*
Two days later, Cathy was dressed and waiting for Duke to take her to Savannah to pick up her new car. She liked driving the Jeep Cherokee she’d rented, so she had opted for a newer version of it, only in red and with four-wheel drive. If she was going to be a country girl, she wanted a car that could navigate bad roads and slick roads to get to and from town.
When she heard Duke drive up, she patted her hair just to make sure there were no flyaway curls. And moments later, he was knocking at her door.
Duke heard her footsteps and smiled. She was running. That’s how he felt trying to get to her. Like he couldn’t get there fast enough. And then the door swung open and she was standing there smiling—a vision in blue. He entered with a chill wind behind him and swept her up into his arms. Her lips were warm upon his cheeks, and then on his mouth, yielding to the pressure of his kiss.
“Good morning, my love.”
“You are in a fine mood today,” she said. “What’s happened?”
He took a little black box from his pocket and handed it to her.
“Had to get it out of the safety deposit box. One engagement ring, somewhat late, but nevertheless important,” he said, and then opened it.
Cathy immediately gasped at the yellow rose-cut diamond in an antique setting. “Oh Duke! Oh my God, this is beautiful.”
“It belonged to my grandmother…the first Talbot woman to live in our house. If it doesn’t fit, we can have it sized, but she had long slender fingers like yours.”
He took it out of the box and then slid it on her finger.
“Look! It’s meant to be! It’s a perfect fit, and it’s stunning,” Cathy said. “I am so honored to be wearing it.”
“If you’d rather have something new, we’ll go—”
“No, no! Never!” Cathy said, and clutched her hand to her heart. “This makes me feel like I already belong.”
“And you do…to me,” Duke said. “Now let’s go get that new car. We’ll drop off the rental first.”
She put on her gray hip-length peacoat and grabbed her bag, and then out the door they went.
Chapter 17
The city workers were hanging Christmas decorations on the streetlights down Main as Cathy and Duke drove to the insurance agency. All of the businesses were in the act of decorating their storefronts and putting up signs in the windows advertising sales for Christmas shoppers.
Cathy went inside and turned in her Jeep, then ran out and got into the truck with Duke.
“Ready, set, go!” she said, which made him grin. Her happy spirit was contagious.
He made a U-turn and headed out of town. As they were going down Main, Duke pointed to a little girl with her face pressed to a window, looking in at the Christmas village being set up in a shop window.
“Look. She’s already in the holiday spirit,” he said.
Cathy nodded, but she was thinking back to her own childhood. The only holiday that was ever celebrated with great enthusiasm was her birthday. She was born on July Fourth. Her parents called her their little firecracker, even though she didn’t really know what that meant until she began homeschooling and learned about Independence Day and the American Revolution.
“I’m getting in the holiday spirit, too,” Cathy said, thinking about all of the good things ahead of them.
They drove out of town with the radio off, talking about the future.
“Do you want a big wedding?” Duke asked.
“I had a big wedding. It was a nightmare of planning and being careful to do and say the right things. I want what you want,” Cathy said. “You grew up here. If you want it, I’m on board. If you don’t, it won’t be a disappointment to me. All I care about is being with you for the rest of my life.”
“Then let’s play it by ear when the time comes,” he said.
Cathy hesitated, and then just blurted out what she’d been thinking about. “I want to remind you of something. You’re taking me into your family as your wife, but I come with a big-ass dowry. You bought the place that’s going to be our forever home, so I want to furnish the money to renovate it. We’ll just set up a renovation account, and every expense will come out of that and won’t impact the farming operation.”
Duke’s eyes widened. He’d actually forgotten her telling him about the money she got in the divorce settlement.
“Seriously?” he