Read Online Slow Moon Rising by Eva Marie Everson - Free Book Online

something hard. Thinking it to be a frozen berry, I peered down, ready to pluck it and popit into my mouth. Instead, the top of a scintillating diamond ring stared up at me.
    Breathless, I looked from the cone to the man sitting beside me, smiling. Winking. He pulled the ring from the ice cream, swished it in the untouched cup of water, and held it toward me, thick fingers wrapped around its delicacy. Fire from the sun caught in its facets, sending a rainbow of color toward me. Blue eyes met mine as he began the words I could tell he’d rehearsed for hours. “There are those who will say I’ve lost my mind. How can I, after only a week of knowing you, ask you to be my wife? I’ve wondered the same thing, to be honest with you.” He sighed. “Rarely is a man blessed with such a love as I had with Joan—even with all its flaws. To be blessed twice in a lifetime is nearly more than I could have ever imagined or even prayed for.
    â€œAnise, you’ve brought me more life, more laughter, and more happiness in one week than I’ve felt in a very long time. Longer than most would ever realize or accept. I felt myself falling in love with you that first Sunday. I tried to talk myself out of it and I failed. I’ve failed miserably. Last night I decided to give up. Give in to this feeling. I drove to the jeweler this morning, bought this ring—I’ll buy another one if you don’t like it—and roped the delighted Mason Horner in on my plot.”
    I giggled. Looked over my shoulder at the man who clasped his hands together in happiness and then brought them close to his heart.
    â€œSo, Miss Kelly,” Ross continued, bringing me back to the moment, “if you can love this old er man in the coming years with half the passion you have this past week, I will be themost fortunate of men. And, if you can forgive me for asking you to marry me with a proposal that includes the name of my late wife, I will be most blessed indeed.”
    He blinked.
    â€œYou’re crying,” he said, brushing my tears with the pad of his thumb. “I can only hope those are tears of joy.”
    I nodded.
    â€œWe’ll be up against a lot, Anise. I know that. But I love you. And right now, that’s all that matters. If you’re willing, we’ll tackle the rest together.” He slipped the ring onto my waiting finger. “If you’ll say yes.”
    â€œYes.”
    Again his eyes met mine. We sealed the moment with kisses sweetened with the flavor of ice cream and salted by my tears. “You’re right,” I whispered as I kissed the side of his mouth. “We’ll be up against a lot. Your girls won’t know what hit them and my brother is probably going to call the FBI. But I’m up for the challenge, Ross Claybourne, because, silly as it sounds after only a week, I love you so much I could die. And, quite frankly, I’d rather survive the coming storms with you than not experience them and be without you.”
    And I did. Oh, how I did. But the truth is, with all that hope and promise, I had no idea what I would face when I returned with him to his home and his family in Florida. No idea at all.

7
    Ami
December 2000
    Anise came to live here as Dad’s wife in August, and I still heard about it from Heather four months later. My gosh, my sister just didn’t know when to give it up. Let it go. Move on. Couldn’t she have found a million and one better things to waste her energy on? Like her kids? Her husband? Couldn’t she just be happy for someone at least once in her life rather than trying to make everything about her? How she felt? What she wanted? Why didn’t she just . . . see ? Not to mention Dad’s marriage to Anise was the tip of the iceberg. So not the real issue. Not that Heather would have known it. Not that anyone would. No one but me. And who could I have told? No one. For sure.
    Four weeks before