Page 48 of The Banker's Bride

“Don’t.” Dallas placed his hand on her cheek, forcing her to look at him. “Megan, it wasn’t your fault. Your parents were just trying to take care of you.”

She smiled, leaning into his hand. “Despite your father’s faults, it sounds as if he took care of you, too. That’s why he worked as a sharecropper. It was the only thing he knew.”

Dallas nodded. “I never really thought of it that way.” He released her hand and looked out over the lake at the setting sun, thinking.

“Dallas?”

“Yes?”

Megan sighed. “May I say something without ye getting mad?”

He nodded as one corner of his mouth lifted into a smile. “Yes, of course.”

She curled her hand around his, holding it firmly in her own. “Dallas, ye don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Ye’re successful. Ye don’t need to keep proving it. Ye don’t have to prove anything to anyone but yerself… not even me.”

“What do you mean?”

She bit her lower lip. “It seems to me that, somehow, ye feel ye need to prove yer worth. That yer’re good enough. That yer’re worthy.” He looked away, but she placed a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. “Dallas, ye’re worthy of love.”

A tear rolled down his cheek at her words. “I’ve never told this to anyone.” He bit his lip as he gathered his thoughts. “I guess I never felt like I deserved it.”

“Deserved what? Money? Success?”

He shook his head. “Love. I never felt like I deserved it.” He let out a deep breath. “If my parents actually did love me, then why did my father beat me and why did my mother allow it? It must have been because I’m not perfect. I am… unlovable.”

“Dallas, no one is perfect, and ye don’ have to be.” Megan looked into his eyes. “And of course ye deserve love! Ye’re kind, compassionate, generous…. Ye just have to believe that yer’re worthy and stop keeping people at arm’s length.” He tried to turn away, but she placed her hand on his other cheek, preventing him from looking away. “Ye have lots of people who would like to be yer friend. Ye just have to let them.”

Tears streamed down his face. “But how? How do I do it… open myself up?”

“Just be yerself,” she encouraged, looking into his eyes. “And when people start getting close, don’t push them away… including me.”

“I’ve pushed you away?”

She nodded. “Yes, ye have, and ye probably didn’t even realize it.” Megan thought for a minute and lowered her voice. “And Dallas, ye don’t have to buy people’s love or affection.”

“No one cares about me.” He said it as a fact, not as if he was feeling sorry for himself.

“Yes, they do!” A crease formed between her eyes. “I’ve seen the way the people at the bank look at ye. They would follow ye anywhere. Dallas, they respect ye. And I care about ye, too.”

Every emotion flitted across his face as his eyes met hers. Then his lips descended upon hers, kissing her with a fierceness unlike anything she had felt before. It was a kiss filled with love and pain, as if he had been searching for something and had finally found it. Megan melted into his arms as he pulled her across his lap. Never breaking the kiss, he wrapped her in his arms as passion filled them both. Never before had she felt so loved, so accepted.

When he pulled back, he stroked the hair away from her face. She looked up into his eyes, his face cast in the golden glow of the sunset, adding to his already stunning golden good looks. As she ran her fingers through his light blond hair, she saw a side of him that she sensed he rarely showed anyone. At that moment, she could see a future with him. If she loved him enough, gave her heart to him, maybe it would be enough.

Or would it? If she gave him her heart, what would happen to her if he walked away? If it didn’t work out? She had lost everyone she had ever loved. Could she lose him, too? Could her heart take it?

As they sat on the cliff’s edge and watched the last of the sun’s rays sink behind the mountains, she wondered if love would ever be enough.

Chapter 11

Dallas

“Good morning.” Dallas kissed his wife soundly the next morning just as the sun was coming up. “Megan, wake up. Today’s Sunday.”

Dallas hadn’t been to church in a while, but he thought that Megan might like to go. After his talk with her the night before, he knew it was time to become part of the community… and for them to become a family.

“What time is it?” Megan sat straight up in bed, her auburn hair falling loosely over her shoulders.

Dallas smiled as he took her in, pushing her hair back over her shoulder. “It’s early yet, but I thought you may want to go to church today.”

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