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“Promise me that will never change.”
“I promise,” she said without hesitation.
Mike tucked her hair behind her ear. “I love you, Gertrude Whettstein.”
Shock coursed through her eyes, and Mike pressed two fingers to her mouth. “You don’t have to say it back. I just feel it so strongly right now, and I want to recognize it. I know it. I’m in love with you, and I want to see you at least once a day too. A lot more than that, but I get we have circumstances and situations that might mean it’s once a day, in a truck in a parking garage.” He slipped his fingers away from her lips, curious as to what she’d say to that.
“Kevin did say I could park here any time I wanted.” She grinned at him. “Which is a good thing, because I circled this block three times before I finally pulled in here and begged him for ten minutes.”
Mike laughed like she’d just told the funniest joke ever. “You two staged this, didn’t you?”
“I had to get you down here,” she said.
“Baby doll, if you’d texted me you were here, I’d have been down here ten times as fast.”
She laughed and as she quieted, Mike touched his lips to hers again. “Mike,” she whispered against his mouth.
He didn’t back up and give her much room to speak. “Mm?”
“I’m in love with you too.” The words came out whispered, and Mike didn’t immediately pull away and gape at her.
“I told you you didn’t have to say it back.”
“And when do I say something I don’t mean?”
He did put enough distance between them then, so he could see her face. A hint of redness rode in her cheeks, and she seemed almost embarrassed.
“Why are you blushing?” he teased.
“I just feel kind of dumb,” she said. “I mean, with James and all. It was what? Six months ago when I was with him.” She shrugged.
“And now you’re with me,” Mike said. “And we belong together, Gerty. We always have.”
“We have, haven’t we?” She smiled the most gorgeous smile at him, the light pouring from her absolutely angelic. “Now, come on. I want to see your condo and your office.”
She turned to get out of the truck, but Mike stayed in his seat. “Lord, thank you for that woman.”
He opened his door, so Gerty wouldn’t squeeze down the passage to do it for him. “Bless me to deserve her every day for the rest of my life.” He met her at the tailgate, tucked her hand in his, and said, “Now, I’ve never had anyone call me at the condo, so the ring scared me. We may or may not have a mess upstairs.”
Gerty looked at him with wide eyes. “What kind of mess?”
“The pepperoni pizza kind of mess.”
31
Gerty stepped out of her farmhouse to the cold bite of wind. October had become November, while it hadn’t snowed yet, she was sure it would today. The sky foamed with angry clouds, and she best get her outdoor chores done quickly so she could return to the house for breakfast.
She liked hot meals, and she’d put oatmeal in the crock pot last night so she could make cream of oat cereal this morning. Her younger siblings were coming this weekend for a sleepover, and Gerty needed to get to the grocery store to get the food she needed to keep them all happy while their parents went to a show in the city.
She and Mike had seen each other every single day, even if only for a few minutes, since she’d driven to the city over a month ago. Every time she thought of him, a huge sense of love and security overcame her, and she let it warm her from top to bottom as she hurried down the steps, Max at her heels.
She fed and watered her horses and made sure all the doors were secure before returning to the house. When she got within ten yards, the scent of sausage met her nose. She expected to find Daddy or Mom or both of them in her kitchen, fixing breakfast for her. Daddy had come out once a couple of weeks ago, after Gerty had mentioned to him that she thought she’d marry Mike within the next year.
They’d exchanged their I-love-you’s, but Gerty still didn’t want to rush into another engagement. In fact, she didn’t want to get engaged at all. Mike knew that, but Gerty also hadn’t told him she absolutely wouldn’t wear his ring before she became his wife.
Daddy had said, “You need to tell your mother,” and Gerty had. Mom did want to know, because she’d wanted to be more involved in the plans for Gerty’s non-existent first wedding, but she’d been too far away.
Gerty had told her she didn’t want anything fancy. In fact, she wanted to marry Mike right there on the farm, with just their families and friends in attendance. She’d need a dress, but she’d seen the suits Mike wore to work, and he already had the wardrobe.
