If Heather didn’t trust him, should she?
She thought of all the early morning jogs, the comfort of just being together that Patrick offered. Was it possible the comfort stemmed from something Liz once thought impossible? Was Patrick seeing other women for passion, only to come back to her for commitment?
Her gaze focused on something catching the light in the bouquet. Squinting, she raised it a little higher. A small gasp escaped her, and tears welled so fast she had to blink them away to make sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.
Nestled against a red rose, just like seven Valentine’s Days before, buried beneath the baby’s breath with a small, white ribbon in her bouquet was the engagement ring Jason had given her when she was only eighteen. A smile broke out on her face, and she held her hand up to the preacher. He stopped speaking and Liz barely noticed the uneasy shuffle of Patrick’s feet in front of her.
Her mother’s words echoed in her mind. Jason never once pretended to be something he wasn’t. He always challenged her and was so infuriatingly honest with her, it was endearing. After all these years, he still waited for her, still offered his love even though she repeatedly threw it back in his face.
Jason had loved her from the very beginning. He’d never judged her or expected anything from her except love. She’d continually rejected him, yet this one last outreach was her undoing. It didn’t matter how long they were separated or how much distance came between them, they were each other’s first and only love and nothing would change that.
She thought of his tender ministrations to her wounds in the cabin. The way they’d drunk hot chocolate together in the firelight and how Jason looked at her with all the love she knew he was capable of, causing her heart to lurch. She’d been blinded for so long over her career and leaving Oakley, she hadn’t stopped to think about what she really wanted in life.
She wanted Jason. She wanted to fight with him all the time. She didn’t want to settle for a life of mediocrity with Patrick. She wanted a life of passion with Jason, and it didn’t matter where. If he didn’t want to move to Baltimore, she’d come home. Because Oakley was her home. She’d miss the hustle and bustle of city life, but it was a small price to pay to wake up next to Jason and know their love was finally being given a chance.
“Liz?” Patrick’s voice penetrated her thoughts.
Looking up into his face, she knew she had to tell him the truth. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Patrick looked around the room. “Now? Here?”
“Let’s step outside.”
The crowd watched as Patrick and Liz walked down the aisle and exited the building.
“What happened with you and Heather?” she demanded, turning to face him and crossing her arms against the bitter cold.
“You stopped our wedding for this? Do you really think I’d be stupid enough to cheat on you?”
But Liz saw the deceit when he looked away and bit his lip. “Did you cheat on me or just hit on my best friend?”
With narrowed eyes, Patrick sighed. “Who told you? Heather? Mary? I asked her not to say anything; it was a misunderstanding… Mary didn’t hear the whole story.”
“I can’t marry you, Patrick,” she said quickly.
His mouth turned down in a fierce frown. “Yes, you can.”
“No, I can’t.”
Patrick leaned in and mumbled, “Look, she didn’t mean anything. She was begging for attention with that red hair and tight shirt.”
Heather might be a lot of things, but slut wasn’t one of them.
“You’re talking about my best friend, Patrick. She is a good person. Whatever happened, I’m glad to know that she respected me enough to say no.”
Patrick’s eyes narrowed. “Does this have anything to do with that ranger you were stranded with?”
“It has everything to do with Jason. I still love him.”
“You might want to find out if he still loves you before you go throwing me away.”
“Do you really want to be second best?”
“I’ll never be second best, sweetheart. But you need to make your choice. It’s me or him.”
“I choose him. I’ve chosen him every time, and I didn’t realize it.”
Patrick shook his head. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” Gently, Liz plucked the engagement ring from her bouquet and smiled. The small diamond reflected the street lamplight.
“You’re leaving me for that? That ring couldn’t have cost more than a couple of hundred dollars. I can give you that in spades.”
“A diamond doesn’t make me happy. He does.”
“How did you get that?” Patrick demanded.
“Jason left it as a little reminder of what’s really important.”
“And what would that be?”
“Love. You know I’ve never loved you the way I should have. You deserve someone who loves you for who you are. If it was a misunderstanding with Heather, you should apologize. I forgive you, but she might not.”
Patrick looked toward the building then shook his head and gnashed his teeth. “You’re really doing this to me?”
“I’m sorry,” Liz whispered. Without another word, she slid the heavy engagement ring Patrick bought for her off her finger and handed it to him. In its place, she put Jason’s ring where it always belonged. It still fit her like a glove.
With a final glance at Patrick, she gathered the skirt of her wedding dress and ran for the horse-drawn carriage down the road, waiting to take the happy couple to their reception.
A reception that wouldn’t happen now.
Chapter Nine
Jason ignored the pounding on the front door. He wanted to forget the world existed, especially one important woman who drove him mad. This time, he would get over her. Even faster than before. He’d surround himself with beautiful women and never think about Liz again.
Just thinking that brought to mind Lizzie’s curly, brown hair, the hair she’d hated all her life, her silken, chocolate eyes and her luscious curves. Jason knew he couldn’t ever meet another woman without comparing the two. And those curls were the perfect length to gather in a fist and kiss her, holding her exactly where he wanted her.
The pounding on the door started up again, and he shook his head. The wedding was over. No doubt it was Shells checking up on him again.
“Go away!” he shouted. He wanted to be alone and be miserable. After everything that had transpired, it was his right.
“Jason, open up!”
His ears were deceiving him, he was sure. That didn’t sound like Shelley’s voice…
“Jason, it’s freezing out here!”
Liz? A grin spread over his face.
So she hadn’t gone through with it after all.
He fought down the urge to let out a hoot of jubilation. “Why should I let you in? I should make you suffer the same way you’ve made me suffer!”
“I’m seriously freezing my tail off out here. Please open up.”
He thought he heard her teeth chattering through the door. He refused to acknowledge the tug of sympathy in his chest.
“I don’t have anything to say to a married woman.”
“I didn’t do it, Jason, and you know it.”
“I don’t know anything except you left me high and dry…again.”
“If you open the door, I promise you, I’ll never leave. Again.”
He couldn’t help the fool smile on his face. “That could get annoying. And I seem to have heard those words before.”
“I mean it this time!”
“Heard that one, too.”
“Jason!”
He covered his mouth to hide the chuckle. “A man doesn’t like having his pride stepped all over, Lizzie,” he said as seriously as he could.
“You’ll get over it. Now open up.”
After a few moments of silence, she pounded again, “I know you’re punishing me. But Patrick is still at the church. It might not be too late to tell him I
changed my mind.”
“I told you he was an idiot.”
“You’re the idiot, Kenyon! Open this door!”
He unlocked the door and swung it open in one swoop. He blocked her entrance with his body. She stood there, blending in with the white, snowy background in her wedding dress. He’d never seen her look so beautiful.
Soft brown curls framed her face, and the veil at her nape blew in the wind. Her brown eyes searched his until she finally held up her ring finger.
His engagement ring was there.
“I found your last gift.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day. I never wanted to see it again.”
Angling her head, her lips curved upward. “Unless it was on my finger?”
“No, not even then.”
She frowned. “I thought you still loved me.”
“Lizzie, I can’t take much more of your indecision. Either you want me or you don’t. It’s that simple.”
“I’m standing here, aren’t I? In the cold…in a wedding dress?” she added a little desperately.
“Yes, you are. But the very fact you’re in that wedding dress tells me you’re still not one hundred percent sure.”
“Oh, good grief!” She pushed him inside and went straight to the fire, holding her hands out toward the licking flames.
“How far did you make it? Did you stop it before you walked down the aisle or did you make it all the way to your fiancé before you dropped the news you couldn’t marry him?”
She shot him a wry glance over her shoulder. “The preacher had already begun.”
“Wow.” He couldn’t help but grin. “So, tell me again why you’re here?”
Dropping her hands against her thighs with a thwack, she frowned. “Are you going to make me spell it out?”
“Of course.”
“I had a talk with my mother. She made me think about some things. And I love you. Now are you going to take me back or not?”
He loved her spunk. “Not.”
Her wide, chocolate eyes rounded in surprise. “Are you serious?”
The shock on her face was too much for him. Throwing his head back in laughter, there wasn’t any reason to keep up the charade except to see her squirm. But he couldn’t stand not taking her in his arms any longer.
Sobering, he walked forward and took her hand in his. “No, I’m not serious. In fact, I’m not letting you go ever again. I’ll duct tape you to a chair if I have to.”
“Sounds kinky.” She angled him a catty, raised eyebrow and grinned.
“I love you, too, Lizzie. It’s time for us to be together, don’t you think?”
“I know it is. I’ll settle everything back in Baltimore and move back here with you. I think I’d like to come home for a little while, see if Oakley has changed any.”
“Are you sure? Oakley hasn’t changed one bit. I mean, I’m not moving, so it’s going to have to be you,” he said with a smile.
She smacked his arm with her palm. “I’ll move. If it means being here with you.”
“This won’t be easy. I’m guessing we’re going to fight more than we get along.”
“It’s what we do. I wouldn’t expect anything less.” She stepped into his arms and hooked her fingers behind his neck.
Unable to help himself, he wrapped his arms around her waist and snatched her close. “Lizzie, I need to know you’re not going to run again when things get tough.”
“I thought we’d covered that already.” Her eyes bore into his.
“What if you move back here and decide you’re not happy? What if we get to know each other all over again, and we’re not the same as we used to be? Are you going to leave me again?”
“Nope. I’m not worried about any of that.”
Her voice was so certain Jason did a double take.
“I’m not,” she insisted. “Every day since I walked away from you has led me back here. I haven’t been able to fall in love, and I’ve been searching for something this whole time. It wasn’t until I looked down and saw the ring in my bouquet that I realized what it was.”
Jason waited. He needed to hear her say it.
“You,” she whispered, tears glistening in her eyes.
Lowering his lips to hers, he claimed her mouth. Tightening his hold, Jason gave her a kiss meant to weaken her knees and cause her to submit. With a soft sigh, he knew the moment he accomplished his goal. Her body lay against his, and she angled her head.
He pulled away, denying her what she wanted most. Her eyes opened then narrowed at him. “What now?”
“Marry me.” This was the last step. If she was serious about being with him, marrying him was the only way.
“I’m wearing your ring, aren’t I?”
“It’s a piece of jewelry, Lizzie.”
She moved away from him then, back to the fire. Staring into the flickering flames, he wasn’t sure what she would say next. Twirling the ring around on her finger, she studied it.
When her gaze rose to meet his, her tears streamed down her cheeks and broke his heart. He should have known.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I’ll marry you.”
“Come again?” He tilted his ear toward her to make sure his heart wasn’t in his throat for no reason.
“I’ll marry you, Jason. Let’s elope. Go to Vegas or something.”
He was afraid he was hearing things. “There’s no way I’m going to elope with you when I’ve waited so long to show you off.”
She smiled. “I can’t marry you today, though. Today was my day with Patrick. Can we wait a few days? I don’t want to think about him when I marry you.”
Jason stepped forward and touched her jaw. “What about midnight on New Year’s Eve? A new year, a new beginning, just for us.”
Lizzie’s eyes lit brightly. “That sounds perfect, Jason. Absolutely perfect. Now come on, there’s a horse and carriage waiting to give us a ride around town. I have it for the next hour.”
“Horse and carriage?”
Lizzie grinned, and tugged his arm. “Complete with roses and lights. I want you all to myself for a little while.”
“Promise?”
“With all my heart.”
Chapter Ten
The steady clomp of the horses' hooves slowed as they neared the Oakley Chamber of Commerce on the outskirts of town. The people were at what would have been her reception with Patrick, and the party was in full swing. Liz smiled. She’d never been happier that she hadn’t gone through with something.
“Where do you think Patrick went off to?” Jason asked next to her as they rode by the reception. The carriage did a u-turn and headed back to the middle of the town. With a blanket thrown over their lap and Jason’s arms around Liz’s shoulders, the night couldn’t have been more perfect.
“I don’t care. Have you looked at the sky tonight? The stars seem so much brighter than usual.”
Jason squeezed her close. “Love has a nice way of opening your eyes.”
Liz couldn’t help but giggle. “You know everyone is going to be really happy for us.”
“Ecstatic.”
Liz took in her surroundings. The cold nip to the air faded when she leaned her head against Jason’s shoulder, and he pulled her close. The carriage passed the double doors of the Chamber of Commerce again, and the few milling about outside nodded a greeting at their passing.
The trees were still heavy-laden with snow, and the drifts against the side of the building rose to the bottom of the windowsill at on the west side of the building. She could see the side of the gazebo behind the building lit romantically with white lights and roses, the way it had been decorated when Jason first proposed to her.
They were silent until the carriage rounded the square at the oak tree the town was built around. Jason signaled for the driver to stop.
“Will you dance with me? Right here in the middle of town for everyone to see?”
Jason maneuvered out of the carriage and offered Liz his hand. “My lady…”
he said with a dramatic flair.
At the last second, he grabbed her around the waist and twirled her to the ground.
As they walked to the square together, soft music floated over the town’s speaker system and a few onlookers stared from across the street. Liz and Jason walked into the square. Everyone else slid into the shadows as Jason pulled her into his arms.
“I could get used to this.” Liz sighed.
“Good. It’s about time we get used to being together. So what was the deciding factor? It had to be more than the ring.” He dropped light kisses along her jaw in between his sentences.
“Talking to my mom. She opened my eyes to some things I never saw before. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime.”
“I’d like that.”
“And when you took me back to town, Patrick met me there. I noticed he had a cut on his lip. He said he broke up a fight at Beaver’s, so I didn’t think much about it.”
“What happened?”
“Heather sent a note with my mom. It seemed like the world was trying to tell me something. The split on Patrick’s lip was from him making a move on Heather. She decided to make a move on him.”
Jason’s gaze settled on hers, and he smiled at her. It was the loving smile he used to give her so long ago. “So this is really happening, huh?”
“It appears so,” she said, licking her lips. Liz pinched the soft skin on the underside of his arm.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“Just making sure I’m not dreaming.”
“It doesn’t work that way. You’re supposed to pinch yourself or let me pinch you.”
Liz batted her lashes. “But it’s so much more fun the way I did it.”
He narrowed playful eyes on her. “If I didn’t love you so much, I’d turn you over my knee right now.”
Liz winked. “Maybe later.”
As the song ended, Jason pulled her close and covered her mouth with his. She loved the softness in which he handled her that contradicted his rock hard muscles. His kiss was one of exploration and new beginnings.
Gently, he pulled away. His hold around her waist tightened and he pressed his cheek against hers. It forced them both to look at the white, twinkling gazebo lights, as well as from every light post in town.
My One True Love Page 5
