Wildest Hearts

going to be a little different around here. That I wouldn't tolerate being spied upon. That you needed someone to stand up to you.”

    Oliver resisted the urge to laugh. Something told him Annie would not appreciate humor at the moment. Instead, he set down his mug. Without a word he removed hers from her hand and set it beside his own. Then he drew her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly. He did not raise his head until she was clinging to him, her mouth open beneath his.

    “Would it relieve your mind to know that I had completely forgotten all those things you said last night?” he asked at last.

    She drew back, looking uncertain. “Not exactly. I just didn't want you to be too offended, that's all.”

    Her earnest expression charmed him. Oliver wondered if all husbands felt this indulgent in the mornings. “Don't worry, Annie. I am not in the least offended.”

    “I'm glad to hear that.” She searched his face anxiously. “But you don't really mean you've forgotten everything we talked about, do you?”

    “No. I just mean our conversation doesn't bother me. Don't worry, I have never forgotten a single word you have ever said to me.” Oliver brushed his lips across the tip of her nose. “By the way, who is Melvin Finch?”

    “Melvin?” She looked blank. “Oh,Melvin .”

    “Bolt said you received a wedding gift from him.”

    Annie wrinkled her nose. “How did Bolt know about Melvin's gift?”

    “Apparently you left it lying on the table in the hall last night. There was a card attached to the package.”

    “That's right. I was going to tell you about it, but it slipped my mind,” Annie said easily. “Melvin is an old friend. He left Seattle a couple of years ago to join a symphony orchestra in the Midwest. He's a wonderful cello player.”

    “How did he learn about our marriage?”

    “Someone must have mentioned it to him on the phone. It's not exactly a secret. Melvin and I have a lot of mutual friends here in Seattle.”

    “How close were you and Finch?”

    “I told you, we were friends. Melvin was an accountant here in Seattle when I knew him. He played his cello on the side. I knew as soon as I met him that he hated accounting. What he really wanted to do was make a career out of the cello.”

    “So why didn't he?”

    “His father didn't approve,” Annie explained sadly. “Mr. Finch insisted Melvin stay in what he called a real job instead of trying his luck in the music world. I told Melvin he should give music a try. If it didn't work out, he could always go back to accounting.”

    Oliver frowned as the picture began to emerge. “So you convinced him to defy his father and follow his star?”

    “Not exactly. The problem was that Melvin and his father didn't communicate very well. Every time Mr. Finch laid down the law, Melvin reacted as he had when he was a child. I encouraged him to deal with his father as an adult. It worked. Mr. Finch eventually accepted Melvin's decision and wished him well.”

    “So you helped Melvin develop some backbone and the first thing he did was split for the Midwest, is that it?”

    “His first offer was with a symphony in the Midwest,” Annie clarified carefully.

    “Why didn't he take you with him?”

    She shrugged. “As you said, he was following his star.”

    “Do you miss him?” Oliver asked more harshly than he had intended.

    “Not really.” Annie smiled reminiscently. “I'll probably always be rather fond of Melvin, though. He's very sweet. And his cello playing is nothing short of brilliant. Wasn't it nice of him to send us that compact disc?”

    “Very thoughtful.” Oliver reined in the jealousy that had begun to gnaw at his insides. There was obviously no reason to concern himself any further with Melvin Finch. Annie showed no signs of pining over her cello player.

    “This greenhouse is absolutely amazing,” Annie said cheerfully. She glanced around with interest. “I didn't get a chance to see all of it the other evening when you brought me up here. Why don't you give me a complete tour this morning?”

    Oliver's thoughts shifted direction instantly. “Are you really that interested in it?”

    “It's fascinating.” Annie ambled over to the tray of glass-covered dishes. “Ferns are different from flowering plants, aren't they?”

    “Very different.” Oliver walked over to stand beside her. “Flowering plants grow from seed. But ferns have a much more complicated life cycle.”

    “How do