notice.'
It was going too fast for her. Wedding gowns and revelations she had kept secret all her life. 'Axe you sure you want to do this?'
'I'm sure.' He stopped before her door. 'I've never been more sure of anything. It's going to be fine, Ronnie.'
She was not nearly as confident. She had thought she was going to be the only one to pay if this gamble didn't succeed, but Gabe was making vows, involving himself too deeply. 'You could back out now. It would be okay with me.'
He brushed a kiss on the tip of her nose. 'It wouldn't be okay with me. I'll join you in your suite for dinner at seven if that's all right.'
'Sounds fine.'
She watched him as he turned and walked away from her. It was the first time he had kissed her, and it was a caress he could have given to a sister or a maiden aunt… or Orphan Annie.
He looked over his shoulder and saw her still standing there. 'Okay?'
She smiled with effort. 'Sure.'
She quickly entered the room and shut the door.
It wasn't okay. Until that moment when she had been forced to answer Jim's question, she had deliberately blocked the truth from her mind.
Now she knew. And Lord help her, she did love Gabe Falkner.
Dan arrived at her suite later that afternoon carrying a large glossy-white cardboard box and several smaller ones of various sizes piled on top of it.
'Good heavens, you look like the delivery boy for one of those 1930s movies,' Ronnie said as she stepped aside to let him inside.
'You mean the ones where Ginger Rogers goes shopping while Fred Astaire is busy dancing on the ceiling?' He grinned. 'I would have had them delivered, but I wanted to make sure you got them. Gabe wouldn't be pleased if anything went wrong.'
'Gabe said he'd buy a dress, not an entire wardrobe.'
'I admit I got a little carried away.' Dan dumped the boxes on the bed. 'But the woman at the department store said you'll need all of it.' He waved a hand. 'You know, stockings and garters and slips and shoes…' He frowned.
'I wasn't sure about the shoes. I had to guess. Seven?'
'Pretty good. Six and a half, but I can stuff the toes with cotton.'
He gave a huge sigh of relief. 'Then I won't have to go back. I felt like a bull in a china shop surrounded by all those veils and gowns and whatnots.'
'Gabe shouldn't have imposed on you. I could have taken care of it myself. I've been going crazy with nothing to do.'
'Gabe was afraid you'd be followed by reporters. He thought you'd had enough of being the center of attention for a time.'
'For
'Everything from making appointments with the president to arranging an intimate weekend with Mora Renord. I do it all.' He immediately looked a little uneasy. 'I guess I shouldn't have mentioned Mora.'
She tried to hide the sharp twinge she had received at the thought of Gabe's former mistress. 'Why not? You must know why Gabe is marrying me. It's all a farce.'
'Is it?' His gaze searched her face. 'Gabe's behaving very strangely about all this.'
She looked down at the boxes on the bed. 'I wouldn't know. I haven't known him long enough to judge.'
'Well, I have and it's not like Gabe to…' He shrugged. 'But it's not my business. He wouldn't thank me for analyzing his moves.'
She lifted her chin. 'I suppose you don't approve of Gabe marrying me.'
'I didn't say that,' he said. 'Look, it was my job to set up the exchange of Gabe for those two journalists. How do you think I felt all these months when I could have heard any day that Gabe had been executed? You got him out. You deserve any payback we can give you. Heck, if marriage will help you get what you want, I'll marry you myself.'
His earnestness caught her off guard. 'Good grief, the suitors are standing in line,' she said awkwardly, then hurriedly changed the subject. 'How long have you known Gabe?'
'Over ten years. We were reporters together in Beirut, and when Gabe went on to greater things, I went with him. I couldn't have found better coattails to ride on.'
'I don't think you like free rides. Gabe said you were a good man to have around in tight corners.'
'We've been in a few.' He smiled. 'And so have you. That mess in Said Ababa must have been a little dicey.'
'You could say that.' She asked with a pretense of casualness, 'If you've been together that long, then you must know his family.'
'His parents are dead. He has only one sister, Carrie, and her daughter, Daisy.'
'What is she like?'
'Like Gabe. Brilliant, absolutely self-sufficient. She married an oilman from Houston and promptly took over the company. She's vice-president and practically runs both the firm and the social scene in Houston.'
'Are she and Gabe close?'
'Fairly. But they don't see much of each other.'
'Because she's too busy running Houston and he's too busy running the rest of the world,' Ronnie guessed.
'Probably. Gabe's a born leader. He gets a kick out of holding the reins.'
'And leaders who do their job right have no time to devote to a family.' He was only confirming what she had surmised about Gabe.
Dan frowned. 'It's not as if he isn't always there when he's needed.'
'I'm sure he is.' She had known that about him too. She knew many things about Gabe, and yet there were gaps she had never been able to fill in over the years.
Dan turned and moved toward the door. 'I'd better hustle. I've got to fly the helicopter over to the airport and pick up John Grant and bring him to the palace.'
'You're flying yourself? I thought David Carroll was the pilot.'
'Dave does most of the general business flying, but I usually pilot Gabe. I only brought Dave when we did the pickup in Said Ababa in case there was trouble. I wasn't sure what we'd find when we got there.' He smiled. 'But you had the situation well in hand.'
'And got a knockout punch as a reward.'
He looked pained. 'Let's drop the subject. I don't think Gabe would appreciate me keeping the topic fresh in your mind.' He opened the door. 'If there's any problem with those wedding duds, let me know.'
'Wait,' she said impulsively, starting after him. 'Could I go with you?'
He hesitated. 'Gabe doesn't want you to be wandering around in public.'
'I won't be wandering around. I'll even stayin the helicopter, if you like. I'll go crazy cooped up in here for the rest of the afternoon.'
He shrugged. 'You're welcome to come, if you're sure you want to go. It will be a pretty boring trip.'
She had a hunger to learn about all the details and people that made up Gape's world. Going along would give her an opportunity to get to know these two men who were Gabe's good friends and to listen to them talk about Gabe. She could even ask casual questions that would reveal layers and depths she had not yet been able to probe. 'I won't be bored.'
When Gabe arrived at the suite that night, he was wearing jeans and a navy shirt that made his eyes appear bluer than usual. Somehow she had expected him to seem different now that she knew she loved him, but he was the same- tough, mature, completely male.
He raised his brows. 'May I come in?'
'Oh, sure.' She backed away from the door. 'The servant already brought dinner.' She gestured to the roll-
