Page 137 of Texas Glory
The clock downstairs chimed midnight as Cordelia placed the last of her belongings into a box.
Heaving a deep sigh, she stretched to work the ache out of her back. She was incredibly tired, but she knew sleep would elude her. It had ever since Dallas had stopped sleeping in her bed, his body draped over hers.
She had thought about asking him to sleep with her tonight, just to hold her, but she feared it would make her leaving that much harder on them both. The memories of what had been, what might have been, would have been rekindled. As it was, they were slowly fading into glowing embers.
She walked across the room, drew back the drapes, opened the door, and stepped onto the balcony. A million stars twinkled in the black velvety sky. From the top of a windmill, she had viewed the land through Dallas’s eyes.
She wondered why she had ever thought it desolate.
She heard a horse whinny and glanced toward the corral. Her heart pounding, she eased closer to the edge of the balcony.
She could see her husband sitting on the corral railing, his shoulders slumped, his head bent.
If she didn’t know how strong a man Dallas Leigh was … she would have thought he was weeping.
With a painful knot forming in her chest, Cordelia watched as Slim loaded the last of her boxes into the wagon.
She held close to her heart the farewell Rawley had given her last night. It had been so hard to release him, to leave him alone in his room, but her leaving was for the best.
She didn’t know what the future held for her, where she would go, what exactly she would do, but she knew Rawley needed stability and he would find it here with Dallas.
Dallas was part of the land, his roots buried deep within the soil.
The bump of the last box hitting the floor of the wagon echoed around her. Her chest tightened in response. Her mouth grew dry, her eyes stinging as she searched for fortitude.
Slim turned and wiped his hands on his trousers. “Well, that’s it. You taking your horse?”
Lemon Drop. She had ridden the horse beside Dallas. She nodded.
“I’ll get her and your gear, then.”
In long strides, Slim began to walk toward the barn. Cordelia heard the front door slam and heavy footsteps resound from the veranda. She had hoped Dallas had gone to check on his herd as he’d said he would last night. She didn’t know if she could survive one more farewell.
She pivoted and met Dallas’s unflinching gaze. He leaned against the beam, his hands stationed behind his back, his eyes dark, his expression hard. He reminded her of a predatory animal, waiting, waiting to strike.
She intertwined her fingers, searching for the words that would lessen the pain of her departure, but the words remained hidden. She cleared her throat. “Everything is packed. Slim is getting Lemon Drop. I suppose it’s all right if I take the horse.”
Dallas only glared at her, like a wooden statue in front of a store. If a muscle in his jaw hadn’t jerked, she might have thought he’d turned to stone. She took his silence as approval. “Do you want to contact the lawyer or should I?” she asked.
His stare intensified.
“I suppose I should talk with him,” she said into the silence permeating the air. “I’ll tell him to send word to you regarding the best way to handle this matter. I’m going to stay in our room at the hotel until I decide exactly where I’m going to go. I’m fairly certain that I won’t stay in Leighton. I think it would be easier on us if I left. I’ll let you know what I decide.” The words were running out of her mouth now, and she seemed unable to stop them. She knew the tears would not be far behind. “I wish you all the happiness you deserve.”
She spun around and hurried toward the front of the wagon.
“Stay.”
The strangled word, spoken in anguish, tore at her heart, ripped through her resolve. She swiped at the tears raining over her cheeks and slowly turned, forcing the painful truth past her lips. “I can’t stay. I can no longer give you what you want. I can’t give you a son.”
Dallas stepped off the veranda and extended a bouquet of wildflowers toward her. “Then stay and give me what I need.”
Her heart lurched at the abundance of flowers wilting within his smothering grasp. She shook her head vigorously. “You don’t need me. There are a dozen eligible women in Leighton who would happily give you a son and within the month there will be at least a dozen more—”
“I’ll never love any of them as much as I love you. I know that as surely as I know the sun will come up in the morning.”
Her breath caught, her trembling increased, words lodged in her throat. He loved her? She watched as he swallowed.
“I know I’m not an easy man. I don’t expect you to ever love me, but if you’ll tolerate me, I give you my word that I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy—”
