A Reunion And A Ring (Proposals & Promises 1)

“You didn’t need help with the bandage?” she asked, glancing toward his covered shoulder.

He shook his head. “I managed. Thanks.”

Lacing her hands, she glanced around the now cheerily lit room, trying to think of anything else to say. Coming up blank, she gave him a strained smile. “I guess I should try to make it out, then. Unless there’s anything else I can do for you before I go?”

As she’d expected, he declined the offer. “No, it’s all good.”

She nodded. “Then I should go before it starts getting dark.”

“I’ll follow you down the hill in my truck, make sure you get across okay. I need to put my truck away for the night, anyway.”

She’d be wasting her breath to tell him it wasn’t necessary to see her off, so she merely nodded again. She took a step toward the door, then stopped when he moved to block her way. “What?”

His gaze was so intent on her face that she almost felt as though he could see her thoughts. “Just one more question before you go.”

Suddenly nervous, she smoothed the hem of her shirt. “What is it?”

“Why did you really come here this weekend?”

She moistened her lips before answering. “I told you. I had work to do.”

“Yeah, that’s what you told me. And it’s probably true. To an extent. But there’s something more you haven’t told me. Something that’s been nagging at you. Probably none of my business, but you can always tell me to butt out, if you want.”

“What makes you think I haven’t told you everything?” she challenged, not quite meeting his eyes.

“Jen.” He reached out and lifted her chin with a surprisingly gentle hand, so that their eyes met fully again. “I know it’s been a decade since we’ve seen each other, but there was a time I knew you as well as I knew myself. There’s a reason other than work that you came here, isn’t there?”

She sighed. Perhaps it was the bittersweet reminder of their past that loosened her tongue. “The man I’ve been dating proposed to me last week. I came here to decide what my answer will be.”

Chapter Five

She felt Gavin’s hand twitch against her face, a spasmodic jerk he’d been unable to contain. And then he dropped his arm to his side, his thoughts now closed to her. She was sure her announcement had come as a surprise to him, but she couldn’t tell how he felt beyond that.

“Well, isn’t that a dilemma,” he said. It wasn’t quite a snarl.

Her chin rose. “It isn’t an easy decision. Thad’s a wonderful man, but I’ve worked hard to build the life I have now and obviously marriage would mean big changes for me. If you still know me so well, you should understand that I need to make sure I’ve considered all possible ramifications before I make a lifelong commitment.”

“Sorry I got in your way this weekend. But I’m sure you’ll make the decision that’s right for you, anyway. You always have.”

He opened the door and stepped outside before she could decide if she’d just been complimented or insulted. Wishing now that she’d kept her mouth shut, she swallowed a sigh and followed him outside.

“You have all your stuff?” he asked, pausing on the porch to don his mud-caked boots.

She nodded. “I think I have everything.”

“I’ll drive down ahead of you and make sure it’s safe before you go through.”

Though she thought he was being overcautious, she nodded. “Fine.”

He climbed into his truck without another word. Apparently he wasn’t going to say anything else about the admission she’d made to him. But wasn’t he even goi

ng to say goodbye?

After a moment, she slid into her car. If he wanted to part with nothing more than a wave at the bottom of the hill, that was okay with her. It was probably even for the best.

He drove slowly down the hill and she followed at a safe distance. The road looked different in the afternoon light than it had in the darkness and rain on the way up. Much less forbidding and narrow, though the riverside fell away a bit more sharply than she’d have liked.

At the foot of the long hill, the road was still covered with a muddy puddle, but it looked no deeper now than it had when she’d driven through last night. Water rushed in the deep ditches along the roadside, and she saw the fresh trenches cut into the mud by the men’s shovels. Gavin braked at the foot of the hill, then drove slowly through the puddle. As far as she could tell, he had no trouble getting to the slightly higher ground on the other side. He pulled over as far as he could on the woods side of the road, hopped out of his truck and motioned for her to proceed. Following his example, she drove slowly, staying in the center of the road. She heard the water sloshing against the bottom of her car, but her tires held their grip. Her enforced stay was at an end.