Unpredictable Love (19 page)

Restlessness invaded her heart. She wanted
to know her future, where she’d go and what she’d do. Should she
stay in the apartment and be the managing editor at the paper for
the next twenty years? She needed a new beginning, like Amber.
Maybe Trent could be a part of that. Every night, she prayed he’d
keep his word and be with her forever.

Questions filled Jory’s head, yet the
answers eluded her. She listened to their song, deciding she’d had
enough of “goodbye” and was ready for “hello” in her life.
Returning to her tiny kitchen, she salted the water for the noodles
and waited for it to boil.

The doorbell rang. She sucked in air when
she opened the door. Trent had never looked more handsome in snug
jeans, a white button-down shirt, and a khaki sports jacket. He
smelled divine and held a huge bouquet of wild flowers, a package,
and a bottle.

“
Wow. You look beautiful,” he said,
stepping inside. “Here, these are for you.”

She led him into the kitchen. “The flowers
are gorgeous. Thank you,” she said, searching her cupboard for a
vase.

“
They remind me of you. Different
kinds of beauty mixed together. Wild.”

She faced him. “That’s the sweetest thing.”
She kissed him. He drew her closer for a more passionate one. She
leaned into him, lingering to savor the fresh smell of his newly
ironed shirt, which she now associated with him, and the taste of
Trent.

A distant sound of bubbles alerted her that
the water was boiling. She eased away and returned to the stove.
After putting in the noodles and directing him to open the bottle
of merlot he’d brought, she took down two wine glasses.

Trent filled them then raised his for a
toast. “No more goodbyes.”

She nodded and sipped. “Delicious.”

“
Nothing but the best for
you.”

“
Let’s sit by the window. Bet the
finches are there.”

He set up two chairs by the glass, next to
the dinner table.

“
Let’s see who you have here.” He sat
next to her, slipping an arm around her shoulders. “Look at that.
Your chickadee is chasing off the junco,” he remarked,
pointing.

“
Why that aggressive little
so-and-so.”

She wasn’t surprised to hear him rattle off
the names of the birds feeding on her dime. They inched closer as
they watched the avian antics and chuckled at the little creatures.
Trent took her hand in his. She wasn’t aware of it until the timer
went off, signaling dinner was ready.

As she pulled away, he kissed the back of
her hand. If things weren’t about to boil over on the stove, Jory
could have lost herself in his gorgeous eyes, passionate pools with
flecks of green.

Conversation centered around the food. Trent
ate well, exclaiming how delicious it was. Jory smiled. The proof
was in the eating, as Laura Dailey always said. And Trent wolfed
down a share and a half.

When Jory mentioned she’d gotten the carrot
cake from Laura, Trent asked about the Daileys. The journalist
filled him in on the important personages in Pine Grove.
Fortunately, there weren’t too many.

“
We’ve talked about everything but us.
I don’t like talking in circles. I want to know about you. What do
you want? Where are you going?” She rested her elbows on the
table.

“
Those are big questions,” he
responded.

“
And I expect big answers,” she
teased, grinning.

“
You first,” he said, kicking the
conversation back to her.

“
I want to recreate the family I
lost.”

“
Your parents?” He probed.

“
Used to be them. Amber’s run off to
Florida, I don’t live with Nan anymore. I’m totally alone. I’ve
never been by myself. It’s strange.”

“
You want a family to make up for what
you’re lacking?”

“
I want some noise in the house. I
want laughter, want hugs. I want happiness around me.”

“
How do you plan to do that?” He
leaned back in his chair.

“
By marrying a man who loves me and
having a couple of kids?”

He nodded. “Got anyone in mind?”

Jory looked away.

“
I might know someone,” he piped
up.

“
Oh?” Her eyes widened.

“
I’m not exactly a perfect specimen
anymore. Not that I was ever perfect, but at least I was
physically. With my medical discharge, my military career is over.
I don’t have much to offer. I’m only working freelance. Though I’m
hoping to turn that into permanent. I can’t do the hundred yard
dash. I’m bad tempered, hard to live with…”

“
Are you trying to turn me
off?”

He grinned. “Just being honest. I don’t want
to paint a picture of a future with me as a bed of roses, ’cause it
won’t be. Any girl who ends up with me, well…” his voice tapered
off.

“
Are you looking for someone to ‘end
up with’?” She cocked an eyebrow at him.

“
Men are always looking.”

“
But not for permanent. Just for the
night. Usually.”

“
Some, yeah. That’s true. Never known
one to turn down a free night with a pretty girl.”

“
And you?”

He blushed redder than she’d ever seen.
“Let’s not go there. The military. Well, you know.”

“
I don’t. I don’t think I want to.”
She dropped her gaze to her hands.

There was silence. Having finished his cake,
he toyed with his fork. She picked at the corner of her napkin.

“
I wasn’t looking for anyone. Just
going day to day. Then, you came along and changed
everything.”

Her head snapped up. “I did?”

“
Yeah. You were more, someone I could
talk to. You got me. Before I got messed up.”

“
I didn’t
get
you
in the hospital?”

“
You did, you did. But I mean, before.
I didn’t expect it. I expected just what Amber said. A couple of
short letters and a polite brush-off. You didn’t do that.” Trent
slipped his hand over hers. “I don’t want to lose you. If you’re
willing to take a chance on a broken down guy like me, I’ll give it
everything I’ve got.”

She listened, searching for a reply, when
she cast her gaze on the sideboard. A wrapped package caught her
eye. “What’s that?”

“
What?” He turned. “Oh, that. It’s for
you. Can’t believe I forgot to give it to you.” He pushed up from
the table and snatched up the gift then handed it to
her.

Jory unwrapped it. Inside was a used
book. The dust jacket was torn in a couple of places. She read the
title.
World So Wide
by
Sinclair Lewis.

“
Oh my God.
World So Wide
! Where did you find
this?”

“
At a garage sale. Can’t get it new
anymore. It’s not in eBook, either.”

“
You remembered?”

He nodded. “You said it was the only
Sinclair Lewis book you’d never read. It’s hard to find. But I
managed to run across it hawking books at a few garage sales.”

“
I can’t believe you remembered.” She
shook her head slowly as she thumbed through the book. Emotion
tumbled through her.

“
I remember everything you ever said
or wrote me.” His smile eased, his brows knitted.

In an instant, Jory was out of her seat and
in his arms, sobbing.

“
Don’t cry, honey. Be happy.” He
stroked her hair. “I love you, Jory. You took a chance on me
before. Please, do it again.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
Let me make your dreams come true,”
he whispered. “Last week, you asked me to never leave you. I won’t.
I can’t. Marry me. I need you. We’ll be together
forever.”

She stepped back to gaze at him.

Trent dropped to one knee and pulled out a
small box. “This is my mother’s ring. If you don’t like it, we’ll
buy a new one together.” He opened it to reveal a modest, round
diamond in an antique, white gold setting.

“
It’s beautiful.”

“
Jory Walker, I love you. Marry me. I
promise to do everything in my power to give you a good life, to
take care of you. To be a faithful, loving husband and stay with
you forever.”

Warmth surrounded her heart. “I love you
too. Yes, I will marry you.”

He stood up and slipped the ring on her
finger. She tilted her chin up, and he lowered his mouth to hers.
Love filled her heart. She touched his face, and he swooped her up
in his arms and carried her into the bedroom, kicking the door shut
behind him.

Saturday morning, the sound of birds
fighting at the feeder woke Jory. She yawned and stretched her
arms. A smile lit up her face as she rolled on her side to study
the naked back of her lover. She had had the best night’s sleep in
months, maybe years. Trent had made love to her three times, and
though she’d expected to be exhausted, energy bounded through her
veins.

Regardless of his leg surgery, the man was
in great shape, as evidenced by his stamina and abilities the night
before. His enthusiasm for her body had taken her places she hadn’t
been before. Well, maybe once or twice before, with him. Basking in
the afterglow, she gazed at the small ring on her finger then out
the window, watching the chickadees aggressively intimidating the
goldfinches, hoping to chase the iridescent yellow creatures
away.

A deep voice startled her. “Good morning,
beautiful,” he said, in a lazy drawl.

She rolled over, pulling the sheet up over
her chest.

Trent leaned on his elbows, hovering over
her. “Hey, you’re spoiling the view,” he said, easing the covering
down.

Embarrassment warmed her face. He bent to
kiss her breasts before she could hide them. His tender touch
excited her and soothed at the same time. Trent would soon be her
husband, no reason to be self-conscious in front of him, she told
herself, but old habits die hard.

“
Shy?” he asked.

She nodded. “A little.”

He chuckled. “That’s cute.”

“
Cute?”

“
Yeah. That you’re shy in front of me.
It’s real cute.” He raised his lips to hers. “Just can’t resist
you.”

“
You didn’t get enough last
night?”

“
Honey, it’s gonna take a lifetime to
get enough of you,” he murmured.

They made love in the cool air of the June
morning. After, they lay in each other’s arms.

“
Jory,” he said, as his breathing
slowed to normal. “Didn’t you say something about
pancakes?”

She burst out laughing, slipped out from
under him, and threw open the covers. “Coming right up.”

He slapped her butt playfully as she pushed
out of bed.

****

Sunday afternoon, Jory drove to Pine Grove
to meet her aunt for lunch and make a wedding list. Nan had omelets
waiting.

“
Okay, I’ve started a list. Here’s
what we need to do. Get dresses for you, Amber, and me. Make a
guest list, send out invitations, get a caterer, decide on flowers,
pick a minister…”

“
Whoa! Slow down.”

“
When do you want to get
married?”

“
Hmm. It’s June now. How about
September 15th? It’s still nice out then.”

“
That’s not much time.”

“
But we’ll have a very small guest
list, right?”

“
Your dress will take
time.”

“
Where does one buy a wedding
dress?”

“
I think we could hire Hattie Carter
to make one for you. What do you think?”

“
Great idea! I know just what I
want.”

Jory put up a second pot of coffee as
the women conferred. The s
mall
guest list, which started at ten, quickly rose to
fifty.

“
And she’s absolutely the last person
on the list,” Jory said, crossing her arms.

“
What about Archie and
Marla?”

“
You’re kidding, right?”

“
Yep. He’s a lowlife.”

“
Sure is. And easy to forget,
too.”

“
Let’s split the tasks up, things’ll
go faster that way.”

“
Okay. I’ll talk to Laura,” Jory
volunteered.

“
She’ll have good ideas about what to
serve.”

“
Right.”

“
I’m excited,” Nan said, her eyes
glowing.

“
I wish Amber was here,” Jory said,
emotion constricting her throat.

“
She’ll be here for the wedding.
According to her last email, she and Troy are doing
fine.”

“
I know. I’m glad she’s happy, but I
miss the little doofus.”

Nan chuckled. “So do I. She’s going to come
for a week before the wedding. That should give her plenty of time
to mess up a couple of things.”

“
Yeah, then I won’t miss her so much
when she goes back.”

Jory stopped off at Laura Dailey’s house on
her way back to Oak Bend.

“
You want me to cater a wedding for
fifty?”

“
We inviting fifty, Laura. I bet they
don’t all come.”

“
Really? To your wedding? People will
be fighting for an invitation. We should plan for at least
sixty.”