Page 112 of The Wedding Ranch
“I love homemade strawberry ice cream. Hands down it’s my favorite. My grandfather would make it for us.”
“Mine’s chocolate, but I’ll make strawberry for you just like he did.”
“Well, he made us hand crank it. That wasn’t all that much fun.”
“I’ll make the ice cream. You can just enjoy it. It’s Diane’s favorite too.”
“Were you and Diane always close?”
“We fought tooth and nail as kids sometimes, but at the end of the day we were over it. As adults, we couldn’t be closer.”
“And at the end of the day… Jeff and I weren’t.” Her bottom lip trembled. “I could never forgive him, but I have now.” She let out a breath. “I have to.”
He pulled her close. “I get it. You’re right. People let us down. Things happen we have no control over. We don’t have to understand it to survive it, but we might not get through it alone. I think you and I can survive this together. I want you in my life.”
“I’m afraid you’ll hate me for what Jeff did, and I’m afraid I’ll get my heart broken.”
“Don’t be afraid.” He took her hands in his.
“I need some time to think.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “I’m going to give you some time to think, but please don’t leave me hanging. Trust that what we have is something special, and that we can figure that out together.” He stood and took a step toward the door. “I’m coming back in the morning. Okay?”
“Okay.” She pulled her feet beneath her, hugging her knees.
She looked tiny and fragile sitting there alone as he walked out.
Chapter Thirty-one
The next morning, when Lorri didn’t come to the door, Ryder tried the handle, which was unlocked, and let himself in. Mister didn’t even bark.
Ryder stood there, not really understanding why two wounded souls should find each other in this way, but not questioning it.
He gave Mister a pat on the head as he walked by. Lorri still lay where he’d left her last night.
Her eyes fluttered open, then filled with tears.
He took the feather from his pocket and pressed it into her hand.
She looked at it, then curled her fingers around it. “I guess this is goodbye?”
“No. It’s not. You are more than my friend Lorri. You gave me a reason to laugh again. We’ve both been through a lot, but there’s no reason those things need to keep us apart. I know I don’t want to live my life without you in it.”
“But—”
Ryder wrapped his hand around hers. “Like that feather. Our life will change in the wind. We’re going to land in situations we don’t expect. We’ll lose things. Find new ones. That feather drifted to my feet as I faced what life without you in it might be. I don’t want to ever experience that.”
“But can we? Ryder, this is the worst situation.”
“It’s not. It sounds like it, but it’s what we make it, and I know one thing for certain. I can’t say goodbye to you,” he said. “I need you in my life.”
She pushed herself up on the couch. “How can you look at me… knowing?”
“The same way I’ve looked at you since the day I met you. There’s something special about you, Lorri, and I won’t question it, and I’ll never put it at risk. Please, please trust me with your heart.” His pounded wildly.
“I do.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing softly. “I’ve fallen in love with you.”
He held her. “We’ll respect our pasts and focus on our future. We’ll say grateful prayers and not question the blessings. I want to enjoy every sunrise with you and snuggle every sunset.”
