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How could she justify the idea that she could have gotten someone like Ezra to marry her, raise her children, and make a lifetime commitment to her, and decide not to do it because he didn’t give her a declaration of undying love? Yeah. That was smart.
Yeah. She couldn’t imagine anyone ever saying that. At any point.
“All right. I’ll do it. But the kids are going to be up soon.” She had no idea what time frame he was thinking about.
“When I spoke to the police, they said they were going to try to hold the dude as long as they could, but they weren’t entirely sure that they could get a judge to set bail high enough to keep him. Obviously, he’s a danger to you. We’re going to get a restraining order, but the sooner you and I get married, the safer you’ll be.”
She couldn’t believe that he was going to marry her, just to protect her and keep her safe. Couldn’t believe that he cared that much about her.
“We’ve only known each other four days. I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”
“I’m not sure why either. Except... I need to.”
Well, that was fair. He kept saying he had no idea. Maybe he was being honest. She couldn’t remember ever doing anything without reason. Nothing this big.
“How soon works for you?” he said. Turning from the window, walking over to his desk, he picked up his phone and presumably pulled up his calendar.
“This job is the only thing I have on my schedule. So, whenever you can spare me, I can do it.”
He stopped swiping and clicking for a moment and looked at her over the top of the phone. Lifting one brow, and maybe it was humor in his eyes, she wasn’t sure.
“All right then. We’re working cattle tomorrow, so we’ll do it the day after. I’d like to get a preacher, but if we can’t, we can go to the courthouse in Rockerton.”
“All right.” He wasn’t exactly asking for her approval of his plans, but she felt like she should give it anyway. She supposed her saying she would marry him was approval enough.
Maybe she should be offended on some level. Like she should get a say, but he hadn’t asked her what suited, and she’d said anything. So he went ahead. It was the kind of commanding nature that he had. She should...appreciate that, she supposed. Maybe along with that commanding nature came a protective streak, that apparently included her.
“You’re going to take care of my children, right?”
“I was assuming we would do that together.”
“I mean if anything happens to me. Like a father. If we’re married, you said for a lifetime, and I’m assuming that the children are included.”
That was a lot, but she didn’t want him to be unsure about what she meant. She meant everything. He was going to do anything the kids needed.
She appreciated that he didn’t answer right away with something flippant. His face looked thoughtful, like he was processing what she said to make sure he understood.
“I’ll provide for them. I’ll be their father. The same as if they were mine. Is that what you are asking?”
“I suppose.”
“Nothing is going to happen to you. But in the case that, down the road, at some point, God takes you home, I will raise the children. They’re mine.”
She had not put a father’s name on the birth certificate. The father of the children had been married to someone else. She...regretted that probably more than anything.
“What?”
It amazed her that he must have seen that on her face. She thought she had been hiding her feelings well. Apparently not well enough.
“Nothing.”
He didn’t seem like he believed her, but he didn’t push.
“All right, then we’ll plan on taking care of this the day after tomorrow. When I’ve called the pastor and figured out a time, I’ll let you know.”
She nodded, feeling the buzz of her phone and pulling it out.
“Eugene is up,” she said.
