Page 72 of His Perfect Bride
He peered into her eyes, love radiating there. “Then will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Twenty-Five
Was this really happening to her? Was Jackson proposing marriage?
His ruggedly handsome face was only inches from hers, and his gray-blue eyes held hers with his usual intensity.
She let her fingers drift from his lip to his chin, relishing the thick coarse hair and the hardness of his jaw.
“Have you considered when you might like to get married?” Pastor Abe spoke again, his tone hinting at humor.
“Soon.” Jackson spoke the word bluntly. “If Sage is agreeable…to marriage, that is.”
“I’m agreeable.” Her voice had a breathless quality, and she focused on his shirt. “And soon is fine with me.”
“Soon it is,” Pastor Abe said.
“Very soon,” Jackson added.
“How about now?” As the question tumbled out, she began to scramble backward. “No, that’s absurd. I shouldn’t have said it. It’s just that we have a reverend, and it would solve the problem of needing a chaperone, and?—”
“I concur.” Jackson tugged her back, giving her no choice but to sit down on his lap again. “Now is perfect.”
She pressed her hands to her cheeks to cool them. “Perhaps we’re being hasty and need time to think more about it.”
“I shan’t need more time to think on it.”
She released a short breath of relief. “Then neither do I.”
“I love you.” His words were low and rumbly. “I know I just said it, but I cannot stop myself from saying it again.”
She couldn’t contain a smile. “I’ll never tire of hearing it.”
“Good. Because you’ll likely hear it a great deal.” His lips curved up into a rare smile.
At the sight of it, her breath hitched. The smile transformed his face, taking him from handsome to devastatingly gorgeous. It revealed his nice teeth, defined the curves of his mouth, and made the sharpness of his chin more prominent.
She had her new mission in life—make Jackson smile more often.
“I don’t have my prayer book,” Pastor Abe said as he reached a hand toward her to assist her to her feet. “But I do mostly have the ceremony memorized and can lead you through it.”
She took the reverend’s help. As she stood, she remained as far away from the road’s ledge as possible. Her legs were still trembling, but she managed to brush her hand over her skirt and release the dirt and gravel sticking to the material.
Those last seconds before her fall came rushing back. She’d been methodically assessing each inch of both sides of the road. Somehow she must have stepped too close to the edge. She’d felt her feet slipping and the ground giving way beneath her. She’d frantically turned around and grasped at the road, the earth, anything she could get her hands on. She still didn’t know how she’d been able to grasp the tree root, but it had saved her life.
No, Jackson had saved her life.
He was standing beside her and brushing the dust and dirt off his suit. He’d lost his hat, and the morning sunshine bathed his head, turning the strands to a silky black.
Feeling her gaze upon him, he halted, and his eyes seemed to ask her if she was okay.
She was now. “I love you.”
His eyes lit.
“I know I just said it,” she said as she repeated his words back to him, “but I can’t stop myself from saying it again.”
His smile made another appearance, and it sent her heart into a dizzying spin. He started to reach for her, his gaze falling to her lips.
