Page 109 of Texas Destiny
“I’ll keep it, then.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
He’d never rushed headlong into a battle, but he figured this time, it might be the best approach. “I spent a lot of time studying it. The back is real pretty with all the gold carving. Took me about an hour to gather up the courage to turn it over and look at the other side.”
“And what did you see?”
“A man who loves you more than life itself.”
Closing her eyes, she dropped her chin to her chest.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me. I haven’t held your feelings as precious as I should have.”
“I don’t hate you,” she whispered hoarsely. “I tried to, but I can’t.”
“Dallas is willing to give you an annulment.”
Damn, the words were as ugly as his face, not at all what she deserved. He’d consider himself the wealthiest man in the world if he only possessed the words he thought she longed to hear, words worthy of her. He thought he could see a tear glistening in the corner of her eye. “Damn it, woman, look at me.”
Slowly, she lifted her head. The sight of the tears welling in her eyes hurt more than the wound healing in his shoulder.
“I’ve had plenty of moments in my life when I’ve been scared, but I swear to you that I’ve never been as scared as I am right now. I’m afraid you won’t take Dallas up on his offer for an annulment … and I’ll have nothing in my life but the emptiness that was there before you stepped off that train in Fort Worth. I wouldn’t blame you for staying with him. God knows I haven’t done right by you—” He slammed his eye shut. “Ah, hell, this isn’t what I wanted to say.”
He slipped the mirror back into his pocket and
sank down into the chair. He’d never felt so tired in his life. She rushed forward and knelt beside him.
“Are you bleeding?”
“No. Just need a moment to gather my strength.”
“You shouldn’t have come here tonight. You should have stayed in bed—”
“I couldn’t. Every time I took a breath, I smelled you.” He wrapped his hand around hers, pressed a kiss to the heart of her palm, and held her gaze. “I’ve got a one-room cabin, a few horses, and a dream that’s so small it won’t even cover your palm. But it sure seems a lot bigger when you’re beside me.”
The moonlight streaming through the window shimmered off the tears trailing along her cheeks. “I’ve always wanted a dream that I could hold in the palm of my hand,” she said quietly.
His heart slammed against his chest, and all the things he’d feared melted away. “I want you beside me until the day I die, Amelia. If you’ll have me … as your husband.”
She smiled softly. “I’ll take a question.”
“What?”
She raised a delicate brow. “A question.” He swallowed hard, took her hands, and brought them to his lips. “Will you marry me?” “Yes.”
Joy overflowed within his heart, creating a sunrise bathed in love. “I’ll take a dare,” he rasped.
“Kiss me as though you love me.”
“Woman, don’t you know that I’ve always kissed you that way?”
Guiding her onto his lap, he took her into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her tenderly, this woman of courage who would soon become his wife.
Chapter Twenty-one
They waited until spring, when the wildflowers formed a bright multicolored carpet over the plains.
Amelia stood beside the springs, listening to the babble of the water as it flowed over the moss covered rocks. Her dress of white lace and silk whispered in the breeze, a gift from Houston, one of many he’d brought her from Fort Worth. A gift to capture her memories.
