True Love Leaves no Doubts: An Inspirational Historical Romance Book Page 17

  “Son. My son.” He sounded like he was ready to cry.

  “I’m just beat up, Pa,” Johnny said, unable to keep from grinning, which made his mouth sting from the stretching. “I’m gonna be okay. I’m okay. You should see the other fella.”

  His father laughed, which was his goal. They pulled apart, John Sr. slapping a firm hand on his son’s shoulder repeatedly. “I’m sure he’s nearly dead! Look at you. He did some damage though, didn’t he?”

  “Yeah but nothin’ is broken on me.” He grinned at the significance of that statement.

  Both Flo and his father broke out in grins and chuckles.

  “Oh my,” Flo said, lifting her hand to her mouth to cover it. “You big lug. You feel like lying down or do you want to go for a walk with me?”

  Johnny lifted his eyebrows. There was a steady ache running through his body but the thought of lying back down made him cringe. “I’m ready to stretch out my legs. I’m in pain but not much. Let’s go for a walk.” He held out his hand to her and she took it with a smile.

  “You two look good together,” John Sr. said, moving his eyes from one to the other. “I’m glad to see you happy, son. And you too, Flo. Very happy for you both. And for me.”

  “For you?” Johnny lifted his eyebrows. “How’s that?”

  “I get to look at a beautiful woman every day and she’ll never get mad at me for leaving my socks on the floor by the bed!”

  The three of them laughed.

  “Oh, John!” Flo said through her laughter. “Now I see where Johnny gets it from.” She hugged John Sr., making Johnny’s heart sing. “You’re both wonderful. Let’s go, Johnny, before your father makes us stay here and listen to more of his jokes.”

  “What’s wrong with my jokes?” John Sr. pretended to be offended. “You laughed, didn’t you?”

  Flo raised her eyebrows, giving Johnny a pretty look that he was glad to see. It wouldn’t last long once he told her she didn’t have to pretend anymore. Maybe she already had an idea in mind how to tell everyone they weren’t going to get married.

  “See?” Flo said, swatting Johnny on the arm. “Let’s go.”

  Johnny’s thoughts continued as they went out the door and down the steps. “Let’s go to the garden, Johnny,” she said, taking his arm and directing him where she wanted to walk. He went with her willingly, his heart pounding with anticipation.

  She started the conversation, launching into the events of the day before.

  “I heard what happened. I know you saved Marian from being hurt. That’s a good thing, right? She will love you even more now.”

  Johnny’s chest squeezed. “Yeah, she really loves me.” His flat tone caught her attention. She stared up at him.

  “You don’t sound like you believe that.”

  He stopped walking and looked around. No one was near them. They were well away from the house by that time. He took both her hands and looked down at her.

  “I don’t want to be with Marian,” he forced himself to say. How would she respond? Would she be angry? “We don’t have to pretend anymore. I told her.”

  “I’ll bet she didn’t take that well, did she?”

  He shook his head. “Understatement.”

  “Well, I can’t say I’m upset about that. I told you she wasn’t the one for you. But now I guess we have a problem on our hands. Everyone thinks we’re going to get married. But you’ve changed your mind about Marian so we don’t have a reason to pretend anymore. Right?”

  He nodded, his throat constricted, his heart pounding. He watched her pull up her left hand and wrap her fingers around the ring. His heart wrenched when she pulled it off and held it out to him.

  “Here’s your ring.”

  Chapter 28

  Flo’s heart was in her throat. She was feeling the same way as Johnny and didn’t even know it. She was forcing herself not to tremble. She didn’t want to give the ring back. She wanted it to be real. But if she told him so, where would that take their friendship?

  “You don’t have to buy that land for me,” she made herself say. “I will work for the rest of the money.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “I want to buy it for you.”

  Flo was quiet for a moment, looking up at his handsome but still swollen face, seeing nothing but sadness there. Why was he sad? He said he’d realized Marian wasn’t the woman for him but did that truly merit such a sad look?

  He didn’t take the ring when she held it out to him. She was still holding it, staring at him, even as they spoke of the land.

  “Take the ring, Johnny.”

  “You… you should wear it for a little longer,” he said. “We have to figure out how to tell people about this… broken engagement. I guess… people break off engagements all the time, don’t they?”

  She stared up at him. He wanted her to continue wearing it? Why? So he could continue to make Marian mad?

  Was he really that kind of man? Or was it something else?

  “I… don’t know what to tell your father. He is so happy about our engagement.”

  “You never told your parents, did you?”

  The image of her parents the last time she saw them swam through Flo’s mind. She frowned and shook her head. “No, I never told them. I didn’t want to leave our hometown but I’m glad I’m here now. There’s no reason to go to Austin when they are right there and never bother to visit me. It’s not like I didn’t try. I went there when my grandpa died, didn’t I? I attended the funeral. That was three years ago. They live right there and have never bothered to come see me in three years? I tried to tell them…”

  She halted her words when they came out trembling.

  “I’m sorry, Flo.” He was genuinely apologetic, she could tell. “I didn’t mean to bring up a sensitive topic. I just thought… well, I don’t know what I thought. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, Johnny. I’m used to them not being in my life. It’s not them I’m worried about now. It’s your pa. I’ll wear the ring until we figure out what to tell everyone. But we really should discuss it soon.”

  She didn’t want to discuss it. Flo was deeply in love with her best friend and somehow, she planned to let him know that. But how? Now that Marian wasn’t in the picture, the door was open for her. But how would he take the news? Would he be receptive?

  Did Johnny love her, too?

  Her conflicted feelings battled in her mind. When she slipped the ring back on her finger, she could have sworn she saw a look of relief in his eyes. Or was it something else?

  Was she trying to fool herself? Convince herself that he had the same feelings she did? They had so many memories together; so many good memories. They’d even had a couple of spats where they went without talking to each other for several days. But they had always made their ways back to each other.

  Wasn’t that what love was all about? Two imperfect humans trying to make it through life with someone they cared about?

  “I don’t want you thinking I made you go through all this without some kind of reward at the end.”

  She gazed up at him, her heart hurting at the bruises and wounds on his face. He was looking at her through one eye. One side of his head was swollen, and his lips were cracked and scabbed over. She wanted to take all his pain away.

  “I don’t need a reward, Johnny,” she said, softly. “I did this because you’re my friend.”

  Johnny chuckled but she could see the pain on his face when he did so. He lost his smile but she knew it was because of the wounds. “You did not. You didn’t want to do it at all. You hate Marian. She’s not a fan of yours either. She practically begged me to leave you for her.”

  Flo gasped and then regretted it. She should have known Marian would step up her game when she thought she was losing. But to beg him to leave her? That seemed very extreme.

  “Wow. She really went all in, did she?”

  “She did. And I shut her down. It’s hard for me to accept that I didn’t see her for who she was
before. It’s been… ugh, five years.” He groaned, covering his eyes with his hand and shaking his head. “I was such a fool.”

  “Well, boys can be like that. I mean, you’re not a fool by any means. You just have a trusting and good heart. You really thought you loved her. Love can be blind sometimes.”

  When he said nothing and kept his eyes connected with hers, Flo felt tingles flow from the back of her neck to her feet. What she’d said resonated with them both. She could tell. Was he feeling that way for the same reason she was?

  She nearly asked. She almost said it.

  But she couldn’t. Her fear that he would be surprised she felt that way and regretfully decline her affections made her feel nauseous.

  “So…” she hesitated before continuing. “What… I’m not sure how I’m supposed to act now. Are we moving on just as friends or should we keep… pretending… to be engaged? I don’t want to do more than you want me to do.”

  His lips twitched like he wanted to smile but couldn’t or wouldn’t. She wondered what he was thinking.

  “I want you to be comfortable,” he said. “Whatever you want to do that is comfortable for you, you go ahead and do. Like, if you want to take my hand and walk with me down the street, that’s fine. If you want me to come to the parties at the Fitzpatricks, I will. In fact, I’d be delighted. They are both odd people and a refreshing change from normal people.”

  Flo laughed, delighted at his description of her employers. “Yes, they are both quite eccentric, aren’t they? I love them.”

  “I think I do, too,” Johnny said, thoughtfully. She laughed when he pursed his lips and looked up at the sky, tilting his head. “Yes, I think I might also love the Fitzpatricks. Maybe I should get a job there.”

  “Oh, Johnny!” She swatted his hand, laughing some more. “Don’t be silly. You can’t leave John here to do all the work.”

  “What?” Johnny reacted, pulling back and giving her what she thought was probably an amused look. “He’s got about five men here helping him and the maids and the housekeeper. He doesn’t need me here. I only work here because he wants me to. I can do anything I want.”

  Flo wondered if that included living on a plot of land she owned in a house she planned to restore. Would that make him feel like less of a man? Would he be willing to do that?

  “I don’t know if they need any more help,” she said, deciding to take him seriously. “But I can ask if you want me to.”

  Johnny’s lips lifted at the corners for only a moment before dropping back down. “You can ask. But I can’t go anywhere until this business with Bekker is taken care of.”

  Flo gazed at him. She knew very little about what was going on and didn’t have the courage to ask John Sr. about it. She knew it involved him, and had wondered the whole time whether his injured leg had anything to do with what was going on. He didn’t seem afraid of or intimidated by Bekker. But he was definitely avoiding a confrontation with him. He hadn’t gone out seeking the man after the barn was burned up and Kit was killed.

  Then again, he was an injured man going up against strong, dangerous outlaws. His chances of success were slim. He wasn’t much of a military man anymore, except in spirit.

  “Okay, Johnny.”

  He paused, giving her a warm look. “What are you thinking? You have a strange look on your face.”

  Flo shook her head. “Just… just wondering about this Bekker matter. Was he your pa’s captain in the war?”

  Johnny nodded. “I really don’t know the full story. I’ve been thinking about it and I still don’t know who Juan Rivera is. I want to ask my pa but he doesn’t really seem very forthcoming about it.”

  “Do you want me to ask him?”

  Johnny hesitated. “I think I’ll try to talk to him first. I appreciate the offer but… well, I’ll tell you what. Let’s both ask him. And if he doesn’t tell us, well, he must have his reasons, right?”

  Flo nodded, happy that Johnny was taking his father’s feelings into consideration. It didn’t surprise her. She was beginning to think he was the perfect man.

  And she didn’t want to ever let that feeling go.

  Chapter 29

  Flo looked through the window at the land outside. The sun was shining bright. She’d been coming and going from the Mason ranch, sometimes staying overnight in a guest room at John Sr.’s insistence because she kept staying there so late. She ate dinner with them whenever she could but her work with the Fitzpatricks still took precedence. She had to work or she would not have any money. She wasn’t about to rely on Johnny and his father to give her daily necessities. That was up to her.

  She moved a rag over a bust, getting the last bit of dust off the statue before pulling her hand back and staring down at the face. It was another one of those famous musicians but she wasn’t sure which one this was. She knew Beethoven, Bach and Mozart. But this fourth bust had always confused her. There was no name at the bottom and she’d never asked Mrs. Fitz about it.

  “Yoohoo!” She heard Mrs. Fitzpatrick behind her and turned her head to give her employer a smile.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Fitz,” she said. “How are you today?”

  “I’m feeling good!” Mrs. Fitzpatrick was coming down the wide curved stairs, her auburn hair loose and flowing behind her, the soft, thin robe she was wearing billowing out behind her like a cape. Her eyes sparkled with energy as she approached Flo. “And look at you! Bright as a daisy on a spring morning. And how is that young man of yours? I do so like him. Do you know he came and asked Fitzy if there was any work he could do around here for us?” Mrs. Fitzpatrick laughed delightedly. “I think he just wants to be around you. I’m thinking he would have done free work if we just let him be around you.”

  Flo giggled, putting one small hand in front of her mouth. “Oh, I don’t know about that. We had mentioned it a few days ago but I didn’t think he would really go through with it.”

  “Well, he certainly did. And I don’t know why you’d be so surprised. Look at that ring he put on your finger. He obviously loves you. Fitzy says that’s his mother’s ring. And he did so love his mother.”

  “Did you know her?”

  Mrs. Fitzpatrick shook her head. “I’m afraid I never was able to make friends with her. We came here maybe a year or two before she died. I’m not really sure how long. But we were just settling in and meeting everyone, and it seemed like I met her just a few times and then she was gone. Just like that. Poof.” She lifted one slender arm and snapped her fingers high in the air. She blinked rapidly as if to keep back tears that weren’t there. “I’m sure she’s looking down on the two of you with approval. How could anyone not approve of you?”

  When Mrs. Fitzpatrick brought down her finger-snapping hand, she brushed it across Flo’s cheek affectionately.

  “You are sweet to me, Mrs. Fitz.” Flo was suddenly overcome with emotion. Her employer’s kindness made her feel like crying. She was expecting Flo to get married. They had worked on the dress together at the woman’s insistence. Now she would have to tell her their work was all for naught. She could only hope Mrs. Fitzpatrick wasn’t upset with her.

  The woman must have seen the look on Flo’s face changing because her expression did a turn-about. She tilted her head to the side, blinking and giving Flo a look of concern.

  “What is wrong, my dear? Do you need to talk? We must talk, yes. Come. Let’s go get some tea and talk about what’s on your mind. Are you getting the jitters? The cold feet? That’s common, you know, even if you’ve been with a man for a long time.”