“I like seeing you smile,” she said as they settled into a slower dance.
“Oh, do I frown too often?” He was joking, and yet he knew it was true.
“No, I wouldn’t say that. It’s more that it seems as if much of the time, you have something heavy weighing on your mind.”
Nate swallowed. “I suppose that’s true. I also didn’t have much to smile about before.”
“Before?” She raised her eyebrows, daring him to finish the thought.
And that made him smile again. “You’ve given me much to be happy about, Ruthann.”
He might have told her that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, or that they were suddenly wealthier than Rockefellers, with the way she beamed at him.
“I am glad for that,” she said. “Although I hope you’ll trust me with your concerns and your less joyous experiences too.”
Thankfully, the band struck up another raucous tune, allowing Nate to avoid responding. He suspected she meant sharing what had changed him so much, and he wasn’t ready for that.
He didn’t think he’d ever be ready to share that memory with anyone. It was much better tucked away where it could do no more damage.
They passed Stuart, who was now dancing with another young lady. And if Nate wasn’t mistaken, he would have said his friend’s expression was cautious when he saw Nate—as if he suspected there might be something more going on between Nate and Ruthann than the simple plan they’d cooked up a few weeks ago.
And he’d be right.
But as much as Nate didn’t wish to anger or disappoint his oldest friend, he couldn’t imagine not having Ruthann by his side. There had to be a way they could assuage Stuart’s concerns. And surely Stuart would understand if they each spoke with him.
Although that would mean Nate was willing to remain married.
He almost stopped in his tracks. Ruthann glanced at him in concern, and Nate gave her a reassuring smile.
Did hewantto remain married?
Ruthann seemed to believe he did. And Nate almost dared believe that she enjoyed being with him. That her trust in him was soundly placed, and that he truly was the man she’d been waiting for.
Could he be?
Washe?
In that moment, with Ruthann clutching his hands and looking up at him, with the sun sinking into a brilliant array of colors, and with the town he’d known and loved all around him, he thought that the answer was yes.
He could be brave enough to be the sort of man who was a good husband, not one who was shackled to the horrors of the past. The sort of man Ruthann deserved.
So long as the past stayed in the past, the future was a brilliant, wide-open opportunity full of hope and happiness and—Nate prayed—love.
