Married in Seattle by Debbie Macomber

him. They’d spent almost twenty-four hours in each other’s company. They’d argued. They’d talked. They’d laughed. They’d kissed.
    “Janine—”
    “Zach—”
    They spoke simultaneously, then exchanged nervous smiles.
    “You first,” Zach said, gesturing toward her.
    “I…I just wanted to say thanks for everything. I’ll be in touch,” she said. “By phone,” she assured him. “So you don’t need to worry about me dropping the office unannounced.”
    He grinned sheepishly. “Remember, communication is the key.”
    “I agree one hundred percent.”
    They stood facing each other in the foyer. “You wanted to say something?” she prompted after a moment.
    “Yes.” Zach exhaled sharply, then drew a hand along the side of his jaw. “What that cabbie said is true—even for us. I don’t want us to part with any bad feelings. I shouldn’t have said what I did back there, about nagging. You don’t nag, and I had no right to say you did.”
    “I overreacted.” The last thing she’d expected from Zach was an apology. His eyes, dark and tender, held hers, and without even realizing what she was doing, Janine took a step forward. Zach met her and she was about to slip into his arms when the sound of the front door opening drove them apart.
    “Janine,” Anton cried, delighted. “Zach. My, my, this is a pleasant surprise.” He chuckled softly as he removed his coat. “Tell me, was your tryst on the moors as romantic as I hoped?”

Six
    “O ur best bet is to present a united front,” Janine said to Zach four days later. They’d met at her house early in the afternoon to outline their strategy. Gramps was gone for the day, but by the time he returned, Zach and Janine planned to be ready to talk him out of this marriage idea. The sooner Anton understood that his ploy wasn’t working, the better. Then they could both get on with their lives and forget this unfortunate episode.
    “It’s important that we stand up to him together,” Janine said when Zach didn’t comment. From the moment he’d arrived, he’d given her the impression that he’d rather not be doing this. Well, she wasn’t overjoyed about plotting against her grandfather, either, but in this instance it was necessary. “If we don’t, I’m afraid Gramps will continue to play us against each other.”
    “I’m here, aren’t I?” Zach grumbled. He certainly wasn’t in one of his more charming moods.
    “Listen, if you’re going to act like this—”
    “Like what?” he demanded, standing up. He walked over to the polished oak sideboard and poured himself a cup of coffee. When he’d finished, he ambled toward the fireplace and leaned against the mantel.
    “Like you’re doing me a big favor,” Janine elaborated.
    “You’re the one who’s left me dangling for three days. Do you realize what I’ve been forced to endure? Anton kept giving me these smug smiles, looking so pleased with himself and the way things worked out in Scotland. Yesterday he went so far as to mention the name of a good jeweler.”
    Before Janine could stop herself, she was on her feet, arms akimbo, glaring at Zach. “I thought you were going to call me! Weren’t you the one who said communication is the key? Then it’s as if you’d dropped off the face of the earth! And for your information, it hasn’t exactly been a Sunday school picnic around here, either.”
    “It may surprise you to learn that I have other things on my mind besides dealing with you and your grandfather.”
    “Implying I don’t have anything to do with my time?”
    “No,” he said slowly. “Damn it, Janine, we’re arguing again.”
    She sighed regretfully. “I know. We’ve got to stop this squabbling. It’s counterproductive.”
    Zach’s nod was curt and she saw that he was frowning. “What bothers me most is the way your grandfather found us the other day. We were standing so close and you were staring up at me, practically begging me to kiss you.”
    “I most