She snorted a light laugh. “You haven’t feltgood? Colt, I’m the one marrying this man, not you.”
He threw her a side-ways grin. “I know, but you’re my friend, and I care about you.”
“So, what worries you?” she wondered, leaning back to rest on her elbows like he was doing.
“I’m worried that this man might not make a good husband.”
It was almost comical to see Colt acting this way toward her. He wouldn’t make a good husband, yet he didn’t think her mail-order groom would, either? “Why do you say that?”
She stared into his gorgeous blue eyes, wondering why he wasn’t saying anything. It almost seemed as if he was content to just stare at her, which was odd for him. Finally, a smile tugged on his lips, and he cupped the side of her face.
“Blaze, you deserve the perfect man. I don’t want to see you enter another loveless marriage.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Anotherloveless marriage?”
He nodded. “Didn’t you tell me you hardly knew your first husband?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“Can you honestly tell me you were in love with him?”
She should have realized that he could still read her, even after all this time apart. “I... liked him. I think I could have loved him.”
“Don’t you want to marry a man who you love?”
If she told him her true feelings, she’d scare him off. But telling him wouldn’t change a thing, so she’d keep her mouth closed.
She pulled away from him and stood, moving toward the water. “You don’t understand, Colt. With George getting weaker by the day, I need to find a husband soon. My husband will help us keep the shop afloat.”
“What?”
Colt’s high-pitch reply worried her, but she didn’t turn to look at him. She figured he would come to join her in the water, anyway. It only took a few more seconds before he was beside her, sticking a bare foot in the water.
“Are you telling me,” he continued, “that you found a husband who knows how to repair wagons?”
“Yes.” She carefully stepped into the cold water. It felt refreshing against her warm feet. “When I had the advertisement written up, I made sure the man knew what was expected of him once he arrived.”
Blowing out a gush of air from his mouth, Colt pushed his fingers through his hair. “That’s unheard of, Blaze.”
“Not in Last Chance. Most of the women in this town had to resort to doing the very thing I have done to find a husband and help us here.”
He shuffled through the water and stood directly in front of her, grasping her arms. “Blaze, do you hear what you’re saying?”
“I do, yes.”
“You really want to enter a marriage without knowing if you are going to love the man?”
“That’s what I have to do, Colt.” She touched his chest. Once her palm rested against his shirt, she realized why she shouldn’t have done that. How could it have slipped her mind, how muscular he was?
They stared at each other for several unnerving seconds without speaking. His chest rose and fell quickly as if he’d been running a race, but it was the sadness in his eyes that tugged on her heartstrings. If only... No, she mustn’t think that way.
“Will you do me a favor before you marry this man?” he asked.
She swallowed hard, trying to moisten her suddenly dry throat. “What is that?”
“Let me check him out first. When he arrives, wait a few days so that I can see what kind of man he is. A life without love is no life at all, and you deserve better, Blaze.”
She wanted to laugh but refrained. He wasn’t serious, was he? But the way he looked at her let her know that he was dead serious – and the crazy beating of her heart also let her know that this was something she just might consider.
She’d be a fool for saying yes. But once again, she was tired of being lonely. Although he wanted to help her find love, he was only doing it as a friend. In the end, she’d get her hopes up, that he’d want to marry her, which wouldn’t happen. Why was she going to agree to his insane idea?
