Sara looked him up and down, pursing her lips, narrowing her eyes as if she took serious stock of him.
He near choked on his own laughter. “You have to think about it?”
“What I know of you thus far would put you near the top of the list.”
“Not the top?” he asked, wounded.
“The top is reserved for the man I love,” she said seriously. “I may never find him, but he will remain forever there, first in my heart and mind.”
“How lucky for him,” Cullen said caustically, wondering why it irritated him so much.
“Lucky for us both,” she corrected.
“Then it’s equality you search for in a husband?”
“Equal respect and patience.” She chuckled. “From watching my share of marriages falter, I realize that if a husband and wife don’t have patience with each other, their marriage is doomed.”
“You do a lot of observing?”
“I found it not only a wise skill but a beneficial one. Know your foe and friend alike and you are less likely to be hurt or disappointed.”
He realized why she intrigued him. She was far more intelligent than the average woman, which produced her confident nature, which certainly would threaten most men, at least men of little character and even less intelligence. No wonder she had had such difficulty finding a husband. He doubted few men existed who could call themselves her equal.
“I also found that by observing others, I learned much about myself,” she said with a gentle smile.
“What did you learn?” he asked curiously, amazed at how much he enjoyed talking with her.
“You may not believe it,” her eyes sparkled with glee, “but I can be stubborn at times.”
Cullen dramatically smacked his hand to his chest. “No, not you.”
Sara laughed playfully. “At least I admit it.”
“Are you suggesting that I’m stubborn?” he asked, finding her merriment contagious and smiling even though he was certain she had just accused him of being stubborn.
“I think we’re equally stubborn.”
“That, I can admit to!”
He often found strength in his own stubbornness. It had gotten him through more difficult times in his life than he cared to remember. His stubbornness had proved a quality he couldn’t afford to live without and therefore helped him to understand the quality of her stubbornness.
“Do you also know you have a generous heart?”
She glared at him, her burgeoning eyes displaying her disbelief. “No—” Her bewilderment impaired her response, and she faltered before finally admitting, “I’ve never been told I have a generous heart. ‘Cold and selfish’ are the words I’ve heard more often than not in describing my heart.”
“Then obviously the person doesn’t know you, or perhaps it is himself he describes.”
Her eyes saddened, and it saddened his heart.
“It is nice to have someone who defends me.”
“You are my wife,” he said firmly. “And the truth is always easy to defend.”
“You may find yourself constantly defending your wife once we reach my home.”
Her serious remark made him realize he wasn’t as prepared for the encounter with her father as he should be. He knew little about the man or her home. If they planned to convince her father of their wedded bliss, then he needed to know more and they had to appear a loving couple.
“If that’s the case, then make me aware of what I need to know before we arrive, and we need to start acting the newly wed, loving couple.”
Sara sighed. “I’ve been thinking the same myself.”
“Consummating our vows would be a good step—”
“How so?” she was quick to ask, though it sounded more an accusation.
“Intimacy brings a certain amount of comfort between couples. It establishes a natural bond, which your father will not be able to deny.”
Sara let lose another sigh. “You’re right.”
Cullen knew that Sara possessed the rare ability to recognize the truth, or perhaps they simply saw things the same way. Regardless, she never argued the truth of a situation. She bluntly stated facts and solutions and that was that. Even if her logic could irritate at times, it was simply because she was right. As she had been about sealing their vows.
“Actually, you’ve been right all along.” He paused, figuring she’d want to speak a few victory words here, and when none came, just a curious smile, he admired her resigned confidence even more.
“We need to protect our vows. It is the wise thing to do, as was my choice in wedding you to gain custody of my son. We have a bargain, and I intend to fulfill my end, as I know you will fulfill yours.”