Love at Last Read Online Free PDF Page A

“The guy was a loser. I want someone who understands me, listens to me, and shows me he cares by treating me like I’m the only person in his universe.”
       “Wow, that’s a tall order,” Noelle teased.
       Jean looked past her, distracted, and sucked in her breath. As Noelle followed her cousin’s gaze, her stomach did a back-flip and hardened into a tight knot.
       “I’d give anything to have a man look at me like that,” Jean crooned.
       Me, too. A strange stirring overtook Noelle’s senses. A deep longing she hadn’t realized existed, but here she was, standing at the front of the tiny church as green with envy as the emerald coloring of her bridesmaid dress. Where did this come from?
       It didn’t bother her that her younger brother was the one who was getting married. Or that Susan was a model-perfect bride. But when Russ gazed down into Susan’s eyes, a lump rose in Noelle’s throat, and she swallowed hard.
       Why didn’t Jack ever look at her that way? As if they were the only two people in the whole world. A look powerful enough to halt time, move mountains, stop the earth from spinning…
       Noelle chided herself for being a hopeless romantic, but still… she felt queasy, like she’d eaten too much junk food and needed something solid.
       A couple of deep breaths later, her heartbeat steadied, but logic continued to evade the intelligent side of her brain. Perhaps Jean’s fantasy of the perfect man had contaminated her. For now she wanted that look for herself.
       Noelle glanced at the other bridesmaids’ faces and realized she wasn’t the only one. There were at least four other women who were wishing to be the center of someone’s universe.

Chapter 3

       After the ceremony, Noelle tried to pass through the crowd unnoticed, but Aunt Pauline’s hand latched onto her arm and drew her in like a grappling hook.
       “It’s your turn next, honey!” Aunt Pauline’s gravelly voice wailed. “Your mother told me all about the proposal. Where is that handsome man of yours?”
       Noelle quickly pasted on a smile. “Jack’s meeting me at the reception.”
       The truth was  that Jack thought his computer designs were more important than attending her brother’s wedding.
       “Did you give him an answer yet?” the old woman asked, squeezing her arm tighter. “You are going to marry him, aren’t you?”
       “I’m thinking about it,” Noelle said, smoothing a fold in the skirt of her gown.
       Aunt Pauline blanched. “What is there to think about? You’ll never find another man like Jack.”
       What her aunt really meant was — another man with that much money. Jack was filthy rich. He could buy her anything she wanted.
       Ignoring the white flakes that swirled down from the overcast clouds above, Noelle sped her shiny new Porsche - a present from Jack - down the winding back-country road to the reception. It wasn’t dark yet, but the snow turned everything around her into a sheet of gray, making it hard to see. A sanding truck rumbled by, making her wince as it spit grit onto her windshield as if she didn’t deserve any better. Maybe she didn’t.
       Jack Davis, president of Davis Software & Electronics, wanted her to marry him. Was it necessary to say it with a look? After all, there was more to marriage than the expression on one’s face. So why couldn’t she just say yes? Every swish-swosh of the frost-encrusted windshield wipers seemed to ask the same question.
       Noelle glanced at the shimmering diamond on her finger as her hand turned the steering wheel. Jack had insisted she wear the ring even though her mind was not yet made up. Perhaps he hoped it would speed her decision. But time was running out. Jack wanted an answer and he wanted it tonight.
       Suddenly the car spun sideways, out of control. Noelle held tight to the steering wheel, but it was of no use. The vehicle slid off the pavement and skied down a steep