“Ten,” the whole class said, but no one did it. They just watched as Trisha made her way to the door.
“Yeah,” Trisha said absent-mindedly. As soon as she opened the door to step out, her eyes never leaving Jake’s, the room erupted in hoots and whistles. Trisha’s face flushed red as she slammed the door behind her, only slightly muting her students. “What are you doing here?” was all Trisha could think to say. Finding Jake outside her classroom totally floored her, and she wondered if she wasn’t dreaming. She actually wrapped her arms around her churning stomach and gave herself a tiny pinch to make sure it wasn’t a dream.
Jake straightened, looking down on her. “You look beautiful.” His deep Texas twang sent her heart into overdrive.
“You came all the way to Ohio to tell me that?” Trisha frowned, and then looked back into her classroom where every single eyeball was staring straight at them. Giving them her best teacher frown, she led Jake away from the door. “I’m in the middle of teaching, Jake. Why are you here?”
He reached in his pocket and pulled out her old phone. “I wanted to return this.” He held it, but didn’t hand it to her. “I was angry the night of the rodeo that you didn’t trust me. I wasn’t thinking straight. Actually, I was angry for a while after that, but it wasn’t until Cindy gave me this and told me I was being a total asshole that I understood exactly what happened and how you might have felt when Sam lied to you.”
Trisha didn’t even know what to say. Grabbing her old phone from his hand, she glanced up at him. “You read my messages?” She was mortified. Doug pulled no punches when it came to telling her what kind of loser she was. “You had no right.”
“Yeah, well, that son of a bitch had no right threatening you, and I sure as hell let him know it.” Jake’s growl echoed down the hallway.
“You didn’t?” Trisha gasped, holding the phone to her chest.
“I did, right before I came to see you.” Jake took a step toward her, backing her up. “And he won’t be bothering you again. If he does, he’ll have me to deal with.”
“Why?” Trisha frowned then cursed at the tears burning her eyes again.
Jake had managed to back her against a wall. “Because no one threatens what’s mine.” He leaned closer to her. “I’m sorry for the way I reacted that night. I will apologize every single day until you forgive me, and even after that. Actually, I was angrier about Sam’s hands on you, but thinking you thought so little of me about tore my damn heart out.”
Glancing away from him, her eyes fell on the door where all her students were watching, their faces practically pressed against the glass. Derek gave her a thumbs-up. Her eyes went back to Jake. “I forgave you that night, Jake,” Trisha whispered, a tear slipping out of the corner of her eye. “But I don’t know how any of this will work.”
Jake leaned down, kissing her softly after letting out a sigh. His mouth moved to her ear. “Marry me. Work beside me. Trust me…” He moved away from her ear to look into her eyes. “Love me and we can make anything work.”
Letting her head fall back against the wall, she stared up at him with a small smile. “You really want to marry me?”
“More than I want to breathe, darlin’.” He removed his cowboy hat, knelt right there in the hallway of her school, and pulled out a ring. Taking her hand gently, he looked up at her. “My beautiful city girl, will you marry me and make me the happiest damn cowboy in Texas?”
“Yes!” Trisha laughed and cried, watching as he slipped the ring on her finger.
The hallway erupted with screaming teenagers who were offering their congratulations. Other teachers were coming out of their rooms to find out what all the commotion was.
“I love you,” Jake whispered to her as the chaos surrounded them.
Trisha smiled up at Jake, knowing that happiness really did exist. “I love you more.”
Jake frowned. “Guess I’m going to have to prove you wrong on that one, teach.” The promise in his gaze was one promise she hoped was fulfilled very soon.
Rodeo Romance (Contemporary Western Romance Short) Page 8