The Ties That Bind

ruthlessness behind it, but it was a genuine smile. It was one of the few times that she had seen real laughter in his face. Shannon faced the fact that she loved seeing him smile. Every time she coaxed one out of him she felt as if she had uncovered buried treasure.
    He returned to the table a few minutes later carefully balancing two magnificent fudge sundaes. The room was alive with the spirited voices of people arguing about the play.
    "Now about the abomination we just witnessed," Garth began as he dug into his ice cream. "Your friend Verna has a lot to answer for. I'll admit I haven't seen The Taming of the Shrew in several years, but I do remember Petruchio didn't come off looking like a clown."
    "He does in Verna's production," Shannon declared triumphantly. "And about time, too. The way Kate handles Petruchio in this version, it's clear that she was the one in charge right from the beginning. I don't know why I haven't ever seen that potential in the play."
    "You haven't seen it in the play because Shakespeare never put it in to begin with," Garth argued. "Kate is supposed to be spirited, but she's not supposed to be a conniving manipulator."
    Shannon leaned forward aggressively and aimed her long ice-cream spoon accusingly at Garth. "Verna made several excellent points tonight, not the least of which is that men usually don't even know when they're being manipulated by a woman. Their egos are usually so inflated they assume they're always the one in charge."
    "Shannon, you don't know what you're talking about."
    "Ha!" Her chin lifted defiantly, her eyes sparkling with the light of battle. "It a smart woman like Kate plays her cards right, she can manipulate her Petruchio for the rest of his life and he'll never even know what happened."
    "I promise you I wouldn't be that stupid."
    "That's what they all say," Shannon informed him jubilantly. The ice-cream spoon moved in an arc to indicate the entire world of males.
    "Shannon..."
    "I'll bet every man alive secretly thinks he's the dominant partner in a relationship. I don't care how liberated he is, his ego is still functioning in the Dark Ages. That's another point Verna made beautifully tonight."
    "Shannon, you're getting carried away." Garth eyed the waving ice-cream spoon.
    "Verna's production brings home the fact that men haven't really changed much since Shakespeare's time. Putting the characters in modern dress emphasizes that, don't you think? It was a brilliant idea."
    "I think," Garth said carefully, "that you'd better quiet down and eat your ice cream before you get us thrown out of here."
    "They don't have bouncers in ice-cream parlors," she told him loftily. "Now, another point Verna made tonight was one about Petruchio's real reason for marriage. He was a mercenary, greedy man who got what he deserved. As far as I'm concerned, he-"
    "Shannon."
    "He had it coming. What's more, thanks to Verna's version of the story, I now see that the character of Kate represents all the basic female strengths. She-"
    Shannon got no further. Garth surged to his feet, planted two large hands on her shoulders, leaned down and kissed her heavily on the mouth. The flow of fiery argument was sealed forever in Shannon's throat. She was as startled by the leashed hunger in the kiss as she was by the outrageous action itself. In that moment everything changed between them. An invisible barrier had been crossed, and nothing would ever be quite the same. Her eyes opened wide in silent, stunned astonishment.
    There was a wave of laughter and applause from the other patrons of the ice-cream parlor as Garth slowly lifted his head and stood looking into Shannon's wide hazel eyes.
    " Attaboy , Petruchio ," someone yelled good-naturedly from across the room. "Show her who's boss."
    Shannon didn't move as Garth sat down again and picked up his spoon.
    "Eat your ice cream, Shannon," Garth advised gently.
    Without a word Shannon stabbed her spoon back into the fudge sundae

-3-
    THE SHORT DRIVE BACK to the cottages from the ice-cream parlor was made in absolute silence. For the first time since she had met Garth, Shannon couldn't think of anything to say. It was an odd sensation, as if something very delicate and fragile was taking shape and she dared not shatter it before it had completely formed. She was grateful for the damp, foggy darkness that shielded her face as Garth parked the car in front of his cottage, got out and opened her door.
    Shannon realized she was holding her