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"Okay, okay, if that’s how you want it"

Mary Jo relaxed and held out her hand for hied is serious, Mack ‘I guess’ is not a sufficient answer"

He sed tightly It was either accept her terled and smiled up at him "Okay, we’ll do this your way," he ed," Mary Jo said

Engaged To the woman he loved But it seeeous one, either

Twenty-Nine

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Linc felt obliged to ask He and Lori Bellamy stood in front of the Kitsap County Courthouse nearly three weeks after their initial htly clasped Linc wore his best suit Fact was, he only had the one suit--and heit a second tieive him a certain measure of reassurance

Lori was so beautiful in her pink dress it was an effort not to stare She responded with a delicate nod "I’m ready if you are"

"Did you tell your parents?"

"No" Her eyes connected with his "Did you tell your brothers? And your sister?"

Linc shook his head He didn’t feel it was necessary for his brothers to know just yet

"You have the license?"

Linc patted his suit pocket "Right here"

"We’ll need witnesses"

Linc had forgotten all about that "Soe’s office can stand up for us"

Lori sed hard and looked away "I didn’t tell anyone because I knew if I did, everyone would try to talkthe sht her "I want to marry you"

"Me, too" Linc wanted a wife, an "old-fashioned" woman who shared his values and wanted to make their fa Although he didn’t know Lori well, what he did know suited him just fine They’d had a number of intense conversations, reed to marry a man I’d seen a total of four times, they’d think I was mentally unbalanced" She looked up at hio inside?"

"Of course"

"Linc…" She turned away from hiht ask this, and he wished he knehat she wanted to hear, what she expected hi as it was to lie, he didn’t feel that would be a good start to their e

"No," he said, then immediately qualified his answer "I don’t love you yet, but I like you more every time we talk"

"We talk a lot, don’t we?"

Every day, which pleased hiroundwork for their relationship, set everything in place and work out any disagreethy conversations, he’dthis woht decision, despite their short acquaintance

"I put in an offer on a commercial property off Harbor Street--the one we talked about"

Lori suddenly averted her eyes "My father owns that piece of land I didn’t know until recently"

That shouldn’t complicate the situation as far as Linc could see "I offered a fair price," he said

As soon as they were married, Linc intended to move to Cedar Cove and set up his own car repair business He’d move in with Lori until they found a place of their own Lori said she wouldn’t be comfortable in Seattle; she preferred to live in a small town She worked at a dress shop in nearby Silverdale and would continue to do so until they had their first child Linc believed he could make a success of his new business He planned to become a silent partner in Three Wyse Men, the fa its day-to-day operation to Mel and Ned

"I’e," Lori assured hiether they walked up the steps to the courthouse

The cereal that they could be practically strangers one minute and married the next

Linc hadn’t expected the ee pronounced them husband and wife In that instant, he experienced a rush of tenderness for Lori that nearly brought tears to his eyes He was baffled by it, and a little embarrassed, too

He realized with astonishht, none of this would be happening It would’ve been an ordinary Friday afternoon

Lori didn’t say anything, either, and he wondered if she’d felt the emotions he had If so, she didn’tto say until they were seated in Linc’s truck

Lori smiled at him "Hello, husband," she murmured

Linc returned her smile "Hello, wife"

Wife What a powerful word that was A word that said coine, he asked, "Is there anyplace you’d like to go first?" It was a few minutes before five

"Maybe we should have an early dinner"

"Sure" Linc hid his disappointht to her place He’d brought his suitcase and wanted to unpack, settle in before…He’d been looking forward to sleeping with Lori So far, their physical relationship consisted of a few less-than-chaste kisses Her response to their tentative love had led him to believe they’d definitely be sexually compatible

"I’d like to introduce you toto take his ht

"You mean now or…after?"

"Now"