For once he was running blind, and so far, it was working. He could only hope it would continue to fall into place. Because for once, he didn’t have a clue what the next step was. And failure would cost him more than he’d ever had to lose.

The evening activity swirled around them as they walked. Cole let it all slide past him, aware only of the woman—the little girl who had unexpectedly grown up—walking at his side.

Darci suddenly stopped and turned away from him to look into a darkened store window. Cole could see her watching him in the glass, trying to gauge his intentions. “So what are the rules of this relationship?”

He adjusted his hat, playing for time. Now was his chance to make their relationship a real marriage. He could convince her, could kiss her into submission. Because he knew that he could bring her the ultimate satisfaction.

But he hesitated. It didn’t feel right. Just physical satisfaction wasn’t what he wanted with Darci. He wanted more from their relationship, but his heart shied away from admitting how far he was willing to take this marriage.

Finally, be knew he couldn’t delay any longer. “What do you want the rules to be?”

A slight smile touched her lips. “What? No battle lines, no ultimatums, no demands?”

He lifted his hands to rest on her shoulders and pulled her back to lean against his chest. “What I want is what’s best for both of us, Darci. And we need to find out what that is.”

Closing his eyes briefly, he let her hair stroke his cheek, let himself wallow in her softness. “We need to be able to touch each other, look at each other and talk to each other like we’re madly in love. Can you do it?”

She studied him carefully in the glass. “I think so. You’re an attractive man. It’ll be no hardship to let myself think you’re mine.”

“You were always reserved as a child, always held a piece of yourself apart from the world. You can’t do that with a husband, honey. You have to act like we’re intimately acquainted, not only with each other’s thoughts and dreams, but with each other’s bodies.”

A faint blush tinged her cheeks, but she didn’t look away.

“Otherwise, Anita and Uncle John will get their way and we’ll lose it all.” He waited for her response, the ticking seconds making him tense. It was worse than waiting for the starting signal before a big competition.

Slowly, she turned in his arms and lifted her face to his. “Teach me, Cole. Teach me how to act, how to love.”