Chapter Twelve #3
As she neared the older men, all of whom were military vets, she realized Joe was holding court and sharing war stories. Or so it seemed.
Sam Darnell was one of them, and while he looked especially lively seated with the other vets, she couldn’t help her snippy tone when she addressed Joe. “What are you doing here?”
He got to his feet, but not with any of the bluster he’d had earlier. “I came to find you and apologize.”
The wind should have died in her sails, but she was too angry and primed for battle to back down now. No simple apology would be enough to assuage the hurt she’d felt at being called a gold digger and being blamed for Dave’s suicide.
“You’re going to need to do a lot more than hang out with some of my friends, trading battlefield gossip to make up for the things you said.”
“Battlefield gossip?” Sam swore under his breath. “I’ll have you know that a war zone is no beauty parlor, missy.”
She turned to the old cowboy, arms crossed. “I realize that. But Sergeant Wilcox shot a bazooka through my heart. Did he tell you about that?”
Sam aimed a furrowed gaze at Joe. “That true, son?”
Oh, how the tide was shifting. While these silver-haired vets might want to support a fellow marine, Chloe was the one who brought them their magazines and their favorite bakery treats.
Semper fi or not, if Joe didn’t watch his step, he’d be facing a possible mutiny from his new cohorts.
“Yes,” he admitted. “It’s true. I said things out of misplaced anger and an emotion I’d never had to deal with before.”
Ralph Mason, who refused to wash his WWII hat or replace it with a new one, leaned toward Joe. “You know, son, they have those PTSD programs over at the VA clinic. My nephew runs one of the support groups. You’d probably get a lot out of it.”
“Thanks,” Joe told him. “But I’m not talking about PTSD emotions, Ralph. I’m talking about love.”
Chloe sucked in her breath. Did he just say what she thought he did?
Cliff Hawkins, a Korean War vet, chimed in. “My daughter joined one of those dating websites when her cheating ex-husband left her for that waitress over at that new cafeteria in Wexler. I’ll bet they could help you find the right match.”
Joe patted the wheelchair-bound vet on the knee. “That won’t be necessary, Cliff. I already found the woman I love, although I have a whole lot of apologizing to do.”
As he made his way toward Chloe, those amazing blue eyes zeroing in on her, turning her spine to mush and setting her heart on end, her anger dissolved. Only her wobbly knees supported her now.
Joe was within arm’s reach when he said, “I just have to convince her that she needs me just as much as I need her. And if she’ll just give me a chance, I’ll prove it.”
“Ah hell,” Ralph said. “Women don’t need a man these days, son. What you gotta do is convince her that you’ll love her no matter what and always buy her new dresses and promise to let her mother live with you, even when you hate the old biddy.”
As much as Chloe wanted to scowl, she couldn’t help smiling at the advice Joe’s new cronies were giving him.
Nor could she tear her eyes away from the intensity and sincerity in his gaze.
He took her by the hand, and while her damaged ego and frail heart urged her to pull away, she didn’t move a muscle.
“I love you,” he said. “And I was a fool to think those awful things about you. And I was a real ass for saying them out loud. My amnesia was no excuse, but when all those memories came rushing back to me, I was overcome with all those old emotions I’d kept locked away.
I didn’t know who I was, but I do now. And I want to share that man with you—and let you know that he’ll always stand beside you and always have your back. ”
Emotion clogged Chloe’s throat, and she wasn’t sure she could get the words out, even if she tried.
But the truth was, she’d seen the man Joe was talking about. She’d known he was there all along. And she wanted to trust him, to believe him.
But could she?
“Okay,” Sam said, “Don’t make the devil dog grovel, missy. Can’t you just give him a second chance? If he lets you down again, he’ll have to answer to me.”
“He’ll have to answer to all of us,” Ralph said.
She almost choked on a laugh before George Eggleston added, “If Joe says he’s sorry, you can believe it. Now go on and prove it to her, boy.”
Before Chloe could respond, Joe followed the old man’s advice and did just that, lifting her in his arms and kissing her with all the love he’d said he felt.
When they came up for air, she asked, “What about the ranch?”
“What about it? You can sell it or keep it—whatever you want. I now realize that you never really wanted it. Just know that I’ll stand by whatever you decide to do.
If you want to go back to nursing school, I’ll even volunteer to let you practice poking me with hypodermic needles.
I just want to be with you. I love you, Chloe Dawson. ”
Then he kissed her a second time while the men behind him erupted in cheers as if it was V-day all over again.
And that gave her pause—and the courage to broach the dream she’d kept hidden from him before.
“What about these guys?” she asked. “What if I wanted them to all come home and live on the ranch with us?”
Joe merely smiled, his eyes bright. “I’ve got the money to make that dream happen for you. Come to find out, I got an inheritance, too. So all you have to do is say the word.”
“The word is I love you, too, Joe Martinez Wilcox.” Then she kissed him again with all the love in her heart.