know, sweetheart. I only know that somehow, some way, He will bring good out of what we think is bad. If you trust no one else, trust Him.”
Dallas kissed her, slowly, but with a world of feeling packed into that gentle embrace. For a moment Gracie was transported back in time to those first heady moments of marriage, when she’d believed the world was finally granting her wildest dream.
But then thunder rumbled in the distance, lightning blazed across the sky and she was back in no-man’s-land, married, but not really.
She recoiled, tried to ease away from him. But Dallas didn’t let her go. He captured her face again, stared into her eyes, his own clear, determined.
“I can’t go back, Gracie. I can’t make anything better or be the guy you remember. All I can do is be here now, do my best to care for you and our child, and pray God will heal my mind so I can be the husband and father I should be. I trust Him to do that. Can you?”
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly after a stretch of time. “Trust isn’t something I do easily.”
“You’ll wait and see? Is that it?” Dallas smiled sadly, traced her eyebrows, the line of her nose, the fullness of her top lip and the jut of her chin.
“I guess.” She wished he’d kiss her again. When he did that all the fears and worries melted and she could only remember how much she’d loved him, how much hope had built up inside during those eight short days of marriage, how the fear that no one would ever love her had finally shriveled and died. “I’ll try.”
“Then we’ll go with that. But remember one thing, Gracie.” His arms fell away. All that held her now was the sheen in his eyes. “God won’t push His way into your life. Either you accept that He is who He says He is, that He has His own reasons for doing things, or you don’t.”
She wasn’t sure she understood exactly what Dallas was saying. She knew he wanted to share her parenting role, and she was prepared to allow that.
But the God he was talking about wasn’t a concept she understood.
God had taken her husband, abandoned her and her baby when they most needed Him. How could she depend on Him now?
“Tomorrow is Sunday. I’ll be here at nine. We can all go together. Okay?”
Gracie was going to refuse, but suddenly changed her mind. Her job as Misty’s mother meant she had a duty to check out the church.
“I’ll be ready.”
Dallas couldn’t hide his surprise as he held out a hand, drew her up beside him.
“Thank you,” he said simply.
“You’re welcome.”
He studied her for a long time. Gracie could feel the heat from his hand on hers, the awareness that rippled through her body whenever he touched her.
Attraction hummed between them now, impossible to ignore. Twice as powerful because Misty wasn’t there to buffer it.
“I know why I married you, Gracie,” Dallas whispered, his voice so soft she barely heard it over the thunder.
“You do?” She froze, unable to move when his fingers tangled with hers, when his other hand slipped over her hair, down the nape of her neck and across her shoulder. A sliver of hope crept in, twined around her heart.
He’d remembered something.
“I married you because you’re so full of love.” His hand curved over the very top of her arm. He held it there, squeezed gently, as if to impress her with his words. “It’s tucked away in your heart, waiting to rush out.”
Because she didn’t know how to answer that, Gracie stood very still.
“You’ve been hurt, so you pushed it out of sight. But it’s still there. Waiting.”
She couldn’t say anything when Dallas stared into her eyes like that.
“I envy the man you married, Gracie.”
“But—”
“I envy him because you loved him more than life. He was a fool to leave.” Dallas bent his head, pressed one hard kiss against her lips, then drew back. “Good night.”
He turned, walked to the gate and quietly let himself out. Gracie lifted a hand, touched
Dallas kissed her, slowly, but with a world of feeling packed into that gentle embrace. For a moment Gracie was transported back in time to those first heady moments of marriage, when she’d believed the world was finally granting her wildest dream.
But then thunder rumbled in the distance, lightning blazed across the sky and she was back in no-man’s-land, married, but not really.
She recoiled, tried to ease away from him. But Dallas didn’t let her go. He captured her face again, stared into her eyes, his own clear, determined.
“I can’t go back, Gracie. I can’t make anything better or be the guy you remember. All I can do is be here now, do my best to care for you and our child, and pray God will heal my mind so I can be the husband and father I should be. I trust Him to do that. Can you?”
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly after a stretch of time. “Trust isn’t something I do easily.”
“You’ll wait and see? Is that it?” Dallas smiled sadly, traced her eyebrows, the line of her nose, the fullness of her top lip and the jut of her chin.
“I guess.” She wished he’d kiss her again. When he did that all the fears and worries melted and she could only remember how much she’d loved him, how much hope had built up inside during those eight short days of marriage, how the fear that no one would ever love her had finally shriveled and died. “I’ll try.”
“Then we’ll go with that. But remember one thing, Gracie.” His arms fell away. All that held her now was the sheen in his eyes. “God won’t push His way into your life. Either you accept that He is who He says He is, that He has His own reasons for doing things, or you don’t.”
She wasn’t sure she understood exactly what Dallas was saying. She knew he wanted to share her parenting role, and she was prepared to allow that.
But the God he was talking about wasn’t a concept she understood.
God had taken her husband, abandoned her and her baby when they most needed Him. How could she depend on Him now?
“Tomorrow is Sunday. I’ll be here at nine. We can all go together. Okay?”
Gracie was going to refuse, but suddenly changed her mind. Her job as Misty’s mother meant she had a duty to check out the church.
“I’ll be ready.”
Dallas couldn’t hide his surprise as he held out a hand, drew her up beside him.
“Thank you,” he said simply.
“You’re welcome.”
He studied her for a long time. Gracie could feel the heat from his hand on hers, the awareness that rippled through her body whenever he touched her.
Attraction hummed between them now, impossible to ignore. Twice as powerful because Misty wasn’t there to buffer it.
“I know why I married you, Gracie,” Dallas whispered, his voice so soft she barely heard it over the thunder.
“You do?” She froze, unable to move when his fingers tangled with hers, when his other hand slipped over her hair, down the nape of her neck and across her shoulder. A sliver of hope crept in, twined around her heart.
He’d remembered something.
“I married you because you’re so full of love.” His hand curved over the very top of her arm. He held it there, squeezed gently, as if to impress her with his words. “It’s tucked away in your heart, waiting to rush out.”
Because she didn’t know how to answer that, Gracie stood very still.
“You’ve been hurt, so you pushed it out of sight. But it’s still there. Waiting.”
She couldn’t say anything when Dallas stared into her eyes like that.
“I envy the man you married, Gracie.”
“But—”
“I envy him because you loved him more than life. He was a fool to leave.” Dallas bent his head, pressed one hard kiss against her lips, then drew back. “Good night.”
He turned, walked to the gate and quietly let himself out. Gracie lifted a hand, touched
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