“I’m not—”
“Of course not,” Mr. Bellamy said. “I once made the mistake of letting a girl go without a fight. To this day, I wish I hadn’t.”
Although he didn’t want to admit it, even to himself, the suggestion haunted Rourke. Tell her, said a voice in his head. Just tell her the truth, because the truth never hurt anything. Tell her, before the chance slips away.
* * *
At summer’s end, Joey left for Phase 1 of Ranger School in Fort Benning, Georgia. He wasn’t even able to stay for the closing ceremonies at Camp Kioga. Jenny knew it would be eight weeks or more before she would see him again. He’d called from the pay phone up at Camp Kioga to let her know he had something to ask her, and something to tell her. She suspected she knew what it was, and didn’t quite know how she felt about it. When he came to tell her goodbye, she was inexplicably nervous.
“I’ll walk over to the train station with you,” she said, meeting him at the back door of the bakery.
He shouldered his duffel bag and slipped his free arm around her. Over the summer, Joey had let his thick, wavy black hair grow out, but he still had a soldier’s physique, fit and muscular.
“I still can’t imagine you as a rifle ranger,” she said.
“That’s what my dad says.”
“You’re too…peaceful, I guess. Too nice.”
“That’s why my first tour was in protocol in D.C., I guess. I’m ready for something else this time,” he said. “Some action.”
“I can’t believe they’re going to train you to kill people.”
“They’re going to train me to do a lot of things,” he said. “To survive and serve my country, among other things.”
She immediately felt contrite. He was doing this for his education, for his future. She had no right to question him. “I know. I’m sorry. You’re going to do great and they’re lucky to get you.”
“Nice to know somebody thinks so. I’ll try to remember that when I’m screaming for mercy during training exercises.” He stopped at a bench outside the entrance to the station. “Hold up a minute, will you?”
The area was beautifully manicured, designed to welcome visitors to Avalon. Tall elm trees and sugar maples formed an archway over the main walk, which was flanked by flower beds. By August, the dahlias and delphiniums looked spent and exhausted. A few drying leaves swirled on the breeze, a reminder that autumn would soon be here. A small flock of crows circled overhead, then alighted noisily in one of the trees.
“I need to ask you something.” Joey set down his bag.
She stopped walking and glanced around, not sure what she was looking for. All she saw was the town where she’d lived her entire life, the shop fronts and groups of tourists milling around the main square. Then she faced Joey. There was an intensity in the way he was looking at her, and something else, something she couldn’t escape, even if she’d wanted to—love. Joey loved her. She could see it in the way his eyes lit when he gazed at her, and in the tender turn of his smile, a special smile just for her.
“I want to marry you, Jenny,” he said without preamble.
Marry? Her mouth went dry and her throat closed, and she couldn’t speak. Probably not the reaction he was looking for. There was so much going on inside her—elation that here was somebody unafraid to declare that he wanted to spend his life with her. But there was fear, too. He trusted her with his heart.
He didn’t seem bothered by her silence. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small box she recognized from Palmquist’s. “I know we can’t do anything right away, but I got you this.” He wore an adorable, bashful smile as he opened the box to show her a slender gold ring with a single, tiny diamond solitaire in the middle. “It’s the best I could afford. I hope you like it.”
“I do, Joey. I—”
He bent and kissed her then, and she felt safe in his embrace, as though nothing could ever hurt her. She could hear the arrival of the train from the north. It hissed to a halt and a whistle sounded. The startled crows exploded into the sky on a burst of black wings.
“I know we’re young,” he whispered. “But I know what I want, and I know we can make it work. In twenty-four months, I’ll be done with this enlistment. We’ll live right here in Avalon and I can commute to the state college. You’ll never have to leave your grandmother.”
At that, Jenny couldn’t help smiling. “Gram loves you. When she hears that, she’ll declare you a candidate for sainthood.”
“I’m no saint. If she was the Wicked Witch of the West, I’d still love her because she’s your grandmother.” With that, he slipped the ring on her finger. “Look at that,” he said. “It’s a perfect fit.”
She gazed down at her hand, at the glint of the diamond. “It is,” she agreed. “Perfect. But two years is a long time—”
“I’ve loved you for longer than that,” he said. “Two years is nothing. This decision is not something that came out of the blue. I’ve thought about being with you forever.”
“I haven’t,” she confessed.
“I know.” He pulled her close, his chest expanding as he inhaled deeply. “I’m asking you to take a leap of faith. I’m asking you to trust that I love you, that this will work.”
“First boarding call,” came a tinny-sounding voice through the speakers mounted outside the station. “This is your first boarding call for the southbound express.”
Jenny shut her eyes, picturing herself on the brink of a dark chasm, teetering, about to make that leap of faith. Against her will, she thought of Rourke. Well, of course she thought of Rourke, because he was the one person who could have made a difference in this moment. If he’d just
