Free Some Enchanted Waltz by Lily Silver Page B

would have wished, God rest his soul.”
    “I don’t remember my father—or even my mother. I have nothing. I belong to no one.” The terror beneath her statement was unmistakable.
    Adrian groaned inwardly and sat down on the bed once more. He leaned forward and drew her in his arms, offering her the silent comfort of his embrace when words failed him. He felt like a cad for leading her on in this bold charade that was becoming more complex by the hour. If she truly didn’t recall her past life and was ever questioned by Burke and his ilk, it was better for both their sakes if she believed the tale he was circulating about her. 
    “No, dear one. That is not true. You have me. I’m your family now.”
    *   *   *
     
    Tara lay quietly on the mound of pillows. She was watching the raindrops spattering the windows, watching and trying to find a shred of identity behind them.
    Crystal jewels of ice and sleet clung to the transparent panes. She could still feel those strong arms about her. She could still hear the tenderness in his voice when he attempted to calm her fears. Lord Dillon made her feel safe. She fell asleep nestled in his arms and his powerful presence lingered long after he had gone.
    He wanted to marry her. Strangely, Tara wasn’t adverse to the idea. He promised her a home and the protection of his name. He’d given her his word that he would not expect her to be intimate with him until she wished it. Tara smiled at the antiquated notion. It was kind of sweet, really. Most guys couldn’t wait to get a girl in the sack. And as for marriage, most guys ran from that institution like rats fleeing a sinking ship.
    Why not marry him ? He was attractive, kind, sexy, rich and this place he owned was awesome. A bit like a museum, with staff to attend her every need. A girl could do worse. If it didn’t work out, well, she’d just leave, simple as that. It was the way of the world. Marriage wasn’t forever, not anymore. Half of all marriages ended in divorce.
    Tara sat up, startled by her thoughts. The things she knew !  Facts and statistics just came to her with ease. Facts and knowledge, about everything, except her own history.
    Well, then. Stick to the facts. Stick to what you do know ;  there is a fifty-fifty chance of this working out. What the hell, the odds were better than winning the lottery, and that dude was too damn hot to refuse .
    Lord Dillon wanted to marry her ?
    Tara couldn’t comprehend why his gallant offer affected her so profoundly.
    To be wanted; needed by someone. To have a sense of family, a sense of belonging to someone. Tara craved a family. She needed to belong somewhere, to someone !
    Okay, maybe she was crazy for going through with it.
    Maybe, just maybe, this was fate, as he said.
    Maybe she really had been sent to him for a reason.
    Too bad somebody hadn’t bothered to pin a note to her jacket when they sent her here. At least then she’d have some clue as to what, precisely, she’d been sent here to do.

 
     
    Chapter Seven
     
    It was raining.
    Tara kept humming the refrain from that song about rain on your wedding day. She couldn’t stop humming it. She knew the name of the song; Ironic . She could picture the pretty brunette who sang it; Alanis Morrisette.
    They were facts in her brain, knowledge she didn’t even have to think about. It just came unbidden. Why, oh why couldn’t she remember the important facts of her own life?
    So many things came and went in her mind, leaving Tara confused as to their significance. She couldn’t put the fragmented images that did come into any logical sequence. She gazed out the lead glass window at the churning steel skies.
    “It’s like rain on your wedding day, the free ride when you’ve already paid.” She sang the refrain aloud.
    It was her wedding day, and it was raining as if the very heavens were protesting.
    Cold feet?  Yes, and cold hands and the proverbial knots twisting her gut.
    Whoa, girl, just breathe .