Iris Johansen - Star-Spangled Bride

"The hell they will." Gabe stood in the doorway and slammed the French doors shut behind him. "You can't take her as long as she stays in Sedikhan. Sedikhan is an absolute monarchy and has no extradition treaty with the U.S."

"Quite true," Pilsner said. "But the minute she steps across the border, the situation changes." His glance shifted to Ronnie. "Your chosen profession demands a good deal of travel and you're not going to be satisfied staying here. When you make that mistake, we'll have you."

"For God's sake, she's not a criminal," Gabe said violently.

"She is to the U.S. government," Pilsner said. He inclined his head to Ronnie. "Good day, Mrs. Falkner. I regret not being able to help you." He moved toward the French doors. "As I said, it was a lovely wedding."

"Bastard," Gabe muttered as the doors closed behind Pilsner.

"What do we do?" Dan asked uneasily. "He's going to make a statement to the press."

"Go deal with them," Gabe said. "Paint Ronnie as a helpless victim of bureaucracy. Spread it on thick." He took Ronnie's elbow and propelled her across the terrace toward the steps leading to the garden. "Tell them we'll issue another statement after we return from our honeymoon."

"Where are you going?" Dan asked.

"Tanadahl. It's isolated enough to keep everyone off our backs until we can regroup."

Dan nodded and disappeared back into the palace.

"Where's Tanadahl?" Ronnie asked dully.

"It's a house I own in the desert. I stay there when I spend long periods here in Sedikhan." He glanced at her. "Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm all right." She shrugged. "I knew it was too good to be true. You're the one who was sure you could pull off a happy ending." She looked straight ahead. "Do I have time to change out of this gown before we go to this hideout of yours?"

"No, you'd get waylaid. We're going straight to the helicopter. I'll have Dan bring some clothes for you tomorrow night and your camera is already in the helicopter. That's all that's important, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's all that's important." It had been true before this all started. She doubted if it would ever be true again. She tossed the bouquet she was still carrying onto a marble bench they were passing and brusquely picked up her skirts as they approached the helicopter. "I can do without anything else if I have my camera."

Tanadahl was not a palace, not even a very large house, but a charming residence of white stucco and red tile that looked as though it could have been transported from Mexico or southern California. From the air its lovely landscaped terrace and garden looked less impressive than comfortable. The place radiated an atmosphere of… Ronnie mentally searched for the right word. Intimacy.

"Well?" Gabe asked as he waved at Dave and the pilot lifted the helicopter off the ground and headed back toward Marasef.

"I like it," Ronnie said. "It's much better than the palace. I'm not into all that grandeur."

"Neither am I." He led her across the courtyard to the front door. "That's why I bought this place. Sedikhan is a very enlightened and progressive country, and whenever I have to be anywhere in this part of the world, I stay here."

She took off the veil and headpiece she still wore. "I need a bath." She looked at him. "And then we need to talk."

He nodded. "Pilsner threw a rod in the works. We have to find a way to get around it."

He was not giving up, she realized in despair. He would not admit it was hopeless. He would never give up.

He took her elbow and escorted her into the oak-tiled foyer that opened into a huge sunken living room. The interior of the house appearedto be as charming as the exterior, featuring high ceilings, book-lined walls, and a stone fireplace. Pearl-gray cushioned couches and chairs repeated the color of the lush carpet and offered a striking contrast to the deep burgundy of the miniblinds shading the long windows on the south wall and the occasional pillows tossed on the couch. Though the decor was of no particular period, the emphasis was clearly on comfort and offered only a few touches of Mediterranean opulence in the mother-of-pearl inlaid screen and a wonderfully crafted gold camel on the coffee table.

"We're on our own here," Gabe said. "There are no permanent servants. A crew comes from a nearby village twice a week to clean and garden. We shouldn't starve. I never know when I'll have to make a trip over here, so I give orders that the kitchen be always stocked."

"That's good."

"Your bedroom is second on the right." He gestured down the hall to the left of the foyer. "Take your time. Relax. I'll come and get you in an hour or so and we'll see what we can round up in the way of food. If you need anything, call me."

"I will." She turned and walked toward the bedroom he had indicated.

"Ronnie."

She turned to look at him.

He frowned, troubled. "It's going to be fine. I know you're upset by this Pilsner mess, but this is only a setback."

She smiled wearily and nodded. "See you."

He didn't understand. He had been an American all his life and couldn't comprehend what it was like to want something so much that it was an ache inside you, to want to belong. He wanted to help her, intended to sacrifice and work, do everything he could to make her dream come true, but even he didn't realize how deep this disappointment went.

' Good heavens, why was she feeling so sorry for herself? she thought in self-disgust. It was her own fault for allowing her hopes to be raised when she knew the odds. She would just have to adjust to this dilemma and make sure her defeat didn't hurt Gabe.

But she didn't have to worry about that right now.

She was here with Gabe and she would do what she had done all her life to survive and make life worth living.

She would seize the moment she had been given.

• • •

She hesitated for a moment outside Gabe's door. Good grief, she felt foolish. He would probably hoot with laughter when he saw her. Well, she couldn't stay here all night. Seize the moment, dammit. She threw open the door and stepped into the room. After all her mental preparations she was immediately deflated by the sound of the shower running in the adjoining bathroom. Not yet. She drew a deep breath and silently shut the door. She should welcome the postponement, not be disappointed. It gave her a few more minutes to prepare herself.

The shower was turned off and she could hear movement. He would be here in a moment.

The bathroom door opened and she braced herself.

He was naked; his tousled dark hair had been hastily dried, but it still gleamed with moisture.

She swallowed. "Hello."

He stopped in the doorway, stiffening as he saw her standing there draped in nothing but the wedding veil she was using as a shawl. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"At the moment I'm shivering. I didn't haveanything else to wear and I knew you liked veils, so I-"

He cut her off. "I suppose you have a reason for this."

She tried to shrug carelessly. "I thought I was making it pretty clear."

"Not to me. I told you I didn't need sex to relax me."

It hadn't occurred to her that he would assume she was here for that purpose. The scene in her suite last night seemed a thousand years ago. "That's not why I came."

"Go on," he said curtly.

She hadn't expected him to be this wary or herself to be this uncertain. She searched wildly for an answer that would make her feel less vulnerable. She tried to make her tone flippant. "It's been a bad day. I need to take the edge off."

"Then get the hell out of here," he said harshly.

She gazed at him helplessly. "I can't," she whispered. "I have to have you."

His gaze narrowed on her face. "Me or anyone?"