Runaway Bride (19 page)

"That's not necessary," she began, but
he was already out of the truck and on her side. He put his arm
around her and the same familiar feelings swamped her.

He stood there staring in the moonlight
at her, his face a wad of frowns and confusion. "You are quite a
lady, Savannah."

"Thank you," she barely managed, her
throat was hurting from the strain of holding back
tears.

"I've got a question for you now," he
said slowly coming closer.

"Okay," she wished he would just go, it
would be so much easier than standing here wanting to throw her
arms around him and not being able to.

"What was that about in the
saloon?"

The question startled her, confused
her. How could she explain it. She wasn't sure herself.

"Every girl wants love, Ben. Not that I
thought I'd find it there, but I thought maybe I'd do my ego a
little good. Chad had betrayed me. That was a little hard to take.
It left me feeling inadequate. I've been accused of being too
prudish all my life, expecting too much. Too blind to see. All my
friends have flirted enormously with many men. I hadn't done much
of that before. Not that I was any good at it, but I guess I was
trying to assuage my bruised ego a little too."

He nodded slowly, "Savannah," he said
her name like a prayer, and he gathered her slowly to him, looking
into her face, as though searching for something. "You're more
woman than I've ever known before. More beautiful than a spring
day. As innocent and sweet as a newborn babe. I'm sorry I've
man-handled you. Sorry, I was so rough on you. You deserve better.
But at least take this with you, forever..."

And then he kissed her.

Not with the heat of passion, not with
the force of desire, but with the gentle and tenderness of a real
lover. This was the man she knew was in Ben Hogg. And she was
helpless in his arms. He feather kissed her nose, her forehead, her
lips, over her eyes, and he didn't touch her anywhere but the sides
of her face as he withdrew.

She felt weak, and right then, she knew
she had lost the only man she could ever love, and all her dreams
were going down the tube. Ben Hogg was leaving her with a kiss of
an angel.

"Goodbye, Savannah, and I wish you
luck..." and then he was gone.

Chapter Nine

Stunned from the strange evening she
had spent with Ben, she hadn't noticed her aunt coming down the
stairs as she entered the old farmhouse.

"Well, how did it go?" Aunt Lucy asked
as she joined her in the living room.

"I think we've said our goodbyes."
Savannah sat her purse on the floor and moved about the room
nervously.

Aunt Lucy's forehead wrinkled,
"Goodbyes? But why, I thought you were rather fond of
him."

"I was, I am. But he let me know early
on that he wasn't interested in marriage. And I am. It's the one
thing I am sure of, Aunt Lucy. I want what my sisters have,
happiness, a family."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry." She seemed to
be preoccupied with her own thinking.” Can’t you at least be
friends? You and Ben?"

Savannah glanced hesitantly at her
Aunt, "I don't think the way we feel, it would be a good idea. I
love him...but..."

"That's too bad dear. Ben is a
wonderful man, done a very good job here in Junction. I'd like to
see him settle down and have a family," Aunt Lucy was saying. Not
wanting to embarrass her, she didn't look straight at her, but
picked up her tattering and talked with a soothing voice. "Does he
know you're in love with him?"

Savannah's eyes widened, "Oh
please…"

"I’m sorry dear, really sorry. But at
my age, I can tell. I'd say he's pretty close to the same feelings,
too. So, what are you going to do about it?"

Savannah hadn't a clue. She supposed it
was over with, before it got started. What could she do? She'd at
least been honest with him about her feelings.

"I have no plans," she said quietly,
not liking the sick feeling that thought gave her.

"In my day, when I wanted a young man's
attention, I'd find me another, and that would get his attention
real quick." Lucy chuckled.

Savannah smiled, "Really? My chances of
finding another man are not very good. And I've actually tried
flirting and all that got me was a night in jail."

"Oh, I don't know. There's my friend’s
grandson from Corpus. He's visiting her right now and I'll bet he'd
love some young company. His name is Jimmy and he's about six foot
tall, brown haired and blue eyed. He's been stuck with her for a
week, and he looks bored out of his mind. I could give him a
call."

"I really don't think that's wise..."
Savannah tried to dissuade her. She was tired of lies and cat and
mouse games.

"And why not, dear? It's like falling
off a horse, you just get right back on it," Lucy
chuckled.

"Even if I went out with someone, how
would Ben know?"

Aunt Lucy put her tattering down and
took her small glasses from her nose, "Oh word has a way of getting
around in these parts. Gossip is about all we have to do, you
know."

Savannah laughed. "What's he like? This
Jimmy!"

"He's nice enough looking, big church
man, and claims he has a girl-friend back home."

"Claims, you don't believe
it?"

"Well if he does, why is he wasting his
time with his grandmother?" Lucy laid her tattering
down.

"I don't think I need a real
relationship right now. But it might be nice to go out with a
friend."

Lucy chuckled again, "Now that's the
spirit."

Two days later Savannah was repainting
a rocking chair for her aunt when a tall figured loomed over her.
She glanced up and got to her feet.

"Hi, are you painting the chair or
yourself? I'm Jimmy Walker, you're aunt said you'd be home
today."

"Hello, I'm Savannah. I'm not really a
very good painter." She extended her hand and quickly tried to rub
the paint off before grabbing his hand. It smeared on her shirt.
She shrugged and grinned.

"Want some help?"

Savannah handed him the brush and sat
on the porch steps as he proceeded to do a bang up job on the
rocker, without getting one smudge on his handsome face. How'd he
do that?

Watching him paint gave her ample
opportunity to size the young man up. He was pleasant looking, with
dark hair and eyes, medium build and lean. An average American Pie
boy. A little like Chad.

Painting was definitely not her strong
point, since the country blue paint was all over her, and very
little on the rocker, she was silently grateful that this young man
had so eagerly volunteered to finish what she had
started.

"All done," he smiled, and joined her
on the steps in less than an hour.

"So how long you staying with your
aunt?" he asked, not at all shy. She liked his easy way of talking,
he seemed very friendly, and yet she noticed something in him that
made her wonder.

"I'm not sure yet." She glanced at him.
"How about you, I heard you were staying with your
grandmother."

"Yeah," he hung his head and nodded.
"I'm on vacation. I just lost my mother in a car accident and
needed to get away."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Aunt Lucy didn't
tell me."

"Well, she didn't know. No one around
here did. My mother was a drunk driver, she hit another car, three
people died. It was a little hard to get over. I'm still a little
devastated by it, but at least grandmother keeps my mind off
things."

"I'm sorry. How awful for you. So, are
you enjoying your stay with her?"

"Well, I am now." he smiled. "I haven’t
had anyone I could really talk to, except older folks. How about we
take in a little dinner tonight and tomorrow we can go to church?
How does that sound?"

Savannah warmed to this young man, but
a little voice warned her that she should go slow. Yet something
told her that Jimmy Walker might turn into a good friend. He was
nice, and yet she knew instantly he didn't light any fires. That
was good.

Still, he might be a wonderful
distraction from someone who did. But she would set the time and
place; after all, she didn't know this young man that
well.

"How about you come to dinner here, tonight,
and we'll see about tomorrow?"

"Sounds good. Well, I guess I am going.
My grandmother is having some friends over and she'll need my help
getting in and out of her wheelchair. It's nice to have met someone
my own age."

Savannah laughed. "Okay, why don't you
come over about seven?"

"Sounds great. See ya."

Later, when her aunt came home from her
garden club meeting, she quizzed her about meeting Jimmy. "So how
did you like him?"

"He seems like a nice guy. I invited
him for supper if you don't mind."

Lucy smiled, "That's the
spirit."

"Do you know why he's staying with his
grandmother?" Savannah asked.

"No, not really. Grace didn't go into
much detail the last time I talked with her, but she was certainly
happy he was with her." Lucy smiled.

Savannah nodded and proceeded to tell
her why Jimmy was visiting Grace.

CHAPTER TEN

Dinner was pleasant with Jimmy taking
the lead and carrying on most of the conversation. Savannah was
glad her aunt was home though. She even agreed to go to church with
him the next day.

Two days later Ben came out to see
her.

"I just stopped by to see how you are
doing."

"I'm fine, and you?"

"Fine."

"Looks like you've mastered doing
dishes," he smiled.

There was a long pause, as she dried
the last dish and put it away, then she turned to him as she dried
her hands.

"Was there something else?"

"Word around town is your dating Mrs.
Walker's grandson, is that right?"

"I invited him for dinner..." Savannah
hung the cup towel up.

"And you went with him to church,
too."

"Well, yes, I did. Is there anything
wrong with that?" She turned to face him.

"No, not at all."

"Good," she tried to keep the smile
from her lips. "Aren't you supposed to be working, right
now?"

"Yeah, I am, actually. I had to pick up
Larson's dog, he bit the mailman again, second time this month.
Keeps this up we might have to put him down."

"Oh no, that's terrible. Where did he
bite the mailman?" Savannah asked with a chuckle.

"Got him right in the seat of his
pants." Ben laughed.

Savannah couldn't stop the smile,
"Well, it was nice of you to stop by and check on things. I hope
when I go home you'll stop by and check on my aunt,
often."

"Go home, you're leaving?" Ben came
closer.

"Eventually, yes," she sighed, about to
move past him to the living room when he grabbed her and pulled her
to him.

"I've missed you, Savannah." And with
that his lips feather touched hers, just as her aunt called out to
her from the other room.

Savannah moved away. Ben spoke to her
aunt for a few minutes and left.

* * *

The following day Jimmy invited her on
a picnic, but it rained and she couldn't go. She called him and
canceled then joined her aunt in the living room.

"Your mother called earlier," she
said.

Savannah's head came up and she looked
at her aunt as though she had grown two heads. "My
mother!"

"It sounded as though your friend,
Janet has spread the word that you are madly in love with some
yokel cowboy and she wants to get to the bottom of it."

Savannah groaned, "Oh
no...."

"Oh yes, and she'll be here
tomorrow."

"She's coming here?" Savannah
shrieked.

"Yes dear, they are both coming to pick
up the car...and talk to you."

"Oh, Aunt Lucy, I've managed to screw
everything up and I don't know how to right it all. If only Chad
had confessed, all of this wouldn't be happening."

"Yes, you wouldn't have met and fell in
love with Ben, nor dated Jimmy, nor visited me.” Lucy shook her
head and grabbed Savannah's arm. "Everything isn't messed up. Why
don't you simply tell your mother about Chad?"

"I promised Chad I wouldn't say
anything till he did." Savannah sighed flopping into a recliner and
leaning back. The only person in the whole world that Savannah had
managed to tell the truth was her aunt. Weary from the lies and
problems it had created, Savannah was at a loss as to what to do
next.

"Well, I'm glad to know you are a woman
of your word, but the truth has a way of coming out, sooner or
later, my dear. But tell me, is Ben the yokel cowboy your mother
spoke of?"