Test of Time by Jayne Ann Krentz Read Free Book Online Page B

experiences. For some reason that only made her angrier.
    "Morning, honey." Garrett's voice came from behind her, rich and husky with sleep and what sounded suspiciously like remembered satisfaction. "You're up bright and early. Get enough rest?"
    "I'm fine, Garrett." Katy kept her eyes on the view outside the window.
    "You're already dressed. What's the rush? We've got plenty of time. Why don't you take off those jeans and hop back into bed?"
    Katy seethed. "Now, why on earth would I want to do that?" she asked very softly without turning around. "Give me one good reason."
    There was a slight pause behind her as if Garrett was finally beginning to sense that all was not quite as he had assumed it would be that morning.
    "You want a reason?" he asked blandly, "How about because this is the morning after our wedding and new brides usually want to spend a little extra time in bed. So do grooms." He spoke carefully, obviously feeling his way. The sheets rustled slightly as he pushed them aside.
    "What would you know about the behavior of new brides and grooms? Have you been married very many times?"
    "No, I haven't been married before and you know it. Katy, what's wrong?" He stood up and started toward her.
    Katy could hear him padding barefoot across the carpet. She was afraid to turn around, afraid to see the whole of him in the light of day. He was strong enough and powerful enough to affect her senses in darkness. She didn't want to have to deal with the full force of him in daylight. Not yet.
    "Katy?" He sounded impatient now.
    "You don't love me." She spoke without moving and she knew her words had halted him, too.
    "Hell, Katy, ever since the wedding, you've been saying the damnedest things. What's the problem here?"
    "The problem," she repeated as if he were a slow-witted mule, "is that you don't love me."
    He took a deep breath, clearly striving for patience and understanding. Both were, apparently, alien. "Katy, I don't know what's gotten into you. You're not making much sense. Nothing has changed between us since yesterday or last week or last month, for that matter. Everything is going just as we planned. I feel the same way about you as I did when I asked you to marry me."
    "I know." Her voice was laced with disgust.
    "Then why in hell are you so upset?" He sounded honestly confused.
    "It's not your fault."
    "Well, that's a relief," he retorted. "Mind telling me who is to blame and exactly what he or she is being blamed for?"
    Katy's fingers clenched around a fistful of curtain. "It's my fault," she said starkly. "I'm to blame. I misjudged you, your feelings and the whole situation. I thought you loved me. Do you hear me? I was stupid enough to think you loved me. I thought you just had trouble saying the words. I thought the only problem," she added scathingly, "was that you were the strong, silent type. Isn't that a joke?" She spun around to confront him, and her treacherous left ankle collapsed beneath her, pitching her forward.
    Instantly Garrett was there, gliding to catch her in his arms before she hit the floor. "Take it easy," he muttered, steadying her. "Calm down, honey. You're going to hurt yourself. Just take it easy." His voice was the familiar, soothing rumble he used to quiet a horse.
    Katy shut her eyes in an agony of fury and humiliation. She swore bluntly, using a four-letter word she knew Garrett had never heard her use before in all the time he had known her. As she found her balance, she jerked free of his grasp. She stumbled a little as she righted herself, but she stayed upright when she reached out to catch hold of the edge of the table. Using it as a prop, she faced him once more. Her eyes were brilliant with the force of her emotions.
    "It finally dawned on me yesterday that I might have made the biggest mistake of my life. During the past week I got more and more uncertain, but I kept telling myself all brides were nervous. Yesterday I decided I was just suffering a bad case of bridal