Walker chuckled, the sound low and rough. “No. Definitely not terrible.”
She opened her eyes then, looking up at him with an expression so vulnerable it made his chest ache.
“Walker, I—” Her voice caught. “I love you. I think I have for a long time now.”
His heart soared at the words, but the pain in her eyes made him hesitate. “I’m sensing a ‘but’ coming.”
“But I’m scared.” She glanced away. “What we’ve built here, at Valor Ridge. It matters. It really matters. And if we tried this and it didn’t work...” She shook her head. “I couldn’t bear to lose it. To lose you.”
He covered her hand with his own, feeling her warmth through his shirt. “You wouldn’t lose me.”
“You say that now.” Her voice caught. “But relationships end. People leave. People die.”
Nick. Her husband. The unspoken presence between them for years.
“I loved Nick deeply at one time,” she continued. “And losing him the way I did nearly destroyed me. If something happened to you...” She swallowed hard and smoothed her hands down his chest. “I’m not ready, Walker. I want to be, but I’m not.”
The admission hurt, but less than he’d expected. There was truth in it, and truth he could work with.
“How long do you need?”
She blinked, clearly surprised by the question. “I-I don’t know. I can’t promise you a timeline.”
“I’m not asking for one. Take the time you need. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
“You can’t know that.”
“Yes, I can.” He took both her hands in his. “Jo, I’ve been in love with you since that first day in group therapy when you called me a stubborn ass for skipping my medication.”
The memory brought a small smile to her face.
“That was six years ago.” He cupped her face in his hands. “If I haven’t gotten over you yet, I’m not going to.”
She stared up at him, searching his face. “You’d really wait? Not knowing how long?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Walker considered the question, trying to find words for something that felt as fundamental as breathing. “Because you’re it for me,” he said finally. “Because whatever we build here, whatever Valor Ridge becomes, none of it means anything without you here with me.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Walker...”
“I’m not asking you for anything you can’t give,” he said quickly. “However long it takes, if I have to wait until I’m ninety, I’ll still be here.”
Johanna leaned into him then, her head finding the hollow of his shoulder as if it had always belonged there. Walker wrapped his arm around her, holding her close, breathing in the scent of her hair.
The fire had burned down to embers, casting a soft glow over the porch. In the distance, they could hear the faint pop of fireworks from town, people celebrating the coming year. Cowboy squirmed in between them, settling on their boots with a big puppy sigh.
“Thank you,” Johanna whispered against his chest. “For understanding.”
Walker pressed his lips to the top of her head. “Always.”
part three
8 years ago
RIVER
