His Sister's Wedding by Carol Rose Read Free Book Online Page A

he'd first thought. She stood by her lovesick brother with the
     fierce loyalty of a woman who held tightly to her convictions. But her expectations
     were as high as the moon.
    Still that kind of loyalty made her attractive on some levels. He could see her mothering
     a loving family. For sure, a child growing up with her brand of affection would never
     doubt his mother's love.
    If he could cure her of her idealistic nonsense about "falling in love," she might
     be a woman worth getting to know better.
    The sound of drumming rain filled the sudden silence, awareness running like a fine
     wire between them.
    His gaze shifted over her pale heart-shaped face, surrounded by the delicious tangle
     of hair. How would it feel to lose himself in that glorious mass of hair? She'd be
     an intelligent lover, he knew. A woman who gave as good as she got. Luke hated to
     admit it, but she intrigued him. He loved to poke at her cherished beliefs just to
     get a rise out of her. 
    "So, after coordinating all these weddings, you must have come up with some ideas
     for you own marital event," he commented when the silence between them lengthened.
    "Yes." A faint expression of wariness crept into her eyes.
    "Tell me about it," he invited, drawn to solve her like a puzzle.
    "You can't possibly be interested in that," Lillie declared.
    "Oh, but I am," he teased. "Just think of it as me giving you the opportunity to convert
     me."
    "I don't go in for lost causes," she informed him, a smile tugging at the corner of
     her mouth.
    "Come on," he coaxed. "You're refusing to make out with me. The least you can do is
     make conversation."
    "I thought we were going to look at the house."
    "We are," he promised. "I just have to recoup my strength after dragging you out of
     the storm. Tell me about your wedding."
    She glared at him a moment before her face relaxed. "Okay, but only if you promise
     not to laugh."
    "Scouts' honor."
    That brought the laughter to her eyes. In the best of times, he was a long way from
     being a boy scout.
    "Okay, but you have to try to envision it."
    "All right." But he didn't close his eyes, not wanting to miss the shifting expressiveness
     of her face.
    "Imagine pink roses. Old-fashioned ones, big and heavy with lots of open petals. All
     colors of pink and red and white, their perfume heavy in the air, but so natural you
     just can't get enough."
    "I'm imagining," he murmured, enduring the urge to bend closer to sample her scent. The memory of it clung to his senses, a teasing, haunting glimpse of her sensuality.
     She smelled better than roses.
    "It would be a garden wedding--"
    "Ahhhh." Luke couldn't resist making the satisfied sound. He knew she'd love this
     setting, even if she needed to disagree at first, as a matter of principle.
    "But not an overgrown place like this," Lillie hastily added. "Someplace courtly and
     historic, like one of the Victorian houses around here."
    "Go on," he prodded.
    "I don't really have the specifics," she admitted almost shyly. "I've always thought
     that the groom should have as much input as he wants. So some of the details will
     be added by whoever I marry."
    She leaned her head back against the wall. "I just know the feeling I want. Children,
     laughter, friends. A natural, open expression of our mutual love celebrated in the
     presence of those we cherish. I know that's how my groom will feel about it. He won't
     be afraid to be sentimental and tender, to let his feelings show."
    "He'll probably be so overcome, he'll cry all the way through the honeymoon," Luke
     commented, irritated at the thought of this unknown superhero.
    Lillie stiffened. "I might have known you'd see it that way. I'm ready to look at
     the house now." Scrambling away from the porch wall, she got to her feet and stalked
     to the front door, disgust obvious in her every move.
    Hormones were a terrible burden to a man. Luke knew he should feel repentant, but
     he couldn't bring himself to do anything but