by Jill Sanders
“But if you need to—”
He stopped her by leaning down and placing a kiss on her lips. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of him.
She did convince him around dinnertime to go down the street and grab a proper meal at Mama’s since the clinic didn’t serve very good food. She was happily surprised when he brought back a large box of food for her. She ate every bite, knowing that the return of her appetite meant she was on the mend.
A few hours later, she once again tried to convince Reece to go home and get a good night’s sleep, but he wouldn’t hear it. Instead, he propped his legs on the edge of her bed and leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes.
She watched him for a while, but must have drifted off. She woke when the night nurse, Stephanie, came in to check on her and take her vitals. He woke and peppered Stephanie with questions. She couldn’t help feel more in love with him every moment he stood by her side.
That next day she was released and Reece talked her into going back to his place instead of her own so he could watch her closely. They stopped by her house and grabbed a few of her clothes and things so she could stay with him. She was told by Dr. Conner not to come back to work for a whole week. Reece quickly replied that he would make sure she rested the whole time.
When they drove up to his place, she was surprised to see all of her family and friends on the front porch of Reece’s home.
“What’s going on?” She looked over at him in question.
“Just a small get-together.” He smiled at her. “I thought it would be nice to have your family celebrate your recovery.”
She smiled. “Sounds great. God, I hope my mom baked a pie.” She heard her stomach growl and laughed when his did as well.
“Me too,” he said before rushing around and helping her out of the truck.
That evening, after everyone had finally left the house, he sat on the couch with Missy and watched the rest of the baseball game on the big screen while she slept. Her head was in his lap, and he gently stroked her hair. She had to wear a large white collar around her neck to keep it steady, and he noticed that she moved very slowly because of her ribs.
She had stitches in her head and shoulder that needed to stay dry and clean, which meant she’d have to be careful bathing. She had a bottle of pain pills that she had to take twice a day with food. She’d downed her first pill after eating some of her mother’s home cooking and pie. The pills made her drowsy and she’d lay down on the couch and quickly fallen asleep. Everyone had cleaned up quietly and left.
He looked down at her in his lap and felt his heart skip. He’d never imagined caring for someone as much as he cared for her. He’d meant it when he’d told her he was more than just in love with her. He’d never felt this way about anyone in his entire life, even Ryan. It went beyond anything he’d ever known could exist, and he knew what he wanted to do about it. He just wanted to make sure she was healthy again before he took the next step.
She stirred and opened her eyes, but he saw that they were still cloudy. “Want to move into the bedroom?” He brushed her hair away from her face.
“I’d kill for a hot shower.” She stretched her arms straight in front of her and moaned a little with some pain.
He frowned.
“I can take a bath.” He helped her sit up. “As long as I make sure to keep my head and shoulder dry.”
He nodded and stood up. “I’ll go start the water.”
“Reece?”
“Make it hot. My muscles are sore.” She stretched her legs straight out in front of her.
He nodded and left the room. When he got into the bathroom, he started the water in the tub then looked at himself in the mirror.
He needed a plan. He wanted to make it special for her. She deserved special. He closed his eyes and felt like banging his head against the mirror. Then an idea came to him.
Holly. Holly would know what Missy had always dreamed about. He’d have to make sure to stop by the bookstore tomorrow and talk to her and see if she could help him out.
He walked over and dumped some of the soap she’d left in the shower into the bath water, causing it to bubble up. He tested the temperature and made sure it was hot but not boiling. Then he walked into the next room to help her in.
It took some doing, but finally she leaned back into the water and sighed.
“I never thought undressing you would be such a challenge.” He chuckled and sat on the edge of the tub.
“I never thought that once you undressed me, I’d think about anything other than being with you.” She smiled and then sighed and leaned her head back. “But getting out of that neck brace feels so good.”
“Don’t overdo it,” he warned, concerned she was moving her neck too much.
“I’m fine.” She looked up at him. “Really.”
He nodded. “I’ll let you enjoy your bath. When you’re ready to get out, call for me. I don’t want to chance you slipping.”
She nodded slightly. “Can you dim the lights?”
He walked over and flipped on the light in the hall and turned off the bathroom light. “Is this okay?”
“Yes, much better.” She rested back. “I may just stay in here all night. Too bad you don’t have a tub with jets.”
“For you, I’ll add it to the list.” When he walked out to the kitchen, he did just that. They had a running list of things that needed to be fixed or replaced.
He looked at the three pages stuck to the front of the fridge and added Jacuzzi tub under the master bathroom heading.
He looked around and the images his mind had created earlier about the three kids running around returned; he let them come. He walked around the house and added items to the list that would make his dreams a reality.
When he was done, he could picture the life he and Missy would share. Now all he had to do was ask the hardest question any man ever had to ask.
Chapter Sixteen
Missy was going crazy. It was hard enough to be hurting physically, but she was also bored out of her mind.
Most days during her week long quarantine, as she called it, she spent lying on the couch. Five days after being released, she was feeling better and would secretly take off her neck brace whenever Reece was out of the house.
She had ventured on several occasions to the front porch so she could watch him breaking the horses. The Corals were within sight of the front deck and she enjoyed watching him work with the horses. He had gotten on the back of a black stallion yesterday, and her nerves had almost had her jumping out of her skin.
She couldn’t stand seeing him fly through the air, even if he was laughing like he was having the most fun of his life. She actually started biting her fingernails, something she’d never done before.
How would she ever get used to seeing him do this for a living? Would she always worry this much about him? She leaned against the porch railing and watched him now. He really did look like he enjoyed being tossed around. She knew that he had aches and pains from the jolting, but for the most part, he didn’t complain.
She frowned. Actually, he never complained. It was something about him that she found utterly fascinating. Being a nurse, she knew that most tough men turned into big babies the moment they got a sliver, but not Reece.
She thought of how she’d acted since her car accident and sighed. She’d done enough complaining for the both of them.
Her ribs were feeling better and she was set to get the stitches out the day before she returned to work. She was only getting headaches when there was a bright light or loud noise. Her neck was starting to feel better, and she was ready to ditch the collar.
She reached up and touched it, wishing she could remove it now. But she was within eyesight of Reece and knew he would stop what he was doing and make her put it back on. She smiled. He was wonderful at taking care of her.
He’d cooked every meal since her she’d come to stay with him. She would sit on a bar stool and watch him move around the k
itchen. She sighed now, watching how his shirt stuck to him. Summer was in full swing and even standing out on the front porch for ten minutes usually soaked her shirt with sweat. His was stuck to him and she was enjoying every line that was exposed.
She saw sweat dripping down his face and arms as he patiently worked with the horse. He was wonderful with the animals. She knew that some busters used force and anger to get the animals to do what they wanted. Not Reece. He spoke to the animal softly, patiently, and praised it when it did what he asked. He rubbed it on the neck and gave it treats of sugar cubes or apple slices when he was done teaching it something.
She could imagine him being the same way around kids. He was wonderful with her nephews; she’d seen it firsthand. She walked back into the cool house and imagined raising a family with him here.
She looked around and smiled. This was a great place for kids. Their kids. She leaned against the bar and thought about how to get him to see what she was seeing. She’d never thought about getting married or having kids with anyone before; no one else would have done.
Picking up her cell phone, she called Holly.
“Hey, how are you doing?” Holly asked.
“I’m good.” She undid her collar and moved her neck to test the waters. It was a little sore, but not as bad as it used to be. “I have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Do you know how to propose to a man?”
“What? What?” Holly asked, her voice getting a little louder.
She laughed. “I want to marry Reece, but I’m not sure how to go about asking him.”
Holly was silent for a while. “I’m not sure. I’ve never asked someone to marry me before.”
“I know that.” She chuckled. “Haven’t you read a book or something?”
It was quiet for a while. “It’s customary for the man—”
“Holly, I don’t know if Reece has thought of asking me. Besides, I don’t want to wait. I know what I want, and I don’t want to wait around for it.”
Her friend laughed. “Tell you what, how about I think about it for a while and give you a call back later tonight.”
“Okay.” She frowned. Then she heard the bell chime above the bookstore door and realized she’d interrupted her friend’s workday. It was really hard taking a whole week off of work and remembering that everyone else had to be at work. “I’m sorry to interrupt your day.”
“It’s not a big deal. I’m just getting ready for reading time. I’ll give you a call back later tonight.”
“Okay, thanks.” She hung up and rested her head in her hands.
An idea started to form in her mind and she jumped up from the stool. It would take some planning, but she knew there was no reward without a little hard work.
Reece looked down at his phone and frowned. He didn’t know what Holly’s text message meant, but he trusted her enough to alter his plans. He texted her back and told her it was a go for that evening and to put his plan into motion. He just prayed that Holly would be able to pull it off in time.
Looking at the clock on his phone, he frowned and realized he’d have to cut his workday short by a few hours. When he walked into the house, he heard Melissa back in the shower and stripped his clothes off as he walked into the room.
“Hi,” he said before opening the shower door.
“Oh,” she turned and jumped a little. “Hi.” She smiled. “I didn’t know you were done already.”
“I clocked off early tonight. What do you say to dinner in town?”
She smiled. “Sounds great.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, rubbing her wet body against his, and he knew that they would be late to their own engagement.
When they finally drove into town, only ten minutes late, they parked in front of Mama’s and he turned to her. She was wearing a flowing summer dresses that showed off her shoulders. She’d replaced the big white bandages on her shoulder and forehead with skin-colored ones.
He wore a pair of his best jeans and one of his best button-up shirts and boots. They looked the part and he felt his nerves kicking in as he helped her out of the car.
“Would you mind?” He stopped her from walking towards Mama’s. “Holly had a copy of her book for me. I promised I’d swing by and grab it next time I was in town.” He nodded to the bookstore next door.
“Sure,” she smiled. “I was supposed to talk to her about something.” He saw a sparkle in her eye.
They walked next door, hand in hand, and he opened the door for her, excited about what was coming next.
It was dark in the bookstore, and Melissa wondered if her friend had closed up shop early that day. She glanced down at her watch and frowned. The bookstore should still be open for at least another hour.
“Holly?” she called out.
“She’s not here,” Reece said behind her. He took her hand and walked with her towards the back fireplace. There in front of the fireplace was a small table set for two. Candles lit the table, and white lights were strung around the bookshelves, giving the whole room a low glow. There were plates full of wonderful-smelling food on the table and a bottle of wine with two glasses. A bundle of red roses sat in the middle of the table that was covered with a cream-colored tablecloth.
“What?” She stopped walking and turned towards Reece, who just smiled down at her.
“I thought it would be nice to have dinner by ourselves instead of a crowded diner.” He nodded to the plates. “They might be a little cold, since our shower ran a little long.” He chuckled and pulled her closer.
“You?” She swallowed. “You put this all together?”
He nodded and took her hand and walked her to the table where he pulled out the chair for her.
“Hang on,” she said, pulling off her collar and setting it aside. “There.” She moved her neck around. “Just for tonight,” she said when he started to object. He looked at her and then finally nodded.
“Just for tonight.” He held the chair for her and she walked over and sat down. He poured her a glass of wine then sat down.
“This is wonderful. I can’t believe Holly didn’t spill about your plans when I talked to her a while ago.”
He chuckled. “She can be bribed into keeping a secret.”
“Oh?” She looked up at him. “You’ll have to tell me all your secrets.” She smiled.
The food was still warm and delicious and when they were both done eating, he walked over and took a large cake from behind Holly’s counter. It was covered and when he sat it in front of her, he looked nervous.
“I—I had Holly make this cake special.” He removed the cover and then set it down on the table.
She looked down at the cake and her smile fell away from her face. There in white icing and red iced roses were the words, “Missy, will you marry me?”
She turned to Reece, who was now on his knee next to her, a slick black box in his hand. A beautiful diamond ring sat in it. He reached for her hand and cleared his throat.
“Missy, you’re the woman of my dreams.” He shook his head. “Actually, my dreams have never been this good.” He smiled at her. “I can’t imagine a moment without you by my side. I want to be with you every second of the day. Every night I want to reach over and feel your heart beat along with mine. Please say that you’ll marry me?”
She swallowed and looked around. The small bookstore had been turned into something out of a fairytale she’d dreamed up in her youth. This was the moment she’d dreamed of her entire life. Looking over, she noticed that Reece was looking at her, waiting. Nodding her head, she swallowed and smiled.
“Yes.” It came out as a squeak. “Of course I’ll marry you.” She laughed as he leaned up and took her into his arms and hugged her gently.
When she pulled back, she looked up into his green eyes. “You’re the man of my dreams. I knew it the moment you opened your eyes on my examining table.” She smiled. “I want to make a life with you.”
He pulled her close and slipped the ring on
her finger. It fit perfectly and she couldn’t help but smile when she saw it sparkle in the soft light.
“It’s perfect.” She looked up at him. “You’re perfect.” She reached over and kissed him again. “I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect moment.”
Epilogue
Reece stood in his corral and looked off towards the house. Melissa would be home from work any minute. He still had a shock of joy run thorough him when he thought of this house as theirs. She’d moved her stuff in two weeks earlier, and they had told their families about the engagement.
His business was taking off, and he had a string of jobs waiting for him. He’d had to start taking bookings since he was losing track of all the jobs.
Missy had helped him organize his books and schedule. They had set up a small office for him in one of the bedrooms and had talked about getting him a laptop so he could do all his scheduling online.
He turned and watched her drive up in her new car, a four-door this time. He liked that it was a bigger car but wished she’d gone with a truck. She’d stuck to the smaller one for better gas mileage.
He waved to her and tied the horse he’d been working with to the fence. He hopped the fence and placed a kiss on her lips. “How was your day?”
She smiled up at him. “Good.” Then she frowned. “I heard from my friend in Houston.”
“Hmm?” He brushed her hair away from her face gently. He would never tire of touching it, of seeing her eyes melt when he did.
“About seeing your brother.”
He stilled then nodded.
“She told me that the police had showed up less than an hour after they’d moved man who had been shot to a private room, and they’d removed him.”
“What does that mean?”
She shrugged. “It could mean a couple things.”
He dropped his arms and took a few paces away from her.
“Did you get his name?”
She shook her head. “He hadn’t provided one. We had him down as John Doe. But I was right about the date and description. Some of us put our notes about noticeable details. Several of the nurses had written green eyes, brown hair, and a small scar above his left eye.”
