Page 89 of Cursed
“I can. Well, I hope I can.”
They touched glasses, then each took a sip.
When he shifted in his seat, she reached for his hand and squeezed it. “What?”
“You have good friends back at Decorah.”
“Yes. But I’d like to stay here—if you want me to,” she added, because they hadn’t talked about the future.
His hand tightened on hers. “I love you. I want you for my wife, if you’ll have me.”
“Oh yes.”
He sighed. “Another hurdle crossed.”
“But I think I’ll have to let Janet run the house.”
“Would you mind?” he asked.
“Actually, I never much liked housekeeping. I think I can get used to someone who keeps the place spotless and the kitchen full of great food.”
Again, he looked relieved. “Good.”
She cleared her throat. “But sitting around doing nothing would be impossible. I’ll need a job. What would you think about my running for sheriff?”
“Not a bad idea.”
“With some time off for maternity leave,” she said softly.
“I thought I would never have a wife. Never have a family,” he whispered.
“But you like the idea of children?”
“Your children,” he said, sounding like he still couldn’t quite believe the discussion was real.
Their food came, and she realized she hadn’t paid much attention to what she had ordered. She’d come here to make a statement. Now she wanted to get back home—back to Belle Vista.
Both of them ate a little of the meal.
“We should talk about the oil reserves,” he finally said. “It would make me a lot of money, but I think it should just stay in the ground—at least for now. Fossil fuel is bad for the environment.” “Dwight Rivers was willing to commit murder to get at it.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s put off a decision about it.”
“Okay, but it’s up to you.”
They went back to the dinner, but both of them finished only about half of what they’d ordered.
“You’re not hungry?” Andre asked.
She grinned at him. “I think we’d both rather be home in bed.”
He grinned back, and she loved the way it changed his looks. Probably it would take him a while to realize the terrible tension had gone out of his life. But she was going to be beside him, helping him every step of the way.
When they climbed back into the car, she started to turn the key in the ignition, but he put his hand on her arm.
“One more thing,” he said in a thick voice. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out something that glinted n the floodlights from the restaurant.
