‘OK, so I lied,’ he said. ‘Lied through my teeth, just so’s you wouldn’t run away from me screaming. And if that makes me a heel then I guess I’m a heel.’ He turned to face her, frowning. ‘Just what is it about you, anyhow?’
‘What?’
‘You.’ He gestured vaguely in her direction. ‘God knows I did my best. I’m not someone who makes a habit of going after other men’s girls. Persuaded myself there was nothing in it – you and me. But the truth is, I mean, if you want the honest-to-goodness, straight-up truth, I…’ He laughed again, turning away from her. ‘I’m goddamn crazy about you.’
‘What?’ Bobby held on to the bush for support. ‘No. That was Topsy.’
‘Oh, Topsy, Topsy. Topsy’s a cute kid, yeah, but there was never any Topsy – not for me. Maybe I wanted you to think there was, but…’ He shook his head, as if to rid it of something, and Bobby saw that he was trembling. ‘What I don’t get is whyyou. You snuck up on me, somehow, and by the time I realised I was bewitched it was too late to damn well fix it.’
‘Ernie, calm down. You’re frightening me.’
‘Yeah, I guess I would be.’ He closed his eyes as he struggled to regain his composure; then, when he was calmer, he approached to take her hands.
‘Sorry,’ he said, his voice soft now. ‘Didn’t mean to sound angry – not with you. I hurt you when I grabbed you before?’
‘Um, no,’ Bobby said dazedly.
‘Look, I don’t expect you to do anything about it. I know you’re still head over heels for the other guy, even if he is a son of a bitch who doesn’t deserve you.’ He brushed her chin with his thumb tip. ‘But if you thought there was a chance, one day, then I’d wait for you. As long as it took.’
‘But… we’re so different,’ Bobby whispered. She couldn’t help but be filled with pity for this man: pain in his eyes and his strong, powerful frame trembling. She had just had her own heart broken, and it filled her with grief to be the cause of those same gut-wrenching feelings in anyone else.
‘Are we?’ He brought one palm up to cradle her cheek. ‘I could give you a life, Bobby – fresh and pure, the sort a girl like you ought to have. A home, kids, the wide-open spaces, and so much love. My family have got money, and the farm will come to me someday. You’d never want for anything.’ He glanced down at her naked wedding finger. ‘I’d be honoured if it was my ring you were wearing.’
‘That life does sound wonderful.’ She met his eyes. ‘But it isn’t me.’
‘It could be. I saw your face on the plane. If you think this place is beautiful, you’d weep over Canada.’ He held her gaze. ‘Come back with me.’
‘I need more than open spaces and a farmhouse to make me happy, Ernie,’ Bobby said quietly. ‘We’re not alike, you and I – not the way a husband and wife ought to be. I need work – work for my brain. You want a woman you can dress in ribbons and lace, who’ll be satisfied with cooking and keeping house. I’msure there are dozens of marvellous girls who’d be thrilled to fill that place. But it isn’t me.’
‘It’s the other guy, isn’t it?’ he said, with a sad smile. ‘I’d be a fool to think you could put him out of your heart just like that. Some girls, maybe, but not you.’
She closed her eyes. ‘It isn’t only Charlie. I’m just not convinced we could make each other happy.’
‘I can wait. As long as you need to put the old love behind you.’ He pressed her hand to his breast. ‘At least give me the chance to show you how happy I could make you. You make me better, Bobby. You open my eyes to a way of looking at things I’ve never considered.’
‘You don’t need me for that. Just your own good sense, and a little compassion.’
‘Will you at least let me see you while you’re here? Just friends, if that’s what you want, and we can get to know each other better.’ He stroked her cheek. ‘And if I can’t make you love me the way I do you, then we’ll call it quits. But since we’re stuck in this place, both of us unattached, what have you got to lose by giving me the chance?’
‘I…’ She looked down at the ground. ‘I… don’t know.’
Sensing victory on the horizon, Ernie took her in his arms. Bobby didn’t embrace him back, but nor did she repel him. A deep sigh escaped her.
It felt good to be held again by strong arms that loved her and wanted to keep her safe. To feel she was no longer alone. She just wished she could forget they weren’t Charlie’s.
Charlie had forgotten fast enough though, hadn’t he? He had been able to lose himself in the comfort of someone else’s arms, with no sickening sense of guilt to hold him back. How could his love have died so quickly and thoroughly, while hers felt like it was eating her up from the inside?
‘Well?’ Ernie whispered.
‘Can I have time to think about it?’ Bobby whispered. ‘It’s so sudden. So strange.’
‘Sure. Sure.’ He held her back to beam at her. ‘Whatever you need, kid. I’m going tomorrow, staying with Topsy and Teddy for a few days. I’ll meet you in the NAAFI on Thursday at nineteen hundred hours, OK?’
‘Thank you.’
Before she could object, he bent to plant a single soft kiss on her lips.
‘I know I’m not the guy you’d choose,’ he whispered. ‘But if you just gave me the chance, Bobby, I’d spend every minute proving to you I was worth the choosing.’
