Page 47 of Texas Splendor
He tugged her down until she sat on his lap. He cradled her cheek. “But then so are you.”
She shoved his hand away and averted her gaze, the heat flaming her face. “No, I’m not. I’m uglier than the back end of a mule.”
When he didn’t jump to her defense, she dared to peer at him. Narrowing his eyes, he scrutinized her features. “Don’t go staring at me.”
“How else am I gonna find the ugly?”
“It’s there for the whole world to see.”
“Where?”
She pursed her lips. “My nose for one thing. The end tips up like a broken twig.”
“And here I thought it looked like a petal unfurling.”
His eyes grew warm, a touch of humor twinkling in the centers.
“And my lips. I don’t hardly have a top lip and my bottom lip looks swollen like a bee stung it.”
“It reminds me of a plump, ripe strawberry just waiting to be tasted.”
She felt the heat suffuse her face as his eyes darkened.
“My hair,” she said in a rush, desperate to convince him of her flaws. “It’s got no color.”
He took her braid and carried the end to his lips. “I always thought it looked like it had been woven from moonbeams. Reckon that’s why I stole some of it.”
She furrowed her brow. “What?”
He leaned back slightly, dug his hand into his pocket, and brought out several locks of her hair, tied together with a dainty ribbon.
“When did you do that?”
“That first night I slept with you, after you’d fallen asleep.”
Tears stung her eyes as she pressed her hand to her mouth. “Oh, Austin. You must like me some to carry my hair around.”
“I like you more than some, Loree. I wouldn’t have married you otherwise.”
She knew she shouldn’t ask, knew she risked angering him again, but she had to know. “What about the locks of Becky’s hair that you carried around?”
“I know words can’t undo actions, but I’m hoping actions can undo the harm caused by a careless word.” She watched his Adam’s apply slowly slide up and down as he swallowed. “I burned them … the day we burned the barn.”
She studied him, trying to understand the significance of his actions. “Why? You didn’t have to punish yourself—”
“I wasn’t punishing myself. Burning the barn was a way for you to put the past behind you. Thought it was time for me to put the past to rest, too.”
“But you still love her.”
His thumb stroked her cheek. “I love the memory of her.”
The difference sounded slight to her, if it existed at all. She was no longer competing against a woman—only a memory. Perhaps if she’d loved someone before Austin came into her life, she could better understand how difficult it was to let go. As it was, all she knew was that she wished there’d been no one before her.
“Last night, I was afraid you weren’t going to come back,” she confessed quietly.
His lips spread into a smile that had warmth swirling through her, from her head to her toes.
“Missed me, did you?” he asked, and she heard the slight teasing in his voice.
