Page 68 of Shine On Oklahoma

“What’s this?” he asked.

“I’m paying you back,” she said. “The‘Vette’s worth way more than half of what I took you for. Maybethree quarters. But I’m gonna pay back the rest, too.”

He nodded, took the keys from her. “That’sway more than enough.”

She nodded. She’d expected him to argueharder. But it didn’t matter. She’d intended make him take it, evenif he did.

“I’m staying in Big Falls too.” He put herkeys in his pocket, fiddled around in there for a second. “There’sa place for sale five miles west of town that’s exactly what Iwant. I’m buying it. Gonna put in a track, train horses there.”

She nodded slowly. “That’s great, Dax. I canreally see that for you.”

“Can you see it for you?”

She lowered her head, unable to hold hiseyes. “I can’t. Dax, I’m not good enough for this town, or thatbaby in there, or even my own sister anymore. And I’m nowhere neargood enough for you.”

“I’ve said that about myself a million times.That I’m not good enough for you.” He took a deep breath. “Buthere’s the thing. I know you, Kendra Kellogg. I know you betterthan you know yourself. I saw your face out there, deliveringlittle Diana. It was the face of an angel.”

“An angel who almost got my whole familykilled.”

“You didn’t do that. Jack did that, and letme tell you, he regrets it to his bones. Something profoundhappened to your father in that cabin, Kendra. It changed him. Ithink all of this has changed you, too. And I think you know it,deep down, and you’re just too scared to trust that it’s for real.That it will last.”

She nodded, recognizing truth when she heardit. “You’re right. You’re right, Iamafraid of that. Andafraid of what it would do to you, and to my poor sister, if Itried and failed. And what about Diana? What if I make her love me,make her trust me, and then I fail miserably? What if—”

“And what if you don’t? What if you succeed?What if you would’ve succeeded, but you’re too scared to even try?Wouldn’t that be the real tragedy?”

She lowered her head. “I don’t know. I don’tknow how to be sure of anything.”

“No one is ever sure what’s going to happenin the future, Kendra. You can only be sure of the present. Thisone moment. All you can be is here, now. Any one of us could begone tomorrow. If this whole experience taught us anything, itshould be that. We have to make the most of every single day of ourlives. Don’t you believe that?”

She frowned. “I…I do. I do believe that.”

“That’s a start. Now let’s try one more.Which is more important? Love or fear?”

“L-love?”

“Yeah, love. You love your sister. You loveDiana. You even love that rascal, Jack. How can you just walk awayfrom all that love by choosing fear instead?”

Kendra lowered her head. She paced a fewsteps away from him, and then a few steps back.

“You loveme, Kendra. I know you do. Ican see it in your eyes, and I can feel it every time you touch me.You love me. You love me as much as I love you, and that’s ahelluva lot.”

He hobbled closer, touched her chin, tippedit up. “Deny it. I dare you.”

And then before she could say anything, hekissed her. He kissed her long and slow and so tenderly that tearsleaked from her eyes, slid down her cheeks and salted their lips.He lifted his head and said, “I love you, Kendra Kellogg.”

“I…love you too,” she admitted.

“I’m not gonna let you fail.”

She smiled through tears. “What, you havesuper powers or something?”

“I have magic,” he said. “Wanna see?”

Sniffling, she nodded. “Sure.”

He looked up at the sky. “Which one’s yourfavorite star?” She just frowned at him and he said, “Just pickone. You want to see magic or not?”

She knuckled her wet cheek, and pointed atthe brightest star in sight.

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