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Elise held up her hand. “Listen, I mean it when I say it would be a marriage on paper. I know you want to live your life working the ranch, and you absolutely can. I won’t ask you to take care of us or be there like a husband would. We can live our own lives side by side long enough for me to prove I can take care of the boys. Then we’ll see what happens.”
“So, you’re saying you would want to get a divorce?” Garrett’s stomach twisted in horror. Somehow the idea of being divorced was worse than the thought of getting married.
Elise sighed and shook her head. “I’m not saying that. Maybe we just find a way to coexist in the world where we’re married, but not really. I don’t know. I haven’t figured all of that out. All I know is this is what I need right now. And God sent you here when I asked for help.”
Garrett took several deep breaths, mulling the idea over in his mind. His palms were sweaty when he placed them on the table, looked her in the eyes, and said, “Then how can I say no?”
6
Garrett sat in the passenger’s seat of his brother Hawk’s truck as they drove along a bumpy dirt road on the way to an auction. His insides felt jumbled up, but it wasn’t because of the road.
“What’s eating you?” Hawk finally asked. “You’ve been quiet all day.”
Garrett wasn’t sure he was ready to spill his secret yet. “I’m not exactly the family chatterbox.”
“True.” Hawk reached up and tipped his cowboy hat back. “But you’re not usually this quiet either. I know something’s going on. We’ve got another hour before we get to the auction, so why don’t you save me the trouble of dragging it out of you.”
Garrett sighed. “It’s about Elise.”
“Elise?” Hawk couldn’t have sounded more surprised. “I didn’t expect you to say it was about a girl at all, but Elise? I mean, I used to think something would happen between you two, but that was a long time ago.”
“I know. But things are really bad for her right now.”
Hawk grimaced. “I know. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for her, losing her parents unexpectedly like that.”
“It’s been rough. She’s trying to take care of the house and her two brothers, and the house and the finances are overwhelming.”
“Sheesh, it sounds like a lot.” Hawk shook his head.
“Mom had me take over a casserole the other day, and we got to talking. She’s in a bad spot, and it’s actually possible the boys could be taken away and sent to live with another relative.”
“No way! They would do that?” Hawk slammed his hand against the steering wheel. “Talk about kicking somebody when they’re down.”
“Right? It’s terrible.”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
Garrett sat silently for several moments. He hoped he looked deep in thought, but he was trying to figure out how to say the words. “Well, I think maybe I should bring her and the boys to the ranch… and you know… marry her.”
The truck screeched to a halt as Hawk slammed on the brakes. He threw the truck in park and turned and stared at his brother. “What did you just say?”
Garrett shrugged and looked out the passenger side window to avoid eye contact. “I said I think maybe I should just marry her.”
Now Hawk punched him in the arm. “Are you serious? Mr. Bachelor for life, never going to get married and be tied down like the rest of us? You’re just going to go off and marry someone just like that?”
“No, it’s not that simple. I’ve been thinking about it for several days now. She doesn’t have a job, she thinks they will have to sell her parents’ house or lose it, and she needs to show she has a steady life for the boys. I know I said I was never going to get married, but so what? People change.” Garrett knew he hadn’t actually changed, but he didn’t want to admit that it wouldn’t be a real marriage.
“So you love her then?” Hawk asked.
“Sure,” Garrett lifted one shoulder nonchalantly. “I’ve known her as long as I’ve known all of you, and we’ve been close for years.”
Hawk raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side. “Yeah, except that you haven’t spoken more than two words since you graduated from high school.”
“Let’s just say we had some differences, but that doesn’t mean I stopped caring about her. I just hadn’t figured things out yet.”
“So now you’re going to propose?”
“Something like that.”
