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I hoped my smiles assured him.
After a while, Dr. Miller came in and gave me a tetanus shot.
I went back to sitting beside Max. We fell into the kind of comfortable silence that exists between old friends. My eyelids grew heavy, and I nodded off. Drawing me closer to him, Max placed my head on his shoulder.
“Rest, Anna. I’m here,” he said in a low, deep voice.
I squeezed his arm and settled into his warmth. I could perceive his musky scent and feel the rhythm of his heartbeat.
Finally, I fell asleep, feeling safer and more at peace than I’d been in a long while.
12
Max
Annalayonmychest, the warmth from her body spreading through my bones. The faint scent of her perfume and shampoo lingered in the air. Her soft breathing indicated she was sleeping deeply.
I watched her for a moment. Her face was relaxed. She looked so vulnerable, a vastly different countenance from the fiery, determined woman who tackled ranch life with tenacity.
Carefully, my hands gently slid under her shoulders and knees, and I adjusted her on the couch. Then I stood up and stepped back.
Beth entered the living room then.
“She’s asleep then?” she asked.
“Yeah, she is. Can you get a blanket for her?”
Beth paused, eyeing me warily. Then she nodded and left. When she returned, she gave me the blanket, her eyes never leaving mine.
I draped the blanket over Anna, tucking it around her. I placed my palm on her cheeks to feel the softness of her skin. Stepping back, I took one last look at her, then turned and walked out.
The evening light had faded into a soft twilight. The air felt cool against my skin. I got into my truck and drove away from Harrington Ranch.
Feeling too restless to go home, I drove through Marfa. The town was winding down for the night. The air was tinged with the scent of mesquite and the earthy aroma of the desert cooling off. Stars began to emerge, dotting the sky.
The local diner’s windows were steamed up from the warmth inside. The faint sound of country music drifted from a nearby bar, mingling with the laughter of folks enjoying the evening.
But my mind was a whirlwind.
I couldn’t take Harrington Ranch from Anna, no matter how hard I tried. That would be betraying my own heart. My feelings for her were too real, too raw, too deep, too genuine.
Besides, Harrington Ranch wasn’t just a piece of land to be won. It was part of Anna’s legacy. Her memories of Grandpa William were in that ranch.
How could I have considered taking that away from her? How could I snatch something she cherished when every fiber of my being wanted her by my side? The very idea was unthinkable.
I desired Anna, loved her. Respected her even. And I wanted her to feel every bit of what I felt. The idea of her looking at me with anything less was unbearable.
Unfortunately, I’d made a mistake by asking Richard for assistance. I’d let my father’s dying wish cloud my judgment. I shouldn’t have been so selfish.
No, I had to make things right for Anna. She deserved that and much more. The only way was to step back from the path I’d started moving on. Richard no longer represented who I wanted to be for Anna. I had to remove him from the equation.
But more than that, I needed to be honest with her. I would ask her to give us a chance. To see if what I felt for her could grow into something more. If the ranch became mine in the process, so be it. If not, I would respect her decision.
As the sky darkened, I turned my truck and drove home. I parked my car and climbed out, looking around. The glow of the lights from the house didn’t seem so bright. The distant sound of the cattle settling in for the night wasn’t as comforting as it used to be.
All of them meant nothing without Anna. She was the missing piece, the soul that would make everything complete.
I stood there for a long while, letting the coolness of the night seep into me.
