All at once Ruth knew exactly what she was going to do. Her decision was made.
Ten
BARBARA GORDON ANSWERED the doorbell, and the moment she saw Ruth, her eyes lit with delight. “Ruth, I’m so glad to see you!”
Ruth was instantly ushered into the house. She hadn’t been sure what kind of reception she’d get. After all, she’d disappointed and possibly hurt the Gordons’ son.
“I was so hoping you’d stop by,” Barbara continued as she led her into the kitchen.
Obediently Ruth followed. “I came because I don’t have a current address for Paul.”
“You plan on writing him?” Barbara seemed about to leap up and down and clap her hands.
“Actually, no.”
The happiness drained from the other woman’s eyes.
“I know it’s a bit old-fashioned, but I thought I’d send him a telegram.”
The delight was back in place. “Greg,” she shouted over her shoulder. “Ruth is here.”
Almost immediately Paul’s father joined them in the kitchen. His grin was as wide as his wife’s had been. “Good to see you, good to see you,” he said expansively.
“What did I tell you?” Barbara insisted.
The two of them stood there staring at her.
“About Paul’s address?” Ruth prodded.
“Oh, yes.” As if she’d woken from a trance, Barbara Gordon hurried into the other room, leaving Ruth alone with Paul’s father.
It was awkward at first, and Ruth felt the least she could do was explain the reason for her visit. “I miss Paul so much,” she told him. “I need his address.”
Greg Gordon nodded. “He’s missing you, too. Big-time.”
Ruth’s heart filled with hope. “He said that?”
“Not in those exact words,” Greg stated matter-of-factly. “But rest assured, my son is pretty miserable.”
“That’s wonderful.” Now it was Ruth who wanted to leap up and down and clap her hands.
“My son is miserable and you’re happy?” Greg asked, but a teasing light glinted in his eyes.
“Yes... No... Yes,” she quickly amended. “I just hope he’s been as miserable as I have.”
Greg’s smile faded. “No question there.”
The phone rang once; Barbara must have answered it right away. Within a few minutes she returned to the kitchen, carrying a portable phone. “It’s for you.”
Greg started toward her.
“Not you, honey,” she said, gesturing at Ruth. “The call is for Ruth.”
“Me?” She was startled. No one knew she’d come here. Anyone wanting to reach her would automatically call her cell. Her frown disappeared as she realized who it must be.
“Is it Paul?” she asked, her voice low and hopeful.
“It is. He thinks Greg’s about to get on the line.” She clasped her husband’s elbow. “Come on, honey, let’s give Ruth and Paul some privacy.” She was halfway out of the room when she turned back, caught Ruth’s eye and winked.
That was just the encouragement Ruth needed. Still, she felt decidedly nervous as she picked up the phone resting on the kitchen counter. After the way they’d parted, she didn’t know what to expect or how to react.
“Hello, Paul,” she said, hoping to sound calm and confident, neither of which she was.
Her greeting was followed by a slight hesitation. “Ruth?”
“Yes, it’s me.” Her voice was downright cheerful—and more than a little forced.
“What are you doing at my parents’ place?” he asked gruffly.
“Visiting.”
Again he paused, as if he wasn’t sure what to make of this. “I’d like to speak to my father.”
“I’m sorry, he and your mother left the room so you and I could talk.”
“About what?” He hadn’t warmed to her yet.
“Your calling ruins everything,” she told him. “I was going to send you a telegram. My grandmother sent one to my grandfather sixty years ago.”
“A telegram?”
“I know it’s outdated. It’s also rather romantic, I thought.”
“What did you intend to say in this telegram?”
“I hadn’t decided. My first idea was to say the same thing Helen said to my grandfather. It was a short message—just three little words.”
“I love you?” He was warming up now.
“No.”
“No?” He seemed skeptical. “What else could it be? Helen loved him, didn’t she?”
“Oh, yes, but that was understood. Oh, Paul, I heard the rest of the story and it’s so beautiful, so compelling, you’ll see why she loved him as much as she did. Sam helped her look to the future and step out of the past.”
“You’re avoiding the question,” he said.
That confused her for a moment. “What’s the question?”
“Do you love me enough to accept me as a marine?”
“I wasn’t sending that answer by way of Western Union.” The answer that was going to change her life....
“You can tell me now,” he said casually.
“Before I do, you have to promise, on your word of honor as a United States marine, that you’ll never walk away from me like that again.”
“You think it was easy?” he demanded.
“I don’t care if it was easy or not, you can’t ever do it again.” His abandonment had hurt too much.
“All right,” he muttered. “I promise I’ll never walk away from you again.”
“Word of honor?”
“Word of honor.”
He’d earned it now. “I’m crazy about you, Paul Gordon. Crazy. Crazy in love with you. If having the marines as your career means that much to you, then I’ll adjust. I’ll find a way to make it work. But you need to compromise, too, when it comes to my career. I can’t just leave a teaching job in order to follow you somewhere.”
The last thing Ruth expected after her admission was a long stretch of silence.
Then, “Are you serious? You’ll accept my being in the military?”
“Yes. Do you think I’d do this otherwise?”
“No,” he told her. “But what you don’t know is that I’ve been thinking about giving up the marines.”
“Because of me?”
“Yes.”
“You were?” Never once had it occurred to Ruth that he’d consider such a thing.
“My dad and I have had a couple of long talks about it,” he went on to say.
“Tell me more.”
“You already know this part—I’m crazy about you, too. I wasn’t convinced I could find a way to live the rest of my life without you. One option I’ve looked
