"I mean, I could sing anywhere. But I love singing in that church surrounded by the people I’ve known all my life. It's all I've ever wanted to do. I'm afraid I don't have any other ambitions except to sing there. Sing solos, sing in a group, sing to myself."
"So stay."
“I will.”
Reegan shifted her body until her forehead fit under his chin. Brandon’s hold tightened around her.
“I'll stay for a while,” she said. “But if the paperwork with my brother doesn't get sorted, I can't afford my own place. All my spare money went into home repair."
"So, stay here,” he said.
Brandon’s heart raced inside his chest. He was certain she could feel it. The organ was pounding so hard he was sure it knocked against her skull.
Reegan lifted her head and looked up at him, a question in her raised brows.
"Stay here with me." Brandon heard his mouth speaking. He didn’t try to shut up. He agreed with every impulsive word he spoke. "You know how the Purple Heart Ranch works. Married soldiers get a house for their families, and then they can stay forever.”
Reegan pushed away from him and sat up tall. Her lips parted as she regarded him. Had she stopped breathing as she waited for his next words?
Brandon knew he’d stopped breathing as he waited for her to say something, anything. But she just stared. And so he allowed what was in his heart to fill the silence.
"If we got married, you could have a home in your name. You'd be near the garden. You'd be near all of your friends. You wouldn't have to work a day in your life. And you could sing all you want.”
Now that the words were out, he couldn't take them back. And the truth was, he didn't want to.
Chapter Fourteen
Reegan let the dark, rich soil sift through her fingers. Once it was all gathered in a pile, she patted the mound to secure the tall plant. Instead of climbing, the thin part at the top of the large stalk drooped.
Reaching for a stick and some thin rope, Reegan bound the wilting vine to the sturdy stick to help keep it straight as it grew. Now that it could reach the sun's rays, the plant would definitely grow and thrive.
She sat back and admired her handy work. Looking down at the plant, she felt a kindred spirit. Reegan had been planted in fertile soil. She'd been nurtured by her environment. But she'd never thrived, not truly. In the last few days, she'd been dealt tragedy after tragedy. She hadn't wilted because there was a strong post at her side.
Stay here with me.
Her heart lurched the moment the words had left his mouth. Reegan wanted to stay by Brandon's side forever. Unlike what Pastor Barrett had said, Brandon Lucas was not a stranger. Reegan felt she knew him better than any man of her entire acquaintance. Except, of course, for her brother.
Reegan had never had that type of reaction with any other man. Heck, she'd never truly kissed another man. Well, if she wanted to get technical, there had been Kenny Pratt, but he hadn't counted. Why? Because he’d missed her lips and tongued her nose; an unhappy event neither of them ever brought up again. It was also what solidified Reegan’s belief that the boys of this town preferred boogers.
There had never been a man like Brandon Lucas in this town or in her life. Even now, she wanted to close her fingers around his. She wanted to rest her head against the strong beat of his heart. She wanted to stay inside the safety of his arms. The world could crash and burn while she was with him, and it wouldn’t matter. It would hurt, but she'd be safe in his arms.
"How are you holding up?"
Reegan looked up to see Maggie Banks waddling up to her. The woman was near the second trimester of her pregnancy, and she looked like she was having twins. Two dogs trailed at her feet, her ever watchful army. Reegan was surprised she didn’t see Dylan, Maggie’s overprotective husband, in his wife’s wake. But she supposed the dogs were protection enough.
"It's a bit of a lot,” Reegan said in answer to Maggie’s question.
The Irish Terrier, Spin, pulled up to a stop next to Reegan. The dog’s hind legs hung limp in the wheelchair apparatus that Maggie had fashioned for him. Now, instead of being disabled, the dog was a holy terror. But his bright eyes and enthusiastic sniffs made everyone who came in contact with him fall instantly in love.
Spin rested his head on Reegan’s lap and looked up at her with those doleful eyes. Reegan scratched the little dog’s head and heard him sigh in utter contentment.
Maggie folded herself down into a crossed legged position in the dirt. Reegan worried the woman might not be able to make it back up again. But Sugar, her Golden Retriever, stayed at her side. Once his mistress was seated, the large dog leaned into her back as though he were propping her up.
"You've been through more in the past week than anyone should have to manage in a lifetime,” Maggie said.
Reegan took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp afternoon air. “I’m waiting for the lesson of it all."
Because there had to be a lesson, a silver lining. She knew her parents were in heaven and safe with God. She still wasn't convinced that her brother had met his glory. When her house had burned down, her faith had been shaken.