Unspoken Promises
Page 2
“It took me weeks to ask you out after I first noticed you’d grown up.”
“You’re not much older, Treynor.”
He shrugged. “Five years is enough when you’re young. When I came home to Freewill, I couldn’t believe such a gangly child had grown into a beautiful woman.”
She smiled. It lit her pretty eyes and his hunger.
Unfortunately, the compliment did not get him off the hook like he’d hoped. He sat straighter and shifted on the seat, one leg tucked between them. “Sure you need to hear all this?”
She nodded. “Just say whatever’s on your mind.”
Slender hands fluttered in her lap like tiny trapped birds. He caught the closest one, rubbing her knuckles gently and chuckled. “I wish you’d come upstairs and let me love you.” When she glared, he grinned. “You asked what’s on my mind. Getting you naked has been my dominant thought since I carried you out of the bakery.”
Billie pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her enticing breasts, hiding them from his view. “Unless you can share something more specific, I won’t ever be in your bed. Now talk.”
His heart tightened at the thought of never making love to her again. Standing, he paced up and down the narrow porch until the urge to throw her over his shoulder and prove her wrong receded. He stopped in front of her, hands buried in his front pockets. His fingertips brushed over her ring and reminded him of the big picture. He’d risk looking like a fool if it meant he’d have her forever.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll never be smooth, Billie. It ain’t my style.”
“I don’t—”
“Hush. You wanted me to talk.” At her nod, he continued. “The night you saw me with Diane, I was coming to find you, but I was nervous. I’d never proposed before.” He ignored her gasp and continued. “I wanted a woman’s opinion on the ring.”
“I love it.”
“Willamina Jensen, shut your mouth until I’m done. I’m only going to say all this once so you better listen up.”
“Yes, sir!” She grinned.
He was tempted to say screw it. If he kissed her, he had no doubt she’d cave, but he wanted everything in the open. He sank to his knees and took her hands. “At first, when you wouldn’t talk to me, I was angry. I couldn’t figure how you would think I’d hurt you. But the longer you ignored me, the more I understood. I keep my thoughts too much to myself, too many years of being alone.”
She leaned forward and brushed a kiss over his mouth. “I’m sorry, Trey.”
The shortened name almost undid him. She only called him that when they were alone and she was content. Pressing her palms to his chest, he held her gaze. “Even after my folks died, I never felt lonely until you walked away. You’re my heart, huittsuu. Without you, I’m an empty husk. I don’t know how to say what I mean—”
Billie pulled her hand from his and pressed her fingers to his lips. “You just said far more than I ever expected to hear from you.” Tears filled her eyes and escaped. “I love you too, and I missed you, and I’m sorry I didn’t believe in you.”
Happiness swelled in his chest, filling in the emptiness. Gently, he kissed her fingers and then her lips before he sat on his heels and pulled the silver band from his pocket. “Marry me?”
Her laughter washed over him like the spring rain. “You really are a man of few words aren’t you?”
He grinned. “Can’t change that.”
“And I’m not asking you to.” She tugged at his shirt, pulling him forward for a long slow kiss before she released him. “Are you sure this is what you want, Trey? I won’t let you back out once your ring’s on my finger.”
Taking her left hand, he slid the band in place. “Not a problem.” He stood and swung her into his arm then headed toward the house and the bed that had been empty too long.
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Married to her college sweetheart, Becca Dale lives not far from the Midwestern farm where she grew up. She is always looking for examples of love in every situation and never fails to find them even among her stoic and conservative neighbors. She firmly believes that there is someone for everyone, someone who sees beyond the reality of surface faults and embraces the heart beneath. No matter how hot or mild a story ends up, it is love and a need for understanding that drives it.
You can visit Becca at:
http://beccadaleauthor.webs.com
More Stories of Freewill
Diamond Heart by Ann Mayburn
1881 – After catching her no good cheat’n rat bastard ex-fiancé in bed with her best friend, Rowan Belmont leaves the mills and factories of the Midwest to move nearer her sister in San Francisco. But getting there proves harder than she expected. Alone, broke, and on the edge of giving up, Rowan hopes for a miracle.
Marcel Champlain can’t get the beautiful woman he met at the Kansas City hotel out of his mind. In a desperate attempt to keep her close, he makes Rowan a job offer: Go with him to Freewill, Wyoming to open a new jewelry store and pose as his wife. With only three months to convince Rowan that she should become his in truth, can Marcel show her that no other man will ever love her as much as he does or will she take his heart and run?
Misbegotten Gaines by Camryn Rhys
Kyle Harris lands a job as the new chef at the Misbegotten Gaines Ranch just in time for the launch of their new Singles’ Trail Ride. When his new boss, the alluring Jamie Gaines, mistakenly believes him to be married, he goes along with the ruse to keep his job. But things start to heat up between them, and Kyle has to choose between losing his job and letting Jamie get away.
Dreams, Deceptions and Desires by Barbara Sheridan
1868 – The wilds of Wyoming offer an escape to many people looking to hide from their past or confront the future. Vivienne Medina, John Avery, Cody Blackheart, and Kate LeMaster are no exceptions. For four people seeking different kinds of peace, Freewill, Wyoming offers the hope of freedom. But insecurities, prejudice, and the unknown exist even in the remote yet growing town. Can love take root and perhaps even thrive, or will four hearts be lost to unfulfilled dreams, dark deceptions, and hidden desires.
Dark Secrets by Desiree Holt
Burned out from battling crime in Phoenix, Hawk Blackwater accepts the job of sheriff in tiny Freewill, Wyoming expecting to find a little peace. But the previous sheriff’s unsolved murder and mysterious lights that appear at night in the Laramie Mountains demand he keep his edge. When a gorgeous but mysterious woman comes to town, she adds one more distraction to his growing list.
Riley Scott, running from her husband and his assassins, thinks she can lose herself in Freewill. After all, who would look for her in the out-of-the-way town? But the sexy sheriff shows far too much curiosity for her peace of mind. When Riley’s past catches up to her, just as Hawk finds the source of the corruption that surrounds the town, they must stand together or fall to dangerous and dark secrets.
Other Stories by Becca Dale
Can't Stop Me
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Prophecy proclaims a child of three worlds will lead the strong one to victory. Threatened by the church since birth and imprisoned by Lucifer’s elite force for over five years, Kernan Malanous represents demons, angels, and mankind, but who will be the strong one—God, Lucifer, or someone intent on overthrowing them both?
Born the blind daughter of the greatest mediums in history, Luca Smith sees more than anyone suspects. Screams of the damned slash at her sanity as demonic visitors hide a stranger in her home. To quiet the horror echoing from the underworld, she seeks the prisoner’s soothing thoughts, offering him peace while finding her own.
When the devil’s top gun comes to reclaim his prize, Luca risks her life to liberate the pure soul in her attic, but Kern won’t leave his beautiful innocent at the mercy of the merciless. Desperate, the young couple flees with hell on their heels. Unrestricted for the first time in their lives, Luca and Kern discover rare joy in one another, but all good has its counterpart.
Torn between personal peril and world-wide destruction, will the young lovers run from fate or take a stand to fight and live as free beings?
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Both must face the roles they were born to play. Hers to lead. His to protect. Can Hannah blindly accept her responsibility as queen or will she turn her back on the extended family she longs for in order to keep the one who destroys her loneliness? Does she even have a choice?
Erotic Healing
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A tragic accident shattered Brenna Halsted’s hopes and dreams. No one wants a runway model with angry scars that hurt long after the pain should have faded. Although her best friend tries desperately to talk her out of it, she decides a one night stand with a stranger on the other side of the world will break the cycle of bitterness and misery she has fallen into.
Kostas Drakos fell in love with the spirited runway model nearly a decade ago. His heart longs for the woman who makes his body and soul ache. While the world watches her downward spiral toward depression, he’s determined to make her smile again. If a single night in his arms could break through the barriers, he would be content to see her happy. If he can make her love him while he’s at it, better yet.
Can Madame Evangeline and her mystic ways bring two people together despite the limits of a one night stand?
Heart Desires
A 1Night Stand Story
Devlynn Connors doesn’t trust her own ability to find a man who isn’t a control freak, but when she turns her future over to her friends and Madame Eve, she fears nothing will change.
When he flies to Las Vegas for a 1Night Stand hook-up, First Lieutenant Stephan Mallard isn’t looking for love. He’s looking to appease his sister’s fear that he will end up alone. A man can do anything for one night, right?
Can Madame Eve overcome misinformation and misperceptions or will Devlynn and the Lieutenant go home alone?
Table of Contents
Unspoken Promises
Midpoint