"Love? " The word came out as barely a whisper. I've been fighting it for weeks. He admitted, telling myself it was too soon, too complicated. But when Will was dying and you fought so hard to save him, when you looked at me with such trust during that storm, I realized I was being a fool.
Life's too short and too uncertain to waste chances at happiness. Margaret studied his face, weathered, serious, but with such hope in those gray eyes. She thought of her life in Philadelphia, the emptiness after Charles's death, the desperation that had driven her west. Then she thought of these past months, the satisfaction of honest work, the warmth of belonging, the way her heart lifted when Jake smiled. There's something I need to tell you, " she said slowly about why I really came west.
Jake's hands tightened on hers, but he nodded. "Tell me. " Charles didn't just leave me with debts. He left me with knowledge that our entire marriage had been built on pretense. The drinking was just part of it.
There were other women, gambling, lies upon lies that I was too trusting or too willfully blind to see. She drew a shaky breath. I came west not just for survival, but because I needed to go somewhere where nobody knew my shame. Where I could discover who Margaret Sullivan really was when stripped of everything. And who is she?
Jake asked softly. Margaret smiled through tears she hadn't realized were falling. A woman who can burn biscuits and learn from it. Who can set bones and stitch wounds? Who finds joy in feeding hungry cowboys and making curtains from old tablecloths?
Who? She paused, meeting his eyes. Who might be brave enough to love again. If the right man asked, I'm asking, Jake said simply. Then I'm saying yes, she whispered.
His smile transformed his face. Years falling away to reveal the young man he must have been before loss hardened him. He reached for the ring, then paused. There's one condition. Margaret's heart stuttered.
"What condition? " "You have to promise to keep seasoning our life with laughter, even when the stove acts up or the cowboys track mud through your clean kitchen or I'm being particularly stubborn about something. " "Jake, well, " she said, tears giving way to joy. "I promise to season our life with so much laughter, you'll beg for quiet. " "Never, " he said firmly, sliding the ring onto her finger.
I've had enough quiet for a lifetime. He kissed her then there in his practical office with the morning sun streaming through the window and the ranch beginning its daily rhythm outside. It was a kiss that spoke of promise and partnership, of second chances and new beginnings. When they finally parted, both breathing unsteadily, Jake rested his forehead against hers. The men are going to be insufferable when they find out.
Tom's been running a betting pool on when I'd finally propose. Who won? Margaret asked, laughing. Probably Tom himself. That boy's too clever by half.