Always in Her Heart Read Online Free Page A

didn’t know it mattered to you.” She had assumed, when he’d stood next to her as godparents tothe baby, that he believed, but she hadn’t probed deeper than that.
    â€œIt does.” He clipped the words off, his face grim. “You’re not the only person to struggle with this, Annie.”
    She tried to smile. “Are you getting any answers?”
    â€œI don’t pretend to be a great theologian—”
    He leaned toward her, and she felt the intensity of his belief reaching out to her.
    â€œâ€”but I am sure it would be a greater wrong to let that baby go to people who don’t care about her than to marry for reasons other than love.”
    His words shot straight to her heart. She’d never expected to find the kind of all-consuming love Becca and Davis had. If marrying Link saved their baby, perhaps that was reason enough.
    â€œIf…if we do this, how long would our marriage have to last?”
    Link frowned. “I don’t know. But I’m not involved with anyone else, so I’m in no hurry. And from what Becca has said about you, I’m assuming you’re not in a relationship right now, either.”
    The thought of Becca discussing her love life with Link left a bad taste in her mouth. Had her sister thought her an object of pity because she didn’t have a husband and child?
    â€œThat’s not really the point.” She kept her voice cool. “I do have a life elsewhere.”
    â€œOnce the judge grants custody to us, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t go ahead with yourplans to take Marcy back to Boston. After all, your parents are there and it would be logical for you to want to be near them. I’ll stay here to manage the company. After a reasonable period of time, one of us can file for divorce.”
    The image of her cozy apartment in Boston floated in front of Annie’s eyes, a haven from the uncertainty and grief of the past days. She could take care of Marcy there without the constant reminders of her loss.
    Marcy threw her black-and-white block, and it bounced harmlessly against the side of the desk. “Down,” she announced, wiggling her way off Annie’s lap.
    â€œWhere are you going, little girl?” Link caught her before she could grab the cord and pull the telephone to the floor. “Here, have a look at this.” He handed her his key ring, and Marcy gave him an enchanting smile.
    â€œShe has Davis’s smile, you know that?” He touched the baby’s cheek lightly.
    Annie glimpsed a sheen of tears in his dark eyes, and the sight disarmed her. It seemed to tear down some of the barricades she held against him.
    â€œYes, she does,” she said softly.
    Link cleared his throat, as if he felt the same tightness she did. “Davis was my best friend. I owe it to him to take care of his child. I don’t know anything about changing diapers, but I’ll do my best to run thecompany properly and preserve her inheritance. I can’t offer more than that.”
    Oddly enough, that glimpse of his grief was reassuring. His concern might be primarily for the company, but it was for the baby’s sake as well as his own.
    Link looked at her, his eyebrows lifting in the question he’d been asking all along. “Well, Annie?”
    For Marcy, she told herself. For Marcy.
    â€œAll right.” She had to force the words out. “I’ll marry you.”
    Â 
    It was his wedding day, and he was on his way to meet his bride. Link grimaced at his reflection in the rearview mirror. The three days they’d had to wait once they applied for the license had been an eternity. He’d been constantly on edge, sure something would go wrong—that Annie would back out, that Frank would launch some unexpected offense, anything.
    So far, so good. The wedding was today, and the hearing before Judge Carstairs set for tomorrow. Chet seemed as optimistic as an attorney