Amy let out a lengthy sigh. “I was so scared to get on a horse, as I’m sure you heard this morning. But riding is fun. I can see why she enjoyed it. And I can see why she loved it here.” Amy’s gaze roamed from the waterfall to the nearby wildflowers.
Ben glanced over his shoulder at the large boulder he’d sat on.
“I proposed to her a couple months later on that rock over there.”
“No wonder this is such a special place. Is this the first time you’ve been here since... the accident?”
His stomach clenched. He had been such a coward to avoid facing the memories of his wife in this place because of the pain they would bring. Wonderful, beautiful memories, and he had fought them for so long.
Not trusting himself to speak, he nodded.
Looking away, Amy opened her cheesecake container.
Thank you.Talking about Melanie was hard enough, he couldn’t bear to see the sympathy in Amy’s eyes.
“I’ve seen the pictures of her on the mantle at your parent’s house. She was beautiful. I envy her long hair and perfect curls.” She took a bite of cheesecake and closed her eyes in enjoyment.
Ben chuckled. “She spent hours trying to get those perfect curls. Sometimes she straightened it. She hated her hair. It wasn’t as curly as yours, but she always thought it was a mess and complained about the frizz.”
Amy patted her own thick, curly hair. “I feel the same way.”
“Melanie used to have my cousin, Steven, order this special hair stuff for taming curls. I’ll try to remember the name of it and we can see if he keeps it stocked at the store.”
“What else did she like besides riding horses and your Aunt Charity’s chicken salad and cheesecake? Which are delicious, by the way.” She set her container aside.
“Melanie liked reading. She’d start a book and get so caught up in it, she’d stay up all night.” He absently twisted his wedding band around his finger and smiled as he remembered more wonderful things about the woman he loved. “She liked bubble baths and being barefoot. I introduced her to swing dancing, and she loved that too.”
He raised his eyes to find her watching him twist his ring.
He shrugged. “I probably shouldn’t wear a ring while working as a mechanic. But I’m not ready to take it off.”
“Safety aside, unless you’re ready to move on with your life, I don’t see any reason you shouldn’t wear it.”
Would he ever be ready to move on? Ben’s eyes met and held Amy’s. He’d had a hard time keeping his eyes off her today but finding a woman attractive didn’t mean he was ready to move on.
Color flooded Amy’s cheeks, and her gaze darted away.
This was the third time she’d blushed today.Is she fighting the same attraction I am?
“Will you tell me about her family?”
Change the subject. Smooth move.
“Her father left when she was young, so she and her younger sister were raised by a single mom. She dropped out of college to take care of her mom and younger sister when her mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After her mom passed away, she worked two jobs to help take care of her sister and pay the medical bills.”
“That must have been hard. She sounds like an amazing woman.”
“She was. That’s part of what I loved about her. She was selfless and compassionate.” He studied Amy. “You remind me of her.”
“Is that good or bad?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.
Ben took his time answering. The fact he’d even noticed their similarities wasn’t good. It meant he thought too much about Amy and not enough about Melanie. It also meant he was being disloyal to Melanie’s memory. “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “You have a lot in common.”
They lapsed into a comfortable silence.
Though they had similar upbringings, Melanie hadn’t faced the kind of challenges Amy had. Amy’s resilience and positive attitude were every bit as impressive as Melanie’s. He admired Amy’s determination to make a better life for herself and her daughter.
And he was doing it again. Thinking about Amy, when he should be thinking about Melanie. Hehadthought about Melanie, though. It had been both painful and wonderful. Maybe if he allowed himself to remember Melanie and Cassey more, he wouldn’t have nightmares so often.
