Grand Passion

stark, cold mask he'd worn an hour ago when he had asked her to marry him.
    She could deal with Max's irritation, Cleo thought. She could handle anything except that terrible, bleak look that had been in his eyes when she'd hesitated to give him the answer he wanted. She'd seen that look in her own eyes often enough in the mirror during the months following her parents' death. It was the look of a person who has lost everything that mattered.
    But Max hadn't lost his dreams, Cleo thought. After all, the man had read Dr. Seuss and The Hardy Boys. He couldn't be all ice and iron.
    “Cleo? You have a strange expression on your face. What are you thinking about?”
    “Dinner,” she said.
    Max relaxed visibly. “I almost forgot about dinner. I think I've suddenly developed an appetite.”
    “Me, too. You can fix the scallops. I'll make the salad.”
    “I meant what I said, Cleo.” Max's fingers closed gently but very firmly around her wrist. He brought her palm to his mouth and kissed it. “I want us to be married as soon as possible.”
    She touched his cheek lightly with her fingertips. She knew he was thinking of how Kimberly had reneged on the engagement six weeks after Max had asked her to marry him.
    “It's all right, Max. I'm not going to change my mind.”
    He veiled his glittering eyes with his lashes. “Word of honor?”
    “Word of honor.”
    * * *
    Cleo waited until after dinner to call home. Max lounged beside her on the sofa, his eyes on the night-shrouded city, as she dialed the number.
    “Robbins' Nest Inn.”
    “Sylvia? It's me.”
    “What a surprise,” Sylvia chuckled. “Hang on a second.” Sylvia cupped her hand over the receiver. “I win,” she hissed to someone in the background.
    “What's going on? Are you busy?” Cleo asked quickly. “I can call back later if you've got people checking in.”
    “Nope, we're not busy,” Sylvia said cheerfully. “I just had a small bet on with O'Reilly that you'd be unable to resist checking on us this evening. He bet that Max would be keeping you too busy to call. I said that nothing, not even a proper proposal of marriage, could keep you from fretting about how things were going out here.”
    Cleo shot a quick glance at Max. “Well, you were right.”
    “About you fretting? That's no big revelation.”
    “No,” Cleo said softly. “About the proper proposal.”
    “Aha.” Sylvia's voice held great satisfaction. “I knew it. And you said yes, right?”
    “Right.”
    “That makes it all nice and official then,” Sylvia crowed. “We'll start making plans for the wedding as soon as we get Trisha and Ben married off. I'm sure Sammy will want to be in this ceremony, too. O'Reilly can give the bride away.”
    “O'Reilly?”
    “Sure. He's going to practice on Trisha.”
    Somewhere along the line, Cleo realized, O'Reilly had become a member of the wedding party. At this rate he was going to become one of the family, just like Max. “Okay.”
    “Don't worry, Cleo. Andromeda, Daystar, and I will take care of everything.”
    “Thank you.” Cleo didn't know what else to say. “Uh, so how are things going there?”
    “Believe it or not, we're managing to scrape along without you. Had a few new reservations for the weekend. Oh, by the way, good old Herbert T. called to book another corporate seminar.”
    “I thought Mr. Valence was annoyed with us because we lost power the last time he used the inn. Remember how upset he got when he couldn't show his video?” Cleo could still hear Valence's angry protest. I've got a reputation for flawless performance .
    “He says that in spite of the electrical difficulties, our inn still makes a good background for his seminars. I booked him for the weekend after next. A group of fifteen from some computer firm this time.”
    “Good,” Cleo said. “That will give us a nice crowd. Jason was right when he suggested we start promoting the inn for corporate retreats and seminars.”
    “Yes, he was. Hey, I'm sure you've got better things to do than chat with the home office. Say hello to Max. We'll see you both in a couple of days.”
    Cleo hung up the phone and looked at Max. “They're doing just fine without us.”
    “Don't worry,” Max said. “They couldn't get by for long on their own.”
    “You're sure?”
    He smiled. He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her down onto the couch. “I'm sure. I, on the other hand, can't get by for more than a few minutes without you.”
    * * *
    The