“All right.” She nodded, already feeling worlds better.

“How about if I dish up dinner while you’re changing?”

“Thanks,” she said, smiling.

By the time she got back to the kitchen, wearing gray slacks and a sweater that was the color of fresh cream, Zach had served their meal and poured the wine. He stood behind her chair, waiting politely.

“Before we sit down, there’s something I need to do.”

The last thing Janine expected was to be lifted in his strong arms. A gasp of surprise lodged in her throat as her startled gaze met his.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s tradition to carry the bride over the threshold, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but you’re doing it all wrong! You’re supposed to carry me from the outside in—not the other way around.”

Zach shrugged, unconcerned. “There’s nothing traditional about this marriage. Why start now?” He made a show of pretending his knees were buckling under her weight as he staggered through the living room.

“This is supposed to be serious,” she chastised him, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep the laughter out of her voice.

With a great deal of feigned effort, he managed to open the front door and then ceremoniously step onto the porch. Slowly he released her, letting her feet drop first, holding her upper body close against his chest for a long moment. The humor left his eyes. “There,” he said tenderly. “Am I forgetting anything?”

It wouldn’t hurt to kiss me, Janine told him in her heart, but the words didn’t make it to her lips. When Zach kissed her again, she wanted it to be his idea.

“Janine?”

“Everything’s perfect. Thank you.”

“Not quite,” he muttered. He turned her to face him, then covered her mouth with his own. Janine trembled, slipping her arms around his neck and giving herself completely to the kiss. She quivered at the heat that began to warm her from the inside out. This kiss was better than any they’d ever shared, something she hadn’t thought possible. And what that meant, she had no idea.

Zach pulled his mouth abruptly from hers, but his eyes remained closed. Almost visibly he composed himself, and when he broke away he seemed in control of his emotions once again. Janine sighed inwardly, unsure of what she’d expected.

* * *

The next two days flew past. They took long walks on the shore, collecting shells. They rented mopeds and raced along the beach. They launched kites into the sky and delighted in their colorful dipping and soaring. The day before they were scheduled to return to Seattle, Zach declared that he intended to cook dinner. With that announcement, he informed her he had to go into town to buy the necessary groceries. After the first night, he’d given Harry a week off, and Janine had been fixing simple meals for them.

“What are you serving?” she wanted to know when he pulled into the parking lot of the town’s only grocery store. “Tell me so I can buy an appropriate wine.”