose another one.”

“All right,” she said thoughtfully, biting the corner of one lip. Her eyes brightened. “How about cherish?”

“Cherish.” Zach repeated it as if he’d never heard the word before. “Okay, it’s a deal. I’ll cherish you.”

“And I’ll cherish you,” she said emphatically, nodding with satisfaction.

They walked along the pier until they came to a seafood stand, where Zach bought them each a cup of steaming clam chowder. They found an unoccupied picnic table and sat down, side by side.

Occasionally they stopped eating to smile at each other. An oddly exciting sensation attacked Janine’s stomach whenever that happened. Finally, finishing her soup, she licked the back of her white plastic spoon. She kept her eyes carefully lowered as she said, “I want to make sure I understand. Did we or did we not just agree to get married?”

Zach hesitated, his spoon halfway between his cup and his mouth as an odd look crossed his face. He swallowed once. “We decided to go through with it, both accepting that this isn’t the traditional love match, but one based on practical and financial advantages.”

Janine dropped her spoon in the plastic cup. “If that’s the case, the wedding is off.”

Zach threw back his head and stared into the sky. “Now what did I say that was so terrible?”

“Financial and practical advantages! You make it sound about as appealing as a dentist appointment. There’s got to be more of a reason than that for us to get married.”

Shrugging, Zach gestured helplessly with his hands. “I already told you I wasn’t any good at this. Perhaps we’d do better if you explained why you’re willing to marry me.”

Before she could prevent it, a smile tugged at her mouth. “You won’t like my reason any better than I like yours.” She looked around to ensure that no one could overhear, then leaned toward him. “When we kissed a few minutes ago, the earth moved. I know it’s a dreadful cliché—the worst—but that’s exactly what I felt.”

“The earth moved,” Zach repeated deadpan.“Well, we are in an earthquake zone.”

Janine rolled her eyes. “It happened when we were in Scotland, too. I don’t know what’s going on between us or even if we’re doing the right thing, but there’s definitely...something. Something special.”

She wasn’t surprised when Zach scowled. “You mean to say you’re willing to marry me because I’m good at kissing?”

“It makes more sense to me than that stuff about financial advantages.”

“You were absolutely correct,” he said evenly. “I don’t like your reason. Is there anything else that makes the prospect appealing?”

Janine giggled. “You know,” she reflected, “Gramps was right. We’re going to be good for each other.”

A flash of light warmed his eyes and his hand reached for hers. He entwined their fingers as their eyes met. “Yes, we are.”

The wedding was arranged so fast that Janine barely had time to reconsider their decision. They applied for a license that same afternoon. When they returned to the house, Gramps shouted for joy, slapped Zach on the back and repeatedly hugged Janine, whispering that she’d made an old man very happy.

Janine was so busy, the days and nights soon blended together and she lost all track of time. There were so many things to do—fittings and organizing caterers and inviting guests—that for the next five days she didn’t talk to Zach even once.

The day before the ceremony, the garden was bustling with activity. Mrs. McCormick was supervising the men who were assembling the wedding canopy and setting up tables and chairs.

Exhausted, Janine wandered outside and glanced up at the bold blue sky, praying the sunshine would hold for at least another day. The lawn was lush and green, and freshly mowed. The roses were in bloom, perfuming the air with their rich fragrance.

“Janine.”

She recognized his voice immediately. She turned to discover Zach striding purposefullly toward her, and her heart reacted of its own accord. Janine felt as though they’d been apart for a year instead of just a few days. She wore jeans and an old university sweatshirt and wished she’d chosen something less casual. In contrast, Zach was strikingly formal, dressed in a handsome pin-striped suit and dark tie. She was willing to admit she didn’t know him as well as she should—as well as a woman who was about to become his wife. His habits, his likes and dislikes, were a mystery to her, yet those details seemed minor. It was the inner Zach she was coming to understand. Everything she’d learned assured her she’d made the right decision.

“Hello,” she called, walking toward him. She saw that he looked as tired as she felt. Obviously he’d been busy, too, although the wedding preparations had been left to her.

They met halfway and stopped abruptly, gazing at each other. Zach didn’t hug her or make any effort to touch her.

“How are you holding up?” he asked.

“Fine,” she answered. “How about you?”

“I’ll live.” He glanced over at the activity near the rose garden and sighed. “Is there someplace we can talk privately?”

“Sure.” Janine’s heart leapt to her throat at his sober tone. “Is everything all right?”

He reassured her with a quick nod. “Of course.”

“I don’t think anyone’s in the kitchen.”

“Good.” Hand at her elbow, he guided her toward the house. She pulled out a chair with trembling fingers and sat down at the oak table. As he lowered himself into a chair opposite her, she gripped the edge of the table. His eyes had never seemed darker. “Tomorrow’s the day.”

He said this as if he expected it to come as a shock to her. It didn’t—but she understood what he was saying. Time was closing in on them, and if they wanted to back out, it would have to be now.

“Believe me, I know,” she said, and her fingers tightened on the table. “Have you had a change of heart?”

“Have you?”

“No, but then again, I haven’t had much time to think.”

“I’ve done nothing but think about this wedding,” Zach said, raking his hands through his hair.

“And?”

He shrugged. “We may both have been fools to agree to this.”

“It all happened so fast,” Janine said in a weak voice. “One minute we agreed on the word cherish, and the next thing I remember, we were deciding we’d be good for each other.”

“Don’t forget the kissing part,” he added. “As I recall, that had quite a bit to do with this decision.”

“If you’re having second thoughts, I’d rather you said so now than after the ceremony.”

His eyes narrowed fleetingly before he shook his head. “No.”

“You’re sure?”

He answered her by leaning forward, slipping his hand behind her neck and kissing her soundly. Tenderly. When they broke apart, they were silent. Not talking, not wanting to.

Janine stared into his dark warm eyes and suddenly she could hardly breathe.

“This is going to be a real marriage,” he said forcefully.

She nodded. “I certainly hope so, Mr. Thomas.” And her voice was strong and clear.

Less than twenty-four hours later, Janine stood at Zach’s side, prepared to pledge her life to his. She’d never felt more uncertain—or, at the same time, more confident—of anything she’d ever done.

Zach seemed to grasp what she was feeling. His eyes held hers as she repeated the words that would bind them.

When she’d finished, Zach slid his arm around her waist and drew her close. The pastor smiled down on them, then looked to the fifty or so family friends who’d gathered on Anton’s lawn and said, “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Zachary Thomas.”

A burst of applause followed his words.

Before Janine fully realized what was happening, they were mingling with their guests. One minute she was standing in front of the pastor, trembling but unafraid, and the next she was a wife.

“Janine, Janine!” Pam rushed to her side before anyone else could. “You look so gorgeous,” she said softly, and bright tears shone in her eyes.

Janine hugged her young friend. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

Pam gazed up at Zach and shook her head. “He sure is handsome.”

“I think so, too.”

Zach arched his brows, cocked his head toward her and murmured, “You never told me that.”

“There’s no need for you to be so smug.”

“My children,” Gramps said, rejoining them. He hugged Janine, and she saw that his eyes were as bright as Pam’s. “You’ve never been more beautiful. I swear you look more like my Anna every year.”

It was the highest compliment Gramps could have paid her. From the pictures Gramps kept of his wife, Janine knew her grandmother had been exceptionally beautiful.

“Thank you,” she said, kissing his cheek.

“I have something for you.” Pam thrust a neatly wrapped box into Janine’s hands. “I made them myself,” she announced proudly. “I think Zach will like them, too.”

“Oh, Pam, you shouldn’t have,” Janine murmured. Sitting on a cushioned folding chair, she peeled away the paper and lifted the lid. The moment she did, her breath jammed in her throat. Inside were the sheerest white baby-doll pajamas Janine had ever seen. Her smile faltered as she glanced up to see half a dozen people staring at her.

Zach’s hand, resting at the nape of Janine’s neck, tightened as he spoke, though his voice was warm and amused. “You’re right, Pam. I like them very much.”