Amelia looked beautiful in her dress, the one that matched her eyes. He told her so as soon as he got off the wagon and took her in his arms. The boys jumped off the wagon with the pup and headed to the barn while Claire took some dessert she made to the main house.
"I heard about the garden."
She nodded.
"I worked in it all afternoon…just washed up for supper. I enjoy it…it stops me from thinking so much."
Ethan knew that he'd have to tell her that he figured out who had ambushed her and Warrick on the street back in San Francisco. But not right now…he still didn't want it known to Darren that he'd nailed two of his best security men. He knew why she hadn't revealed their identities, and he knew that keeping him from getting hurt or worse had been a big part of it. He was the marshal the town had hired and it was his job to keep its people safe including her. Not that he had to be hired for any job to do that for her.
"Amelia…I've been thinking about you all day."
She smiled.
"Have you?"
He brushed some hair out of her face and kissed her lightly on the mouth. Mostly a greeting, just to let her know that she'd definitely been on his mind all day. He slid his arm around her waist and she let him.
"Let's go take a walk before supper okay?"
"Okay we've got plenty of time…my part in it is done."
"I missed our walks…"
"Me too Ethan…though we mostly took them just to find some private place to be alone."
His mouth curved into a smile at the memories of the times they'd been courting. They knew every private spot in town and around it. They'd take off for a couple of hours and take a break from the rest of the world for a while. Sometimes with a picnic lunch, often with a blanket or two. Those came in handy in hidden corners of the valley, a secluded area near a waterfall or their favorite, an abandoned sentry post not far outside of town.
"Everyone in town would talk about us," she said, "Especially Matilda at the bank…I swear I think she was more in love with Pierce than I was…she never saw any bad in him."
He sighed.
"I didn't want them to look at you bad…but I couldn't stay away from you. Those times…they were real special Amelia."
She paused then nodded.
"Yes they were…Ethan…I didn't know what it could be like between a man and a woman until we…had those special times."
He didn't broach her about her married life with Pierce…as it was her own business but he knew from experience that whatever Amelia had learned about intimacies had been from her husband. She'd been very passionate with him once he made it abundantly clear how desirable he found her to be. He sensed that she didn't get that from her former husband.
"When we first got together you must have thought me somewhat reserved."
His eyes widened.
"Reserved? You? No…Amelia I felt very special when we were together and I'd never felt that way before…I'd had done my share of carousing and had my share of women but no, there was nothing then like I found with you."
She smiled.
"You're so handsome and by the time we did…I wanted it so much."
"Yes you did…and so did I…"
She leaned against his shoulder not knowing where this discussion was heading. She'd never had these kind of conversations with Pierce.
"Now….I don't know. I don't know what I want," she said, "I don't know who I am or who I fit in with you…it's so much different than what I wanted it to be."
She bit her lip trying not to let her emotions spill over.
"I wanted to come back home to you…I had just told Warrick that…I don't know why I did just before the men showed up in front of us."
"Amelia…you are home and we're together," he said, "including right now."
She glanced away from him.
"It's not the same…I'm not the same," she said, "Everything's different now. What those men did…it's not going away and I don't know what to do about that."
He squeezed her waist gently and she looked up at him.
"I'm not the same either Amelia."
"It's not the same thing Ethan," she said, "Those men…I can't even say what they did but I can't forget it either."
"It's awful what they did to you," he said, "I wish I could string them up for it…but it doesn't change the way I feel about you or the fact that I love you…"
She fell silent but she relaxed against him.
"Yes I do Amelia…so don't forget that and I'm a patient man about what's important so don't worry about whether or not I'm having a good time."
"Ethan…"
"Don't close yourself off to all that's good or what we had…what we still have," he said, "because time heals and love does too. A certain woman taught me a thing or two about that."
She had to smile as he continued.
"As for those special times, came when I courted you the first time, they'll be there the second time."
She stopped walking.
"Ethan I can't promise you anything….if you do court me."
He cupped her face in her palm looking straight into her beautiful eyes.
"Just promise to accept my proposal to court you…"
"Your proposal to what…why are you being so formal about it?"
He smiled and then he kissed her on the mouth, brushing her lips with his own at first. She enjoyed that so much she coaxed him further with her own mouth.
When he broke for air, he touched her lips with a finger.
"How's that instead?"
She considered it, coming back down to earth instead and nodded.
"I like that…and I love you Ethan…I don't know how'll it's going to work but I want it to for us."
They started walking together, her arm wrapped around his waist too.
"Tell you what…we'll just take it one step at a time," he said, "starting with right now."