A grin brought the dimples into prominence. “By being you. By being funny and kind and boisterous and unpredictable.”
No storybook hero would choose the description Jase had just given, but she liked it. He’d taken the time to look beneath her surface. Even so, he probably only meant he loved her as a friend. Her chest pinched momentarily, but she reminded herself of the inscription inside the ring he’d bought for Rachel…into eternity. Even if Jase did love her as more than a friend, he couldn’t love her forever. Not from the beginning to the never-end of time. Only God could do that. And He was her enough.
She leaned over slightly and brushed his arm with her temple, then lifted Kenzie’s letter. “I’m glad. Now, do you wanna see—”
He put his finger on her lips. “Lori.”
Her gaze zipped to meet his. No cartwheels in her chest this time. Nope. Her heart spun like a pinwheel on a windy Kansas day. She’d wondered if a man would ever look at her with love and admiration, and now she knew one would. Because Jase was. And the knowing was splendid.
“It’s way too soon for us to make any kind of commitment. Our relationship is still so new. But there are lots of things I love about you already. First is how much you love God, and second is how much you love people. You have one of the most beautiful souls I’ve ever seen.”
He saw her soul? Yikes trikes, no man had ever looked that hard at her. A happy laugh left her throat. “I love you for trying to see it.”
He grinned and winked. “It’s pretty hard to miss. Joy sticks out of you.” His forehead pinched, a slight frown forming. “I’m gonna say this, and I don’t want you to take it the wrong way, okay? But your joyful spirit…Rachel had that. It was the first thing that attracted me to her.”
Lori’s jaw dropped. “But Rachel was so beautiful. I saw her photo. You didn’t notice that first?”
He shrugged. “I’m sure I noticed it. It’s pretty hard for a man not to notice a beautiful woman. But that isn’t what made me fall in love with her.” He took Lori’s hand. “There are different kinds of beauty, Lori, and the kind you have—the same kind Rachel had—is lasting.”
Lori scrunched her shoulders. “But my goofy hair. And my round face. You don’t notice those things? They don’t make you…cringe?”
His soft laugh and warm eyes melted her. “Cringe? No. You have your own very unique beauty. And what are looks anyway? Over time, they always fade. But a beautiful soul? That lasts into eternity.” He released her hand and slipped his fingers into the strands of her wild hair, pressing his palm lightly against her cheek. “I want to get to know you more and more. Because I think the more I know you, the more I’ll love you. Do you want to know me more, too?”
She couldn’t nod without dislodging his hand, and his touch was the most delightful thing she’d experienced. She wanted to stay there forever. “I do.” Oh, what a poor choice of words. Sent her straight to a marriage ceremony, and hadn’t he said he wasn’t ready for that yet? “Yikes trikes…”
His laughter rolled. He snagged her in a hug, laughing against her hair, and then wheezed a sigh. “Ah, Lori, you make my heart spin.”
She nestled her cheek on his shoulder. It fit so perfectly there. “Like a pinwheel in the Kansas wind?”
“Exactly like a pinwheel in the Kansas wind.”
She smiled. “Good.” She remained still for several more seconds, content, but there was something he needed to know. “Jase?”
“Hmm?” He stroked his hand down her hair.
Oh, what a glorious feeling. “Um…I forget.”
He laughed again and sat up, releasing her. “I’m sorry. We’re here alone, and if we don’t head over to the Krafts’ soon, we might start rumors. How about we go?”
My, he was a wise man. She started to rise, but her hand pressed down on the envelope and she remembered what she needed to tell him. “Oh! First, you need to hear this!” She opened the letter and read her favorite part, about Grossmammi asking Kenzie about Jesus’s grace. Jase let out a whoop that echoed from the rafters and hugged Lori again. She hugged him back, then wriggled free.
“There’s more.” She pointed to a list of ingredients under the title Kenzie’s Secret Recipe Brownies. “Look at that.