AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His mouth covers mine and I melt into his kiss.
* * *
ADAM
"Kit? Kit, where are you?" A strident voice comes toward us and Kit pulls back from me, though I keep my arms tight around her. She got away from me once, it won't happen again.
"I'm over here, Mother," Kit says. Then to me she whispers, "Brace yourself."
"And for God's sake, shut the door." A woman in green rounds the corner and comes skidding to a halt, nearly toppling off her high heels. "Kit! What are you doing? Peter? Peter, explain this to me. Who, who is this man?" She spits out the last word like it's vinegar on her tongue.
"Mother, this is Adam. He's Boone's brother."
"From the farm?" she screeches.
Peter takes her arm and leads her back a step or two. "Peter," she hisses at him, "do something. He's kissing your fiancée!"
A crowd gathers in the foyer.
"Maybe we ought to at least step inside and close the door," I say.
"Wait, don't close the door yet." I turn around and see Mel pushing Phyllis up the sidewalk in her wheelchair.
"Grandma?" Kit says. "You made it!"
"Yes, and I brought you the best present ever."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
KIT
Well, to say this is my mother's most memorable Christmas Eve party would be a huge understatement.
My mother starts to spin in circles shrieking. When she stops, my father gets her seated on the sofa. There she goes from shrieking to mumbling incoherently. I can make out a few phrases. Things like "farmer" and "that damned Boone," as well as, "I'll never live this down." My sister sits next to her, patting her hand and glaring at me.
This is fun.
Peter is a saint. He herds the guests into another room where he announces his intention to move to Maine to live in a cabin and become a writer. I suppose he figures that compared to the shock I delivered to my parents, his plan is simply a minor inconvenience.
I take a step toward my mother. Yeah, she's a big pain in the butt, but I hate to see her distressed. Adam stops me. "Let me," he says, and I watch him kneel in front of her. It's like seeing someone go into a lion's cage. You think it's tame, but it could tear your head off at any moment.
"Mrs. d'Winter," he says, taking her hand from my sister, "please do not be alarmed. I'm sure this isn't what you were expecting tonight."
"That's for damn sure," my father says under his breath while he dabs a cold cloth on my mother's forehead.
"Mr. and Mrs. d'Winter, I love your daughter very much and I plan to take her back to Montana with me, assuming she wants to." He glances over at me and I move forward and put my hand on his shoulder.
"Yes," I say. "It's absolutely what I want." My heart is near to bursting with joy. Adam tilts his face and nuzzles the hand I have resting on his shoulder.
My mother looks more coherent and she glances down at her hand, the one Adam is holding, and then up into his face. "A f-farmer?" She’s stuck on that one particular point.
"Actually, ma'am, I prefer to be called a rancher. At North Starr Ranch we have thirty thousand head of cattle, as well as other enterprises. It's a bit more than a farm, though I have nothing against farmers."
My father snaps to and I can see his mind working. "How many?" he asks.
"Sir, I'd be happy to go over the financials with you at any other time, but right now I'd simply like your permission to marry your daughter."
A hush fell over the room.
