“Coffee?” Daniel indicated the café with a sweep of his hand.
Anna shook her head. “No, thank you. I’d rather just go some place quiet.”
He nodded and resumed walked down the main street. He didn’t know exactly where to go or even if he should just say what he wanted to say as they walked. This was all new to him. He’d never really been at a loss for words before.
God, I sure could use some help here.
Anna tipped her face to the sky as they walked, and the breeze blew a long, blonde strand of hair over her shoulder. She inhaled audibly. “So will you be leaving now that your job here is done?”
Not exactly the place he wanted to start the conversation, but at least it was a start. “After the trials are over, I suspect.”
“I see.” Her voice sounded strained.
“Anna, I—”
“Daniel—”
Their voices united, words mingling.
“I’m sorry. Go ahead.” Daniel reached out for her hand to pull her to his side, making way for an approaching wagon. But once the wagon passed, he didn’t release her hand. It felt right in his.
Her fingers flexed around his. “I’ll miss you.” The words came out in a rush.
Daniel stopped walking and towed her to the edge of the road, just past the old saloon. He turned to face her, lifting her hand to study her fingers.
He wanted to tell her he wasn’t leaving, that he would stay with her, Sam, and Beth here in Strawberry Junction. That instinct had never been inside him before. He wouldn’t have even considered leaving the Texas Rangers, but that was before Anna.
She’d turned his life upside down, had made him feel things he’d never felt before. He wanted to stay, to protect her, care for her, love her, but whether or not he could was in God’s hands.
“Anna, I wish I could stay.”
“There’s no need to—”
“Yes, there is,” he interrupted softly. “When I came here to Strawberry Junction, I expected to do my job and then leave. Just like every other assignment.” With his free hand, he cupped her cheek. “What I didn’t expect was for God to place this love for you in my heart.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and her lips trembled, but when she spoke, her voice was strong, steady. “And I never expected to love another man.”
He released the breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding. Lord, please show me what to do.
Anna gave a little laugh and eased her hand out of his. “When Zach died, I thought I’d never love again, and even if I did, I was sure it would never be another lawman.” Her gaze connected with his. “But it doesn’t change anything, does it? You’re leaving because of your job, and my home, the children’s home, is here. It’s the only life they’ve ever known. I can’t—”
He took hold of her shoulders and leaned in, gently touching his forehead to hers. “Shhh, I know. If this is God’s will, we will be together, Anna.”
She held onto both of his wrists. “Until then, you’ll go where you’re supposed to go, and I’ll stay where I’m supposed to stay.”
****
Daniel gripped his Bible so tight his fingers ached and prayed until his voice was hoarse. He said the same words over and over. “Thy will be done.” It was all he could say, the only words that didn’t cause his heart to ache. Especially now.
The telegram had been waiting for him when he’d returned to the jail. His captain had ordered him to return to Austin within forty-eight hours.
So tomorrow morning, he would have to say goodbye to Anna, Beth, and Sam and follow his duty. What he wasn’t sure was how he was supposed to just walk away.
****
Anna woke with her head pressed against the mattress, her eyes gritty from too much crying and too little sleep. The moon had risen high in the sky, and its glow illuminated the tiny bedroom.
Pushing herself to her feet, she smoothed her damp hair away from her face. Her legs shaking, she walked to the other bedroom to check on Sam and Beth. Reassured to find them sleeping soundly, she closed the door and leaned against the wood for a second before walking quietly back to her bedroom.
She sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the photograph taken on her wedding day. Running her fingers along the edges of the frame, she smiled.
Zach had looked so handsome, his smile so bright. The promise of their future lay before them, ripe with possibility. They’d had big dreams and even bigger hopes.
A tear ran down her cheek as the memories rolled over her. Her mind relived each detail of her past, replaying with vivid clarity the love she and Zach had shared, the joy of Sam and Beth’s births, and the overwhelming agony as the first shovel of dirt fell atop Zach’s casket.
More tears joined the first, and raw, aching sobs racked her body. “God, I can’t leave Strawberry Junction.”
Not my will but thine be done.
The words resounded in her head, and her eyes popped open. They’d sounded so real, so close. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, almost deafening in its intensity.
“Is that what You want me to do, Lord? Do You want me and the children to leave here?” Her voice shook with the next question. “To go with Daniel?”
Her chest grew tight. “He hasn’t asked me to go with him, and I can’t just go off alone with a man who isn’t my husband.” The second the words left her mouth, she winced. As if God didn’t know that already.
“I just don’t know what to do,” she whispered, clutching her wedding photo close to her breast.
Not my will but thine be done.
She fell back to sleep with the refrain ringing in her ears.
****
“Mama, Daniel’s here.” Sam’s excited voice woke Anna from a fitful sleep.
She sat up in the bed, blinking away the graininess from her eyes. “Daniel’s here now?” One glance out the window next to her bed revealed the answer. Sonny was tied to the post out in front of the house.
Scooting to the edge of the mattress, she smoothed back her hair and straightened her dress as she stood.
“You want me to invite him in, Mama?” Sam bounced from foot to foot.
“N-no. I’ll talk to him outside.” Anna summoned a smile and ruffled his hair as she passed by him. “Is Beth up?”
“Yes’m. She woke up when Daniel knocked.”
“Then go ahead and wash your face and hands. I’ll be back in soon to fix breakfast.” Attempting to will away the jitters in the pit of her stomach, she swept her hand down the front of her dress to wipe away the wrinkles.
Daniel waited for her on the front porch, his hat in his hand. “I’m sorry about the hour, Anna, but I had to come and see you before…” he broke off then tried again. “I’ve been called back to Austin.”
The jitters turned to a cold knot. “I thought you were going to stay through the trials.”
“I thought so, too, but my captain sent a telegram with my orders.”
Fear swept through her, fear that if he left, she might never see him again. “So Austin. That’s your home then?”
“When I’m not traveling. Anna.” He took two steps forward. “I know I don’t have any right to ask you this, but I’m going to ask anyway. I figure all you can do is say no.”
Could her heart race any faster? She lifted her gaze in time to see his gentle eyes watching her. “Ask me what, Daniel?”
“Will you come with me?” He didn’t give her time to answer before plunging on. “I mean you and the children. I know this is your home, and you’ve got a lot of good memories here. But I’ve been up all night praying about this—”
“I can’t go with you, Daniel.” Her heart broke even as she said the words.
He shifted his stance and twisted the brim of his hat. “You sound so sure. Aren’t you even willing to think about it? I don’t have to leave right this minute. I can wait a couple of hours at the most.”
She shook her head, pain constricting her lungs, making breathing difficult. Didn’t he understand that she couldn’t just ride off with him? How could he expect that of her when she had her reputation to think of, her children?
“Anna, look at me, please.” Daniel captured one of her hands. “You said yesterday that you loved me. Is that love not enough to marry me?”
She gasped, her gaze shooting up to his. “Marry you?”
He stared back at her. “Yes. Marry me. What did you think I’ve been standing here going on about?”
“You just asked me to go with you. You didn’t mention marriage.”
A flush crawled up his neck. “Well, I guess I didn’t, did I?” A rueful smile swept across his face. “Is that why you said you couldn’t go?”
Embarrassment warred with excitement. She felt so alive inside. Happy. Content. God have given her the answer she sought.
She brought her hand to Daniel’s cheek. “Why don’t we start over, Ranger Cochran, and this time, maybe you could ask a different question?”
He grinned and leaned into her palm. “I’d be happy to, Ma’am.” Taking hold of her hand, he dropped to one knee, looking up at her. “Anna Hampton, will you marry me?”
Tears spilled from her eyes and rained down her cheeks. “Why, yes, Ranger, I believe I will.”