Page 53

Jackson

Nothing prepares a man for a woman bursting into tears

Nothing preparesa man for a woman bursting into tears. It didn't matter if I had four sisters or forty, I still didn't know exactly what to do. So I did what I usually did. I let her cry for a minute, then slowly wrapped my arms around her shaking body and held her.

There were many layers to Marley Tranquill. I knew that before, but I was absolutely certain of it now. It didn't matter how many of them there were or how long it took me to get to them, because I knew what mattered.WhoMarley was.

I understood now why she was a writer. She felt enough for five people. It was cool to know she wrote books, not just television shows. That she gave people stories to get lost inside. It matched the woman I'd come to know. Every time I tried to picture her in some board meeting or television studio it didn't work. But she was at home in the TBR Pile. I could picture her holding a book on a book tour or bent over her laptop furiously writing. That all fit perfectly. The way she watched people, constantly observing, all those were the traits I expected from a writer of fiction.

"Can I ask why you're crying? Good tears or bad?"

"Good," she choked out. "Overwhelm."

I could understand that. On more than one occasion I had a hiker burst into tears from the combination of adrenaline and nature's beauty. Add in something personally meaningful? Perfect concoction to let some bottled up emotions out.

"I'm sorry," she croaked.

"Don't be ridiculous. Cry, darlin'."

She froze and I swore. The endearment just slipped out. Was it too soon for things like that?

Fuck it."I'm not taking it back."

She laughed. "I don't want you to."

Well at least that was settled.

"Thank you."

I let her go as she pulled away, wiping her tears. I brushed her thick ponytail over her shoulder and trailed my fingers along her exposed skin. "You're welcome." The more time we spent together the more I wanted to slip every stitch of clothing from her body so there was nothing left between us.

Being patient was killing me.

And if anyone was being ridiculous it was me. We'd barely known each other a damn week. Since when couldn't I wait a week?

Since I met Marley.

She leaned forward and ran her hand over the long grass. "It's so pretty here. I would love to sit and think in a spot like this for hours."

"There's no rush. Watch the clouds, close your eyes, stare at the mountains, do whatever you like for however long you like." One of my favorite ways to pass an afternoon was to take a nap on a blanket like this and doze off while the cool air rushed over me.

I certainly wouldn't be upset if Marley wanted to join me.

"You know everything about these mountains, don't you?"

"I try to." I placed the remnants of our lunch in my pack then used it as a pillow as I looked up at the sky. "Tell me about Florida. What do you like about it?"

"Nature. Not so sure about the people sometimes."

"I think that's true of most places." I loved Lost Creek but spent all this time avoiding it because of a handful of such persons.

"I love the island I grew up on. Calusa Key has some great beaches, and the boating is spectacular. You can hop from island to island, fish, swim," she sighed. "On the mainland I have fun going to the swamp.

I lifted my head to see if she was joking. She was not. "The swamp? Aren't those...gross?"

"Not really. It reminds me of the gorge, actually."

She was either an excellent actress or she truly meant what she said. "Explain."