Page 77 of Head Room

“You?To marry the girl?Why?You know nothing of her.”

Ransom let the questions and the statement lie.Doing that often left people moving past their own words.

The doctor shook his head at him, but did what Ransom hoped — he moved past and tapped on the inner door.Polly answered, nodded, and stepped back to let the doctor in, allowing no view of Maggie Gregson before the door closed again.

“Doc asked a good question, Fletcher.”

“Sir?”

That all-purpose, blank-expressioned response drew a decidedly sardonic smile from the major.

“Presuming you meant what you said back there — that you’d marry her.”

This time Ransom didn’t pretend not to understand.“I meant it.”

“Then Doc’s question applies — why?”

Ransom held silent.Not so much from thinking it was none of this Yankee major’s concern, as that he didn’t entirely know.In fact, he’d been doing his damnedest not to look at the matter too closely himself.He’d said it, and he’d do it.That was enough.

“You don’t know what you could be getting yourself into.You don’t know what could have happened to her.”

“But you said—”

“I could be wrong.”

Brand let that hang there, and Ransom felt those odd gray eyes on him, digging into his soul.He met the look, but said nothing.

Finally, Brand shrugged.“But even if I’m not wrong, you don’t know how being a captive might’ve affected her.Her mind.”

“You saw — she understands.She had the mind — nerve, too — to make that knife.And I know she wrote that note we found, trying to warn us.Her mind’s fine.”

“She doesn’t speak.What of that?”

“It’s early days yet.”

Brand kept talking as if he hadn’t spoken.“And what of her spirit?You don’t know what happened.You don’t know how badly her captivity damaged whatever you want to call it — her spirit, her soul.That could be dead, or broken in her.God knows, she looks enough like a lost soul.”

Perhaps it was the vehemence from the habitually silent officer, that drew the words from Ransom.Words he hadn’t even acknowledged to himself.“That’s why.”

He regretted them the moment he spoke.What sort of response could he expect from this man — a stranger, a Yankee, and an officer to his private — when he wasn’t sure he understood himself what he meant?Disdain at best, more likely ridicule.

He got silence.

He sustained another of those long looks.Long enough for him to realize that what made those gray eyes so fearsome was they showed as little of what was inside the man as a mirror.Instead, clear and unwavering, they reflected a man back to himself, and what could be more unnerving than that?

A low, muffled, wordless cry — the kind that could be surprised out of someone before they had a chance to bite it back — came from beyond the door, and both men turned to it.Dr.Gillam’s rumble had a soothing tone to it, and the cry was not repeated.

When Ransom looked back at Brand, the major was pulling on his gloves.He said no more, but gave a short nod and walked out without another word, leaving Ransom to wonder if the nod had been one of understanding.

And if it was, what the hell the major understood.

CHAPTER THIRTY

At the topof the next manuscript section it read...wedding...Get historic details.

Wouldn’t it be nice if that’s all it took to put together a wedding.

Below that, it said,Have to do it fast so she has a place to live.Scene ends with her saying, “I do.”First words spoken.New scene: After the wedding, waiting for Maggie, who’s initially in another room with Polly.Preparing food?