Love Reunited

“Same deep dimples,” her mother said, still describing the guy that was slowly but surely controlling Georgiana’s every thought. “They should outlaw those Cutter dimples. All three of them have those dimples, and even women as old as me notice. Landon, John and even that young Casey.”

That made Georgiana laugh. “So you’re saying Landon’s still a decent body double for Matthew McConaughey?”

“I’d forgotten how you used to say that about him,” her mother said with a laugh, “but yes, he looks like him.”

Georgiana nodded, thought about the gorgeous guy who’d been her best friend.

The barn grew quiet, with both of them evidently reflecting on how things could have been so different.

“Georgiana,” her mother finally said.

“Yes?”

“You should try again.”

She knew exactly what her mother was talking about, but still asked, “Try what?”

“Giving someone the chance to be there for you, to build you up instead of bring you down.”

“I did, Mom. Pete and I tried marriage counseling.”

“You tried marriage counseling.”

“He came off and on,” Georgiana said, then couldn’t stop herself from adding, “It was hard for him to deal with it all.”

“It was harder for you.”

Georgiana couldn’t argue with that. It was harder for her, no doubt. She was the one whose world had been upended, first with the move to Tampa and then with the loss of her sight and then finally with the abandonment of her husband. A triple whammy for sure.

“Honey, I know this hurts, but it needs to be said. Pete left that marriage before you ever went to that counselor. The minute you lost your sight, I’d say. There wasn’t anything left to save. I know that you feel like you don’t have anything to offer to another person, but you do. And it’s time for you to trust again, to trust someone not to break your heart.”

There was no point in being anything but honest. “I don’t think I can.”

“I’ve prayed for you to learn to trust again. And I honestly think God answered my prayers with Landon’s return home.”

“Mom,” Georgiana started, then decided to go ahead and tell her mother one part of the story she didn’t know. “When he came to see me that night at the hospital, I told him not to come back, that I didn’t want him in my life.”

Her mother cleared her throat. “Well, now, it looks like he didn’t listen.”

“What do you mean?” Georgiana asked, then she heard what her mother must have already seen. A horse’s steady gallop in the distance growing louder by the second. “I’m not even dressed to see anyone yet. I can’t see him now. I thought he said something about seeing Abi at her riding lessons. Surely he knows that’d be later in the day.” When Eden offered no response, Georgiana prompted, “Mom?”

“I’m going to head inside and check on Abi,” she said, then added in a whisper, “He’s the answer to my prayer, Georgiana. Let him help you.”

“Wait,” Georgiana pleaded, but her mother’s footsteps steadily left the barn.

God, please, stay with me now. Help me, Lord. Keep me strong.

She reached out for Fallon, but the horse had obviously moved to the paddock, probably because she heard the other horse approaching. “Fallon? Come here, girl.” She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and hoped her horse cooperated. She didn’t want to simply stand here and wait for Landon to enter the barn. She needed to be busy, needed to be doing something. “Fallon?”

But Fallon didn’t answer, and all Georgiana heard was the other horse’s steps easing to a stop. And then a bit of rustling as Landon obviously climbed off and tied Sam up. Slow and steady footsteps cautiously approached her in the barn. And Georgiana could do nothing but wait for the inevitable, being completely and totally alone with Landon.

Chapter Four

During Landon’s time of service, he’d faced suicide bombers, roadside bombs and rockets hitting nearby. Throughout each and every harrowing situation, he’d controlled his fear. But right now, in an Alabama barn with Georgiana, he trembled.

Her hair toppled long and wild and free down her back, a mass of golden strawberry curls. She wore a pale blue T-shirt, gray plaid pajama pants, a charcoal fleece jacket and pink work boots. She faced him now but didn’t see him, and that realization pierced his heart.

He swallowed thickly, determined to control his voice and hide the emotion wreaking havoc over his soul. “Georgie, we need to talk.”

She blinked, moistened her mouth, then turned back toward the stall where Fallon had reentered and moved back to her owner. Georgiana’s hand reached for the mare, and Fallon positioned her silky white mane against her palm. “I didn’t think you would come this early,” she said, and he noticed not only the tremor in her voice but also the shudder in her hand as she stroked Fallon’s mane.

“I remembered how you always woke up early to see Fallon, and since I was up too, I rode over.” He decided it best to keep his distance, because she was obviously uncomfortable with his arrival and because he didn’t know if he could control himself to merely touch her without embracing her, without holding her the way he’d dreamed of holding her each and every night in the heat of battle. He’d thought he would never have that chance, because she was Pete’s, but he suspected that was no longer the case. What had Pete done to ruin their marriage?

“You used to hate getting up early in high school,” she said.

“That’s because I wasn’t a fan of having so much to do around the farm before I went to the morning football workouts. For most of the team, that was their first work of the day. I’d already been sweating hard for a couple of hours by the time I got to the field house.” He shrugged. “That came in handy when I went to basic training though, so I shouldn’t have complained.” He stopped a few feet away from Georgiana. Fallon stepped toward him and sniffed his sleeve. “And I’m still adjusting to the time difference too, so my sleep is sporadic.”

“What is the time difference?”

“We’re nine and a half hours behind Kabul,” he said. “Kind of throws off your sleep schedule.”

“I bet it does.” She continued stroking Fallon. “How was it over there? I mean, in general, what’s it like? You hear things on the news, but I’ve never talked to anyone who has actually been there.”

Landon hated this, making small talk when he wanted to delve into what they both were thinking, but he also hated the fact that she was apparently scared about this conversation. He hoped and prayed it was only the conversation and not him.

“Kabul. That’s in Afghanistan?” she continued.

“Yeah. I was there a while, as well as a few other areas over the years. I spent some time in Kuwait. Some in Iraq. Mostly Afghanistan though.”

“There’ve been a lot of injuries there,” she said, then added, “a lot of deaths.”

Landon nodded. He’d lost three of his best friends. Their names and death dates were now tattooed on the inside of his left wrist, but Georgie couldn’t see that. She’d never see that. Then he realized she also couldn’t see him nod and said, “Yes, there have been a lot of deaths. Way too many.”

“Were you ever...” she started, then squinted as she reached again for Fallon. “Did anything happen to you over there? Were you ever hurt?”

He’d never lied to her before. He wouldn’t start now. “Just once.”

Her hand stopped stroking Fallon’s mane, and she pivoted a little, providing Landon with a full display of her beauty, red-gold hair framing a heart-shaped face and showcasing an adorable sprinkling of faint copper freckles on her nose and cheeks...and those exquisite hazel eyes. He studied the full mouth that he’d kissed only once and the cheekbones that made her face automatically give the impression that she was about to smile, even if she wasn’t.

Landon wondered how long it’d been since she released that ample smile he’d always loved. Or the laugh that echoed from her very soul. Even though she looked as though she could smile, she also had a tone that said she wouldn’t, that maybe she couldn’t. Her face portrayed a distance, an invisible wall, and Landon didn’t think it was entirely because of her blindness.

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