“We just started whatever this is we’re doing. I don’t want to move too quickly with her. And at this point, she would never agree to marry me.” Ruston ran his hands over his face. Last night, she had all but said it was over. She would not marry him today. He had known they’d lost steps in their journey that he would have to get through again.
“Are you in love with her?” Sam’s words surprised him. Thomas had asked almost the exact same question.
“Yes. But she’s hesitant about a relationship with me, which means we’re taking it slowly.”
“Do you want a relationship with her?” Sam rephrased his question.
“Of course. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. But I can’t push her to do what she isn’t ready for. I in no way want to pressure her. Being with me has to be her decision. Her choice. I have to put in the time and energy to convince her we belong together.” Didn’t these two men see how fragile Hazel was? How protective of her heart she was?
The two men looked at each other and seemed to be deciding something right there. Was it about his future at the church? Were they realizing that they needed to fire him? Suspend him?
Patrick turned back to him. “I have known Hazel her entire life, and I love the girl to pieces, but I also know that she isn’t as fragile as you think she is. Nothing in her life has broken her, and there has been plenty that could have.”
“I don’t want to force her. If she wants me, I will wait. She’s worth any amount of time I have to wait.” It was true. She was the one for him, and he was going to put in the necessary time.
“I don’t know if you have that kind of time. There’s gossip going around that she’s leading you astray. After all, she has a son and no dad in sight. Some of the older crowd doesn’t think she’s the type of woman you should be messing around with. And if you get enough people talking, your job might be at risk,” Patrick said.
Blowing out a breath, he asked, “I’m the same person I was when they hired me. Still single. Don’t they want me to get married?”
“Of course, they do, but a few of the old biddies have an issue with a single mom. And I’m sad to say the longer they talk about it, the more they’ll convince others that what you’re doing is wrong.”
Sam looked at his friend. “Patrick is right. Time is of the essence here.”
“She needs time, and I can’t force her to do something she doesn’t want to or isn’t ready for.”
“I think you can. Force her, that is,” Patrick said, not even pretending he wasn’t talking about forcing the woman to do something she didn’t want to do.
“Excuse me?” Ruston sat up.
“I know that sounds bad, very bad. But in high school, Hanna and Natalie always got her to do what they wanted her to do by bullying her. Well, it wasn’t really bullying; it was more saying she couldn’t do whatever. It always spurred her into doing it, whether she wanted to or not. I’m assuming those tactics will still work. And use everything you have over her.”
Ruston wondered if he knew the woman at all. Or had she changed that much in the last few years? “I don’t think I can do that to her,” Ruston argued. Not the Hazel he loved.
“Then cut her loose,” Patrick said.
“Natalie said that her grandparents have sold the farm. Hazel has a month to get the house clean and move out. The book club is working on getting her a job and an apartment, but they all think she’ll go to Grand Forks and leave here for good. Can you live with that?” Sam said as the men got up and walked out, leaving Ruston alone in his thoughts.
How was he going to get Hazel to marry him? Because letting her go was not an option. After all, she had been a part of him since that early summer party.
Now there was a possibility that he wouldn’t have her, that she was going to leave, and his time would be up. He wasn’t ready for that.
CHAPTER18
By 9:00 a.m.,he had showered and gotten her car started—a loose wire had been the issue, so it had been an easy fix. Now he was outside her door, still wondering what he was going to say. How was he going to get her to agree to be his wife?
The house was unusually silent as he opened the door. By this time of the day, she was up and had the radio on with John Henry running around the house, but neither was moving. Near the front door, there were some garbage bags sitting by the wall.
Looking into the kitchen, he saw nothing. Then he quietly walked up the stairs to her room. On his way past, he saw the other doors were open, and the rooms were cleaned out. Just furniture was left. Had she done this last night? She had to have since he had been there that morning. Looking into Hazel’s bedroom, he saw John Henry lying in her bed. His eyes were open, but he hadn’t been up long based on his tired, heavy eyes.
The little boy saw him and smiled. “Ruston.” Then jumped up and threw himself into Ruston’s arms.
“Where’s your mommy?” he asked the little boy, who didn’t answer.
Going back downstairs, he finally found her sleeping on the couch, still in the clothes she had worn the night before. The night must have been late for these two. The amount of work she had done would have taken hours. Setting the boy down, he went to the kitchen and started to make breakfast for the two of them.
As he started to make pancakes, John Henry came and handed him a picture frame. Taking it, he put it on the counter. The faces that looked back at him were smiling and so similar it hurt to look at them. John Henry pointed to the picture and said, “Mommy and Hanna.”
“I know, buddy. Aren’t they cute?”