He pulled his pocket watch from his pocket, placed it in the trunk, then shut the lid, and turned to go.
Gillian watched him quizzically. “Why did you do that?”
“Time,” he said. “The watch came to me for a reason. I’m tucking it away as a promise.”
He picked up his pack and led her from the shadows of the cave into the light, bright summer afternoon.
They hiked farther up the trail, beyond the cave. In less than five minutes, they reached Tucker’s goal—a large, flat-topped boulder that offered a bird’s-eye view of most of the canyon. He took the wedding gown from her arms and set it aside, then he placed his hands around her waist and lifted her up and onto the rock. “Stay,” he commanded to both dogs in a tone of voice that demanded he be obeyed. “Sit.”
The dogs sat.
Tucker climbed up on the rock and sat beside his wife. “Look.” He pointed out the landmarks in the canyon below. “There’s the inn, and to the south, Ruin. To the north lies Redemption.”
“It’s a pretty view,” Gillian said. “Tucker, I need to tell you—”
“Please,” he interrupted. “Let me go first. I need to go first, because I think what I have to say will probably change whatever it is you intend to tell me.”
“All right.”
Tucker drew a deep breath, exhaled in a rush, and abandoned his planned, canned speech and instead, spoke from his heart. “The way I see it, I’m metaphorically sitting on the front porch of the inn, halfway between Ruin and Redemption with a choice to make. I know what the choice needs to be. I’ve known it for a while now, which has been a reason why I’ve been as grumpy as Branch Callahan when the Cowboys lose to the Eagles.”
“I understand that he does like his Cowboys.”
“He’s a maniac. He’s older than dirt and swears he’s not kicking up his boots until they win another Super Bowl.”
“Your whole family will probably always root for the Cowboys’ opponent in that case. I saw at the wedding how much everyone loves him.”
“We do. And speaking of love…” He took her hand in his and brought it up to his mouth. He pressed a kiss against first her knuckles and then the heart of her palm. “I love you, Gillian, and I owe you an apology. I was wrong to pressure you into going public about our marriage. I’d promised you time, and I tried to change the rules on you. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Thank you.”
“In my defense, I’ve never been in love before, so I’ll invariably make some training mistakes.”
“Training mistakes?” she repeated, a smile hovering on her lips.
“It’s a woman’s job to train the men in their lives. Boone’s sisters spout off about that all the time.”
“I see. So, you’re saying this whole argument between us was my fault for not properly training you?”
“Would I get away with that?”
“Not on your life.”
“Didn’t figure so. Here’s the deal, Glory. I don’t want to wear the black hat anymore. I choose to take the road to Redemption. You deserve to write the story you want to write, the one of the bride living her dream with her mother looking on, not the version where a robber with a six-shooter has held the bride up and stolen her dress. In that case, it’s time for us to turn the page.”
“I like the sound of this, Tucker, but how do you propose we do it?”
“We proceed as planned. I’m packed for the desert. My plane leaves tonight.”
She blinked and went stiff. “Wait. What? You’re leaving? Already? Without our discussing it?”
“We still have six weeks to eight weeks to discuss it, honey. I spoke with my buddy last night. We needed to make the call on who would be working where.”
“So you chose Death Valley?”
“To be totally transparent, a portion of what we do is in an air-conditioned classroom in Las Vegas. We’re not in the desert for the entire time, and we’ll only be in the park itself for a portion of that.”
“The park?”
“Death Valley is a national park.”
“I didn’t know that. But … you’ll be gone. To Nevada. With a residence.”
“I can file for divorce the first week of August.”
“But … but … what about the plan?”
“What plan?”
“The one to win my heart!”
“Oh. That plan.” He took hold of her hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed her knuckles. “It’s in the bag.”
She relaxed a bit and arched her brows. Her lips twitched. “You think so, hmm?”
“I do. This isn’t surrender, my love. This isn’t even strategic retreat. What I’m doing is clearing the way so the wedding planner can do her thing—when she so chooses.”
“Are you asking me to marry you, Tucker?”
“Right now?” He rubbed his chin and considered the question a moment before shaking his head. “Well, no. Last time I did that in a shopping mall. I’m thinking next time around should involve some real romance. I’ll be back in Texas in August, honey. I’m predicting a whirlwind romance that culminates with an engagement ring and a wedding date that’s as soon as the wedding planner and her mom can make it happen.”
“You want to divorce me so you can marry me?”
“No. What I want is for you to realize you can trust what is already in your heart. It will happen, and I can wait for it. Then, when the time is right, I’ll watch you walk up the aisle to me wearing the wedding dress of your dreams on the arm of your proud father and with your happy mother dabbing her tears with a handkerchief in the front row.” He turned her hand over and kissed the center of her palm.
“I will wait for you, Gillian. I’m sorry I let my impatience get the best of me. No more pressure. I’ve learned my lesson.”
Gillian exhaled a heavy breath. Her voice was a little shaky when she said, “Well. Okay. Wow. You’ve blindsided me with this, Tucker. This is not at all what I was expecting. I need to think about this and figure out if it changes what I had intended to say to you today.”
“Take your time. Tell you what, why don’t we head back to the MULE and return to my place. We could go for a swim. You can tell me what you need to tell me when you’re ready.” He hopped down from the boulder and turned to help her. “I’ve got time. My plane doesn’t leave until eleven forty.”
Tucker carried the wedding gown as they hiked back to the utility vehicle. They kept conversation to a minimum. Gillian’s expression was pensive, her thoughts obviously turned inward. Only when he loaded the dogs up into the MULE did she ask a question. “What are you going to do with River? Aren’t you supposed to dog sit for the entire month that Jackson and Caroline are on their honeymoon?”
“Angelica said he can stay with her at the inn. Now that we’ve built the innkeeper’s cottage, she has a way to keep him separate from guests who aren’t dog lovers.”
While Gillian seemed weighted by the revelation of Tucker’s plan, he felt about a million times better. His Pigpen cloud had dissipated. The gloom surrounding him had lifted. The choir of angels creating a racket inside him had zipped their heavenly lips.