Quite the Catch (14 page)

They
lay still, as aftershocks rocked her body, each one brimming with sensual
wonder and as potent as a little death. She cradled against his right side but
her hand strayed to rest over his heart. It pounded beneath her touch and she
liked it. It reassured her that he lived and loved.

When
their breathing eased and his heart rate settled back into normal, Tina glanced
into his dark eyes. He smiled and touched her face with one light finger. “I
love you, honey. I thought for a minute or two there you might just kill me,
but it would’ve been too sweet to stop.”

Her
voice emerged as a whisper. “I love you, too. Are you okay?”

Joshua
chuckled. “If I’m not, I feel too fine to notice.”

Tina
understood. She had never felt better in her life.

****

Morning
sunlight slanted down over the town as they met her cousin outside the Sequoyah
County courthouse. Tina wore an off-the-shoulders formal she’d worn to many
hospital balls and events over the years, but it was the prettiest thing she
owned. She’d refused to wear a veil but had tucked a white rose behind one ear
and carried a simple bouquet with roses and daisies. Joshua looked delicious in
his marshal’s uniform. Their small party included his mother, his brother, two
fellow officers, and her cousin Charley.

The
others stepped back as Tina embraced her cousin who shook his head at her. “You
sure about this, girl?” he asked. “It seems pretty damn quick to me.”

“I’ve
never been surer about anything, ever,” she told him.

Charley
grinned. “I won’t argue. I know when you’ve made up your mind. Besides, he’s
quite a catch, a U.S. Marshal and a Cherokee too.”

Tina
laughed as Joshua joined them, one hand resting on her shoulder. “So you think
I’m a catch?” he said. “You sound like some Victorian mama
pimping
her daughter at a coming out party, Charley.”

Her
cousin flushed and opened his mouth but Tina put her hand over it. “Don’t even
try to one-up Joshua,” she said. “Besides, you’re right…but he’s
my
catch. I pulled him out of the river
and decided he was a keeper.”

Everyone
laughed but before they went inside, Joshua pulled Tina aside. He kissed her
long and slow until her bones melted. “So I was your catch of the day?” he
asked.

He
didn’t seem to mind so she nodded. “I could call you that, I guess.”

“That’s
fine,” he said. “Just remember you’ve reached your lifetime limit and you can’t
throw me back now.”

“I’ll
remember, Joshua Jericho Jenkins,” Tina told him. “Now let’s go get hitched so
it’s legal.”

His
smile provided all the answer she needed as they linked hands and walked into
the courthouse.

The End

www.leeannsontheimermurphywriterauthor.blogspot.com

Other Books by Lee
Ann
Sontheimer
Murphy:

www.evernightpublishing.com/pages/Lee-Ann-Sontheimer-Murphy.html

If you enjoyed this
book, you may also like:

Masquerade by Lace
Daltyn

Wilde Edge by Susan Hayes

Forever Kind of Love by Moira Callahan

Evernight
Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com