“You’re the damsel and that makes me the tall, sexy, handsome cowboy, right?”
“Hmmm…that isn’t exactly what I said. I don’t believe I used those exact adjectives. And come to think of it…there isn’t any music. Maybe I hallucinated because I haven’t eaten in a while.”
“Well, there went that moment,” he said, shaking his head. “I’ll get the blanket and the food. You pick a spot.”
Erin smiled to herself as she stepped toward the trees. Had she attempted to flirt? It had been a while, and she was out of practice. But then, had she ever really been good at it? She needed to stop overthinking and enjoy the beautiful day. She always had been an overthinker according to her few friends. But then that got her to the top of her law school class and the chances she had encountered on her climb up the ladder, which she was expected to take. But no time for expectations today. It was about just being Erin. And a cowboy who was indeed handsome and sexy and named Rance Parker.
She found the spot and looked at the view again…so peaceful and the world was a million miles away. Perfect.
“Good spot you chose,” he said, as he handed over the blanket for her to settle on the ground and then he knelt, and joined her as they emptied the saddlebags.
“Tillie certainly outdid herself. Did she think we were having a dinner party or a picnic for two?” Erin laughed. “But it’s all good.”
“Well, what we don’t have for our afternoon lunch, we can always have for dinner. That’s good planning.”
“True,” she agreed. “I love her fried chicken and the potato salad… It’s great. She gave me the recipe when I was helping during the flood. I intend to try making it as soon as I can.”
“Well, you are a pretty good cook on your own, so I volunteer to be a guinea pig anytime for your recipes.”
“I’ll keep that in mind that you did volunteer…no matter what the recipe.”
He stopped concentrating on the chicken leg for a moment. “Well, perhaps we should amend that to ‘within reason.’ I don’t eat exotic foods. Good, downhome Southern food is my style.”
“Mine, too. Fancy stuff has never been my favorite. Another surprise fact about me for your list.”
Chapter Sixteen
They ate for a few minutes in companionable silence. Then they agreed that the dessert bars Tillie had added might wait a while. He stretched out on his side, his gaze on the valley. Erin sat nearby, her arms folded around her knees, which were drawn up to her chest.
“Can I ask a personal question?” he ventured at last.
“Only if I can invoke my Fifth Amendment rights if I choose not to answer.”
“Fair enough,” he agreed. “You were married and part of what many consider a powerful political king maker family, so to speak. At least that’s the description I heard.”
She withheld her answer so long that Rance believed she was invoking that Fifth Amendment right. Then she finally spoke.
“And the question must be what happened? Why did I choose to walk away? Even though I skimmed over it earlier in our first conversations, there must be more to it than that. Is that what I am assuming you are asking?”
“I can understand why a normal person might, but it had been a big part of the family plan.”
She nodded slowly. Finding the best words was difficult, but it needed to be said. “Marriages aren’t always built on love and happily-ever-afters. My father had a plan. I achieved part of it with my law degree, following in his footsteps. And then he and his good friend decided that it would be most advantageous if there could be an alliance between the two families. His son needed a smart, rich and politically approved wife. We were thrown together repeatedly until it eventually seemed the normal outcome for all. I thought that it would make my father even happier and I never expected the kind of love that’s written about and sung about, as we were two very sensible individuals who entered a contract. Except, he believed that having an affair or two with household staff was all right. Being the dutiful wife, I would naturally overlook such a trifle…as had his mother overlooked his father’s own affairs and so forth. That might have worked for a while…until he got the cook pregnant. That was the beginning of too much for his family and their political plans for him in Washington. When I found my backbone, it seemed I held all the cards to his future and I was able to parlay that into a noncontested annulment…all very civil and, above all, very quiet. And it wasn’t as if I was heartbroken. It was actually a perfect way out from a very bad situation that I had realized over the few months I endured it.”
Rance had risen to a sitting position as she spoke. He slowly shook his head. “I can only imagine how much that had to hurt you.”
“Hurt? Surprisingly, not that much. It was more an intense feeling of betrayal. I believed in another person. One who had promised to honor our union. Trust is a precious commodity that is rare to find and it’s even more rare to believe in it. That is when I knew that I could not forgive the lies that another person chose to use to make me feel hurt and not good enough to be told the truth. I trust very few people and I do not give it lightly to anyone.”
“I understand that. Truth is the foundation of any relationship. But he was the real loser and then some. I can understand you wanting to honor your father and go along with a marriage that it sounds like you never wanted. You were lucky to escape when you did. I haven’t heard much about him these days.”
“No, his brother is now the darling of the family and the hopeful office holder.”
“Did that experience put you off the idea of marriage and a family…for all the right reasons?”
“Right reasons?”
“The idea of finding love with the right person. Building a life, having a home and family and all that stuff that makes life worth living. Because over time, I can imagine there must be many just as powerful, rich men wanting to stand at your front door for your favors.”
She had to shake her head. “They might have begun a line, but I shut it down fast. I didn’t have time for all that stuff. The law was my life. And I find this a change in you…or the person I thought you were. Imagine a stern lawman talking about things like home and children and all things that your family wants for you.”
