Three-Year Rule

by Alaina Stanford

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  Elizabeth pulled her SUV up the drive at Gene Weller’s farm. It was easy to spot. The farm sat right up against the road. The drive led into a large circular driveway that centered on the main house, barn, and a storage shed. She could see the stables a short distance away from the main road. Mr. Weller waved at her from the pasture as she climbed out of her SUV. He led a chestnut mare over to the fence and waited for her. Elizabeth stared at the gorgeous mare. It was dark brown with a white mark on its forehead. Behind it stood a gray speckled mare with a light gray mane, equally beautiful.

  When she reached the long white vinyl fence, Elizabeth smiled and said, “Thank you so much, Mr. Weller, for meeting with me.”

  “It's my pleasure, Miss Elizabeth,” he said, returning her smile. “This here is Mazie; she’s a two-year-old mare with a sweet disposition. Her sister, Flo, is behind me, and she’s a bit feistier, so I thought we’d start with Mazie. My son John owns these two beauties, but he’s willing to part with them for the right price. He’s here this week prepping the cabin for hunting season.”

  “They are both beautiful!” Elizabeth said, reaching out to touch Mazie’s nose. “I want to learn everything about them and how to care for them before I take them home.”

  Just then, Amy’s smaller SUV pulled into the driveway, and Elizabeth added, “So does Amy.”

  For the next few days, while Josh and Randy dug into Elizabeth’s past acquaintances and fans, she and Amy spent all their time at Mr. Weller’s farm.

  Thursday afternoon Josh and Randy invited the girls to lunch at Sadie’s, then took them to view Elizabeth’s house. They sat on the built-in bench on the deck out back taking in the view of the pond and the pasture that ran along behind it.

  Elizabeth’s thoughts filled with her childhood adventures spent on this land. The camping trips and hikes her Aunt and Uncle took her on each summer. She whispered softly to Josh, her voice throaty with emotion, “My uncle would pack up the horses, and we’d ride deep into the woods near the back of his property and camp. A little brook runs along the property line where we would fish and catch tadpoles. The water was crystal clear and ice cold. The bottom of the brook was full of sand and smooth, colorful rocks; it was perfect.”

  Josh wrapped his arm around her shoulders and said, “We should go there. I’m sure we could find it. Jake and Molly love to go camping.”

  “I’d like that,” Elizabeth said, leaning against him.

  “Speaking of Jake and Molly, they are coming home on Sunday,” Josh said, gauging her reaction to the idea of meeting his children.

  Elizabeth smiled brightly and said, “That’s incredible! I’d love to meet them.”

  Josh smiled, pleased at her response. Amy and Randy went back inside to look at the house again. Josh decided to delve further. He turned to face Elizabeth and said, “We spoke a few weeks ago about our expectations. You never really answered my question.”

  Elizabeth gazed into his eyes confused, “What question was that.”

  Josh smiled softly and said, “I asked if you were ready for a serious, committed relationship.”

  “Isn’t that what we are in?” Elizabeth answered holding his gaze.

  “Perhaps I should make myself clearer.” Josh’s smile vanished. His eyes were so dark with emotion Elizabeth couldn’t breathe. He knelt on one knee still holding her hands and whispered, “Elizabeth Stewart would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  Elizabeth gasped; this was not what she expected. She stood staring down at him unable to speak. She hadn’t even considered marriage to Josh, or anyone for that matter. Marriage is so permanent, so final. She refused to take it lightly. Josh stared up at her waiting for a reply. His eyes turned such a deep blue Elizabeth felt she was losing herself in them, wanting to say yes, but she was so frightened of betrayal. She suddenly heard her voice said, “Josh, this is so sudden and so unexpected.” Why was she saying that? She felt herself pull her hands from his as she continued, “We hardly know each other. We’ve only been together for a few months.”

  Josh rose; his face lost all color as his expression turned cold. He said, “A few months of being together constantly; unlike other couples, who only see each other once or twice a week. I’d say these few months have been intense. Elizabeth, I love you. I understand your hesitation about an engagement, but I need to know if you’re in this relationship for the long run. Beth, I can’t introduce you to my children if we are not going to try to make this thing work. I won’t do that to them.”

  Elizabeth touched his face saying, “Josh; I love being with you. I cherish our time together. I care deeply for you.”

  “Deeply?” Josh took a step back and asked, “What the hell does deeply mean, Beth? Either you love me, or you don’t. It’s not something you have to think about, it’s something you feel. If you don’t love me now, then I seriously doubt you will suddenly fall in love me in six months or three years.”

  “Josh, please. It’s not that simple.” Elizabeth moved toward him, desperate to make him understand they had to give it time to get to know each other before they commit.

  “Simple? No, love is not simple. Actually, it’s made quite a fool out of me lately. I’ve followed you around like a lost puppy. I’ve spent every spare moment trying to discover who the maniac is that’s been stalking you, and for what? For your deep affection?” Josh stopped to study her expression. He asked, “What is it, Beth? Are you scared? Are you afraid we’ll end up like your parents? I’m not like them. You could never be like them. They were cold, emotionless zombies who didn’t know how to show you how much they loved you. That’s not us, Beth. Why can’t you trust me? Why can’t you believe in us?”

  “If you could only read my book,” Elizabeth stammered.

  “Your book?” Josh said with astonishment. He stared at her for a moment, then turned and went inside the house.

  The drive home was quiet. Randy and Amy immediately sensed the tension between their friends. When Randy dropped them off at Josh’s house, Josh climbed out of the truck without a word and headed into the house. Elizabeth said a quick goodnight and followed him inside.

  She followed him to the bedroom and stood watching while he grabbed a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from his drawer. He turned and walked past her without as much as a glance. He called to her as he walked down the hallway, “I’m sleeping in Jakes room tonight. Your furniture is arriving in the morning. Maybe it’s a good idea to get packed for the move into the house.”

  He shut Jake’s door behind him. Elizabeth stood staring at the door, unable to move. What just happened? Why couldn’t he understand? They can’t possibly know each other. It takes three years for people to drop their guard and relax enough to reveal their true selves. Love has nothing to do with it. You could love someone desperately who is completely wrong for you and end up miserable for the rest of your life. She stared at the bedroom door in disbelief. She wanted to scream at it, to tell the door to open. She wanted to shout for Josh to come back so she could make him understand.

  Instead, she turned and shut the bedroom door quietly. She walked slowly to the bed and fell onto the pillow sobbing.

  Josh was gone when she woke up the next morning. Elizabeth quietly packed her bag and loaded Charlie in the SUV. She called Amy on her way to her new house and asked her to meet her there.

  The first furniture trucks arrived soon after Elizabeth. Amy showed up a few minutes later. They kept busy instructing the movers and deliverymen where to place the furniture. Finally, the last of the deliveries arrived. Amy went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of wine. She searched the kitchen until she found the box labeled crystal. She poured a large glass, and insisted Elizabeth sit down on her new living room sofa and relax while she cleaned up.

  Once Amy had finished she sat down on the couch next to Elizabeth, and said, “Spill it. What happened between you and Josh? He was really upset.”

  “His kids are coming home on Su
nday,” Elizabeth said with a shrug.

  “So…” Amy urged her to continue.

  “He asked me to marry him, and I said no.” Elizabeth eyes filled with tears as she calmly stated the gist of the situation.

  “Why did you say no? You’re crazy about him. I’ve never seen you like this before.” Amy jumped up and grabbed her purse off the kitchen island. She dug inside, pulled out a package of tissues and handed them to her.

  “He’s so different from any man I’ve ever been with.” Elizabeth sobbed into the tissues.

  “That’s why he’s so perfect!” Amy said hugging her.

  “But we don’t even know each other?” Elizabeth stammered between sobs.

  “What are you talking about?” Amy asked in surprise, “Beth, he knows you better than anyone, better than even I do. He can tell when you are upset or angry by the tone of your voice. He’s not intimidated by your bossy, know-it-all attitude. He’s a real man, like Randy. You can take them both at face value. They have no ulterior motives; they don’t need any. They are not complicated or intense. They don’t have high power positions or conquer the world jobs. They are down to earth, everyday Joes.”

  Elizabeth stared at Amy trying to comprehend her reasoning. Finally, she said, “What would my readers say if the author of the Three-year rule strategy ran off and married a man she just met?”

  Amy smiled and gazed back at Elizabeth. She said in a wistful tone, “They’d be thrilled that true love still exists.”

  “I’d look like a fool.” Elizabeth snapped.

  “So you write a new book called Love Conquers All.” Amy laughed, undaunted by Elizabeth’s’ negativity.

  “That’s ridiculous!” Elizabeth jumped up from the sofa and walked quickly to the kitchen. “You can’t possibly understand, Amy. You’re a sprite, an enigma. You can plunge headlong into a relationship, and it will last forever simply because you are unyieldingly happy all the time.”

  Amy’s smile disappeared as she rose from the sofa. She followed Elizabeth to the kitchen and placed her wine glass on the counter next to the sink. Gazing down at the still full glass of golden liquid, Amy said, “I’m unyieldingly happy, because I choose not to surrender to negativity.” She turned to face Elizabeth and added, “I choose to move beyond the things in my past that threaten to drag me into a deep depression. Beth, I choose to take chances with my heart. I choose to live everyday ruled by my emotions. I choose to love with all my heart because if life is not about love and friendship, then I don’t know why we exist at all.”

  “It’s not that easy,” Elizabeth said softly, looking out the large kitchen windows.

  “Yes, it is, Beth. Yes, it is.” Amy whispered, “Can’t you, for just one moment put your intellect in your pocket and let your heart guide you. I promise you, no matter what happens you will be better for it.”

  Chapter Eight