by LoRee Peery
She somberly wondered if Eric had put Rainn up to the visit.
To see if I had the nerve to throw myself at him?
****
It took all the patience Eric had, waiting to see if Rainn had spoken with Moselle at Frivolities. But there hadn’t been much to report.
The incident wasn’t manipulative on Eric’s part. Rainn was buying his sister a gift. Eric just asked for a report on Moselle. And found out the most important answer. Moselle had pretty much ignored Rainn, leaving Geneva to wait on him.
Eric spent more time running, six miles a day now instead of four, ignoring Geneva’s house and Frivolities during daylight hours. He took chances when called to fires. At a recent grassfire, Rainn and Marty both had to pull him away from the path of danger. He’d been determined to keep going beyond his oxygen supply.
No distraction worked.
He tried in vain to rid himself of frustration.
During brief moments, he’d soften and remember her touch, the look in her eye. But he’d begin to get heated up and the anger Moselle sparked returned.
It was past time to do something about the whole situation.
He’d even managed to be nice to Beth, purposely getting in her path after church one Sunday. She hadn’t said anything about wanting to talk to him since she’d left the message. He still prayed they never had to hash anything over.
He’d forgiven her and she should realize it without having to ask him. And that would come as she grew in the Lord.
But he did need to clear the air with Moselle so their future would come more clearly. If they had a future. And he believed with all of his heart that they had a future. Together.
A verse from Deuteronomy came to mind. “And the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed.”
He had to trust that God was in the timing.
Eric needed to see her.
Like, yesterday.
He hadn’t been to the loft since she moved in. Maybe he’d use Dear as an excuse for a visit.
The puppy went crazy with energy over any excuse to go outside. But she strained against the leash and chased after anything, even things Eric couldn’t see. Good thing he could run some without getting winded.
Now that he’d made up his mind, he wanted to run all the way until he and Moselle had settled things. Until she was in his arms again, where she belonged.
When he saw her, he stopped. Dear kept going. Eric dug his heels into the alley gravel and the puppy sat, tongue lolling.
Moselle stood on the deck, resting her arms on the top railing, a tall glass held between her hands. The setting sunlight brought out flashes of fire in her hair where the breeze teased the fringes. She wore an olive green sleeveless shirt and cut-off jean shorts. The toes of one bare foot rested on top of the other foot.
Eric sensed the second she became aware of him standing below.
Their gazes met and held. Tension dropped out of his body.
Without conscious thought, he let loose the leash when the puppy’s feet hit the first step.
He felt like he was walking on a cloud. Up and up.
Closer and closer to Moselle.
Higher and higher, each step brought him nearer, her green eyes beckoned.
But his stomach was still on the ground.
He stopped a foot in front of her. She was breathing as hard as he, short, incomplete breaths that raised each of their chests.
She reached out her hand and settled it over his heart.
Eric covered her fingers with his and felt his own heart thumping like a bass drum.
With his right hand he traced his knuckles down the line of her jaw in a touch that shocked him to his feet.
She raised her free hand, smoothing his eyebrow, above his ear and into the hair at his nape.
He moaned.
She sighed.
Their foreheads met.
He’d never felt more like belonging in all his life. Home was with Moselle, wherever they landed. As long as they were together, they’d belong anywhere.
“Hi—”
“We—”
Eric didn’t know which one had said which word. He didn’t care. He spread his hands over her ribcage and drew her close.
“Eric, I’m so sorry. Call it momentary insanity. I’ve missed you so. Please, forgive me?”
“Shh.” He kissed her temple. “It doesn’t matter. As long as we’re together we can work anything out.”
“I just feel so crazy inside.” Her voice came out ragged. “I don’t know what to do with it all.”
“We can put a leash on it.” He laughed, feeling a tug and weight on his foot. “And speaking of leashes…”
They looked down. Dear had wound the rope around both of their ankles, entangling them together. Right where they belonged. Bound together.
Laughter was such a release.
“How about some sun tea?”
Moselle knelt to tussle with Dear while untangling her. “You’ve grown. And I’ll bet you’d like a drink.”
The puppy licked and rolled, as though she had missed Moselle as much as Eric had. If only humans could love with such unconditional abandon.
Eric shook his head. Moselle even had a dog bowl on the deck, as though she had been waiting for their visit.
She took his hand, entwining their fingers. He wanted to hold on and never lose her touch.
Then she leaned in against his side as though their arms were one limb, linking them together.
“I have felt so out of it, not talking with you and hearing about your day.”
“Yup. You need a swing out here on the deck so we can sit and smooch.”
“Eric.” Her laughter sounded like music. “I’ve missed you.”
He traced the freckles on her nose before kissing the large one above her lip. “Know what you mean, babe. Sometimes it feels bigger than both of us.”
How had he survived without her?
He addressed his next words to the tiny flecks of gold around her pupils. “You are part of my life and I’ve missed you.”
She looked away first, without comment.
Eric drew his bottom lip between his teeth, released it to place a lingering kiss on her cheek. “I want to tell you something.”
“All right.” She reached out to open the slider, “I’ll get Dear a drink and we can talk.”
The three went inside where Eric took in the living space at a glance. The colors were all Moselle. Warm rusts and browns mixed in with sunny yellows and earthy greens. And of course, whimsy and art sprinkled throughout.
“Please, have a seat. Come here, Dear.”
Eric chose the leather loveseat and followed her movements as she rounded the short room-dividing counter, not wanting to take his eyes off her.
When she returned from the sink in the tiny kitchen area, she met his gaze. He patted the cushion beside him while extending the other hand.
She snuggled against his side. He drew her hand to his mouth, where he kissed each knuckle, before linking his fingers between her long fine ones.
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve missed this.” Eric took his free hand and bent her head to rest on his shoulder. They sat in silence for a time, content in the moment. “Sometimes at night, when I’ve rehashed the inferno of a fire—the rushing flames, smoke and water—I’ve missed talking to you about it.”
Moselle remained quiet, the rise and fall of her breathing soft and warm at his side.
“I’ve driven by your mom’s house, pictured you out on the porch. But—”
“I wasn’t outside,” she interjected. “I was ashamed and couldn’t imagine what to say, even if I saw you.”
She traced the emblem on his burnt orange polo. “I was hiding.”
He knew what that felt like. He’d been hiding from running into Beth, at least staying away from where he might see her.
“I’ll try to sort through this so you know where I’m coming
from.” He attempted to fill his diaphragm, but the air got caught in his chest cavity.
“There’s a time in the rhythm of a fire, a spell of surreal quiet, kind of a feeling of being on hold once the flames and billowing smoke settle. We have to wait between the wild action of a blaze and the aftermath involving clean-up. Once in a while a spurt of smoke forms and we can hear wood settling or quiet drips of water.”
Eric ran a finger over Moselle’s brow and down the length of her jaw, played with the silver wolf dangling from her left ear. “Sorry my hands are so rough.”
She made a sound of protest, deep in her throat, and he kissed her, swallowing the unformed words.
Pulling back, Eric rested his forehead on hers. “I never want to feel on hold again, paused between scenes of disaster with you, Moze. Fighting a fire is all-out action, followed by a filthy, stinky mess.”
His voice sounded ragged, but he had so much to express that he floundered for the words and didn’t care if the tone wasn’t smooth.
She drew a sharp intake of breath. “I can’t guarantee that there won’t be messes in life.”
“I know. And I jumbled what I was trying to say.”
He pulled back and held her face in his hands. “Whatever happens, would you please consider going through life with me?”
Moselle’s Insurance
17
“Count on it.” Moselle felt like she was dreaming. But where the hair on Eric’s wrists teased her fingers, she reacted in the depths of her heart.
Being with Eric, here in her loft, was for real.
Puppy Dear woke up from a nap and pushed to her back feet, jostling for attention between their knees.
Their enjoyment and the tussling somehow went into gales of laughter, so uncontrollable that it cleared all the tension from the air, lifting a heavy weight.
She fumbled for words between wet puppy licks and happy yips, but she didn’t tear her focus from Eric’s face.
“Where was I? Oh, yeah.” She inhaled and could taste the fresh mint of Eric’s mouth even before her lips found his, reshaping her smile of bliss into seriousness. She put every possible effort into a kiss that she hoped conveyed the depth of her love.
Moselle opened her eyes before Eric, and lifted a finger to caress his golden lashes. “I mean me. You can count on me, Eric.”
She trembled, and knew by his fierce reaction that Eric was also affected by the encounter. She pressed against his mouth, running her fingers through his short tawny hair, so different from the texture of hers, learning and relearning the shape of his head, ears, and neck.
The kiss came to an abrupt halt when puppy licks again slathered their cheeks.
Moselle reckoned the desire she read in Eric’s eyes mirrored her own. There was that feral likeness again, reminding her of a wolf.
“Oh, boy.” Eric shook his head and held the puppy at bay, then gave up to gather Dear in his arms. “I mean, oh, girl.”
Moselle reached over to scratch the puppy between its ears.
Thank God for Dear’s interruption.
She wanted to do more than hold Eric. She felt closer to him than ever before. They shared a mutual history that included much more than the physical. But she could wait a bit longer.
Based on friendship first, and the kinship of Christianity, they were as close as she figured a couple could be. Soul mates.
She sobered. “Eric, I’m so sorry I said what I did.”
“I know.” He slid his arm around her shoulders.
“Forgive me? I’d never come-on to Rainn.” Or anyone else but you. “I’ve never thought of any other man. Only you.”
“I know. It was the anger talking.”
Dear struggled to get out of Eric’s hold.
Trying not to be frustrated over the puppy’s antics, Moselle leaped up. “Let’s go outside.”
The puppy barked at the word and they followed her to the door. Could they seriously talk with that rascal nipping at their ankles, going wild back and forth, paws padding all over the deck planking?
“We can be going crazy on the inside.” Eric swung her hand up to touch his chest. He tapped his heart with her fingers.
“But God gets through to us in here.” I ran across the phrase ‘be still and know,’ and just like that…”
Eric snapped the fingers of his free hand. The puppy ran to his side.
They frolicked a moment before she settled against the heart-shaped iron chair back.
Eric seated himself while keeping hold of Moselle’s hand. He swung their clasped hands between the two chairs. “As I was saying, I have no doubt that once forgiven we have no reason to feel guilty anymore. We don’t have to go back. God doesn’t.”
“We can accept that forgiveness ourselves. And when I realized what a temptation giving in to lust could be, I grew closer to understanding what it takes for a person not to give in to his. Or her—”
Moselle held up her hand when Eric opened his mouth to interrupt. “Or her urges. But to recognize weakness and seek the Lord’s strength.”
The air grew thick with Eric’s silence. Dear now slumbered, her nose resting on Eric’s shoe.
Moselle started at the loud squawking of a blue jay, but remained focused on Eric. “I’m so glad you came over. I missed you those days when we weren’t talking.”
“Shall we vow, at least I hope we’re on the same page talking about marriage, that we will always try to find answers to our problems in the Bible and through prayer?”
“Gladly,” Moselle said. She turned his hand over to trace his knuckles. When she looked up, she found Eric peering at her face.
“I read the quote above your workbench. I believe that. Together, we can make more than this life by trying with all we have to focus on Jesus.” Eric smoothed his short beard. “We have a loose end, don’t we? What about the antique store and your life in Kansas City? We can’t go forward unless you stay here.”
“First, the bank closed where my loan was approved. Second, Sam has a relative interested. I knew the day we went to the Wildlife Safari that my place is in Nebraska. But I’ve been waiting for something.”
He drew in a gusty breath, rolled the puppy aside, and swooped off the chair onto one knee.
The rush of her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
Eric lifted her left hand and tucked it into both his, never breaking his intent gaze. “I’ve been thinking that my love for you is like the adrenalin rush of racing to a fire.”
At last. He did love her!
She heard him swallow. She willed him to relax.
“And when I think that I might be called to save a life, any time those sirens sound, when it comes right down to it, I believe that you, Moselle, have saved me from an unfulfilled life. I want to live life to its fullest. With you.”
Eric drew her hand up to his mouth and turning it over, planted a kiss on the palm. Then he closed her fingers over the treasure, rested his right elbow on his bent knee, and held their hands in the air.
Her whole world was filled with Eric. Everything surrounding them disappeared from her awareness.
“My whole being wants to believe that we love one another above all else, except our love for God.”
He reached into his left pocket. “I’d like to think we’re looking at the long haul here. I’m not thinking of myself all the time. From now on, whenever I’m called to a fire, I’ll be concerned about my personal safety for your sake.”
“Mine?”
“Yes, I want to be whole and healthy, all of me, safe for you and our life together.”
She cupped his jaw in her hand, tracing a finger over his cheekbone. “Eric, I want to be only and all for you, too.”
He swallowed again.
She said, “I love you.”
He pulled his hand from his pocket and flipped open the lid on the little velvet box. “Oh, I love you too, Moze. I always have.”
Her eyes finally left his and zeroed in on the treasure he held. She knew at fi
rst glance that the ring was handcrafted, the glittering diamond held in place by white gold shaping a vine, accented by tiny leaves. “Oh, I fantasized most of my teen years about the ring you would get for me.”
“I knew it was the one for you the second I laid eyes on it.”
“It reminds me–”
“Of the frames around your photographs.” He closed his eyes. “The way I saw your face in those pictures after so many years.”
She quivered inside, recalling the impact of his grainy newspaper photograph.
Eric opened his eyes. “We are meant for each other.”
“Oh, Eric. There could never be anyone but you.”
“We weren’t grown up enough to have been together right out of high school.” Eric lifted the ring from its velvet case, took her hand, and looking into her eyes, asked, “Moselle Lanae Carson, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Oh, yes, Eric Lincoln Todd.” She wanted to dance.
As soon as the ring was in place, she threw her arms around his neck. Off balance, he stumbled onto his side, waking up the puppy. His fall released Moselle’s hold on Eric’s neck. She leaned over and scooped up Dear so the puppy wouldn’t run loose.
“Sometimes I feel like a kid. Just look at what the Lord’s done. Here we are, again. Good friends with a puppy between us.”
Eric stood and pulled them into his embrace. Dear wiggled up to lap Eric’s jaw.
He laughed and rubbed his face against the over-grown puppy before setting her back down. “Just so you know, there will be no more lonely photos of you. We’re about to become family.”
Eric leaned in close to whisper in Moselle’s ear, thrilling her to her toes. “Thanks again for Dear. And, for being my friend when we were children.”
“My heart beats for you and you alone.”
She took in the scene, her man and his dog before her on a glorious summer eve. Life was full and perfect and she wanted to bottle the moment. “You are my assurance. And you may be a great agent, Eric, but my insurance is in God’s promises.”
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