To Protect Their Child
Page 22
“You’re right.”
“Did Daddy even love me?”
He didn’t know if his heart could take this. “You hung the moon and stars for him, kiddo. He wrote me a lot of letters. Mostly he talked about you. I kept them. Would you like to see them sometime?”
She tried to act nonchalant, but her eyes shone with hopefulness.
“I’ll bring them over. You can decide if you want to read them or not.” He loosed a heavy breath. “Your mom invited me to dinner. I accepted. Your uncle told me, if I can’t be nice, at least be polite. Good advice. Can we be polite to each other?”
“Whatever.”
“Good enough.” Uncertain what he’d accomplished, he turned away. She called his name. “Yes?”
“I’m not going to call you Daddy.”
“Ric will do fine.”
“I’m not changing my name either. I’m Joanna Denise Greene.”
“It suits you.”
Still uncertain, but feeling oddly lighter, he walked away. She called his name once more. He turned around. She jogged up the aisle. She skidded to a stop, sending up puffs of sawdust.
“When Linda had me, I was scared, but I didn’t flip out. Not even a little bit. Know why?”
He shook his head.
“I knew you were coming. I knew you’d save me.”
He touched her cheek. She didn’t move. “Your dad used to say, once you figure out what you’re willing to die for, you’ll know what’s worth living for.” He chucked her chin. “You and your mom are it for me. See you at dinner, kiddo.”
The rain had stopped. The clouds were thinning over the sun. He breathed deeply of the cool, wet mountain air. Scrub oaks and aspens were budding pale green against the darker pines. In the distance, mountain peaks still wore pale coats of snow. He’d run away from this valley once, but the pull of home had never left him.
Ah, Bobby, he thought. You stepped in for me, now I’ll return the favor. With any luck, Jodi would survive despite them.
Elaine met him at the back door. He wiped mud off his boots. The savory aroma of roasting beef nearly bowled him over. She hung his hat and jacket on hooks in the laundry room.
“How did it go?” she asked.
“I think we established some ground rules.” He followed her into the warm kitchen. Pots steamed on the stove. She’d set the table for three, with butter-yellow jonquils as the centerpiece. The optimism of the table setting touched him.
He gathered her into his arms. She had to tip her head back to see his face. Her smile entranced him.
“What number date is this, anyway?” he asked.
“I think it’s proper for you to kiss me.”
So he did. Deep and slow, tasting the full of her sweetness, feeling the depth of her love. Her hands worked through his hair. He imagined her heart beating as one with his.
When he came up for air, she whispered, “I love you, Ric.”
“I love you.” He smoothed soft hair off her forehead. “I have an idea for our next date. Let’s go to Durango.”
“Dinner and dancing?”
He grinned. “That, too, if you want. I’m thinking of a really nice jewelry store there. Custom pieces. Let’s get you a ring made.”
Her pretty mouth formed an O.
“We’ll have one made for me, too.”
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
“Your mom says I can’t sleep with you unless we’re married. And I really want to sleep with you.” He kissed her again, reveling in the exquisite perfection of her lips. He trailed kisses over her cheek and ended by kissing her nose. “So what do you say?”
“As long you put it so romantically, how can I possibly say no?” She sealed her acceptance with a kiss.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-3898-5
TO PROTECT THEIR CHILD
Copyright © 2001 by Jaye W. Manus
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