Page 7 of Blind Trust
But that didn’t mean he would forgo them. Quite the contrary. He would need to make sure she knew he appreciated her for the lady she was, and that might mean going an extra mile or two for her.
Emma came out onto the porch, carrying one glass of iced tea and one of lemonade.
“Hello Mr. Ken,” Emma Ives said, handing him his drink.
He could see he was not the only one here on this ranch who was more formal. “Hello, Mrs. Ives,” he said. “You can call me Brian.”
“One day, Mr. Ken,” she said, nodding.
“Mrs. Ives,” he nodded back at her, smiling.
“You are welcome to join us for meals, Mr. Ken,” she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out four sugar packets and placing them on the table for him. “No notice needed. Or help yourself to the welcome cookies and the evening cookies.”
“Mrs. Ives,” he said. “I would have to spend many more hours in the gym if I were to eat your delicious food. But thank you for the invitation.”
“The kitchen’s always open to you, Mr. Ken,” she said. “You are always welcome.”
After more head nodding and smiles, Mrs. Emily Ives went back into the kitchen.
“Wow,” Cecelia said after the cook went inside. “That was like watching one of those movies about people who live in the manor houses. So mannerly. What happened to my Marine and my cook?” She laughed.
“Just being respectful,” he said. “Believe it or not, a Marine can also be a gentleman. You should see our dress ball.”
He froze with the words that had slipped out before he’d thought about what he was saying.
It was the most awkward moment. He couldn’t imagine what she was feeling. Had he hurt her by speaking before he thought?
She laughed, making the moment pass. “So, you’re not all covered with green paint and ready to slip into the jungle? I won’t know what to think of you now. You’ll have to tell me if it’s a jungle day or a dress up day.”
He wanted to hug her and give her a kiss. This sweet woman was making the moment fun and trying to makehimfeel better.
“Yes, Miss Cecelia, I certainly will. Now, since you have your lemonade, are you ready for your sandwich?”
“Oh yes,” she said and held out her hands.
He opened the bag and took the sandwich out, breaking the two halves apart and handing hers to her.
They ate and chatted about the weather, who would be at the ranch this week, and when this current group of women would leave and the next group would arrive.
Then he finally decided to broach the subject he’d been wanting to talk about, to learn more about her.
She seemed relaxed now, and she’d made him feel better about his mistake earlier.
Brian knew part of the answer to his question before he asked, because Leah had told him about what had happened to Cecelia, but he wanted Cecelia to tell him first-hand what had happened to her.
He wanted her to feel she could talk to him about anything.
“I haven’t asked you,” he started, softening his voice, “but I’ve been wondering about your blindness…” He paused, looking to see whether she stiffened, but she didn’t. “What happened to you? How did you lose your sight?”
She inhaled a deep breath, held it, and then released it and spoke, “A man I went on a date with took a baseball bat to my head. My face and skull were fractured, my brain bled, and there was permanent damage to my optical nerves. My sight isn’t coming back, in case you were wondering and hoping. This is my life now. I’m happy here at the ranch, where I can help other women. I’m not looking for anything else. So, you don’t need to keep asking me out.”
“I hate that it happened to you,” Brian said, glad she couldn’t see his expression, because she might read it as pity, and that wasn’t what he was feeling. “Knowing this doesn’t change a thing. I still want to go out with you. I’m still going to keep asking you out. So, don’t expect me to quit. Quit is a four-letter word.”
She sighed. “Marine,” she said.
“That’s me,” he said. “Not a quitter.”
She smiled at him and then said, “Well, I’ve got to get back to work.”
