Page 39 of Love for the Cowboy
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Garrett glancedover his shoulder as Elise made her way back into the seating area of the hotel room. “Do you want me to rewind it?”
Elise waved a hand in the air. “No, that’s all right, I’m sure I can catch up.”
He nodded as she moved towards him and took a seat. He had sensed that she was nervous earlier. Maybe he was pushing too hard. They had agreed to be married and committed, but not in a true relationship. He wanted to take things slow, but shouldn’t they know that there was no way they could be married and not have a relationship with each other? Now that he thought about it, the idea was completely ridiculous.
Of course, he was the one who had never wanted to be married. So it was Elise who was making a sacrifice for him to be in what she assumed would be a loveless marriage. But did it have to be that way? If something was going to change, he knew it was up to him. She had put her heart on the line once when she told him she had feelings for him, and she wouldn’t do it again if she thought there would not be reciprocation.
His heart ricocheted against his chest as he thought of those words. Did he want to reciprocate? Did he want to admit that he had feelings for Elise? They had gotten along so well as teenagers, and if he had been the one to step up and say that they should be something more, they would have been together a long time ago.
As she sat next to him on the couch, she kept only inches between them. But as he glanced over, he saw that her hand was extended between them, almost as if she was just waiting for him to reach out and make the connection.
His mind swirled with the world of possibilities that he had never seen before. She had always been there, always waiting for him to be the one to make the connection. She had only spoken up once, and then she had let it go for all of those years. And now he was ready.
Slowly and intentionally, he reached for her hand. He grazed his fingers down her arm, and then laced them with hers. His eyes were no longer on the TV screen, but on her face. He watched as she slowly closed her eyes and smiled. Then she turned and looked at him.
She grasped his fingers tightly as she spoke, “I’ve been waiting a very long time for this.”
Garrett nodded slowly. “I know. I’m sorry it took me so long.”
She smiled, but there were no other words between them. Just now, there didn’t have to be.
24
Elise woke the next morning and found herself clinging to the side of the bed. As cozy as they had been on the couch, while they watched the movie the night before, she had all but panicked when it was time to go to bed.
Garrett hadn’t been pushy, and she was sure that he wasn’t going to do anything to make her uncomfortable. But he didn’t have to. She was plenty uncomfortable enough on her own. She had dressed in the most modest pajamas that she had brought along, but she had also been prepared to sleep in her own hotel room alone. She was thankful that Garrett was already on his own side of the bed snoring when she exited the bathroom after brushing her teeth. Quietly, she had padded across the room and tried to slip into the edge of the bed without disturbing him. Was he really so unworried that he was able to fall right to sleep knowing she was going to be sleeping in the same bed with him? Or was it possible he had forced himself to go to sleep, so he didn’t have to think about it?
Either way Elise was jealous. She would spend the next hour trying to go to sleep, listening to her husband snore the night away, while she desperately tried to keep her distance from him. Just because she had changed her heart towards him didn’t mean she wasn’t ready for anything physical, and she didn’t want to encourage him by moving any closer than she had to.
As she opened her eyes in the morning light, she noticed that she did not hear the sound of Garrett snoring. A sound she had become used to hearing over the last couple of weeks. Slowly, she turned her head to glance over her shoulder and saw that he was no longer in the bed. Relieved, she sat up, keeping the covers pulled up tightly to her chest. As she listened, she heard the sound of water running in the bathroom.
Quickly, she jumped out of bed and moved to her suitcase, straining her ear to make sure that she still heard the sound of the shower. She discreetly dressed in jeans and the shirt she had planned to wear to the auction. She still hated the fact that she hadn’t packed anything else to wear. She knew it was necessary to get them out away from the ranch, and she would’ve been the first one to stay home if she had known. But she sure wished that Katie would’ve let her in on the secret so that she would be better prepared for this trip.
She was just brushing out her hair when she heard the sound of the shower turn off. Only a few minutes later, Garrett emerged from the bathroom.
“Good morning,” Garrett said. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Fine,” Elise said. It was a bit of a fib. “It’s a very comfortable bed.” That part was true, although why she said it, she couldn’t be sure. Most newlywed couples probably weren’t extremely concerned about the convenience of a hotel bed.
Garrett nodded in agreement. “I’m sure it’s much better than a mattress on the floor.”
Elise wanted to agree, but she didn’t dare risk changing her sleeping arrangement back at home. Sleeping in a large king sized hotel room bed was much different than sharing the small bed in Garrett’s house. “I don’t mind either one.”
“I was out like a light. You would think I wouldn’t be too tired after what was an easy day compared to working on the ranch.”
Elise shrugged. “I don’t know. My dad always said that driving made him tired. And he slept great on vacation. My mom was the one who would struggle. She always said she didn’t like sleeping in a strange bed.”
“I guess I’m one of those people who could sleep anywhere, but then again, I’ve never done much traveling. So if, by anywhere, you can count a bale of hay, then you say that about me.”
Elise laughed. “Most people could not fall asleep on a bale of hay. So I’m pretty sure that is the epitome of anywhere. Did you ever want to travel though?”
Garrett shrugged, “I don’t know. We didn’t get a whole lot of chances growing up. You know my dad was growing the ranch back then, and we really didn’t have a lot of money. What about you? Do you have a dream travel destination?”
Elise didn’t miss a beat. “I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise.”
Garrett seemed taken aback. “Really? A cruise?”
