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He shook his head "Six h You need…"

"Me? You’re the one who see all the doubts"

"I’ll marry you in six months, Lindy," he said sternly

Maybe, her mind tossed back Maybe he would

Rush studied her for a full "

The ring finger on her left hand remained dented from the year in which she’d worn Paul’s diamond Unconsciously she rubbed her thu anew the desolation that engageht her The e broader in its scope She didn’t want to be Rush’s fiancée – she’d been Paul’s for so long She’d lost Paul and she could lose Rush, too, in a hundred different ways

"Will you?" he asked, his voice as une the time

Once more Lindy would be forced to face the truth Rush loved her enough to want a coh to ain But not a wife

A strange light flared in his eyes that she faintly saw in the darkness "It’s important to me"

She sucked in a deep breath and felt all the resistance inside her collapse Gone was her pride; gone was her conviction; gone was her stubbornness He wanted to wait She would He wanted her to wear his ring She would do that, too

"Yes," she whispered brokenly He needed that assurance It was Lindy who requiredwoke Lindy Unsure what had stirred her from slumber, she rolled onto her side and rubbed the sleep from her eyes Across the room a shadow moved and she noted Rush’s profile outlined in the doorway of her bedrooainst the fraht in the throes of so about him, about the way his shoulders slouched and his head drooped, told her this was the last place in the world he wanted to be… or the first

"Rush, what is it?" She raised herself up on one elbow

Her words seemed to catch hi to her side, he sank to the edge of the mattress Tenderly he brushed the unruly hair from her forehead, his face so intense it see his thoughts He groaned then, and his mouth claimed hers in a fiery kiss that threatened to turn her blood to steam He lifted hishis jaw back and forth over her crown as if to soak in her softness

Lindy dragged in a shuddering breath, her senses fired to life by his touch She’d assumed when she first woke that he wanted to make love to her, but that wasn’t his intention No lover would hold a look of such torinably tender

He studied her, and his war feature The s And still he didn’t speak His thuhtly brushed over her lips, and he closed his eyes briefly as if to cohts

"I love you, Lindy," he whispered, in a voice that was at once gruff and soft "I love you so much it scares the hell out ofher as close as he could with the blankets bunched between the a deep breath, he buried his face in her neck

Lindy’s fingers riffled through his dark hair and she lowered her lashes, cherishing this h she wasn’t sure she understood it

"Tomorrow," he told her "I want you to take off early We have an appointest – and shortest – days of Lindy’s life were the three they were required to wait before their wedding Rush ements with a navy chaplain, and Jeff and Susan Dwyer stood up for them The ceremony itself lasted only a few short minutes Rush stood close at Lindy’s side, and she couldn’t ever re more handsome than in full-dress unifor and confident Lindy’s oas much softer, but equally fervent

Afterward they went to an expensive restaurant for dinner and were met by several other couples, all navy people, all friends of Rush’s Naave up trying to keep track of ho She ed to s to share this day with her and Rush

Once they were seated, Lindy placed the bouquet of baby’s breath and pink rosebuds in her lap Susan sat on her left and Rush on her right Rush was talking to Jeff who sat on the opposite side froers closed around Lindy’s and co trapped with all these people when he wanted to be alone with her Lindy felt the sa with the need to be his wife in every way They had such little tihts to last them half a year

"Do you think we’re both crazy?" Lindy leaned over and whispered to Susan There’d been so little time to talk before the cere I’ve seen in years" Her new friend’s eyes sparkled with shared joy "A blind man could see how much Rush loves you"

"I honestly didn’t think he’d do it," Lindy confessed

"What? Marry you?"

"Yes, before he left anyway He wanted to wait until he returned in December, and… then he didn’t I hardly had time to think once he made up his mind The past three days have zoomed by I feel as if I’ve been on a spaceship – everything’s a blur We’ve been up every night past ements"

"Didn’t you have to work?"

Lindy nodded and suppressed a yawn "I didn’t dare ask for any days off since I’ve been working such a short tiret that now, because I think my supervisor would have understood But Rush didn’t want me to jeopardize one," Susan said with a wisdom that must have come from her years as a navy wife "It’s i a job to go to every day will help the tione pass, all the ether al alone will be smoother, too"

"What about you?" Lindy knew that Susan didn’t work outside the ho

"I e to do some volunteer ith some of the other navy wives," Susan explained "We help each other Once everything settles down, I’ll introduce you around"