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“Chayton,” it turned out, was his full name.
Bianca had made the discovery. It seemed she’d done a bit of research on the Lakota language and learned that Chayton meant hawk.
“You checked him out?” Alessandra asked.
“It’s what I do,” Bianca replied, her tone a little testy. “I’m a researcher, remember?”
“You’re interested in him,” Alessandra said with delight.
“Are you pazza? I had enough dealings with Chayton Olivieri when you were in San Escobal to last a lifetime. He is arrogant and opinionated, and he always, always wants to be in charge. Why would any sane woma
n be interested in a man like that?”
Maybe because arrogant, opinionated, take-charge guys were also incredibly sexy, Alessandra thought, but she decided to keep her opinion to herself.
The ceremonial vows, written by the bride and groom, made all the women weepy and the men did a lot of throat-clearing. After, there was music and dancing, vintage champagne and amazing food. Then, just before sundown, Alessandra and Tanner changed out of their wedding finery and into jeans, cotton T-shirts and soft leather boots. They were driving to South Dakota to go wilderness camping as long as the weather held out, which everybody thought was nuts, considering all they’d gone through in San Escobal. But being alone together under a star-filled sky was what they both wanted.
“What?” Chay had asked innocently. “You guys don’t want to go to the Caribbean?”
Everyone had laughed.
Everyone except General John Hamilton Wilde, who wasn’t there. He had not been invited to attend his daughter’s wedding.
What he had done to her, to the man she loved, defied forgiveness. They wanted nothing more to do with him, and all the Wildes asked Jake and Travis to figure out what the ranch was worth. The number was staggering, but they all agreed to put in what they could. Travis would arrange for a loan for the balance…
But that turned out to be unnecessary.
The day before the wedding, a legal document arrived by courier. It was from the general, and it ceded ownership of El Sueño to his children.
After the wedding dinner, the guests cheered and showered the bride and groom with rose petals as they ran down the steps of the mansion to Tanner’s Silverado. He lifted her by the waist and settled her into the passenger seat, then went around the truck and climbed in behind the wheel. He reached for the gearshift, looked at Alessandra, changed his mind and kissed her instead.
Everyone applauded, but only she knew how it felt to hear him say “You are mine forever, wastelakapi,” and she wound her arms around his neck and returned his kisses with all the love in her heart.
At last, the Silverado drove off.
The Wildes and their guests went back inside the mansion.
Chay and Bianca stayed right where they were.
“Well,” Chay said, “what’s that old saying? All’s well that ends well.”
“It isn’t a saying.” Bianca tossed her head, sending a tumble of dark gold curls down her back. “It’s a line from a play by—”
“Shakespeare.” Chay tilted his champagne flute to his lips and drank the last few drops. “Actually, it’s the title of one of his comedies, but I never thought it was very amusing.”
Bianca stared at him. “You didn’t?”
“I’m more into the Greek comedies. By Aristophanes. Theophilus. Those guys, you know?” He looked at Bianca, at the lovely eyes wide with disbelief, at the soft-looking pink mouth half-open with surprise. Amazing that he’d been able to drag those names from his subconscious because he sure had buried them deep after suffering through World Lit 101 his first semester at college.
He looked at her again.
What the hell, he thought, and he did what he’d wanted to do since the first day she’d shown up at Camp Condor with her I-Am-In-Charge-And-Who-In-Hell-Are-You attitude. He wrapped one arm around her waist, dragged her against him and captured her mouth with his.
He’d meant it as a kind of joke, but one taste, one touch of her lips and he felt his entire body harden.
And when, just for an instant, she seemed to melt into the kiss…
She slapped her hands against his shoulders.
