with.”
“I took advantage of you to ask you to come away with me.”
She searched the landscape in front of her as if she were looking for a refuge out there.
“Jess, listen to me. I have wanted you all my adult life. Most of my adolescence and maybe in my childhood, too.”
She winced at that.
“I wanted you like I have never wanted any woman. I have waited most of my life hankering after you and when I came home this time, I told myself I was going to tell you how I cared. But you wouldn’t stay at the party at Aunt Marie’s and you wouldn’t come to the house to have dinner with me. So when you came to me the other day to ask for a favour, I took advantage of your need and I made you this offer. Made you take this bargain.”
“And now you hate that you did,” she said on a sound of hushed despair. “I see,” she whispered and seemed to cave inward as she reached for her door handle.
“No!” He caught her before she could escape him. “Listen to me!”
Tears dribbled down her cheeks.
“Oh, honey, I am not telling you I don’t care for you. I’m telling you I love you. I love you, body and soul.”
She blinked, her eyes confused—then horrified.
He tried to bring her close but she pulled back. “I love you, Jess. I always have. I got tired of waiting for you and this time when I came home, I vowed to tell you, show you how much I cared for you. I hope I did.” He pushed a stray curl from her brow. “Tell me you know I love you.”
She gazed outside again, looking for the truth of what he said. Finally, she looked at him again and nodded once. “I—I do.”
“What you don’t know is that the other reason I wanted to show you this now is because I have a decision to make about my military career.”
She frowned.
“While I’m here on leave this time, I am also deciding if I want to re-up for another enlistment term. I’m tired of war, Jess. I’m tired of seeing my men destroyed by bombs and bullets and the desperation of re-deployments back to the desert. I want a family. I want to come home to some peace and quiet and love. I want to come home to you, Jess. I love you and I need you. These hours away with you have convinced me that I have always only needed you, honey.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks then.
“Don’t cry, honey. I’m asking you to marry me.”
She shrank away from him.
He couldn’t believe it. After how he’d worked to make her laugh, love her, she was crying. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? I thought I had shown you how much I care.”
“You did. Oh, Trey, you did! But I—I don’t know if I can do this, make this decision.”
“What? Why not?”
“I need to think about it. I need to be away from you and think about it.”
He brushed her tears from her cheeks, his heart pounding with a sorrow he couldn’t see the bottom of. “My leave is up Friday. When I report, I have to tell my CO whether I’m in or out for the next three years. I need to know, Jess, if I can come home to you or if I’m going to live without you for the rest of my life.”
“Trey, you need to decide so soon?”
“Yes, once and for all. I won’t come back and run this ranch unless you’ll have me, Jess.
I couldn’t live close to you and not have you. I won’t live my life any longer with you just beyond my reach.”
“But how can you ask me to decide whether to change my life so quickly?”
“Call it short, call it unfair. I’ve known you all my life, Jess. I’m giving you twenty-four hours to tell me whether you love me and whether you’ll marry me.”
“A day?”
“It’s all I have, Jess. All any of us has right now. Meet me at the creek at dusk tomorrow night. Tell me your decision then. I can’t wait any longer, Jess. I’ve spent my life loving you and I either have to do it with wedding rings and kids and laughter and tears or not at all.”
* * * *
The sun glowed a bright red through the live oak trees at dusk the next day as Jess
“I took advantage of you to ask you to come away with me.”
She searched the landscape in front of her as if she were looking for a refuge out there.
“Jess, listen to me. I have wanted you all my adult life. Most of my adolescence and maybe in my childhood, too.”
She winced at that.
“I wanted you like I have never wanted any woman. I have waited most of my life hankering after you and when I came home this time, I told myself I was going to tell you how I cared. But you wouldn’t stay at the party at Aunt Marie’s and you wouldn’t come to the house to have dinner with me. So when you came to me the other day to ask for a favour, I took advantage of your need and I made you this offer. Made you take this bargain.”
“And now you hate that you did,” she said on a sound of hushed despair. “I see,” she whispered and seemed to cave inward as she reached for her door handle.
“No!” He caught her before she could escape him. “Listen to me!”
Tears dribbled down her cheeks.
“Oh, honey, I am not telling you I don’t care for you. I’m telling you I love you. I love you, body and soul.”
She blinked, her eyes confused—then horrified.
He tried to bring her close but she pulled back. “I love you, Jess. I always have. I got tired of waiting for you and this time when I came home, I vowed to tell you, show you how much I cared for you. I hope I did.” He pushed a stray curl from her brow. “Tell me you know I love you.”
She gazed outside again, looking for the truth of what he said. Finally, she looked at him again and nodded once. “I—I do.”
“What you don’t know is that the other reason I wanted to show you this now is because I have a decision to make about my military career.”
She frowned.
“While I’m here on leave this time, I am also deciding if I want to re-up for another enlistment term. I’m tired of war, Jess. I’m tired of seeing my men destroyed by bombs and bullets and the desperation of re-deployments back to the desert. I want a family. I want to come home to some peace and quiet and love. I want to come home to you, Jess. I love you and I need you. These hours away with you have convinced me that I have always only needed you, honey.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks then.
“Don’t cry, honey. I’m asking you to marry me.”
She shrank away from him.
He couldn’t believe it. After how he’d worked to make her laugh, love her, she was crying. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? I thought I had shown you how much I care.”
“You did. Oh, Trey, you did! But I—I don’t know if I can do this, make this decision.”
“What? Why not?”
“I need to think about it. I need to be away from you and think about it.”
He brushed her tears from her cheeks, his heart pounding with a sorrow he couldn’t see the bottom of. “My leave is up Friday. When I report, I have to tell my CO whether I’m in or out for the next three years. I need to know, Jess, if I can come home to you or if I’m going to live without you for the rest of my life.”
“Trey, you need to decide so soon?”
“Yes, once and for all. I won’t come back and run this ranch unless you’ll have me, Jess.
I couldn’t live close to you and not have you. I won’t live my life any longer with you just beyond my reach.”
“But how can you ask me to decide whether to change my life so quickly?”
“Call it short, call it unfair. I’ve known you all my life, Jess. I’m giving you twenty-four hours to tell me whether you love me and whether you’ll marry me.”
“A day?”
“It’s all I have, Jess. All any of us has right now. Meet me at the creek at dusk tomorrow night. Tell me your decision then. I can’t wait any longer, Jess. I’ve spent my life loving you and I either have to do it with wedding rings and kids and laughter and tears or not at all.”
* * * *
The sun glowed a bright red through the live oak trees at dusk the next day as Jess
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