IN THE heart of midwinter in the middle of Derbyshire Theo stood in the foyer of the Hollydean Arms and listened to the sounds of dance music and laughter coming from the other side of a set of double doors. Kane McKinnon’s wedding reception was in full swing.
And Annie was in there among the wedding guests.
He looked at his watch and wondered when the celebrations would finish. Desperate as he was to see Annie, he had no intention of gatecrashing another man’s wedding. He’d convinced himself that it was okay to be here, hovering about outside a function he hadn’t been invited to, but he felt uneasy, like an infatuated fan hoping to catch a glimpse of the star he idolised.
Nevertheless, he was prepared to wait here in the foyer and reflect on a sad truth he’d experienced first-hand during the past weeks—a harrowing lesson of the human heart—that the source of a man’s greatest joy could become the source of his greatest torment and pain.
He swallowed to rid himself of the knot of tension in his throat. This meeting with Annie would be the most vitally important in his life. He would wait all night if necessary.
Without warning, one of the doors of the reception area opened and a tall, broad-shouldered fellow came into the foyer, tugging at his bow-tie.
He saw Theo and grinned. ‘I can’t wait to get out of this clobber.’
The clues fell into place in an instant—the man’s Australian accent, his blue eyes so like Annie’s, his formal suit and bridegroom’s buttonhole.
Theo hurried forward, offering an outstretched hand. ‘You must be Kane McKinnon.’
‘Yeah, that’s right.’
‘Congratulations.’
‘Thanks.’ As the bridegroom shook hands, his silver-blue gaze narrowed and gave Theo the once-over. ‘Have we met?’
‘No. I’m Theo Grainger. Your brother, Reid, directed me here.’
‘Grainger…ah, yes.’ Kane’s face broke into a grin. ‘Now I know who you are.’
‘Reid mentioned me?’
‘When he rang yesterday to wish me luck for the wedding, he told me all about you, Theo.’ Kane thumped his shoulder. ‘I must say you made a pretty good impression on my brother.’
‘I think we hit it off—quite well.’
‘Two of you got on like a bushfire, from what I hear.’ Kane cocked his head to one side and his eyes turned shrewd. ‘Sounds like you’ve made a big impact on my sister, too.’
Bingo. The raw knot in Theo’s throat tightened. Again he tried to swallow. ‘That—that’s why I’m here. I need to speak to Annie.’
Kane chuckled and he gave Theo’s shoulder another friendly thump. ‘Looks like the airlines are doing a roaring trade with lovelorn Aussie blokes. I know exactly what you’re going through, mate. You feel like hell, don’t you? Listen, I’m supposed to be getting changed. Charity and I are heading off soon, but I’ll just duck inside and find Annie for you.’
‘There’s no need to disturb her. She’s probably enjoying herself. I—I can wait a little longer.’
Kane favoured him with a who-are-you-trying-to-kid smile. ‘Don’t talk rubbish, man. Of course you can’t wait.’
How much longer could she last? All around Annie, wedding guests were smiling, chatting, laughing and drinking and her face was aching with the effort of holding her smile in place.
It hadn’t been so bad at the church. The groom’s sister was more or less expected to sniffle and weep during the beautiful and moving wedding ceremony, but it would be rather bad form if she sobbed her way through the reception as well.
Not that she wasn’t happy for Kane and Charity. They were both so obviously in love it was impossible not to be thrilled for them. And the reception had been very enjoyable so far—even when she’d been dragged around the dance floor by the local headmaster, the bank manager and by Charity’s young brother, Tim.
Problem was, a wedding celebration and a badly broken heart were not a comfortable combination. And it was so hard to avoid thinking about what might have been—if she hadn’t been such an impulsive fool. Instead she was left with the consequences of her recklessness—this ghastly cold, unbearable emptiness inside her.
‘Annie.’
There was a tap on her shoulder and she turned to find Kane grinning down at her.
‘Hey,’ she said. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be getting changed?’
‘Yeah. I just ducked back because I’ve got a message for you.’
‘Oh? What is it?’
‘There’s someone outside who wants to speak to you.’
‘Really? Where?’
‘Waiting in the foyer.’
She frowned. ‘But no one here knows me. Are you sure I’m the one wanted?’
His grin grew wider. ‘Absolutely.’ Reaching down, he grabbed her elbow. ‘Come on. Get a wriggle on.’
‘All right.’ Puzzled, she stood and smoothed the softly flaring skirt of her fine woollen dress. Across the table she caught her mother’s eye. ‘I’m just popping outside for a moment.’
Jessie smiled, gave her a brief wave, and continued chatting to the bride’s uncle, who was sitting beside her.
‘Go through those doors over there,’ Kane said, pointing and giving her a gentle shove.
‘Who am I looking for?’
‘You’ll see.’ Then he muttered that he had to go, and he took off quickly, heading for a different exit.
How weird.
Making her way through the throng of happy wedding guests, Annie tried to think who could possibly want her. Her mother and Aunt Flora were both here in this room. Charity was upstairs, getting changed out of her bridal gown, and she didn’t need Annie because she had a swag of girlfriends to help her. Annie didn’t really know anyone else in Hollydean.
There was always Charity’s brother, Tim, of course. He’d worked at Southern Cross as a jackaroo. It could be him. Perhaps he was planning to tamper with the honeymooners’ car—tin cans on the bumper bar—Just Married written in shaving cream—confetti in their suitcases. But surely the bridegroom wouldn’t have fetched her for that task?
Pushing the nearest of the double-doors open, she stepped out into the hotel’s reception area.
And her heart almost stopped.
The foyer was practically empty, but over by the stand of tourist brochures there was a man who looked so much like…
It was…
Theo.
It really was him.
She couldn’t move. Her heart seemed to lie still in her chest and her body was frozen to the spot by a sudden deluge of emotion. But her eyes were drinking him in.
Theo.
Theo, looking absolutely gorgeous—tall and cuddly in a thick cream cable-knit sweater and brown corduroy trousers. Theo, looking drop-dead sexy in his dark-rimmed glasses. Theo, looking unbelievably worried, his face drawn and his eyes almost haunted. Oh, the poor darling.
It felt like an age but must have been seconds before her sense of paralysis faded. Her heartbeats returned and kicked up to a frantic pace. She was trembling all over, but she took a shaky step towards him and then another.
‘Hello, Annie,’ he said in a strangely rough, tight voice.
‘Hi, Theo.’
She stared at him, hardly daring to believe that this was really happening. She couldn’t be dreaming, could she?
‘I—I was passing through.’
Passing through? What did that mean? Was he here for five minutes? Five days? She felt terribly confused. There seemed to be a thousand questions she needed to ask, but she couldn’t deal with them. Not now. Not when a miracle had occurred and Theo was here.
‘I’m so pleased to see you,’ she said.
‘Are you?’ He still looked impossibly worried.
‘Oh, yes, Theo. I’ve almost died from missing you.’
And Theo, darling man that he was, held out his arms to her. And suddenly she was rushing, hurtling forward, falling into his embrace.
‘Oh, Theo, I can’t believe it’s you.’
He was real. She clung to him and he hugged her tight against his bulky sweater. Oh, how good it was to touch him, to know for sure that she wasn’t dreaming.
He felt huge and wonderful. His body was deliciously strong and hard beneath the layer of soft wool and, as his arms held her close, she could hear his heart beating as fast and hard as her own. Oh, he felt so, so good.
She touched his cheek.
He touched her hair.
Ignoring the group of curious hotel guests walking past, they leaned apart to gaze into each other’s eyes with wondrous, disbelieving delight and then they embraced again, holding each other tightly, fiercely, both too overcome, too thankful, too happy for words.
But at last Annie felt compelled to confess. ‘I tried to ring you in Brisbane, but I only got your answering machine and I didn’t know how else to find you. I’ve done everything wrong. I’m so sorry.’ She looked up into his dear, familiar face. ‘I’ve been terrified that I might never see you again.’
His smile wobbled and his throat worked as if he were dealing with emotions as strong as her own. It was too much for Annie. Her vision turned watery and her eyes filled with tears and she had to press her face into his chest and will herself not to spoil this miracle by sobbing all over him. But she did cry and he seemed to understand and for quite some time he stood there, not saying anything, simply holding her and gently stroking her hair.
At last she was calmer and she lifted her face, swiping at it with one freed hand while she clung to him with the other. She tried to smile. ‘You’ve no idea how good it is to see you.’
He managed a beautiful smile. ‘I think you may have mentioned it. I’ve missed you, too, you know.’
‘Theo, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I left the way I did. I thought I was doing the right thing.’
‘I know. I know.’
‘I made a mess of everything.’
‘Claudia made a mess of everything.’
‘But I shouldn’t have run away and I was so silly. I wouldn’t answer your calls and I blocked your emails.’
He toyed gently with a straying curl near her ear. ‘You’ve been a thorough nuisance, Annie.’
‘Will you ever forgive me?’
‘What do you think?’
She could read the answer in his eyes and she almost expected that he would kiss her.
But instead he touched the V neckline of her heather blue wool dress. ‘This is very elegant.’
She shrugged and smiled. ‘I thought naked shimmer might be a bit much for the good folk of Hollydean.’
‘They don’t know what they’re missing.’
His smile was of the very private, bone-melting kind, and she wanted so badly to kiss him, but then she remembered exactly where they were.
‘How on earth did you know about Kane’s wedding? How did you know where to find me?’
He smiled slowly. ‘I’m lucky to have your brothers on side. Reid sent me here.’
‘Dear old Reid. He’s done good turns for both Kane and me now. But you didn’t come all this way just to—to see me, did you?’
‘Why shouldn’t I?’
‘You’ve got so many problems to sort out. Your phone message said you were on extended leave. That’s a polite way of saying you’ve been sacked, isn’t it? I was so devastated when I realised that I didn’t even save your job.’
‘But you did, Annie.’
She blinked at him. ‘What do you mean?’
‘It happened exactly the way you predicted. As soon as Claudia knew that you were gone, my contract was miraculously up for renewal again.’
‘Really?’ Already she could feel a layer of guilt peeling away. ‘That’s wonderful.’
‘But I told Claudia she could stick her job some place that’s highly uncomfortable.’
Annie gasped. ‘Crumbs, Theo, I wish I’d been there. I can’t imagine you telling anyone to do that. You’re always such a perfect gentleman.’
‘You know very well that I’m not.’ His eyes flashed with a sudden unmistakable hunger that sent a thrill shimmying straight to her centre. With reverent fingers he traced the curve of her cheek. ‘Annie, you don’t get it, do you? You’re more important to me than any job. There’s no way I would consider working for Claudia after what she did to us.’
She wanted to laugh and cry at once. Was it possible to feel this happy without bursting? ‘Theo, you mustn’t say such lovely things to me in a public place. I’m likely to show my gratitude in an unseemly manner.’
‘That’s my responsibility,’ he said and, without a care for the people in the foyer, he pulled her in to him and kissed her and he took a scrumptiously long time about it.
‘You’ve no idea how much I missed you,’ he murmured against her lips.
‘Show me again,’ she murmured back, winding her arms around his neck.
And he kissed her some more and Annie could feel all the hurt and broken pieces inside her becoming whole again.
‘Oh, good, you two found each other.’
They were reluctant to separate, but turned to find Kane coming down the stairs, changed into travelling clothes. His grin was wide. ‘Looks like it’s a happy reunion.’
Theo and Annie shared rapturous smiles.
Kane crossed over to them and dropped a kiss on her cheek and slapped Theo’s shoulder. ‘The name Theo Grainger rings a bell,’ he said.
‘Theo’s a philosopher,’ Annie told him proudly.
‘A philosopher? Oh, must be a different guy then. The one I was thinking of played Rugby Union for Queensland.’
Theo looked surprised. ‘I played a couple of seasons for the state team. Years ago.’
Kane nodded. ‘Thought it must be you. You were a brilliant winger.’ He winked at Annie. ‘You did well to catch this guy. He can run like the wind.’ He glanced towards the hotel entrance. ‘It’s a pity I can’t hang around and be sociable, but my wife will be down soon and she’s expecting a honeymoon.’
‘You bet I am.’
Charity, with her lovely auburn hair bouncing about her shoulders and dressed in an elegantly long black coat and boots with a multicoloured scarf at her throat, came hurrying down the stairs. Following her came her bridesmaid, carrying the bridal bouquet.
Annie made hasty introductions.
‘Nice to meet you, Theo.’ Charity tucked her arm through her husband’s and smiled at them. ‘I suppose I should join Kane in saying it’s a pity we’re leaving so quickly, but you wouldn’t believe me, would you?’
‘No way.’
‘We’ve kept it a secret, but we’re off to Paris,’ Charity whispered, her eyes shining with excitement and happiness.
‘How fantastic.’ Annie kissed them both. ‘Have an absolute ball.’
Word soon spread that Charity and Kane were downstairs and ready to leave and soon the wedding guests were crowding through the doors into the foyer, all keen to farewell them. Among them was Jessie McKinnon and when she saw that her daughter was holding hands with a tall, dark and handsome man, her eyes widened with delighted interest.
‘Theo?’ she mouthed to Annie across the foyer.
Annie nodded and they exchanged excited grins and Annie tingled with happy pride.
Then the guests were all crowding around Kane and Charity as they headed for their car, which was parked in the street outside.
‘The bride’s about to toss the bouquet,’ Theo said. ‘Do you want to stay to catch it?’
‘I didn’t think philosophers would hold with such superstitions.’
He smiled. ‘You’re right. Besides, you don’t need to catch a bouquet. As your brother said, you’ve already caught me.’
Her heart clattered. Good heavens, was she terribly focused on weddings at the moment, or did that almost sound like a proposal? Electrified, Annie glanced quickly around her at the crowd of people. Everyone’s attention was focused on the bridal couple in the doorway.
Theo’s attention however, was concentrated directly on her. And now she couldn’t drag her eyes from him—even when an excited babble broke out behind them, which she presumed was Charity’s girlfriends trying to catch the bouquet.
Theo took her hand. ‘Do you think anyone would mind if we slipped away somewhere?’
‘No, it’s what my mother has been suggesting with her not very subtle handwaving gestures.’
‘She has?’
‘Absolutely.’
Hungry for privacy, they almost ran out of view through the doorway into the now empty dining room. Surrounded by the flowers, candlelight and streamers that had decorated the wedding reception, Theo swept Annie close.
‘I love you, Annie.’
‘Oh, Theo, I love you.’
Hearts hammering in unison, they kissed impatiently, hungrily, deeply, their bodies pressing closer, desperate for intimate contact.
When at last he released her, Theo took Annie’s hands in his. ‘You’re coming with me to Rome.’
‘To where?’ she whispered, breathless with shock.
He smiled and dropped a quick kiss on her nose. ‘To Rome—in Italy—that country you claim to love—the one where everyone speaks Italian.’
‘But—but—’
‘I’m on my way there now. I’ve scored a Research Fellowship and I’ll be working at the University of Rome for the next six months.’
‘Oh, Theo, how fantastic for you.’
‘Fantastic for us, Annie. I’m not going to let you out of my sight again. Besides, I promised I’d take you to Rome and now it’s going to happen.’
She stared at him, too stunned to speak.
Watching her, Theo frowned and he looked so endearingly anxious she couldn’t resist a playful smile. ‘But I’ve—um—made a New Year’s resolution to be less impulsive.’
He released a soft little sound, half-sigh, half-chuckle. ‘Trust you to become sensible just when I need you to be reckless.’ With a hand beneath her chin, he tipped it up so that her mouth was angled just so and he kissed her again, more slowly this time. Against her lips, he murmured, ‘You can learn the language and then we can seduce each other in sexy Italian.’
‘Goodness,’ she said in a breathless voice, ‘you sure know how to make things difficult for a girl who’s decided to become less impulsive.’
‘Don’t worry, Annie, I’ve done enough deep and serious thinking for both of us. I’ve even squared this plan away with your brother, Reid. And with your dog.’
‘My dog?’
‘I’ve left Basil at Southern Cross. He and Lavender are the best of mates and she’s stopped moping, so you won’t have to feel bad about abandoning her for six months.’
Annie’s mouth gaped open.
Theo smiled and kissed her open lips and then he nuzzled her cheek close to her ear. ‘Everything’s organised, Annie, so you’d better prepare yourself for the fact that you’re coming to Rome with me. If you try to say no, I’m just going to pick you up and carry you off.’
Annie grinned. ‘No need, Theo. I’d swim to Italy to be with you.’
They arrived in Rome in the early hours of the next day, after a night that had passed like a dream. First they’d shared their news with Jessie McKinnon and received her enthusiastic blessing, and then they’d packed Annie’s things and driven in Theo’s hire car from Hollydean to London, slept in snatches on the flight from Heathrow to Fiumicino Airport, and taken in the first sights of Rome as their taxi sped them to their apartment.
Finally they set their bags down.
‘You must be exhausted,’ said Theo.
‘I’m too happy and excited to be tired. I can be tired later.’ Annie spun in a circle to take it all in. ‘This is just lovely.’
The apartment had a tiny kitchen and a large living room, cool tiled floors, stucco walls and wooden beams. The furniture was simple—old-fashioned couches and a timber table with two chairs by a shuttered window. A bowl on the table held a welcome gift of luscious, ripe pears. And in the next room there was an enormous iron bed covered with a white woven spread.
Taking Annie’s hand, Theo led her to the window and pushed open faded blue door-length shutters. ‘What do you think of the view?’
In the pearl-grey light of dawn, she stepped out on to a tiny balcony with lace ironwork and pots planted with pink geraniums and wild mint. In the distance she could see the rounded curve of a hill, and the silhouette of trees against the lightening Roman sky. She let her gaze travel over the sea of dark rooftops and the occasional dome or spire.
Closer, illuminated by a streetlight, she saw a row of apartment buildings, centuries old and painted bitter lemon, tomato and rosy grey. Then she looked below and saw a little cobbled square where tables and chairs were set outside a café, and a fountain trickled water from the mouths of two stone dolphins.
‘This is it,’ she said in breathless awe, leaning back against Theo as he wrapped his arms around her. ‘This is Trastevere, isn’t it? And it’s exactly the same view that you told me about.’
‘Do you like it?’
‘Oh, Theo, I adore it.’ She turned in his arms and kissed him, let her lips trail from his gorgeous mouth to the scrumptious underside of his jaw, to his delectable earlobe.
Theo closed his eyes. ‘Annie…Annie, have you any idea what you do to me?’
‘Mmm.’ With her fingers, she traced the line of his jaw then slipped them inside the open neck of his shirt and played with the lovely straight line of his collarbone, savouring the knowledge that soon, very soon now, she would be able to touch all of him.
His hands bracketed her hips, keeping them hard against his as he kissed her brow, her cheek, her chin, her ear. ‘You do know how much I love you, don’t you?’
He had already told her this in Hollydean, at Heathrow, and on the plane…but it was perfectly wonderful to hear it again now that they were so very alone. Together at last in their own fascinating, exciting, private home from home. She nuzzled his neck. ‘I love you more, Theo.’
‘Uh-uh. I don’t think you understand how very important you are to me.’
‘Well, I need you to understand that I’d go with you anywhere. It’s wonderful to be here in Rome, but I would have been deliriously happy with you in a grass hut in the jungle.’
‘Will you marry me, Annie?’
Goodness, how much excitement could a girl handle? Was it possible to melt from happiness?
Just the same, Annie found herself hesitating…She looked away. There was just one little problem…
‘Sweetheart, you’re welcome to be as impulsive as you like.’
She lifted her gaze back to his. ‘Theo, I’d marry you anywhere, any time, just as I’d live with you anywhere. The only thing is—’
‘What?’ His voice cracked beneath the terrible weight of that single syllable.
‘I told my father before he died that when I got married it would be at Southern Cross. It was a silly promise to make, I realise that now—but it’s been a—a girlish dream of mine.’
There was a fleeting flash of disappointment in his eyes, impossible to hide, but he recovered in a moment and the tender smile he gave her was his most beautiful yet. ‘I wouldn’t want to tread on your dreams, Annie.’
‘You really are the most darling, darling man.’
‘But we can be engaged,’ he insisted. ‘In fact, we’ll go out and buy an engagement ring today. I want to announce to the world that Annie McKinnon is my woman.’
She had thought she was as happy as it was possible to be, but now as the sun climbed above the distant hill, coating the rooftops of Rome with an apricot glaze, and as she and Theo turned back into their new little home, Annie experienced the deepest happiness of all.
She knew now that whatever the future brought she would share it with this man. A lifetime of loving awaited her.
And this was just the beginning.