The second Friday night in
November, Belle slid onto the bottom bleacher as the last few
seconds of the Haymaker's game ticked away, her alma mater winning
by four touchdowns. She drew her jacket tight around her and
huddled against the biting breeze.
Burke walked the sidelines,
tapping third string players on the shoulder and sending them in
for a few glorious minutes on the field. By now, the crowd had
thinned, and waiting parents talked in small circles.
How many times had she sat in
these bleachers, cheering for Burke, waiting for him after the game
to meet their friends at Charlie's? Or maybe, on a cold night,
returning to the Benning house for hot cocoa and a competitive game
of Monopoly in Elaine's cozy kitchen.
Those days seemed so long ago,
and treasured memories were faded and sketchy. But since their
dinner at Angelo's, she discovered more and more every day the love
for Burke that had once charmed her young, idyllic heart still
captivated her.
From the field, the final buzzer
resounded and the game ended. The teams shook hands, then knelt
down near the goal post and recited the Lord's Prayer as one voice.
The sound of young men calling out to God gave Belle goose bumps.
From behind her in the bleachers, the band softly played the school
song.
When the field finally
cleared, Burke leaned over to the fence and called out, "I'll only
be a minute."
She waved and nodded. Her gaze
followed him as he jogged gracefully over the field, admitting to
herself that she couldn't get that man out of her head.
He'd been to the Bar J almost
every night since their dinner date four weeks ago. Duke would
build a fire in the fireplace after dinner before slyly slipping
upstairs. They spent most of the evenings talking, exploring the
mountain of unspoken words between them. It amazed Belle how much
they still had in common despite the separate and diverse lives
they'd lead over the years.
Last night, just before saying
good-bye, Burke asked her to meet him after the game. She had yet
to make an appearance at the Haymaker field. She felt nervous about
being seen waiting for him, shy about making their budding
relationship public. She wanted to treasure their secret for as
long a possible.
Her fears were confirmed earlier
that day when she met Gates and Meg for lunch. Several people
stopped at their table and quizzed her about Burke, winking,
smiling and speculating. Belle resented the intrusion.
"
What is going on with you two?" Meg opened up the
conversation.
"
We're talking, getting to know each other again," she said,
after ordering a large green salad for lunch.
"
That's all?" Meg asked while Gates ordered.
"
What did you expect?"
"
Love, romance, marriage," Gates said, handing the waitress
her menu.
Belle's stomach knotted at
her friend's words. "He hasn't said anything about
marriage."
"
He hasn't told you that he loves you?" Meg
wondered.
Belle shook her head and looked
out the window, hoping to hide her feelings from her friends. She
desperately wanted to hear those words from Burke. She still
yearned to say them to him, but those intimate moments eluded
them.
Did he really love her? Did he
have marriage in mind?
Belle shoved the nagging,
doubtful thoughts out of her head as Gates rolled her eyes and
tapped her fingers on the tabletop. "Mercy, I can't stand watching
you two dance around one another."
"
Belle, why don't you tell him how you feel?" Meg asked.
"You do love him don't you?"
For the first time, Belle
admitted it. "Yes, I do love him. But I can't tell him that. What
if he doesn't feel the same way and I ruin our
friendship?"
Gates slapped the table
with her open palm. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. 'What if he
doesn't love me?' Of course he loves you. He doesn't know if you
love him."
"
He hasn't given you any indication of his intentions?" Meg
asked, shushing Gates.
"
When he returned from Colorado he told me he wanted me in
his life. But since then, we haven't talked much about the future.
Besides, it's only been a few weeks," Belle explained.
"
A few weeks? What about all the years between the third
grade and now? I can't stand it," Gates said, feigning
exasperation, a slight smile on her lips.
When Burke joined her on
the bleachers, her private reminiscing ended. "Sorry to make you
wait," he said, sitting down next to her, the subtle clean scent of
his cologne stirring her senses.
"
That's okay," she said, smiling shyly. "I'm an old hand at
waiting."
He laughed, shivering and
digging his hands into his Haymakers coach's jacket. "Good game,"
he said, his blue eyes peering intensely into hers.
She didn't look away. "I
only saw the last few minutes."
"
I inherited a great team."
"
Coach Anderson was one of the best."
"
Absolutely."
They were quiet for a
moment. Burke boldly slipped his hand into hers. "I'm glad you
came."
Her heart fluttered at his
unexpected touch, and she swallowed before answering. "I wanted to
be here."
He pulled her to him,
causing her to catch her breath. "Belle," he whispered, his face
close to hers. "The moment I saw you in the gym that day before the
reunion, I knew."
"
What'd you know?" she asked, her head swimming, her lips
barely able to speak.
"
That I still loved you," he said, confident, his tone
lavish and sincere. "The kind of love that makes my heart pound and
seizes my thoughts." He cupped her face in his hands and peered
into her eyes. "I love you, Belle Jamison. I love you."
She burst into tears as
she heard the words she so longed to hear. She buried her face in
his broad chest as he wrapped her in his stalwart arms. "I love
you, too, Burke. I always have."
For a long while he held
her, soothing away her tears with words of comfort and love. "I
can't believe the Lord has shown me such mercy and favor," he said
after awhile.
"
I can't believe I'm sitting here in your arms again," Belle
said, lifting her face, still nestled close to him. He gently wiped
away her tears with the tips of his fingers.
"
I'm so amazed," he said, barely above a whisper. "I can't
believe He would give me another chance with you after what I did,
letting my pride and shame keep me from you. I can't believe that
you would even consider loving me again."
"
I never stopped loving you."
"
Marry me, Belle. Marry me," he said, his face against her
hair, his lips brushing her ears.
She bolted up straight.
Her lower lip quivered as she asked, "What did you say?"
"
Marry me."
Her voice dropped to a
whisper as she repeated, "Marry you? Just like that? Marry
you?"
His wide, dashing grin
spread across his face. "Yeah, marry me."
Overwhelming joy exploded
within her and she answered without wavering, flinging her arms
around his neck, knocking him back against the bleachers. "Yes.
Yes, I'll marry you. Yes."
Burke's debonair laugh rang out
in the night; it's melody like a thousand chiming bells.
***
Saturday evening Burke rang the
Jamison doorbell promptly at seven o'clock. As he waited for the
door to open, he smoothed his silk tie and straightened the jacket
of his tailored gray suit.
When Belle opened the
door, he presented her with a single red rose and kissed her
tenderly. "I've been thinking of you all day," he whispered in her
ear, the scent of her skin intoxicating him.
She traced his jaw line
with the tip of her fingers, smiling up at him. "I was so excited
that I started getting ready at three o'clock."
"
You look beautiful."
Belle stepped back and
modeled her forest green pantsuit, pointing to her sequined shoes.
"No cowboy boots," she said, winking at him.
Burke pulled her to him.
"I like the cowboy boots." He started to kiss her, but Duke's call
from the family room interrupted him.
"
You kids gonna stand in the door all night?"
They laughed, and Belle
invited Burke inside for a minute. "Daddy's pretty
excited.
After a short visit with Belle's
father, Burke suggested that they go. He helped her on with her
coat, and they bid Duke good night.
"
Where are we going anyway?" Belle wondered as they pulled
away from the Bar J, Burke's sports car humming toward the edge of
town. "Angelo's?"
"
Where else? But first, a pit stop."
Belle slipped her hand
into his. He melted at her display of affection. "A pit stop?" she
repeated.
"
You'll see."
Before long, the chapel came
into view, its ancient window glowing like golden eyes in the
night. Burke pulled off the road and into the chapel yard.
"
What are you up to?" Belle wondered.
He turned off the engine
and hopped out of the car, opening Belle's door for her. "Come
on."
Inside, the chapel was warm,
quiet, and peaceful. Burke took Belle's coat and draped it with his
over the back of the last pew. He took her hand and led her to her
favorite front corner.
Candles flickered from the
windowsill and along the altar.
"
Burke, this is beautiful."
He sat on the front row
and pulled Belle down next to him. "I hope you don't mind stopping
here before we go to dinner."
"
Of course I don't. But why are we here?"
He slipped his arm around
her. "I want prayer to be at the core of our
relationship."
"
So do I." She cuddled against him, kissing him softly on
the cheek.
"
We need the Creator of all romance to be our strength." He
could see the emotion welling up inside her. "We've been engaged
for less than a week, one busy week. I just wanted to slow down and
spend some time with you in prayer."
"
I'd like that very much."
The aura of the Lord filled the
chapel as they prayed, submitting their lives as future husband and
wife to Him, asking to be a family that would glorify His name.
"
Father," Belle began softly after Burke's initial offering,
"thank you for bringing Burke home to me."
When she finished, Burke
added with feeling, "Thank you for Belle, for forgiveness, for
second chances."
They waited, listening with
their hearts for a few minutes, Burke smiling to himself as he
sensed the Lord's pleasure and blessing. His peace covered them
like a heavy blanket.
For a long time they sat,
content to simply be in His presence.
When Burke checked his
watch, an hour had passed. "Belle, we should get to
dinner."
She wiped away the tears
that had pooled in her eyes. "Oh, I just love when the Lord reminds
me how much He loves me."
Burke kissed her forehead.
"There's one more thing I wanted to do before we leave." He dropped
to one knee in front of her.
She giggled nervously.
"What are you doing?"
"
Belle," he started, reaching for her hand. "Will you marry
me?" Carefully, he slipped a square cut diamond ring in a platinum
setting on her finger. Two smaller diamonds were set on either side
of the main stone.
She gasped, covering her
heart with her free hand. "Oh, Burke. Oh- it's gorgeous." Her wide
green eyes darted from the ring to him. "But I still have our first
engagement ring."
Burke chuckled low,
shaking his head. "The commitment that ring stood for was broken.
This is a new ring, for my new commitment. This time, it won't be
broken."
"
It's beautiful, Burke, simply beautiful," Belle repeated.
"Thank you."
"
I could afford something a little nicer this time around."
Burke peered into her sparkling eyes and beaming face. "So, will
you marry me?"
"
Yes. With or without this ring, I'll marry you."
He pulled her to him and kissed
her with all the love and commitment his heart contained.
On Christmas Eve, a delicate
snow fell, blanketing the small town of Haskell in a world of
white. A steady stream of cars headed west toward Community Church,
cutting across the planes like a river of light.
The church charmed the arriving
guest with the enchanting glow of a hundred candles and the
cultured sound of a string quartet.
In the small dressing room off
the foyer, Belle readied herself, nervously chatting with Meg and
Gates. Mary Beth bustled around, touching up Belle's make-up and
spraying her hair into place one last time.