Grand Passion

dream came as a shock in the middle of the night. Blood-spattered walls whirled around Cleo, closing in on her. She tried to scream, but, as always, no sound emerged from her horror-constricted throat. She could not move her arms. Her legs were pinned by some heavy object.
    “ Cleo . Wake up. Wake up, damn it.”
    Cleo awoke drenched in sweat. Max was crushing her against him. He was holding her tightly, trapping her with the weight of his body as if he could hold her back from the invisible tentacles that reached out for her.
    “I'm okay,” she whispered. Little wonder she had been unable to move in her dream, she thought wryly. She couldn't move in real life, either. Max's grip was so fierce she could barely breathe.
    “The dream again?” Max released her slowly, his eyes shadowed in the darkness.
    “Yes. That's the second time in a week.” Cleo rubbed her eyes. “I wonder what's happening.”
    “Stress. Tension. Worry.” Max massaged her shoulders. “There's plenty of explanation for the bad dreams you've had lately.”
    “Do you ever get nightmares?”
    “Everyone gets nightmares occasionally.”
    She relaxed against his chest. Max's hands were warm and strong and comforting. “What are yours like?”
    “Some of them are hanging on the walls of my gallery downstairs,” he said calmly.
    Cleo shuddered. There were a lot of private, secret places in Max Fortune.
    “Cleo?”
    “Hmm?” She was feeling drowsy again. The last traces of her dream had already retreated to the dark recesses of her mind. Max was good at banishing nightmares, Cleo reflected.
    “We could get married the week after Trisha and Ben have their wedding. Your family can arrange to have another reception that soon, can't they?”
    She was torn between laughter and exasperation. He was not going to stop pushing until she had set a date. “I've already told you that I'll marry you. Do we have to pick the day and time tonight?”
    “I'd like to get the details nailed down.”
    “Okay, okay. One week is a little fast. We've got the inn to run, you know. How about two weeks after Trisha and Ben's reception?” She felt the exultant relief sweep through him. “We may have to delay the honeymoon for a while,” Cleo warned. “I've got a couple of small conventions scheduled next month.”
    Max's fingers tightened around her shoulders. “I don't give a damn about the honeymoon.”
    Cleo chuckled. “Thanks a lot.”
    “You know what I mean. I just want to get everything settled.”
    Cleo lifted her head and kissed Max lightly on the mouth. He fell back onto the pillow and pulled her down on top of him.
    “There's just one thing you should know, Max.” Cleo touched the tip of her tongue to the corner of his mouth.
    “What's that?”
    “It's not my family that is going to arrange our wedding reception. It's our family.”
    “You're right. Our family.” Max twisted his fingers in Cleo's hair and dragged her face down to his.

    “What do you want to do today?” Max asked the next morning. He watched contentedly as Cleo made waffles in the gleaming iron positioned on a table in the breakfast room.
    “I don't care. I don't get to Seattle very often any more. I guess I'd like to do the usual tourist things. Visit the Pike Place Market. Do some shopping. Take in a few good bookstores.”
    “I've got a better idea. Why don't we shop for a ring?” Max glanced out the window. The downtown high-rises sparkled after the night's rain. “It looks like it's going to be clear for a while. I know a couple of good jewelers.”
    Cleo smiled ruefully. “It shouldn't take long to find a ring. We'll do the other stuff later.” She popped out a waffle and dropped it onto a plate.
    The doorbell chimed.
    Max looked irritated. He seized his cane and got to his feet. “Whoever that is, I'll get rid of him.”
    Cleo poured maple syrup on the waffle and listened to Max make his way down the hall.
    Max's house was awfully big for one person, she thought. It took forever just to get to the front door. The mansion needed a butler. She wondered why he had bought such a place. Maybe he had been under the impression that if he spent enough money, he could buy a home. Cleo wondered how long it had taken him to discover his mistake.
    Cleo heard Kimberly's voice just as she forked up a bite of waffle. She stifled a small groan of dismay when she heard the other woman's high heels on the terrazo floor of the hall. So much for Max's being able to get rid