Safari Moon (12 page)

“Good morning, sleepy head. I could get used
to this.”

“What?” Nyssa pushed her hair from her eyes
and stared at Solo. “What?” she repeated for her benefit alone.

“I could get used to this. The engagement,”
he said. “You do know Grandmother will want to see an announcement
in the paper. She won’t believe this confirmed bachelor is really
getting married unless she sees proof.”

Nyssa saw the resolve in his eyes and knew
that somehow she would have to find a way to compromise. “If we
could keep the announcement to one newspaper, the one and only one
Sarah ever reads, we might be able to pull this off. The news can
not get anywhere near a paper that Robert reads.”

“I’ll talk to grandfather but he won’t
understand.”

“Tell him I don’t want a big wedding. Which
I don’t. Tell him we don’t like people prying into our private
lives.”

“I’ll make him understand. I promise.” He
glanced down the trail toward the cabin. “There is no way Robert
will find out although I’m still of the opinion you should tell
him. So don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Well, well, well, imagine finding the two
of you out here so early in the morning.” The Colonel’s voice
boomed out in the quiet serenity surrounding them. As if he managed
to startle the birds to, they sent up a cacophony of noise that
could wake the sleeping wolves. “Why don’t you two love birds stop
cooing to each other and get back to the cabin. I’ve already sent a
message to Sarah and she’s on her way. There is no time like the
present. We have a wedding to plan.”

Colonel St. John grinned that devilish smile
again while Nyssa made little choking noises at the back of her
throat.

The Colonel had taken charge.

Charge being the operative word.

Chapter Six

“We’re back,” the Colonel’s voice boomed
through the cabin.

Solo focused on the two figures entering the
cabin and grinned with recognition. “Grandma Sarah.”

He rose from the chair and gave her a big
hug.

The Colonel did tell the truth. His
grandmother looked fragile and tired, her face pale. He hadn’t
expected his grandmother so soon, but here she was in front of
him.

Helpless, he waited for his grandmother to
sit down, and studied every feature from her short-cut silver hair
to the white flat sandals she wore. He did want this to turn out
well for everyone--Nyssa included. But he didn’t see how they could
provide his grandmother with a grandchild.

After making sure Sarah was settled
comfortably, his grandfather left to collect the luggage.

“My darling, Solo,” Sarah said when the door
closed behind the Colonel. “It’s so nice to see you again, even if
it’s only for a few days. Did you know your grandfather brought
Reverend Thomas with us?”

Solo nearly choked then, “No, he didn’t tell
me.”

His grandmother’s eyes twinkled with
happiness, and Solo wanted to groan. When Nyssa found out the
Colonel had brought the preacher with him, she’d blow a fuse.

He motioned his grandmother to a comfortable
chair, wishing she’d relax for a few minutes. “My darling Colonel
thought of everything. See,” from her black leather handbag, she
pulled out a stiff official piece of paper.

“A marriage license,” Sarah said. "I guess
money can buy you anything when you have a judge in your hip
pocket."

Solo did groan this time.

“Of course the Colonel says we’ll have to
give both of you a huge reception when you finish the
research.”

A reception, a wedding, he repeated with a
sense of approaching doom. What next? And what about his promise to
Nyssa that no one else would know about the engagement? His
grandmother had come for the wedding, and she would expect the
grandchild in nine months.

“We don’t need a reception,” Solo said, in a
feeble attempt to change her mind.

His grandmother dismissed him with a wave of
one hand. “What about Nyssa? She’ll want something special. All
this haste will deprive her of a beautiful wedding. She should at
least be able to celebrate with her friends, you too. The Colonel
called David and Michael and they should arrive tomorrow
morning.”

He had no idea how to stop this, and he knew
Nyssa would rake him over the coals if he didn’t. No torture would
be too harsh for him if he didn’t follow through with his
promises.

“She doesn’t want--special. It’s supposed to
be small, private. Intimate.”

Under normal circumstances he would have
been more forceful. It just wasn’t in him to hurt his grandmother,
and he searched for a way to convince her gently and without making
her health worse. He knew that since his parents died in a plane
crash, his grandmother had been there for all the major events in
his life.

Unlike the Colonel, she didn’t care if he
followed in Colonel St. John’s footsteps. Had she known the Colonel
forced this wedding, she’d blow a fuse just like Nyssa. That
picture made him smile.

The Colonel brought in a small bag for Sarah
then settled himself at the other end of the couch.

“By the way, where is the bride to be?”
Sarah asked. “I’d like to know if this rapid-fire wedding is all
your idea or if Nyssa agrees. I’d like to hear it straight from her
if she really doesn’t want a reception or a real wedding.”

“She’s asleep. We’ve been awake the last
three nights hard at work.”

“As soon as she’s up, we’ll have a talk.
Afterwards the Colonel and I will go back to the trading post.”

“You’re not staying?” Solo
wanted to sky write,
thank
you
. He’d had horrible nightmares over
this--three days worth. The cabin was not big enough for the four
of them.

“No, of course not. The man at the trading
post has a nice big home and he’s offered to put us up for the
week. He’s lonely, you know. Ever since his wife died, poor thing,
he’s been out here all by himself. I knew you’d want to be alone
with Nyssa. You must be so much in love. Why, if we stay here,
you’ll never get the chance to kiss her.”

His grandmother blushed and Solo knew what
she imagined.

This was downright embarrassing. He couldn’t
believe it, yet, he was the one with the urge to look away. Before
he could change the subject, his grandmother gave him one of her
wonderful, tender looks as if she could read his mind.

“Love isn’t the problem,” he said.

“Well you ought to take advantage of every
opportunity you can get. Life is short.

“Grandma--”

“I wouldn’t mind if you started that
grandchild a little prematurely. The sooner you have a woman to
give your heart to and I get a baby to hold the better I’ll feel.
Nyssa is asleep, half the day passed by, and you’re out here with
me. You should be in that bed with her.”

“She needs her sleep. There’ll be time for
all that stuff later,” he said lamely.

“I want you to have as much latitude as we
can give you. A young couple needs time. Now, I realize that you’ve
known Nyssa for a decade but you’ve seen her in a new light,
haven’t you? She’s been your pal but you’ve always loved her, deep
down you loved her.”

“You knew all that?”

“Of course, and anyone with eyes could have
seen how much she loved you. Always has.”

He sat up straighter. “If she loves me so
much why is she engaged to--”

“What dear?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly.

“I’m sure you planned to say something about
your engagement. It is what you want?” His grandmother’s gaze was
shrewd, too knowledgeable.

“Of course I want to marry her. It just took
me a long time to figure it out.” He stood and shoved his hands
into his pockets. “I think Nyssa’s wonderful in every way. But we
are--we planned--the wedding night, you know.”

Sarah clapped her hands together. Her smile
was bright and her eyes alight with joy. “I’m so glad. You won’t
regret that decision.” She reached out to touch his cheek. “You
didn’t have to tell me.”

“
I didn’t want you thinking
that Nyssa,”
Hell
. He didn’t want to think of Nyssa in that light and he
couldn’t help himself. With one word, he was grinding his fists
together and struggling to control the rapid acceleration of lust
sweeping through him. Because that was what he felt, pure and
simple lust, nothing more.

He needed to put this back in perspective
because Nyssa was not the kind of woman a man’s hormones went
bonkers over. She was intelligent, kindhearted--too innocent and he
respected her. She liked to play Monopoly on rainy days--and beat
the socks off him. Deep down she loved his adventures, the
research. He knew that because she always went with him and the
pictures she shot were dynamite.

“You don’t need to work her so hard, and I
don’t understand why you don’t court her.” His grandmother’s stare
was intense as if she discussed his love life everyday along with
her tea. “A little romance is always good.”

“Romance?” he asked. “Court her?”

“Well, of course. I thought I brought you up
better than that. You sound as if the very idea disgusts you. I’ve
seen you with other women. I know you can turn on the charm when
you want to.” While he assimilated that tidbit, Sarah said with a
grand announcement, “If you want to make the marriage last past the
honeymoon, you’ll have to change your tactics. A woman doesn’t like
to be left alone too long.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Come on, Solo. Do I have to spell it out?
Why, when your grandfather and I courted,” her eyes twinkled again.
“We were nearly caught in bed by my father. Of course,” she added
hastily, “we weren’t actually in bed, just very close. Your
generation would call it hormones. But we were madly in love. He
couldn’t keep his hands off me and I didn’t want him to. I felt so
cherished and he was such a romantic devil.”

“We call it lust,” he said. “Just like you
did.”

“Good, then you understand what you feel.
You have to have a bit of good old fashioned lust or the marriage
won’t last. By the way, Solo, have you given her a ring?”

What could he say to that? “We haven’t had
time to shop.”

Sarah clapped her hands together again. “She
can have my mother’s.” Sarah slipped a small red box from her purse
then handed it over to Solo.

He opened the box slowly, awed by the
enormity of the gift. A large sapphire surrounded by diamonds
stared back at him. The stones caught the light and rainbow prisms
decorated the walls.

“I can’t accept this,” he said, realizing
how precious the gift was.

“Of course you can. I’ve wanted to give this
to you for a long time. It’s always been my intention for the woman
you married to have it. I’ve saved it for you, and I think you
should plan a lovely dinner, just for two, so you can give the ring
to her over candlelight and roses.”

“I can’t get roses.”

“Of course you can dear. They’re in the car
waiting for you to agree to this. In case you don’t have the hint
by now, I want this engagement and marriage to work out.”

And then she smiled at him. She looked
stronger already and Solo didn’t know how to refuse the simple
request. Of course Nyssa would wear the ring. Of course he, Solo,
would give her a beautiful dinner to celebrate it with. Why on
earth wouldn’t he? Why would her real engagement to old Robert keep
him from making a complete fool of himself?

***

A few hours later, Sarah and the Colonel
left Solo’s cabin with the promise to return bright and early the
next day. When Solo looked in on Nyssa, she was waking up. Her hair
was in disarray and her eyes were huge and sleepy.

“Solo,” she said softly.

She pushed her hair back out of her eyes,
the covers slipping to her waist before she pulled them to her
chin. In the dim light before Nyssa could cover herself, Solo got a
complete picture. She had on a little black thing, sexy, lacy, and
too provocative. He watched her while she held onto the sheet and
assumed a pose of casual nonchalance.

“Why are you staring at me?”

“What? Oh,” Why? A ridiculous question--he
gaped openly at her because he couldn’t keep his eyes away. It was
all he could do to keep from joining her. Presented with the two
options he figured he was noble in the extreme.

“Never mind. Did I hear your grandmother or
was that my imagination?”

“No--it wasn’t your imagination. She’s
here.”

“Why do I have the notion this scenario has
gone from bad to worse?”

“I don’t know.”

“Solo--”

“I promised you this would work out fine. So
don’t you think it’s about time you trusted me?”

“I can’t trust you when you sound so
defensive.”

He was disappointed when she said that.
Nyssa had always trusted him before, so why not now? After all they
were engaged and their plans included marriage if only for a few
short weeks.