“Because…”
“Because isn’t an answer. What are you so afraid of?”
She swiped at her cheeks when tears tickled a path down them. “My family is here.”
“And we’ll always be here. That won’t change.” Violet sat beside her on the sofa and grabbed her hand. “Do you love him?”
More tears clouded her vision. “Yes.”
“Then don’t let him go. I promise you, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you do.”
She already did, but how could she leave? How could she walk away from her family? “Who will take care of Gramps? Who will cook his meals?”
“I will.” Violet grinned. “He probably won’t like it, but he won’t starve.”
Violet raised a hand and wiped Daisy’s falling tears again, smiling before saying, “Clay loves you, Daisy. Do you know how rare that is? People go their entire lives waiting for it, and many die without ever experiencing it. Don’t let him go because you’re scared to leave. You should be more scared of the alternative. Living the rest of your life alone will be a miserable existence when all you had to do was have a little courage and take the hand offered to you.”
She didn’t catch every word Violet said, but she understood enough to know what she was saying. Finding someone to love you, who you loved in return, was a gift. She knew it was, but could she really leave her family and move so far away? It terrified her even to think it, but deep down, she knew the question she should be asking herself was, could she let Clay leave without her?
Bright morning sunlight flooded the small room behind the jail. It took Clay less than ten minutes to gather all his things. He pulled the strings on his travel bag tight to secure everything inside and turned back to look at the room he’d called home.
The day Josiah had offered it to him was still clear in his mind. It was the first time in his life he’d had a place to live that wasn’t bartered or temporary. It had been given to him freely, with no arrangements whatsoever, and he would have been perfectly happy there for years for no other reason than Daisy was three houses down. But he couldn’t see her living here. It wasn’t a proper home. It wasn’t meant to be, and she deserved more than this. He wanted to give her a house she could be proud of, and now he could. Sharing the profits the livery stable in Butte earned, he could give her everything she ever wanted. All she had to do was accept it.
He shut the door of the little room behind the jail and headed to the livery stable. The horse Liam named Bran was a beauty, his coat so black it shone in the sun. It nickered at him when he opened the stall door to let him out. He took his time saddling him and securing his bag so he’d not lose it on the long ride home, and knew he was stalling when he’d untied the bag and secured it two more times.
He blew out a breath and laid his forehead on the horse's saddle. Dread had settled into his gut the moment his eyes opened that morning. He’d gone to bed questioning Daisy’s feelings for him, and they still lingered. If she loved him as she said, would it matter where they lived as long as they were together? To him, it didn’t, and if he had any sort of opportunity to thrive in Silver Falls, he’d stay without question. But there was nothing for him here. No chance of ever being anything other than the man who helped at the livery stable from time to time and got paid a measly amount of money for doing it. He didn’t blame Gunter for that, though. Gunter’s livery stable was a small business compared to what Liam and Lewis had created. Silver Falls was too small of a community for Gunter to even need help, and he knew the man let him stay in the tack room and paid him what he could out of pity. He couldn’t do that anymore. Didn’t want to, not when he could have everything he’d ever dreamed of. All he had to do was convince Daisy to live the dream with him.
Straightening, he patted Bran on the neck and led him outside, tying his reins to the hitching post and heading toward Daisy’s house. Josiah answered the door when he knocked. “Marshal Lincoln,” he said when the man stepped back to let him in.
“You don’t have to be so formal with me, Clay. Josiah is fine.”
He nodded and glanced down the hall, where he heard Ewan’s boisterous laughter.
Josiah grinned after shutting the door. “There’s never a dull moment here,” he said. “Ewan sees to that.” He nodded his head toward the kitchen. “Come join us for breakfast. Daisy was putting the last of it on the table when I came to answer the door.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I don’t have time. I need to speak to her, though.”
“All right,” Josiah said. “I’ll go tell her you’re here.”
He stepped into the parlor when Josiah hurried back to the kitchen. He heard the noise in the house die a moment before Ewan yelled, “Well, go on, lass! What are you waiting for?”
The sound of heels clicking on the floorboards was loud in the stillness. The steps were slow, as if whoever was making them was reluctant to take each one, and it didn’t bode well. He knew without Daisy saying a word to him, he would leave town alone.
She appeared in the doorway a moment later. The dress she wore was a sunny yellow with small pink flowers dotting the fabric. Her hair was pulled up, thin sprigs curling around her face, and he’d never seen her look more beautiful. The desire to take her in his arms the moment she stepped into the room was so strong, he had to physically force himself to stand still and wait for her to come to him, but she never did. She didn’t move beyond the threshold.
Something in his chest ached to the point of pain as he watched her. He knew from nothing more than the look on her face that she wasn’t going to marry him, and the knowledge left him wondering if she even loved him like she said she did. The realization that she might not made the ache pinch harder.
He crossed the room to where she stood and could already see the tears in her eyes. His heart hurt seeing them, especially when he realized he was the one causing her distress. He cupped her face in his hands, tilting her head up so she’d look at him. Her tears fell when he did, and he kissed them away, inhaling the scent on her skin as his heart broke one beat at a time.
“I have to go,” he said once he lifted his head. More tears fell at his words, and he brushed them away with his thumbs. “Don’t cry. It will be all right.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. I can only imagine what leaving your family feels like, and I understand. If I had a family, I wouldn’t want to leave them either.” He didn’t know if she understood all that he said, but the sorrow in her eyes said maybe she did. The clock in the room ticked by the seconds, and he stared at her lovely face, memorizing every inch before leaning down to kiss her one last time.
He lingered, tasting the salt from her tears on her lips, and her hands on his chest felt like a brand. He would miss this. He’d miss her kisses and the smiles she gave him. He’d miss her. He already did.
The kiss ended much sooner than he would have liked. He was only prolonging his agony and causing her more distress, so he gave her a smile that he hoped eased some of her pain. He brushed her hair from her face and wiped more tears from her cheeks and stepped back before saying, “I love you, Daisy Campbell. Never forget that.” Not waiting for a response, he left the house, pulling the door shut quietly behind him as he did.
