“Xerxes,” Rose whimpered.
With an intake of breath, Xerxes went to her, gathering her up tenderly in his arms.
“Rose, oh, Rose,” he breathed, holding her. “Oh, my darling. Did he hurt you? My God, tell me I was in time!”
“He didn’t hurt me. You came,” she whispered, touching his face in wonder. “Oh, Xerxes, somehow you came.”
“Rose, I have to tell you something. I…”
Lars got up behind them, then with a last shouted curse he stumbled for the door. Flinging it open, he ran out of the cabin, heading for the snowy forest.
Xerxes started to chase him, but Rose grabbed his hand.
“No, please,” she whispered. Her cold fingers curled around his. “Please stay with me.”
“Yes.” He instantly turned back to her. “You’re so cold,” he murmured in a worried voice. He pulled her back against his chest, wrapping his coat around her. “I have to get you warm.”
Rose looked up at him. Cold? She wasn’t cold any longer. Dawning joy was slowly thawing her heart from within. “You broke your promise,” she said in shock. “You came for me.”
“I came.” He drew back, looking down at her with troubled dark eyes. “Forgive me.”
“Forgive you?” She laughed even as tears streaked down her face. “For saving my life? All right. Just this time, I will.”
But his eyes were serious. “I always prided myself on keeping my word above all else. But today I realized honor means nothing without love. Without you.”
Xerxes gently stroked her face, tilting her chin upward.
“I love you, Rose,” he said in a low voice, searching her eyes intently. “Tell me it’s not too late. Tell me I have a chance to win you back. I love you. I love you so much.”
Her heart ached at the words she’d waited a lifetime to hear, from the man she’d waited a lifetime to find. The strong, honorable, noble man she could love for the rest of her life.
Reaching her hand up against his rough cheek, she felt warmth and joy overwhelming her heart. “I never stopped loving you,” she whispered. “I will love you forever.”
Looking down at her, his black eyes were suspiciously wet. “Marry me, Rose.”
In answer, she nodded as tears streaked her face.
He sucked in his breath. As he lowered his mouth to hers, he whispered, “You are my family. My wife. My love. You…you are my promise.”
Two months later, Rose stepped out of the white clapboard chapel into the spring sunshine, still gripping her new husband’s hand.
“It stopped raining,” Xerxes said in amazement, looking up at the fluffy clouds in the blue sky. “Is that the sun?”
Was he implying that his new home in northern California wasn’t exactly the sunniest place in the world? She grinned at him, her heart full of love. “I wouldn’t know. Every day seems sunny to me,” she said over the lump in her throat, “as long as I’m with you.”
His dark eyes caressed her. Lifting her left hand to his lips, he gently kissed her fingers, and her simple gold wedding ring.
Family and friends followed them outside, cheering and throwing flower petals as Rose and Xerxes headed for the car waiting to take them to the airport. They had no time to attend their own wedding reception; they barely had time for their honeymoon. Resting her hand on his arm, Rose looked at her incredibly handsome husband with a sigh of regret. “I’m sorry we only have two days to spend in Mexico.”
He grinned at her. “We’ll make it count.”
“And missing our reception—”
“Rose.” He put his hand over hers. “A wedding is just a single day. We have the rest of our lives to celebrate our love together.”
She looked up at him gratefully. “I promise once Linden Candy is off the ground,” she vowed, “I’ll take you somewhere romantic for a full month.”
“My wife, the business tycoon,” he teased. “I can see I’m going to have to step it up just to keep up with you.”