“Well, if you invest in your heart, it is, Ellie. I think it’sabout time you made an investment in something non-monetary for achange.”
“But what if he was with her the whole time, Denice? What ifme and the baby was just…just a bump in the road?”
“You’ll never know unless you tell him how you feel,Ellie.”
“But it seems impossible, you know? How can I end my marriageand find love again so soon after?”
“Ellie, God doesn’t put a timeline on shit like that. Stopletting that hinder what’s going on here.”
“But it’s true. Doesn’t that seem too fast to you?”
Shesighs. “Ellie, you’re as bad as Will, now. I’m not going to tellyou what to do, but I will tell you one thing, okay. You and Willhave the same problem, yet you’re total opposites.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask softly, feeling thetears prick the backs of my eyes.
“Will never uses his head and you always do. Both of you arestuck in a rut.”
“If you learn to listen to your heart a little more, lifewould be so much different.”
“But I listened to my heart and got myself pregnant, and thenI lost everything.”
“No, you listened to your body, got pregnant, fell in love,and then you lost your head and stopped listening to yourheart.”
I don’tsee any movement up ahead at the ranch, where I’m parked, just outof view enough. , and I sit there, considering Denice’s advice. AndI realize that I need a sign.
…and like the Lord heard my thoughts just now, itcomes.
Chapter 13
Maverick
I sawher car behind me but I didn’t want to say anything. I made it asinconspicuous as possible, the fact that I needed to come outside,to see if she was still there. She said that she was out of townfor work, but with her job, I thought that sounded a littlefarfetched. When I see her still there, I approach her car, but shepeels out of the roadway, tearing off like a bat out of hell. Isigh, resting my thumbs on the belt loops of my jeans, and then itcomes to me. I hop into my truck and follow her thistime.
She’sgot something on her mind and I want to find out what it is. I’mdone pussy-footing around with her. I love her and damn it if shedoesn’t know it yet. I’m going to tell her and then she can dealwith it. But this cat and mouse game is getting old and I’m tiredof playing it. I catch her as she pulls into her driveway, and Iget out of the truck, wondering if she’ll see me or not. When shedoesn’t, I follow her to the front door.
“Saw you following me from the market.” I say softly to her atthe door. She gasps in surprise as she fishes to find her house keyfrom the key ring, fighting with a bag of groceries, which I takefrom her.
“Yeah, well, it’s a small town.”
“That doesn’t explain why you followed me back to the ranchand then tore off when you saw me.”
Her dooropens and I stand at the door jamb like the gentleman my mamaraised me to be. She sets her bag down on the table and looks up atme.
“Well, if you’re coming in, then come in. Don’t just standthere.” I think that she’s trying for snarky but failing miserably.Her tone comes out trite instead.
I do asI’m instructed to do and close the door. “I thought you went awayfor work.”
Sheplaces her frozen peas in the freezer. “Yeah, well, I thought Iwas…or, I think a lot of things…not all of them come outright.”
I take astep towards her as she puts the rest of her groceries away.“Ellie, what’s going on, hm?”
Shegives me a fleeting look for half a second and then places her lastgrocery item away. No answer comes from her. “How’s Gunnerdoing?”
“Ellie, answer me.” I say softly, searching her eyes. “Whywe’re you following me?”
Her eyesare glassy with unshed tears as she searches my eyes. Her voice isshaky. “Who is she?”
A ‘v’forms between my eyes. “Who?”
