Interior Designs (27 page)

Amanda Carruthers, junior bridesmaid, wore a peau de soie frock similar to those of Mrs. Carruthers and Mrs. Clark. In place of a bouquet, she carried the wedding rings on a lace pillow.

Flower girl was Selby Sedgwick, who was heard to yell an exuberant "Yippee yippee do!" as the bride and groom kissed at the end of the ceremony. She wore a dress of ivory velveteen embellished with pale pink satin piping at the neck and sleeves.

A reception was held immediately after the ceremony. The bride and groom are presently mini-mooning in the Bahamas but will embark on a honeymoon tour of the Orient in early summer.

The End

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Interior Designs
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followed by an excerpt from

CHERISHED BEGINNINGS

The Beach Bachelors Series

Book Five

Reader Group Guide

Interior Designs
 

Topics for Discussion

1. Cathryn and Drew first met in high school. When they reconnect many years later, how do their memories of each other from those days color the way they approach their mutual attraction?

2. Drew is recently divorced, and Cathryn isn't the first woman he's dated since his wife left him. How does that play into his perception of her? Do you think he regards their potential for romance more seriously because of unsatisfactory dating experiences in the past?

3. Cathryn has been hurt and misled by another man. Do you think it's a natural defense for a woman in this situation to erect barriers so no man can hurt her again?

4. Cathryn eventually lets down her guard with Drew and doesn't fear being hurt by him because he's felt so much pain in a relationship that he could never hurt anyone else. Is this reasoning valid?

5. Her best friends and Drew tell Cathryn that she works too hard. Why is she reluctant to admit it?

6. Cathryn misses Drew when he spends more time with his young daughter than he does with her. Is this normal in relationships to which either or both partners bring prior children?

7. Was Cathryn's auto accident a catalyst in resolving her feelings about her love for Drew?

8. What could Drew have done differently to integrate Selby into Cathryn's life? What did he do wrong?

9. When Cathryn found the seashell in her bathrobe pocket while she was in New York, how did it help her understand herself? Would she have been ready for such serious soul searching if she'd found the shell sooner?

10. Would Cathryn ever have admitted to Drew that she'd made a mistake in breaking off with him if he hadn't shown up at the ball at the Waldorf-Astoria? Why or why not?

Page forward for an excerpt from

CHERISHED BEGINNINGS

The Beach Bachelors Series

Book Five

Excerpt from

Cherished Beginnings

The Beach Bachelors Series

Book Five

by

Pamela Browning

Award-winning Author

"All right, sweetheart," he said gently, cuddling her close. "Do you want to talk about it?"

A hesitation. Then she shook her head. But her heart's pounding lessened.

He tipped her face toward his and saw great sadness there. He had seen it before, when she'd been thinking about the other man, the one in California who had hurt her so. Yet at this moment he was sure that tonight's sorrow had nothing to do with that boyfriend of hers. This had to do with something else.

Wanting desperately to reassure her, hoping that she would open up and tell him what was on her mind, he said against her hair, "I cupped a wild bird in my hand once. It felt like you do—tense, its little heart beating away against its feathers."

"What happened?" she said unsteadily.

"I opened my hand and it flew away."

"I don't want to fly away."
 

He waited, but she didn't speak. His arms tightened around her. "I guess I insulted you by suggesting that you work as a labor coach," he said, treading carefully, hoping she would talk to him about what was upsetting her. There were depths to her that he had never fully understood.

When she remained silent, he said, "I thought you might not mind working in the birthing room for a while if it meant eventual backup for your patients so much closer to home."

Her patients. She should be thinking of them first, not herself. It would be traumatic to do labor coaching in a hospital, and she didn't like the rigid delivery-room methods at Quinby. But Xan was right—she had her patients to consider.

"I don't want to be just a labor coach," she said. "But I might consider it if it would benefit my patients in the end. What do you want me to do?"

They began to stroll back toward the house.

"Talk with Raymond Lyles. See what arrangement he has in mind. After all, the birthing-room concept is new at Quinby."

They walked up the steps to the porch, and Xan opened the kitchen door for her. "I'll think about it, Xan," she said thoughtfully.

"That's good enough for now," he told her, relieved.

"Would you be my medical supervisor?" She riveted her eyes on him.

"Ah, Maura, the first time I ever saw you deliver a baby so artfully, I knew you had a gift for it. I have the utmost respect for your expertise. It—it's just hard for me to overcome the prejudice most obstetricians harbor against midwives."

"Does that mean yes or no?"

"I guess," he hedged, nonetheless smiling down at her, "that it means a definite maybe. Couldn't we discuss it more thoroughly after you've talked with Raymond?"

"I suppose so."

He pulled her into his arms. "That makes two definite maybes," he said, smiling against her hair.

Cherished Beginnings

The Beach Bachelors

Book Five

by