Amy twisted her hands in her lap as she stared at him. “I've been doing a lot of thinking and this is something I want you to think about while I'm gone. I think we should live together.”
Lance’s fingers dug into the thick fabric of the book. “I thought we already were.”
“Were we?” She thought about it. “I mean, not in the case where I come back here and I crash here. I mean having my clothes in your closet and my stuff in your drawers as well as my toothbrush and hair dryer in the cabinet. That’s the kind of living together I meant. We could raise this kid up together. I know you wanted an arrangement—”
“Yes!”
She blinked at him in surprise. “Yes what?”
“To us living together.” He took a deep breath and then continued. “I was about to suggest it but was waiting for the right time.”
“So, we're both in agreement.”
“We are.” Amy heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s not weird at all. I thought it would have been but I decided to bring it up anyway. What should we do with my dad’s ranch?”
“Sal and I were discussing it and if you don’t mind, he wants to bunk there and see to the running of it himself.”
“I have no problem with that.” She huffed out a breath. “This is new for me. I've never lived with a man before and never had the desire to do so. I'm moody and I get irritable when I'm working and basically like to be left alone. I'm also used to just getting up and hopping on a plane or jumping in my car to go wherever I want. I'm also smart enough to know that living with you will take some sort of commitment and I'm willing to make it. I promise that I'll let you know ahead of time when I have to go somewhere and will try and keep in touch with you when I'm away. When the baby comes, I will no doubt have to cut back on my traveling and I'm prepared to do so. Is that something you can deal with?”
“That depends.” He was sure she could hear the thumping of his heart from where she was sitting.
“On what?”
“Are you planning on redecorating my suite?”
“As a matter of fact, I'm thinking about it. How does pea green sound?” she asked him teasingly.
“Horrible.” His green eyes wandered over her face. “Do you want me to have someone redecorate while you are gone?”
“Just like that? I'm invading your territory and you don’t mind?”
“I guess I can put up with you being in my space,” he told her with a shrug.
“You're so sweet.”
“I know. What do you say?”
“I'm into sapphire blue and russet.” She laughed at the expression on his face. “I don’t want to change anything much, Lance. Just maybe the drapes and add some color to the bathroom. New towels and maybe change the mats and add my own deal to it. Have you really thought about what it means to live with me?” she asked him seriously.
“Are you going to be a pain?”
“Maybe, and then there's going to be a child underfoot as well. The ranch house won't be the same.”
“I can live with that. I think you'll make a terrific mother.”
“Are you buttering me up?”
“I think I might be.”
She eyed him for a moment before getting to her feet and going to the window. Her eyes widened as she saw the flurries drifting down from the sky. “Come and check this out,” she said, gesturing furiously.
“What is it?” He got up and came over to stand next to her. “Ah,” he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her up against him. “We'll be having a white Christmas after all.”
*****
“Thanks for meeting me.” Abigail spread her napkin on the table and made a show of it, her fingers restless. Betty-Lou’s wedding was over, and she had no more excuses to stay in Shadow Point, unless Lance had had a change of heart. Having sex with Mason had been the wrong thing to do and she had no intention of repeating it, even though he had called her several times. She'd finally called Lance and asked him to meet her for lunch because she knew that Amy had left this morning. She was still clinging onto hope and was going to tell him that she could look past the fact that Amy was carrying his child. She was hoping to prod his memories of the good times they'd had in the past.
He nodded. “What are you having?” he asked politely.
“The shrimp soup is fine.”
Lance nodded to the waiter and he came to take their orders. “I take it that you're leaving soon?”
Abigail reached for the glass of water and took several sips before putting the glass down. “This place grows on you somehow.” She looked around the small intimate restaurant and noticed a few people she recognized. “It snowed on Christmas Day and I stood at Betty-Lou’s window looking out at the powdery substance drifting against the window and thought to myself that I've never seen anything so serenely beautiful before. When I was here all those years ago, I didn't see it and now that I have I realize that I want to stay here, I'm willing to be the woman you want me to be, Lance. I'm ready to be that woman who will stand by your side and do whatever it is that a wife married to a rancher should do.” She stopped when the waiter came forward with their meals. Abigail waited impatiently as the man made an issue of arranging the bowls and the utensils.
“Will there be anything else, Mr. Billings?” he asked, folding his hands in front of him and looking at Lance.
“If we need anything else, we'll call you,” Abigail said bitingly.
The man bowed and left hurriedly.
“I'm sorry,” she said abruptly as she broke the freshly baked bread in two and dipped it into the soup. “This smell wonderful.”
“They serve the best here. Look Abigail—”
“Please just let me finish,” she pleaded, one hand reaching out to touch his hand. “I know you have someone pregnant, but I know what we shared all those years ago and know that something like that just doesn't disappear. Please hear me out.” She dug her fingers into his hand. “I married my husband out of sheer desperation because I wanted to get over you, to forget about you, but it never happened. He beat me.” She almost crowed in triumph when his brow snapped together in a frown.
“And you stayed with him?”
“I was afraid of him, Lance, afraid for my life. He told me that if I left him he would kill me, and I believed him. He had friends in high places.”
“You could have called me.”
“I hurt you so much, Lance, that I felt ashamed to call, to let you know how much I screwed up.” She closed her fingers around his hand. “I deserved whatever I got for letting go of a very good thing.” She blinked away the tears. “I just want a second chance Lance, I'm here, doing away with my pride and begging you for another chance.”
He patted her hand awkwardly and took her hand off his. “I'm sorry you went through that Abigail, and I sincerely mean that. No woman deserves that, no matter what happens. But that aside, I'm involved with Amy, I'm more than involved with her. She's carrying my child and I'm in love with her.”
“Oh.” Abigail felt the hope shrivel up and die a slow death. “I slept with Mason the night of the barn dance.”