It was then that he saw her.
She was struggling to move away from the crowd, with little success. James wasn’t sure what had originally attracted his attention, but once he noticed her, he couldn’t stop watching. Joyous shouts and cheers rose in the tightly packed crowd, but the young woman didn’t share the excitement. She looked as if she’d rather be anywhere else in the world.
She was fragile, petite and delicate in build. He saw that she fought against the crowd but was trapped despite her best efforts.
James soon found himself gravitating in her direction. Within minutes she was pressed up against him, chin tucked into her neck as she tried to avoid eye contact.
“Excuse me,” he said.
She glanced up at him and attempted a smile. “I was the one who bumped into you.”
He was struck by how beautiful she was. Her soft brown hair curved gently at her shoulders, and he was sure he’d never seen eyes more dark or soulful. He was mesmerized by her eyes—and by the pain he read in their depths.
“Are you all right?” he felt obliged to ask.
She nodded and bit her lip. He realized how pale she was and wondered if she was about to faint.
“Let me help.” He wasn’t some knight who rescued damsels in distress. Life was filled with enough difficulties without taking on another person’s troubles. Yet he couldn’t resist helping her.
She answered him with a quick nod of her head.
“Let’s get out of here,” he suggested.
“I’ve been trying to do exactly that for the last twenty minutes.” Her voice was tight.
James wasn’t sure he could do any better, but he planned to try. Taking her by the hand, he slipped around a couple kissing passionately, then past a group of teens with dueling horns, the discordant sound piercing the night. Others appeared more concerned with catching the ashes raining down from the fireworks display than with where they stood.
Perhaps it was his age or the fact that he sounded authoritative, but James managed to maneuver them through the crush. Once they were off Fremont Street, the crowd thinned considerably.
James led her to a small park with a gazebo that afforded them some privacy. She sank onto the bench as if her legs had suddenly given out from under her. He saw that she was trembling and sat next to her, hoping his presence would offer her some solace.
The fireworks burst to life overhead.
“Thank you,” she whispered. She stood, teetered, then abruptly sat back down.
“You want to talk about it?” he asked.
“Not really.” Having said that, she promptly burst into tears. Covering her face with both hands, she gently rocked back and forth.
Not knowing what to do, James put his arms around her and held her against him. She felt warm and soft in his embrace.
“I feel like such a fool,” she said between sobs. “How could I have been so stupid?”
“We’re often blind to what we don’t want to see.”
“Yes, but... Oh, I should’ve known. I should’ve guessed there was someone else. Everything makes sense now... I couldn’t have been any blinder.”
He shrugged, murmuring something noncommittal.
She straightened, and James gave her his pressed handkerchief. She unfolded it, wiped away the tears and then clutched it in both hands.
“I’m sorry,” she choked out.
“Talking might help,” he said.
She took several moments to mull this over. “I found him with another woman,” she finally said. “He wanted me to come to Vegas with him after Christmas, and I couldn’t get time off from work. So I said he should go and have fun with his friends. Then...then I was able to leave early this afternoon. I wanted to surprise him on New Year’s Eve and I drove straight here. I surprised him, all right.”
And got the shock of her life, too, James mused.
“They were in bed together.” Her words were barely audible, as if the pain was so intense she found it difficult to speak. “I ran away and he came after me and...and tried to explain. He’s been seeing her for some time.... He didn’t mean to fall in love with her, or so he claims.” She laughed and hiccuped simultaneously.
“You were engaged?” he asked, noting the diamond on her left hand.
She nodded, and her gaze fell to her left hand. She suddenly jerked off the diamond ring and shoved it into her purse. “Brett seemed distant in the last few months, but we’ve both been busy with the holidays. I noticed he didn’t seem too disappointed when I couldn’t get time off from work. Now I know why.”
It was preferable to learn about her fiancé’s roving eye before she married him, but James didn’t offer platitudes. He hadn’t wanted to hear them himself.
“The problem is, I really love him.” She shook almost uncontrollably. “I want to claw his eyes out, and yet I know I’ll always love him.”
“Are you hoping to patch things up?”
She raised her head. “No. It’s over. I told him that and I meant it. I could never trust him again, but you know what?” She hesitated and drew in a deep breath. “I think he was grateful when I broke the engagement. He doesn’t want me back—he wants her.” She stiffened, as if bracing herself against an attack.
“It hurts right now, but it’ll get better in time,” James said, squeezing her hand.
“No, it won’t,” she whispered. “It’ll never get better. I know it won’t.”
James partially agreed with her. Part of him would always belong to Christy Manning. Even now, he had trouble remembering her married name. She wasn’t Christy Manning anymore, but Christy Franklin, and her husband was the sheriff of Custer County, Montana.
“Yes, it will, but it’ll take a year,” James said briskly.
“Not with me. I’ll never get over Brett.”
“You believe that right now, because the pain’s so bad you can’t imagine it’ll ever go away, but it does, I promise you.”
Slowly she turned to study him. “You know? It sounds as if you’re talking from experience.”
He nodded. “Five years ago the woman I loved broke off our engagement.” He laughed derisively. “You see, there was a small problem. She married someone else while she was engaged to me.”
“That’s terrible,” she said with a sigh of righteous indignation. “What kind of woman would do that?”
“It’s not as bad as it sounds. You see, her parents are good friends of mine, and I realize now they pressured Christy into accepting my engagement ring. She was fond of me and agreed because she wanted to make her family happy. I don’t think she ever realized how much I loved her.”