“It’s crazy. I promised I would never call you and here I am doing it again.”
He closed his eyes. “Why?”
“Cole told you I’d be in touch. You said I could call or text.”
“But your phone is….” Or was. Just because she had it now didn’t mean she was nearby. She could have quietly snuck into his cab and retrieved her backpack. She could be back inside her trailer.
Or right outside his door.
He approached it slowly, bracing himself for disappointment. “I appreciate the call.”
“I thought you might.” She sounded breathless. “You said you liked hearing my voice in your ear.”
“I do.” His hand trembled as he reached for the wrought iron handle. “But I also like looking at you.” He opened the door.
“How convenient.” She lowered the phone and tucked it in the backpack over her shoulder. “Here I am.”
Words deserted him. She looked the same, but different. The sun was behind her, surrounding her with light, making her golden hair glow. She looked like an angel.
“Can I come in?”
“Yes. Yes, come in.” He stepped back and almost tripped over his own sore feet. “Can I get you a drink? Iced tea? Lemonade? A beer? Or?—”
“Thanks, but… could we just talk?”
“Sure.” His stomach in a knot, he closed the door and tried unsuccessfully to tuck his phone in his back pocket. Finally he gave up and laid it on the small table by the door where he kept his keys.
She unhooked her backpack. “Would you please put that over there, too?”
“Sure.” Great vocabulary he had going on.
“Okay.” She swallowed. “Here goes. I’ve given this thing a lot of thought and I think it might work, but there are a couple of details we should iron?—”
“This thing?” He stared at her. “Do you mean?—"
“You and me.”
The breath left his lungs. “Dios mio.” It came out a whisper and he began to shake.
She moved closer. “That’s why I’m here. I figured you’d know?—”
“But I screwed everything up.”
“You did.” She rested her hands on his chest. “But your heart’s in the right place.”
“And now it’s beating so fast I can’t think.” He cleared his throat. “What… what details?”
“I’m hoping we could set up a fifty-fifty split between time on the road and time here.”
“You’d be fine with staying here half the time?” He took hold of her waist just to steady himself. And to confirm this was real. That she was real. And talking about a potential future.
Light flared in her eyes. “I love you.” Sliding her hands up his chest, she gripped his shoulders. “I don’t want to spend half the year away from you and I also want you to be able to do your work. I’d enjoy seeing you do it. Maybe I could help out now and then.”
“That would be great.” She loved him. He’d told Monty that she did, but had he truly believed it himself? He did now. There was no doubting the intensity in her gaze. Not only did she love him, she wanted a life with him.
But unlike his wild leap of faith this afternoon, she was approaching the prospect with care. Gradually, like the sun sliding over the horizon at dawn and slowly illuminating the landscape, she was showing him the future he’d dreamed of.
But he was wiser, now. “You love your work, too. And traveling.”
