He wasn’t angered by her old-fashioned insult, but the truth in her sentiment infuriated him. Dammit, he knew he was scared, had warned her of that. Eventually, his negative feelings would sabotage their relationship, assuming something else hadn’t first. People broke up with each other every day for a million different reasons, and a lot of those people were better adjusted than he was.
But instead of voicing any of that, he said as calmly as possible, “There is no ‘us,’ Lorelei.”
“Well, there’s gonna be,” she declared. “Because we love each other. Not being together is just plain stupid.”
That strange emotion surged again, like a river flooding its banks, and he identified the feeling this time. Hope. Hope he hadn’t asked for and didn’t want. “What is with you stubborn Fredericksburg females?” he growled. “First Barbara stalking me, now you?”
Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t rise to the taunt. She merely shook her head. “I’m not like Barbara. I’m being like my mom, all those times she called me last month and the month before that. I’m being persistent when it comes to someone I love.”
He flinched at her use of the word. She truly loved him?
“I wish I’d given in to Mom,” she said softly, “that I’d visited her more, tried harder while I still had the chance. You’re going to wish that, too, Sam. If you let me leave here today, you’ll regret it.”
“So what’s the alternative?” he asked her hoarsely. “The way I see it, no matter what happens, there will be regrets.” He’d rather get them over with now than in a year, a decade. “You’re the one who told me people should make more decisions with their heads, not with their hearts. That they should calculate the risks and protect themselves accordingly. You can’t guarantee a happily ever after.”
She ducked her gaze and he thought he might have won the argument by using her own reasoning. But when she looked up, he could see there was still plenty of fight left in her expression. He had an out-of-body moment where he almost wanted to grin because he felt proud of her.
“There is one guarantee,” she protested. “You’ve heard the line about death and taxes? Nobody lives forever, Sam, and you and I both know life can be short. We’ve lost people close to us. Is this what they would have wanted for you? You’re the most extroverted hermit I know. Even in a crowd of tourists, you’re alone. If your life came to an end tomorrow, would you be satisfied with the way you spent it?”
No. God, no. He wanted to spend about a million more hours in her arms. He didn’t need an impressive corporate career or social prestige or fancy belongings. He was beginning to think he needed Lorelei, though.
She reached up to caress the side of his face, her touch like a brand. “I won’t stalk you, Sam. But if you decide love is worth the risk, you know where to find me.” She gave him one last long look before walking out of the barn.
“Dude.” At the sound of Dave’s incredulous voice, Sam turned and realized that at some point during the conversation, they’d garnered an audience. “You’re not just gonna let her go?”
Was he? Lorelei had told him repeatedly that she didn’t believe in fairy tales. Neither did he. But he knew lots of cowboy legends, and very few of them ended happily.
Then have the courage to write your own damn story, Travis.
A wide-eyed middle-aged woman standing next to Dave made shooing motions with her hands. “Go after her, son. Before she gets away!”
That spurred him into motion as no other words could have. Ever since the last time Lorelei had walked away, he’d felt like a husk of a man, going through the motions of his life with no real purpose or enjoyment. Could he endure that again?
He raced into the sunshine, quickly catching her. “Lorelei, wait!” He spun her around, hating himself for the tears that sparkled on her lashes. “Oh, hell, don’t cry. I’m not worth it, darlin’.”
She smacked him on the arm. “Yeah, you are. That’s kind of the point.”
“I love you.” He blurted it fast before he could lose his nerve.
Her jaw dropped but she quickly regrouped, affecting a smug expression even though tears rolled down her face. “I told you so!”
His eyes felt suspiciously damp, too, and he pulled her against his chest so that she didn’t see. “Know-it-all Ivy League pain-in-the-ass,” he said affectionately. He smoothed his hand over her hair. “But I do love you.”
She tilted her head back. “Love you, too.”
Giving in to the emotions swamping him, Sam framed her face and captured her mouth with his. Applause and hoots of approval sounded behind them. Lorelei grinned against his lips but didn’t move away. Their deep, thorough kiss felt like an unspoken vow. A promise of new beginnings and happy endings and, most important, being there for each other to weather everything in between.
* * * * *
ISBN: 9781459219786
Copyright © 2012 by Tanya Michna
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