Sky shook her head.“No, there isn’t.”
“Yes.I let fear control me, and I ended up hurting the person who means the most to me.I hope someday you’ll forgive me.”
Sky turned toward him on her side.“I’m not sure what to say right now.There is nothing to forgive, is there?”
“Hell, yes, there is.I made you a prisoner in our house for weeks, and then at night.”He grunted in disgust.“At night, I didn’t treat you the way you should have been treated, and I’ll never forgive myself for that.”
A tear slid from Sky’s eye.“The way you acted ...hurt.”
Jared pressed his forehead against hers.“I know, and I am so sorry.”
Sky stared up at Jared.“There is a lot we have to learn about each other and how to make a marriage work.”
Jared kissed her forehead and then brushed the hair from her face.“What makes my behavior worse is that I grew up around my parents, and Abby and Terry.Both marriages were solid and very loving, but watching one friend lose everything he’d worked decades for and what I perceived was his new wife’s fault threw me.”
“Why would you blame his wife?”
“Because Todd was fine until he married Carrie.Then it looked like he spent a lot of time with her instead of trying to make his ranch work.Unfortunately, he lost everything.”
Sky studied Jared’s expressions.“So, is that what caused him to lose his ranch?”
Jared shook his head.“No, I forgot that was the year we had a terrible drought.He lost half of his herd, and I lost a lot also.”
“Where did he and his wife go?”she asked.
“They moved closer to her family.He’s got a little spread.Last time I talked to him, he sounded happy.”
Jared wiped a hand down his face.“I couldn’t even fathom the thought of losing this place.It’s my family’s legacy, and the responsibility is solely in my hands.”
Sky stroked her fingers up and down his arm.“But you won’t let that happen.”She stopped and waited for his full attention.“You work harder than anyone I’ve ever known.I can’t think of anything you would let destroy this place.”
“I can’t believe all the faith you have in me, even after the way I treated you.”
“The way you were with me is totally different from the man that keeps this place running.”
Jared caught the fatigue in her eyes and frowned.“We’re going to have a long talk when you’re up for it.”
“About what?”
“You’re going to tell me what you need from me.”
Sky pressed one of her hands against his cheek.“God, Jared.I just want you.The whole you.And for you to care about me and be affectionate.I just want a good marriage.”
“You’ve got all of that now, Baby.But there are so many other things I can do to make you happy.You just need to tell me what they are.”
“What kind of things?”Sky asked, confused.
“I don’t know.Do you want to travel anywhere?Or go to college?You’d have to do it at the nearest community college, because I can’t have you away from me.We’ll figure out the transportation issues when we need to.”He stopped when she shook her head.
“Do you know what I want?”
He slid his thumb down her cheek.“Besides your husband’s body?”
Sky sputtered and then laughed.“Yes, besides that.”
A spark of life he hadn’t seen before leaped in her eyes, making her even more beautiful to him.“Tell me.”
“I want children.A lot of children.”
