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As the sun slowly kissed the horizon, storm clouds started to
creep in, marring the beauty of the sunset, but Josie was in too much of a hurry
to notice. She walked fast and steadily, almost as if she was angry. But it
wasn’t anger, it was determination that fueled her on. She was about to make
one of the boldest moves of her life, as long as she didn’t lose her nerve.
Ignoring the nervousness that was making her stomach churn and the rest of her
body tremble, Josie marched onto Stone’s property, heading straight for the
front door. Then all of a sudden Stone burst forth, carrying a smoking pan that
he quickly threw over the side of the porch. Coughing and embarrassed, he faced
his unexpected guest.
“You never were any good at cooking,” Josie said,
recalling a lopsided birthday cake he’d once tried to make her years ago. With
such an image crowding her head, Josie couldn’t contain her laughter.
“Ain’t that the truth. Even prison food sounds good about
now,” teased Stone, though he worried that his comment might be inappropriate.
“I could come in and fix you something up,” Josie said
cheerfully as she began to walk up the steps of the porch.
“Josie, what are you doin’ here?” Stone asked as he
blocked her path. It was still difficult for him to look at her without feeling
a dull ache in his heart.
Josie knew Stone was right. They weren’t exactly on
friendly terms, and she had no place inviting herself into his home.
“There’s something I need to know,” she said firmly,
trying to stir up her courage. And though it took everything she had, she
squared herself and looked Stone Hawkins right in the eye. “Why’d you come
back here, Stone?”
“I done told you, for a fresh start, and to build the life
I always dreamed of livin’.”
“With all that money your pa left you, you could’ve gone
anywhere else in the world, but you didn’t. Why?” She feared the pounding of
her heart might color her cheeks and give her away.
“Don’t do this, Josie,” Stone said as he got off of the
porch and started walking toward the barn. What was she trying to do to him,
reopen old wounds and throw salt into them?
“Why, Stone? I need to hear it.” Josie was right beside
him and not about to be ignored. She grabbed his arm and demanded that he look
at her. “Why?”
“Because I wanted to see you again!” He yelled as though
she’d beaten it out of him. “Because for the past ten years I’ve been
aching just to look at your face again. I wanted to be near you, even if I
couldn’t have you…because I love you, Josie. I always have, and I always
will. Bein’ locked away in a prison didn’t change that; nothin’ will.”
He gently removed his arm from her grasp, fearful that he might lose himself
from her touch. At the moment, he was too heated to notice that Josie was
trembling. “There, I said it.” Stone turned away from her, as if he was
ashamed of everything he’d just admitted. Ironically, thunder rolled in the
background while the clouds grew even darker.
“Don’t worry none. I ain’t about to mess up your weddin’
plans or interfere in any way,” Stone said after a lengthy silence.
“Stone Hawkins, you must be the dumbest man on God’s
green earth,” Josie declared.
“What?” Stone asked with disbelief.
“I cried everyday for two years after you were arrested. I
thought I’d never see you again. I was sure of it. And even though I went on
living, it didn’t feel like I was alive at all. But then there was ma and pa,
always breathing down my neck about getting married and starting a family; they
didn’t want to see me turn into a spinster. They kept telling me I had to let
go of you and all the plans we’d made. But I couldn’t do it, Stone. No
matter who came along during those years, and no matter what he had to offer, I
just couldn’t go thru with it.
“I prayed for years that I wouldn’t have feelings for
anyone except the man that God wanted me to marry. And I didn’t. My heart was
cold and dead for ages, and I’d given up. Then I started to see so many people
unhappily married that I was convinced there was no other way, that a person was
suppose to end up miserable. And then I saw you in my pa’s store. That was the
day my heart started beating again. I love you, Stone. I always have and I
always will. Tens years apart from you couldn’t change that, and nothing ever
will.”
“We can’t live in the past, Josie, and I can’t spend
the rest of my life feelin’ guilty for what I’ve done to you and tryin’ to
make up for it.”
“As far as I’m concerned, there is no past. There’s the
day you were arrested, and today. All I care about is right now and tomorrow.”
“What about Josh?”
“I already told him, my heart belongs to you. He’s
already packing and fixin’ to leave Ash Falls.”
“But what about…”
“Stone, would you just hush! It took God all these years to
finally bring us back together, and you want to waste time reasoning it all out.
Just ask me to marry you.”
Rain started to pour from the clouds, but Josie and Stone
were oblivious to the conditions. Stone easily fell to his knees, and took
Josie’s hand into his.
“Josie Evans, will you make me the happiest man on earth
and marry me?” he shouted through the heavy rain. His heart raced faster and
faster as each word came out of his mouth; it was the most exhilarating feeling
he’d ever known.
“YES!” Josie wished she could say it loud enough for the
whole world to hear.
Stone jumped up, grabbed Josie in his arms and swung her
around several times, squeezing her tighter than he’d ever dreamed possible.
Then he took a step back and stared at his soggy bride to be. He was in a daze,
and wondered if all of this had really happened.
“I just can’t believe after all those years that we’re
still goin’ to be married,” Stone said with wonderment.
“Just goes to show that God’s bigger than you, and that
His plans are the best.”
Again they embraced. And while they both desired the intimacy
of a kiss, they knew that it was best to save their passion for their wedding
day, just like they’d always planned.
“We’d better get out of this rain before we catch
pneumonia,” laughed Stone, as if he’d just noticed.
“I know just the place. Let’s go tell my folks.”
Though fear and anxiety threatened to ruin the most romantic
moment of Stone’s life, he pushed all that aside, wrapped his arm around his
fiancee, and proudly took her home.
©2004 StoriesByEmail.com
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