7

Raymond reached for the phone, hesitated, and then stopped. He’d promised Rebecca he’d take it slow. How slow is slow enough?

He put on his robe, knotted the belt then slid into his slippers and went to make coffee.The moment he walked into the kitchen, memories of his evening with Becca thrummed his senses. His heart trembled at the way the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled, her laugh, how good she felt in his arms when they danced. The number of things they had in common surprised him.

He put the kettle on to boil, rinsed the pot and measured out fresh grounds for coffee.. Thoughts of Rebecca continued to swirl through his mind. He’d be content to spend every night cooking her steak and dancing with her, listening to her talk…Waking with her in his arms…Odd thought, considering he’d yet to kiss her. Not very experienced in the art of romance or the ways of the flesh, he wondered how he should go about courting Rebecca before making her his wife. In that aspect, Ray realized he was totally out of his comfort zone, and in truth, way out of his league.

Ray would have to depend on more than his own strength to crawl out of his cave of shyness and insecurity. He’d have to depend on God to help him win Rebecca’s heart. It hadn’t been easy to summon the courage to ask her to dinner, asking her to marry him would be impossible. He’d have to compete with her memories of Jim, her children’s needs and feelings about him being involved in their lives, as well as her own fears and doubts. But he and Rebecca had crossed a milestone last night. The first of many, he hoped.

Now that their first date was out of the way, he wouldn’t feel as pressured about making a good impression and getting everything right. Still, he wasn’t sure what the next step should be. It’s certainly not sitting here waxing sentimental.

Nor is it taking things too slowly.

That settled, he reached for the phone and dialed her number.

“Hello?”

His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice. Ray smiled into the receiver. “Morning, Becca. Didn’t wake you, did I?”

She laughed. “No, my son beat you to it. He called about an hour ago, mad as a hornet’s nest that I didn’t phone him when I got home last night.”

“Oh? Is he still angry?”

“No. I straightened him out real quick.”

Ray chuckled. “Maybe you should call him next time, that way he’ll know you’re not out with some idiotic, deranged postal worker.”

She giggled. “Those were his exact words.”

“You’re kidding.”

She laughed again. “No.”

“Are you afraid of that?” Ray asked, sobering his tone.

“Not a bit,” she assured him.

“Good, got a question for you.”

“Shoot.”

He took a deep breath and plunged in. “What would you say if I reneged on my promise to take things slow between us.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I want to get to know you as quickly as possible.”

“What?”

Ray inwardly groaned. He took a deep breath. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

She remained silent.

“This is not the kind of conversation you have over the telephone. Meet me for breakfast?”

“I’m not sure it’s the kind of conversation we should be having at all, much less in a crowded restaurant.”

“You’re right,” he admitted. “But a crowded restaurant is better than someplace secluded and romantic. At least there you’ll know I’m serious.”

More silence from her end.

Ray’s heart plummeted. Lame, Ray, lame. Get back on track. “So, will you meet me for breakfast?”

~*~

Rebecca’s heart thudded. He’d told her his feelings went deeper than friendship, but he’d also said he wouldn’t push. Not wanting to go slow sure felt like pushing, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for anything more than friendship, even though she’d enjoyed their date and the brief conversations they’d had over the past year as he delivered her daily mail.

She took a deep breath and sent up a short, silent prayer. Gut instinct told her Ray was a good man who wouldn’t try to push her where she didn’t want to go. “Yes, I’ll meet you for breakfast.”

An hour later, they arrived at the restaurant at the same time.

He took her hand and raised it to his mouth. “Morning, Becca.” he nuzzled her knuckles with his mouth, then walked hand-in-hand with her into the restaurant.

“Just coffee for now,” he told the waitress once they were seated. “Becca?”

“Coffee’s fine.”

They sat in awkward silence until coffee arrived; then Ray enveloped her hand in his again. “Now, to clarify what I said. I didn’t mean it to sound like I wanted to crawl into bed with you. What I meant was, though I don’t want to rush you or scare you off, I don’t want to purposely take things slow between us, either.” His eyes were warm and tender, his touch gentle.

The calmness about him soothed her apprehension. Rebecca searched her heart and chose her words with care before answering. “Your friendship means the world to me.” She gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Your sweet smile and charming personality have pulled me out of the pit of despair on more than one occasion, and I had a lovely time last night. But I’m not sure I’m ready for anything more than what we already share.”

“But you’re not opposed to the idea of a deeper relationship?”

“That depends on what you mean by deeper.”

“What I mean is that I’d like to court you.”

“Court?” she asked, biting back a smile.

“Court or date, whatever they’re calling it nowadays.” A ruddy flush darkened his cheeks. “What I mean is that I want to spend as much time with you as I can. Not just my lunch hour, but evenings, days off, weekends. I want to go places with you, see things through your eyes. I…I want to get to know you, really get to know you. Not as the pretty widow on my route, but as Rebecca Sinclair. I want to know the things you like and the things you hate. I don’t know how else to explain it, Becca, I’m not good with words.”

The insecurity in his tone made her smile and eased her hesitancy. “I think you have a wonderful way with words. OK, we’ll try it your way but you have to promise not to get all huffy and sulk if I say we need to slow down or that I need some space.”

He grinned. “I’m a grown man, grown men don’t sulk.”

“Ha! Don’t even give me that, Raymond Jacobey. I was married for twenty-two years to a grown man, happen to be the mother of a twenty-one year old grown man, and I’ll have you know that grown men are the biggest babies on the planet. Don’t leer at me either,” she added. “You know exactly what I mean. Don’t get your way and you pout, get angry and you sulk. And heaven forbid if you don’t feel well, then you’re worse than a room full of cranky two-year-olds.”

He chuckled. “That’s because God created us to be the strong ones, the provider and protector, and when we’re not able to fulfill that role, it throws us all out of kilter. But whatever, I promise not to sulk or pout if you tell me to back off.”

“OK, Ray, I’ll let you set the pace, but let’s take this relationship one step at a time.”

He laughed. “Great. Last night was step one, step two, breakfast.” He signaled the waitress for menus.

Breakfast was romantic and sweet and not at all awkward.

When it was over, Ray snatched up the ticket, paid their tab, and then walked with her out to her car. “So, what do you have planned for today?”

Rebecca shrugged. “Haven’t a clue. Since I cleaned and scrubbed and waxed the kitchen and utility room the other day, I thought that I’d move on to clean another room. The house could definitely use an overall scrubbing. It has never gone this long without one.”

“Spend the day with me, we’ll take a drive,” he offered.

Rebecca hesitated. She wasn’t sure if spending the day together would be too much too soon.

“C’mon,” he urged. “If the house has gone this long without a thorough scrubbing, one more day won’t hurt. Besides, weather like this won’t hold out much longer,” he coaxed with a smile.

He was right. Though chilly, the beautiful morning held promise of an even lovelier day. The sun continued in its rise, full and glowing. Not a single dark cloud marred the brilliant blue sky. But that could change in an instant when one lived so close to mountains and volcanoes.

She nodded in agreement and let him lead her to his SUV.

He pulled out of the parking lot and headed south.

“Where are we going?”

“To Paradise,” he said with a wink and a grin.

Rebecca smiled back and settled in for the two-hour drive to Paradise Point—one of the highest peaks accessible by vehicle on Mt. Rainer. Those who wished to go higher than the Paradise Inn had to hike.

As Ray began to navigate the long, winding road upward, Rebecca couldn’t help but remember her dream from a few nights ago and the letter she’d received.

Closing her eyes, she tried to recall every detail. This drive was surrounded by banks of snow as high as eight feet, interspersed with splashes of waterfalls cascading onto the road, but the drive in her dream was much different...the long, winding road, the glint of silver in her rear-view mirror, the smell of grapes in the air, the sight of dark, green shrubs overloaded with lilacs...she shook her head with a sigh.

Ray glanced at her. “Tired?”

“No, confused.”

He frowned. “About what?”

“I can’t get that crazy dream out of my head, or that stupid letter.”

Ray shot her a glance. “I take it you haven’t decided to read it yet, even after our conversation last night.”

“No, I haven’t.”

He chuckled. “And I take it by your tone of voice I’d better not ask why.”

Rebecca smiled at his teasing. “You can ask all you want, but don’t expect an answer.”

“You’re not the least bit curious?”

“Oh, I’m sure there’s a bit of morbid curiosity in here somewhere,” she answered, pointing to her head.

He arched an eyebrow at her. “But?”

“But it’s buried beneath the fear, anger and bitterness in here.” She placed her hand over her heart.

Ray reached over, took her hand in his, and kissed it. “Don’t worry over it so much, Becca, it’ll come. It’s waited thirty-some-odd years; it can wait a little longer. One morning, you’ll open your eyes and your heart and read the letter. Hopefully, it’ll all make sense when you do. Who knows, you might even find some answers and possibly a sense of peace about the whole situation.”

She sighed. “I sure hope so.”

A minute later, he pulled into a parking spot at Paradise Point. When he opened his door and climbed out of the vehicle, she shivered. “Ooohhh, I didn’t think of how chilly it would be up here compared to at home.”

Ray reached over the seat and pulled out a jacket for each of them.

“You thought to bring jackets? You must have had this planned.”

He chuckled. “Wish I could take credit for being so ingenious, but they’re here because I’ve found I usually need one at the oddest of times, and then I forget to take it in when I get home.” He helped her into the warmer of the two. “Take a walk?”

Rebecca looked down at her blue jeans and tennis shoes. “I’m not really dressed for hiking.”

“Me neither, but we can walk anyway. We won’t go far, and then I’ll buy you a cup of hot chocolate.”

Rebecca let him lead her up the snow-covered bank until they stood in a clearing looking out to where heaven and earth met in a glorious profusion of rock and sky. Clouds surrounded mountain peaks like halos. A rainbow shimmered in the sky, brilliant colors against a backdrop of aqua so breathtaking they literally gasped for air.

“It’s so beautiful,” she breathed.

Ray slid his arms around her waist, and she leaned against his chest. He rested his chin on her head, and they stood in silence gazing at the raw beauty of creation until the damp chill permeated their clothes.

Ray ran his hands down her arms, took Rebecca’s hands in his, and then turned her to face him.

She could see his heart in his eyes.

“‘The earth declares the glory of the Lord, the heavens proclaim His handiwork.’ That might not be an exact quote, but close enough. It is beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

Rebecca’s heart fluttered at the charming, boyish grin he bestowed on her. She knew he’d spoken more than mere words; he’d spoken his heart. Tears filled her eyes and clogged her throat when she thought about what the future might hold. Standing on the threshold of that great unknown, she had never been more acutely aware of anything than she was of this moment, this man.

He looked at her intently. His thumbs stroked the back of her hands, chasing the chill from her blood. Lethargic warmth stole over her. As though in a fog, she watched him lift her hands to his mouth and press his lips to her palm in a touch so tender it sent shivers down her spine.

He lifted her chin and waited until she looked at him again. “I want to kiss you, Becca, here in the midst of Paradise.” His lips covered hers with devastating tenderness.

He let out a primitive grunt of satisfaction as he let go of her hands and pulled her closer. An answering purr escaped her as tiny pinpoints of pleasure bathed her senses with light and color. Never in her life had she felt so alive, so consumed with sensations.

Whether a moment or an eternity, she had no idea how long they stood there, his mouth in sweet possession of hers, but when the kiss was over, she realized she was pressed against his body. Her breathing came in sharp, almost painful rasps, and her fingers were clenched in his thick, sandy-colored hair. Appalled at her wanton response and the needy way in which she clung, Rebecca stumbled away with a startled cry of distress, and began to run.