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“Do I affect you that deeply?”
He studied her. “Brylee … I don’t think I could ever express how deeply you affect me. How deeply I feel about you.”
Her eyes widened. “When I screamed earlier today that I love you …”
Cash took a long breath and brushed at his wet hair. Then he folded his arms across his chest.
Brylee was suddenly terrified. She loved him. He had said he felt deeply about her, but obviously it wasn’t love. He’d just goneinto his defensive pose, and the concerned look on his face was worse than his closed-off posture.
What did she expect? To fall in love in four days?
Shewasgoing to tell him how deeply she meant those words that she’d impulsively cried out, but with his current reaction? Sheesh. No, thank you. She wouldn’t bare her soul and get rejected.
She forced a smile. “I’ll use the body wash and then rinse off.”
“I’ll turn my back.”
Brylee could only nod. She walked over the uneven surface, rocks poking at her feet. The water was suddenly cold, and she could hardly wait to get out. How could she and Cash have shared such beautiful moments washing each other’s hair and now …
He felt deeply about her. She affected him deeply, and he loved redheads. He’d said all those things while giving her the most beautiful and meaningful looks she’d ever envisioned. He was obviously drawn physically to her, but he also couldn’t love her, and she had no idea why.
She needed to cling to the faith she’d felt earlier when she’d been given the insight that something was deeply wrong with Cash.
But if he couldn’t love her, what could she do to help, love, and heal him?
For some reason, his inability to love her hurt worse than Mark dumping her.
Much, much worse.
Chapter
Sixteen
Cash wantedto curse himself for not letting Brylee tell him she loved him and admitting that he loved her back. No matter how stupid it would be to talk about feelings like that when they had no future.
On the flip side … Brylee was impetuous, loving, and incredible. Maybe she’d shouted she loved him in the excitement of the moment but didn’t actuallylovelove him. How could she feel that deeply in a matter of days? Especially with him confusing her and being hot and cold as he tried to riddle out how to tell her or not tell her he was dying.
That made more sense. Lots of sense. Painful sense.
They were both quiet as they took turns using the body wash and rinsing off. He’d shed his shirt, but she didn’t even gape at his chest like she usually did.
They changed and settled into the tent. Their long kissing session that he’d been looking forward to didn’t happen. They didn’t even pray together. Luckily, he was exhausted enough that he quickly fell asleep.
He woke the next morning to rain plinking against the tent. Crap.
“Thisdoesput a damper on our day,” Brylee quipped from beside him.
Cash chuckled at that and rolled to face her. He shouldn’t have. She looked exquisitely beautiful in the dim light of the gray morning, her hair lush and soft around her beautiful face. Her sapphire eyes sparkled at him, and her lips were plump and so kissable.
“Old English?” he asked.
“Princess Bride.”
“I’ve never seen that one.”
“You’ve never …” Brylee sat up quickly and stared down at him. Her mouth parted in shock; her eyes wide. “What kind of horrible childhood did you have?”
He laughed at that question, but her eyes grew even more wide and she slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, Cash. I’m sorry; that was insensitive of me. I … I’m so sorry.”
