Texas Proud and Circle of Gold (Long, Tall Texans #52) - Diana Palmer Page 0,68
with her to midnight mass every Christmas Eve and it went on for a couple of hours. You know how kids are. We squirmed and suffered, but we didn’t dare complain. She was scary for a tiny little old lady,” he added.
She smiled. “I know what you mean.” Her eyes were sad. “My grandmother was so sweet. She was always baking for people who had family die and sitting with sick people. She was wonderful. My grandfather was violent and dangerous. Daddy said he’d been in trouble with the law a lot when he was a young man. But I never thought he’d do something so terrible.”
“Listen, kid, lots of people do terrible things they never planned. Kids get on drugs and kill people. Old people get dementia and kill people. Alcoholics get behind the wheels of cars and kill people. I don’t think most of them go out with the idea that they’ll do harm. It just happens.”
“I’ve never used drugs,” she said.
He laughed softly. “Why am I not surprised?”
She leaned her head against his arm. “I’m predictable.”
“Very. I love it,” he whispered.
She drew in a long breath. “I’ve never been so happy in my whole life.”
“Neither have I, baby,” he said gently.
She looked up at him and he looked back, and the world vanished.
It took a car horn out in the street to snap them back to reality, and they both laughed.
* * *
They walked through the dark halls of the Alamo, paused at the door to the Long Barracks, looked at the graffiti on the walls where the last stand had been held. They were solemn as they filed into the gift shop for souvenirs.
“It’s a sad history,” she commented.
“Most history’s sad,” he returned. “Life is violent.”
“I suppose it is.”
“What would you like?” he teased, indicating the gifts in the glass display case. “Come on. Be daring. Pick out something outrageous.”
She looked up at him, searching his dark eyes. She looked down into the shelves and when the saleslady came over, she indicated a pretty inlaid turquoise ring.”
Mikey’s hand tightened on hers. “Yes,” he said under his breath.
The saleslady handed it to her and she started to try it on her right hand, but Mikey stopped her and slid it onto her left ring finger, his eyes holding hers. It was a perfect fit.
“We’ll take it,” Mikey said.
The saleslady took the credit card he handed her while Bernie touched the pretty ring.
“You can think of it as an engagement ring until we can do the thing right,” he whispered at her forehead.
She caught her breath and fought tears as she looked up into hungry dark eyes.
“An engagement ring?” she asked.
“I can’t let you go,” he said quietly. “I’d have no life left. Whatever happens.”
She bit her lower lip. “Whatever happens, Mikey,” she whispered huskily.
And just that simply, they were engaged.
* * *
Mrs. Brown cried when she saw the ring and heard the story. “It’s a lovely ring!” she said.
“Not a diamond just yet,” Mikey chuckled, “but it’s standing in for one. I have to text Paulie and tell him.” He bent and kissed Bernie’s cheek. “I have to go up to San Antonio tomorrow, but we’ll do this again next weekend, okay?”
“Okay,” she said softly.
“I’ll see you at breakfast in the morning, honey. You sleep well.”
She reached up and kissed his own cheek. “You, too.”
He laughed. “I doubt I’ll sleep a wink.” He grinned, smiled at Mrs. Brown, and went along to his room.
“Congratulations,” Mrs. Brown said.
Bernie hugged her. “I’m so happy!” she exclaimed. And then the tears did, finally, fall.
* * *
Bernie showed her ring off at work. Olivia was overjoyed, so was Glory. And when Sari saw it, she just hugged Bernie.
“He’s never been the sort of man who wanted to settle down and get serious about anyone,” Sari told Bernie. “But I can see why he wants that with you.”
“Me and my limitations,” Bernie said with a sigh. “He could have any woman he wanted, you know. Somebody young and beautiful and, well, whole.”
“Oh, you’ll be fine,” Jessie said, and she even smiled. “Men don’t think about obstacles, you know. They just plow right ahead when they want something. Congrats,” she added.
“Thanks,” Bernie replied.
Jessie noticed that nobody thought she was the least bit insincere. Which worked to her advantage.
Later in the day, Billie alerted her to the fact that Mikey was at the courthouse with his cousin Paul, talking to a man in a black suit.