In that instant Candice forgave her father for being who and what he was. He was trying, and maybe One day he would accept Jack as her husband. “I know.”
“Write to me, to us,” he said.
“I will,” she said, as John-John burst in the door at a run.
“You’re leaving,” he cried, and swept her into his arms. She clung to him and started to cry. She hugged Luke again, and Maria, who had appeared, weeping. When they finally rode through the ranch gates, Candice on her palomino filly with Christina, Jack on the black with Shoshi, she was in a teary daze. It wasn’t until he pulled her to the ground and into his arms that she realized the ranch was out of sight and that they had stopped. His gray eyes were searing her face poignantly.
Joy brought forth more tears. “You’re all healed,” she said foolishly.
“My nose is still a little crooked,” he said, gazing at her steadily, his eyes silver, intent, too bright.
“You were too handsome before,” she said breathlessly as a liquid warmth stole over her.
“Did he hurt you?”
She knew he was referring to Bradley. She shook her head. “No.”
“Did you … did you have to sleep with him? After I left?”
She bit her lip. “He had a concussion. I told everyone you’d forced me to unlock you after you hit him. Because you locked me up, no one doubted it, not for a minute.”
“I’m sorry I had to leave you.” His eyes searched her face.
“It was better that way.”
A small smile touched his mouth. “They were probably too excited to listen to what you said.”
“I was so afraid.”
“I had to leave you.”
“I was afraid for you, not me … Jack.”
“It’s okay,” he said, pulling her closer against his long, hard frame. “It’s over, Candice,shijii, it’s over.”
She leaned against him and almost wept. “I thought you weren’t coming back,” she cried.
“You fool,” he said tenderly. “Did you really think you could run away from me?”
She looked up. Her eyes were wet, and she saw, startled, that his were moist too. “I didn’t mean anything in that letter, Jack, I never stopped loving you, not ever.”
“I realized that at Fort Buchanan.”
“But you doubted it before?”
“You left me.”
“I had to. Christina deserves better than what you wanted to give her.” She felt tears trickling out of her eyes and down her face.
He wiped them away with the pad of a callused finger. “Did you ask me what I planned to give her? Why didn’t you ask me?”
“I don’t understand.”
“We’re starting over, Candice, you, me, Christina, and Shoshi. We’ll go to California. What do—will you come with me?” His voice was husky. Pleading.
“You’re leaving Cochise?”
“If you had just waited, I would have told you after I came back from scouting. I never went scouting. I went to Fort Breckenridge.” He held her gaze. “To end it. I killed the lieutenant who ordered the hangings. I avenged Shozkay.” He stared at her, waiting, heart pounding, for horror, disgust, withdrawal. It never came.
