Randall Honor (17 page)

She’d asked herself the question, “What am I going to do for four years?” over and over again. Maybe
she’d take a boat to Australia, and tour that country for six months. She had enough money.

But why spend it when Australia wouldn’t look any different from Wyoming? Not because it really was like Wyoming, but because she wouldn’t be looking. Or she could open a branch office in Buffalo. Far enough away not to see or hear about Jon, but close enough to see her family occasionally. Yes, that would be a better choice. She couldn’t give up her family.

She’d have to wait a week or two to talk to Russ about it. It would help if Bill could remain working for them. Then it wouldn’t be so hard on Russ.

She was too tired to think anymore tonight. She was going straight to bed. As Scarlett said, “Tomorrow is another day.”

And she was right. But there was no guarantee it would be a
better
day.

Dressed in one of her long T-shirts and panties, she pulled back the cover on her bed, just as the pounding started on her door.

She knew who was there. Jon would want to properly express his sentiments. She’d like to ignore him, but better to let him get the words out tonight, than to fear facing them tomorrow.

She slipped on a robe and went to the door. “Who is it?”

“You know who it is,” he said calmly. “Open up, Tori.”

After a moment, she did so.

Without words, he pushed past her and pulled out a chair at her table.

She remained by the door. “Come right in, Jon. It doesn’t matter that I’m ready for bed. Of course I want to talk to you.”

“Good.”

With a sigh, she closed the door and came to the table, noticing for the first time that he carried a grocery sack. “It’s not necessary to bring food every time you— Of course, I don’t need to tell you that, because you won’t be coming over anymore.”

“Why not?”

She was trying to be strong, but he wasn’t cooperating. “Didn’t you get my note?”

“Yeah. Wasn’t it a little early for the test?”

“I’m not pregnant! You’re free to go on with your life! Got that, Jon?”

He looked at her solemnly, and she couldn’t stand it. She turned away, crossing her arms over her chest. If she didn’t, he would see her trembling hands. “You need to leave, Jon. Our conversation is over.”

“What conversation? Sit down, Tori. I brought a snack.”

He opened his sack and reached in.

“I don’t care what you brought, Jon. I want you to leave. I can’t—”

She stopped, because she saw what he put on the table. Ice cream and pickles. Typical pregnancy food.

“Damn it, get out! Stop tormenting me! Just go—” She couldn’t believe she had any more tears to shed,
but there they were again, streaming down her cheeks. “I’m—not—pregnant!”

He stood up and took her into his arms. She was too weak, too distraught, too everything to protest.

“I know you’re not, sweetheart. I thought we’d get a head start on next time.” He squeezed her closer to him. “Only this time, we’ll get married first.”

Standing in his arms, hiding her face in his shirt, it took several minutes for his words to penetrate her grief. Finally she raised her tear-streaked face and stared at him. “What did you say?” she asked, hiccuping.

“I said what I’ve been trying to say for a long time. I love you. I think I’ve been in love with you since I first saw you, but then I made love to you too soon, and it messed everything up.”

“That’s not true! When you realized—at the cabin, you were—you don’t, either!”

“I made a mistake. I was stunned by our lovemaking, sweetheart. It was so incredibly powerful. Then I realized what I’d done. I’m a doctor! I preach about unprotected sex! I even said something to Casey the other night. But
I
didn’t practice it? With you? I risked hurting you? I was furious with myself, not you. When we made love, I didn’t want to let you go. And I’ve been trying to find a way to get close to you again ever since.”

“You could’ve told me!” she protested, still frowning but no longer crying.

“You’ve got to be kidding. You wouldn’t talk to me. You hardly even looked at me. So I tried to find
out about the baby. That made you furious. I didn’t know what to do.”

She buried her head in his shirtfront. “I—I wanted the baby. I was so sad when I took the test.”

“I should have been here with you, sweetheart, but you shut me out.”

She backed out of his arms, her hands on her hips. “How was I supposed to know it mattered to you?”

“I don’t know, since you wouldn’t share your feelings with me.”

“Oh, so I’m supposed to share while you hide your feelings? I don’t think so.”

He grinned. “Couldn’t you tell I love you? That Gabe Randall made me sick to my stomach, until Jennifer came into the picture? I’m grateful to her, now.”

She gave a watery chuckle. “He was smitten, wasn’t he? I hope Jennifer is sweet to him. Gabe hasn’t had a happy life. I want someone to love him.”

“Do you think Jennifer is the kind to be there for someone else?”

“I think she can be. Anyway, Gabe will be around a lot to see Jennifer, he said, so I’m glad you don’t hate him.”

“As long as it’s Jennifer he wants to see, he’s welcome anytime. What’s one more Randall?”

“Jon,” she said then, her voice wobbling. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m happy about Gabe and Jennifer.”

“No! I mean about—about loving me?”

He pulled her back into his arms. “As sure as I am
about staying in Rawhide, with you, for the rest of my life.”

“But—but you said you were leaving in four years.”

“If I did, would you go with me?”

She didn’t hesitate. “Yes. I’d rather stay here, but, yes, I’d go with you.”

Now there were tears in his eyes. “I love you so much. But I won’t ask that of you, sweetheart. I was going back to Chicago for Dad and Aunt Tabitha. But Dad has been caught up in the magic of Rawhide and he wants to stay as much as I do. We’re going to make arrangements with Aunt Tabitha.”

He kissed her once, and then continued reslanting his mouth over hers to get closer, covering her soft skin with his hands, sliding them under her T-shirt, finally exploring the secrets it hid.

Until something plopped on his shoe.

“Oh, dear,” Tori exclaimed, breathing shallowly, “the ice cream’s melting!”

Jon picked up the carton and put it in the sink. Grabbing a paper towel, he wiped up the soggy mess left on the table. Then he swept Tori up into his arms and headed for the bedroom.

“Maybe if we put it in the freezer, it will keep,” she said, looking over his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about the ice cream, sweetheart. I’ll buy more, along with the pickles, whenever you need them. And hopefully, it will be real soon.”

“Anything else?” Jon called as he came in the front door.

“No, that’s everything. I’m coming back tomorrow to make sure it’s sparkling clean for Bill.”

“Dad’s real excited about having his own apartment,” Jon said with a grin. His father might be excited, but not as much as Jon. He’d bought Russ’s home from him. He and Tori, Mrs. Tori Wilson, were moving in today. They’d taken out the furniture Russ had left in the house and changed the decor. They didn’t want Russ to avoid them because he couldn’t bear the memories, but he’d helped them move some things in already.

He would never forget Abby, and Tori didn’t want him to. But one day perhaps he could heal.

“Then let’s go home, sweetheart,” Jon suggested. “I want to continue our work on the need for ice cream and pickles.”

Jon had moved into her apartment right away and they’d had a small wedding, as small a wedding as a Randall family wedding could be.

“We’d better. I want you to be able to carry me
over the threshold before I get so big you can’t lift me,” she said.

“Oh, we’ve got plenty of time,” he said with a laugh.

“And you call yourself a doctor!” she teased.

Jon scooped her into his arms and started for the door but suddenly stopped, staring at Tori’s smile.

“You’re not!”

With big innocent blue eyes, she said, “Not what, dear?”

“You’re not pregnant! Are you?”

“I haven’t taken a test yet.”

“Damn the tests! Are you?”

“I think so, but then I’m not a doctor!”

He kissed her with all his heart. He couldn’t ask for any more happiness. His family around him—a much-expanded family—Tori in his arms and a child on the way.

When he’d borrowed the money for his loan, he’d never guessed he would get such happiness in return.

It was the best bargain he’d ever made.