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"Some people have to be hit over the head with a hammer before they understand what is before them. When I saw you. I knew what I wanted."
"You thought I was Priscilla."
"Did I?" he asked with a sexy grin.
"Of course, you did."
"Maybe. But the way I see it, I saw what I wanted, I branded you with a kiss, married you in my church and I haven't had one moment of regret since."
"Why not? Don't you feel bad for Priscilla?"
He frowned, "You scrubbed floors for ten years? You took care of your father until he died. You were a dutiful daughter, and a hard worker. I admire that. I like it. Hard work or not, it does build character. I should know. My dad started me on the ranch as the lowest of workers. He taught me from the ground up what work was about. If I didn't do something right, he made me do it over. And believe me, I did a lot of things over, and over. I learned from that. I don't regret it. The only thing I regretted in my life is spending two years writing a woman I never really knew."
She looked at him, as though just now seeing him. "You need an explanation from her. You still need to talk with her, though."
"Why, if she was interested, she'd have been here."
"Are you angry with her?"
"Hell no, darlin', I'm glad she didn't come. I'd have made a big mistake marrying a woman like that."
"A woman like what?"
"Pampered, spoiled, with a pedigree. That's what all the men friends I know told me to look for. So, I did. But it wasn't what I wanted or needed. Somewhere in my head I knew that. Oh, her letters were beautiful, but she talked about things that were so unimportant. She talked about teas and ballroom dancing and how she'd learned to knit."
"How can you be so sure about her now, you haven't even met her yet?"
"Because she asked me to plan a big wedding when she got off the train. I did so, without question. Being such a lady, it was only right to marry her first. But when she had no intention of telling me she wasn't coming. When I planned all of that for her and she didn't have the decency to let me know she wasn't coming. She had the money for a telegram. It wasn't like she couldn't afford to let me know. That's all it would have taken. It means I couldn’t depend on her, and out here you have to have someone you can depend on. It's a tough land, and it takes a lot of back-breaking work to make something of a place. After I came home, I realized she wouldn't be suited for this life, and I couldn't change my life. She doesn't fit and I see that now. You saw a dress and dreamed. I wrote letters and dreamed. But that's all it was, dreams."
He took her hands, turned them over and looked at them. "You see your hands as ugly. I see the hands of a woman who isn't afraid to work hard. No wonder your hands are callused. We got some stuff out in the barn that will help that." He told her.
Suddenly, he came up behind her and drew her against him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. She was feeling at home with him now, relaxed and part of him. Her heart was a flutter. "I want you right here, when I come back." He whispered in her ear, kissing her temple.
She turned to look at him, "You do, but how will I know when you are coming back?"
"I'll send you a telegram. I want you waiting here for me. Because," he stared down into her eyes once more. "I'll miss you like hell. And when I come back, I fully intend to make you mine. If you aren't here, I'll know you don't feel the same."
Her mouth opened in shock. "Oh," she nearly teared up.
"I hate to admit it, but I'll miss you too!" she whispered.
He smiled, "I know that."
"You do?" she shrieked.
"I do!" he smiled. "Tell me, has it been two weeks yet?"
"Two weeks?"
"Since I met you."
"No, I don't think it's been that long."
"Well, maybe I’m just a bit faster than my dad." He smiled.
"Lance, are you sure about this? You aren't your father, and I'm not your mother. We're different, we come from different worlds too. There's so much we should learn about each other."
"Are we really that different?" he asked with a sexy grin. "And we can learn as we go. That's what couples do."
