A Hero for Tonight (25 page)
He laughed. “No, there’s no catch. But I did have an idea.” He turned to his mother. “How about, instead of you and Krista selling the shop, you sell your half to me, and let Krista and I run The Apple Basket together.”
“Oh Shane, that’s a wonderful idea,” his mother exclaimed. “That’s the perfect solution! But honey, how will you do that with your job and the reserves?”
“I already help out on the weekends during busy season. We’ll hire Melissa to help out when I can’t.” He squeezed her hand. “We’ll make it work. And this way, Krista can keep the shop and her dreams, and have me as well. A win-win for her all the way around.”
Shane couldn’t help noticed Krista hadn’t said anything. He glanced to her and squeezed her hand. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know.”
He frowned at the tone in her voice. Sweeping her face with his gaze, a chill ran through him at the anger in her eyes. She was mad? He’d proposed, and now offered to allow her to keep the shop and her dreams, and she was mad?
Freakin’ women!
He’d never understand them.
Shane pushed back his chair and stood up, pulling her with him. “We’ll be right back.”
He half dragged her through the hall to the front porch. He didn’t grab his coat, but she snatched hers off the hook as they walked by.
When the door closed firmly behind them, he faced her. “Why don’t you think that’s a good idea?”
“I didn’t say it wasn’t a good idea,” she replied, shoving her arms in her coat sleeves. “I think it’s a great idea. What I don’t think is great, however, is why didn’t you say anything about this twelve hours ago? You know, when you made me think it was you or the shop, not both
.”
Even with her coat on, she shivered and hugged her arms around her waist. Her head whirled with the conversation of the last few minutes.
Shane leaned against the porch rail and crossed his arms over his chest.
Her heart squeezed. Engaged exactly five minutes, and already they were having their first fight. This was probably not the best idea either one of them ever had.
Krista twisted the diamond on her finger, but lifted her chin. “You don’t have any response, do you? You didn’t just come up with this idea in the past ten minutes; I know you too well. You knew all along this was the solution, but you let me believe that it was all or nothing.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, you’re right, so what?”
She furrowed her brow. “Did you just say I’m right?” She unfolded her arms and pointed at his chest. “You, Shane David Donovan, said that I, Krista Saunders, was right
again
. Meaning
you
were wrong,
twice
?”
His lips twitched, and he uncrossed his arms. “Come here.”
She shook her head. “No, we need to talk about this. I’m pretty mad.”
“I’m cold, come here and we’ll talk while you warm me up.”
She took a step back. “No, we’re going to resolve this before we go any further with anything, this engagement, or us, or anything.”
“I don’t know.” He glanced down at the porch. “Maybe my ego wanted to know you were willing to do that. Look at all the women I’ve dated.”
“I’d rather block them out, thank you.” She re-crossed her arms against her chest.
He pushed off the porch rail and closed the distance between them. Tugging at her arms, he struggled to get her hand. “I never knew if they wanted to be with me or the uniforms.”
She kept her body rigid. “Definitely the uniforms.”
Shane opened his mouth, but she reached up and touched his cheek.
“I’m not other women. You know me better than anyone. Hell, I didn’t even want to be with you any more than you wanted to be with me at first. So why would you even question my motives?”
“I’m an idiot. I don’t know what else to say, except if you give me the chance, I’ll make it all up to you. I’ll help you reach your dreams with The Apple Basket, and I’ll work hard to make any and all other dreams you have come true. I promise you that.”
She chewed her bottom lip, and Shane grabbed her hand and squeezed it between his own. “If anyone had told me a year ago that we’d be here like we are now, I’d have laughed my head off, but it makes sense.
We
make sense. That first night during the rainstorm with you threw me so completely off balance it was insane. Then when we fought and you walked away, I thought that was it; it had all been some weird chemistry thing and it was behind us.”
He leaned down and kissed her, but just as she lifted her arms to wrap around his neck, he drew back. “But I was miserable without you, and yet I was still struggling with the fact that it was Krista Saunders, the thorn in my side my whole life—how could I want to be with her? But I did and
I do
. I love you.”
He lifted her left hand to his mouth and kissed her ring finger. “I couldn’t wait to get this on your hand today. I couldn’t wait to see your face when I asked Mom to sell me her half so we could be business partners as well. I’m sorry I did it wrong.” Shane hauled her against him tight and hugged her, burying his face in her neck.
Krista wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her chest against him.
“I love you, and once we have dinner, I’m going to take you back to one of our houses and show you all night how much.” He raised his head and framed her face in his hands. “Say something.”
“Will you do one thing for me?”
He nodded. “Say the word and it’s done.”
“I know I said I didn’t need one but...” She grinned. “Will you put on your marine uniform and be
my
hero tonight?”
His hands swept under her open coat and framed her waist, pulling her hard against him. “If you’ll take it off me, I’ll be your hero
every
night.”
A word about the author...
Roni Adams’ writing career began as a young girl writing stories about her family pets. When a friend of her family typed these stories up for her and put them in a three-ring binder, her life course was set.
She has worked as a newspaper journalist, an administrative assistant, and in other positions, but she has always known in her heart she was a writer.
Roni resides in a tiny hamlet in Upstate New York nestled along the Erie Canal. She's been married for 27 years to Scott. They have three sons. Escaping into the lives of her characters takes Roni's mind off the fact that her family is growing up way too fast.
While she is no longer active with RWA, she considers the San Antonio Romance Authors RWA chapter to be the chapter of her heart. She is also one of the founding members of:
a writers’ community devoted to helping new writers grow and learn.
Roni loves to hear from readers and you can contact her at:
Visit Roni at:
or at her blog at:
Other titles by this author…
The Chauffeur Wore an Evening Gown
Under a Rodeo Moon
Beauty and the Geek
Christmas Past
The Christmas Star
~*~
Double B series:
To Tame a Cowgirl
The Cowboy Comes Home
Trouble in Texas
The Cowboy Duet
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