Read Online SEAL Of My Heart by Sharon Hamilton - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sharon Hamilton
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eyes met for a second and then Gretchen looked away, giving Kate the respite she needed.
“We talked about all sorts of things in the hour plus plane ride. Afterwards he gave me—well, his friend gave me—a ride here. We stopped and had some lunch on the way, and, well, it was just like I’d known him my whole life.” Kate waited for Gretchen to face her again. “It was seamless…does that make sense? Like I didn’t have to do some big adjustment of myself just to be around him.”
“Men who are trying to be charming and who are good at it, make women feel that way all the time. Doesn’t mean it’s real. There are a lot of fakers out there. I’ve met a lot of them, unfortunately.” Gretchen became pensive and stared down at her linked fingers as her elbows rested on her thighs.
“I’ve told myself dozens of times this uneasiness with the wedding plans has nothing to do with Tyler. I’ve searched deep inside, and I have to say honestly those feelings come from something I knew, but wasn’t looking at. Talking to Tyler, even though we didn’t talk about my future plans, brought all that to the surface. Does that make sense?”
“It does. Doesn’t make it any easier.”
“No.”
“You say anything to Mom?”
“Of course not. I’ve hardly begun to think about what it means.”
Gretchen stood, going to the kitchen to turn off something on the stove. The girls were being boisterous upstairs, arguing over something. She went to the base of the stairs and gave them a reprimand and ordered them to wash their hands and faces and come downstairs for dinner.
“So what are you going to do?” she finally asked.
“I’ll just take the weekend to think about it all. I don’t want to talk to Randy until I have my thoughts organized.”
“That’d be a good plan. Kate, I sure hope you know what you’re playing with here. A lot of money has been spent on this wedding already. If you’re just having the jitters and later you change your mind, well, I can’t say as that’s never happened before, but you’d be putting a lot of people through things they might not forgive you for. Hell of a way to enter into a new family, know what I mean?”
“I agree. But right now, I’m not sure I want to go forward. I’m really not.”
“Well, we have a problem then.”
“Yes, we do.”
In the middle of dinner, Kate got a call from Randy. At first she didn’t want to take the call, but Gretchen looked at her like she had sprouted green horns, so she pressed the answer button on her cell. As Randy started in, Kate slipped up the stairs and into Clover’s room, closing the door behind her. She sat on the little bed and looked up at the posters of her ex-brother in law.
“…and so we thought maybe a carriage ride through the vineyard would be a nice touch. But that would mean the flowered archway you wanted would have to be moved. I met the driver, and the horses are gentle.”
Randy talked on as if nervous to allow Kate to say a word. She realized he hadn’t once asked her how the flight was, and she hadn’t texted him to say she’d arrived safely.
Randy noticed her silence and lack of agreement and then asked, “Kate, are you okay?”
It took a long slow breath before she felt ready to respond. “No.” It was all she could say.
“Are you ill?” he asked.
“No.”
“Wanna tell me what’s going on?”
Do I? Will I feel differently in the morning? Will I wake up in the middle of the night and realize I’ve been a fool?
Something welled up inside her. With strength she didn’t realize she possessed, she began. “Randy, I’m rethinking this whole thing. I have to tell you that I’m not at all sure I’m ready to move forward.”
“What? Over a carriage ride in the vineyard? If that’s what’s bothering you, Kate—oh, my God, that’s no problem for me. Being a little dramatic, don’t you think?”
“It’s more than the carriage ride. I’ve been thinking about this for a while.
“We talked about all sorts of things in the hour plus plane ride. Afterwards he gave me—well, his friend gave me—a ride here. We stopped and had some lunch on the way, and, well, it was just like I’d known him my whole life.” Kate waited for Gretchen to face her again. “It was seamless…does that make sense? Like I didn’t have to do some big adjustment of myself just to be around him.”
“Men who are trying to be charming and who are good at it, make women feel that way all the time. Doesn’t mean it’s real. There are a lot of fakers out there. I’ve met a lot of them, unfortunately.” Gretchen became pensive and stared down at her linked fingers as her elbows rested on her thighs.
“I’ve told myself dozens of times this uneasiness with the wedding plans has nothing to do with Tyler. I’ve searched deep inside, and I have to say honestly those feelings come from something I knew, but wasn’t looking at. Talking to Tyler, even though we didn’t talk about my future plans, brought all that to the surface. Does that make sense?”
“It does. Doesn’t make it any easier.”
“No.”
“You say anything to Mom?”
“Of course not. I’ve hardly begun to think about what it means.”
Gretchen stood, going to the kitchen to turn off something on the stove. The girls were being boisterous upstairs, arguing over something. She went to the base of the stairs and gave them a reprimand and ordered them to wash their hands and faces and come downstairs for dinner.
“So what are you going to do?” she finally asked.
“I’ll just take the weekend to think about it all. I don’t want to talk to Randy until I have my thoughts organized.”
“That’d be a good plan. Kate, I sure hope you know what you’re playing with here. A lot of money has been spent on this wedding already. If you’re just having the jitters and later you change your mind, well, I can’t say as that’s never happened before, but you’d be putting a lot of people through things they might not forgive you for. Hell of a way to enter into a new family, know what I mean?”
“I agree. But right now, I’m not sure I want to go forward. I’m really not.”
“Well, we have a problem then.”
“Yes, we do.”
In the middle of dinner, Kate got a call from Randy. At first she didn’t want to take the call, but Gretchen looked at her like she had sprouted green horns, so she pressed the answer button on her cell. As Randy started in, Kate slipped up the stairs and into Clover’s room, closing the door behind her. She sat on the little bed and looked up at the posters of her ex-brother in law.
“…and so we thought maybe a carriage ride through the vineyard would be a nice touch. But that would mean the flowered archway you wanted would have to be moved. I met the driver, and the horses are gentle.”
Randy talked on as if nervous to allow Kate to say a word. She realized he hadn’t once asked her how the flight was, and she hadn’t texted him to say she’d arrived safely.
Randy noticed her silence and lack of agreement and then asked, “Kate, are you okay?”
It took a long slow breath before she felt ready to respond. “No.” It was all she could say.
“Are you ill?” he asked.
“No.”
“Wanna tell me what’s going on?”
Do I? Will I feel differently in the morning? Will I wake up in the middle of the night and realize I’ve been a fool?
Something welled up inside her. With strength she didn’t realize she possessed, she began. “Randy, I’m rethinking this whole thing. I have to tell you that I’m not at all sure I’m ready to move forward.”
“What? Over a carriage ride in the vineyard? If that’s what’s bothering you, Kate—oh, my God, that’s no problem for me. Being a little dramatic, don’t you think?”
“It’s more than the carriage ride. I’ve been thinking about this for a while.
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