something stupid.
I brushed a wisp of hair back from her face. “Maybe deep down inside I knew all the time,” I murmured, “but it took something like this for me to realize—”
Mary’s eyes were puzzled. “You couldn’t have known ’bout the accident,” she said.
“No,” I answered. “I’m talkin’ ’bout me—us. I was scared to death, Mary, that I’d lost you—before I’d really found you. I didn’t realized until—until—” I stopped with a shudder.
“Josh,” said Mary softly but insistently, “what are you talkin’ about?”
I looked at her—my Mary, lying there white and quiet on the neighbor’s borrowed bed. She could have been killed! My heart nearly stopped even at the thought. I could have lost her. But she is still here.
I tried to speak but I choked on the words. I swallowed hard and tried again, looking directly into Mary’s eyes.
“I—I love you,” I managed to blurt out. “Maybe I always have—at least for a long time, but—but I was just too blind to see it—until now. I—”
But Mary’s little whisper stopped me. “Oh, Josh,” she uttered, her hand coming up to touch my cheek, and I could see tears filling her eyes.
My own tears came then. Sobbing tears. I laid my head against Mary’s shoulder and wept away all the pent-up emotions of the past dreadful hours. Mary let me cry, her hand gently stroking my head, my shoulder, and my arm.
I didn’t bother to apologize when I was finished. Somehow I knew Mary wouldn’t think an apology necessary.
“I love you,” I repeated, conviction in my voice.
“Bless that ol’ car,” Mary said with a little smile.
“What?”
“Bless that car. An’ the rain. An’ the slippery road. An’ our upendin’.” Mary was smiling broadly now, but her words made no sense at all. I wondered if she maybe was hallucinating.
“Oh, Josh!” she exclaimed, her eyes shining, “you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear you say those words.”
“You mean—”
“I have loved you—just forever ,” she stated emphatically. “I began to think that you’d never feel the same ’bout me.”
I felt as if there was a giant explosion somewhere in my brain—or in my heart. I love Mary. Mary loves me back! She would get better. We could share a life together. I could ask Mary to be my wife.
I had to put it in words—at least some of it. “You love me?”
Mary nodded. “Always,” she stated simply.
“And I love you—so much.”
Mary nodded again, her face flushed with color.
“Then—” I began, but stopped. I hesitated. It didn’t seem fair to her somehow. Slowly I shook my head.
“No, no,” I said. “I’m not gonna ask you now. Not yet. I’m gonna court you properly. Give you a little time.”
A small question flickered in Mary’s eyes.
“But not much time,” I hurried on. “I couldn’t stand to wait long now—now that I know. And one thing you can be sure of—I’m gonna come askin’—so you’d best be ready with an answer.”
“Oh, Josh,” Mary whispered.
Doc’s timing couldn’t have been worse. I had just kissed Mary—for the first time—and found it quite to my liking. Knowing now that she wasn’t seriously injured, I drew her a little closer. Mary’s eyelashes were already fluttering to her cheeks in anticipation of another kiss, her arms tightening about my neck. I don’t know if it was the opening of the door or Doc’s “ahem” that brought me sharply back to reality, but I sure did wish he could have delayed just a few minutes more.
C HAPTER 12
Courtship
W HEN I GOT BACK down to the kitchen, Grandpa and Uncle Charlie had arrived as well as Uncle Nat. Everyone was concerned about the girls, and the talk in the room was hushed and stilted.
But I wanted to shout and skip around the room like Pixie used to do. It seemed impossible that just a half hour earlier I’d had the scare of my life. Now I was walking on air. With all my heart I wished that I could share my
I brushed a wisp of hair back from her face. “Maybe deep down inside I knew all the time,” I murmured, “but it took something like this for me to realize—”
Mary’s eyes were puzzled. “You couldn’t have known ’bout the accident,” she said.
“No,” I answered. “I’m talkin’ ’bout me—us. I was scared to death, Mary, that I’d lost you—before I’d really found you. I didn’t realized until—until—” I stopped with a shudder.
“Josh,” said Mary softly but insistently, “what are you talkin’ about?”
I looked at her—my Mary, lying there white and quiet on the neighbor’s borrowed bed. She could have been killed! My heart nearly stopped even at the thought. I could have lost her. But she is still here.
I tried to speak but I choked on the words. I swallowed hard and tried again, looking directly into Mary’s eyes.
“I—I love you,” I managed to blurt out. “Maybe I always have—at least for a long time, but—but I was just too blind to see it—until now. I—”
But Mary’s little whisper stopped me. “Oh, Josh,” she uttered, her hand coming up to touch my cheek, and I could see tears filling her eyes.
My own tears came then. Sobbing tears. I laid my head against Mary’s shoulder and wept away all the pent-up emotions of the past dreadful hours. Mary let me cry, her hand gently stroking my head, my shoulder, and my arm.
I didn’t bother to apologize when I was finished. Somehow I knew Mary wouldn’t think an apology necessary.
“I love you,” I repeated, conviction in my voice.
“Bless that ol’ car,” Mary said with a little smile.
“What?”
“Bless that car. An’ the rain. An’ the slippery road. An’ our upendin’.” Mary was smiling broadly now, but her words made no sense at all. I wondered if she maybe was hallucinating.
“Oh, Josh!” she exclaimed, her eyes shining, “you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear you say those words.”
“You mean—”
“I have loved you—just forever ,” she stated emphatically. “I began to think that you’d never feel the same ’bout me.”
I felt as if there was a giant explosion somewhere in my brain—or in my heart. I love Mary. Mary loves me back! She would get better. We could share a life together. I could ask Mary to be my wife.
I had to put it in words—at least some of it. “You love me?”
Mary nodded. “Always,” she stated simply.
“And I love you—so much.”
Mary nodded again, her face flushed with color.
“Then—” I began, but stopped. I hesitated. It didn’t seem fair to her somehow. Slowly I shook my head.
“No, no,” I said. “I’m not gonna ask you now. Not yet. I’m gonna court you properly. Give you a little time.”
A small question flickered in Mary’s eyes.
“But not much time,” I hurried on. “I couldn’t stand to wait long now—now that I know. And one thing you can be sure of—I’m gonna come askin’—so you’d best be ready with an answer.”
“Oh, Josh,” Mary whispered.
Doc’s timing couldn’t have been worse. I had just kissed Mary—for the first time—and found it quite to my liking. Knowing now that she wasn’t seriously injured, I drew her a little closer. Mary’s eyelashes were already fluttering to her cheeks in anticipation of another kiss, her arms tightening about my neck. I don’t know if it was the opening of the door or Doc’s “ahem” that brought me sharply back to reality, but I sure did wish he could have delayed just a few minutes more.
C HAPTER 12
Courtship
W HEN I GOT BACK down to the kitchen, Grandpa and Uncle Charlie had arrived as well as Uncle Nat. Everyone was concerned about the girls, and the talk in the room was hushed and stilted.
But I wanted to shout and skip around the room like Pixie used to do. It seemed impossible that just a half hour earlier I’d had the scare of my life. Now I was walking on air. With all my heart I wished that I could share my
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