This Time(44)

Those days seemed so long ago, and treasured memories were faded and sketchy. But since their dinner at Angelo's, she discovered more and more every day the love for Burke that had once charmed her young, idyllic heart still captivated her.

From the field, the final buzzer resounded and the game ended. The teams shook hands, then knelt down near the goal post and recited the Lord's Prayer as one voice. The sound of young men calling out to God gave Belle goose bumps. From behind her in the bleachers, the band softly played the school song.

When the field finally cleared, Burke leaned over to the fence and called out, "I'll only be a minute."

She waved and nodded. Her gaze followed him as he jogged gracefully over the field, admitting to herself that she couldn't get that man out of her head.

He'd been to the Bar J almost every night since their dinner date four weeks ago. Duke would build a fire in the fireplace after dinner before slyly slipping upstairs. They spent most of the evenings talking, exploring the mountain of unspoken words between them. It amazed Belle how much they still had in common despite the separate and diverse lives they'd lead over the years.

Last night, just before saying good-bye, Burke asked her to meet him after the game. She had yet to make an appearance at the Haymaker field. She felt nervous about being seen waiting for him, shy about making their budding relationship public. She wanted to treasure their secret for as long a possible.

Her fears were confirmed earlier that day when she met Gates and Meg for lunch. Several people stopped at their table and quizzed her about Burke, winking, smiling and speculating. Belle resented the intrusion.

"What is going on with you two?" Meg opened up the conversation.

"We're talking, getting to know each other again," she said, after ordering a large green salad for lunch.

"That's all?" Meg asked while Gates ordered.

"What did you expect?"

"Love, romance, marriage," Gates said, handing the waitress her menu.

Belle's stomach knotted at her friend's words. "He hasn't said anything about marriage."

"He hasn't told you that he loves you?" Meg wondered.

Belle shook her head and looked out the window, hoping to hide her feelings from her friends. She desperately wanted to hear those words from Burke. She still yearned to say them to him, but those intimate moments eluded them.

Did he really love her? Did he have marriage in mind?

Belle shoved the nagging, doubtful thoughts out of her head as Gates rolled her eyes and tapped her fingers on the tabletop. "Mercy, I can't stand watching you two dance around one another."

"Belle, why don't you tell him how you feel?" Meg asked. "You do love him don't you?"

For the first time, Belle admitted it. "Yes, I do love him. But I can't tell him that. What if he doesn't feel the same way and I ruin our friendship?"

Gates slapped the table with her open palm. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. 'What if he doesn't love me?' Of course he loves you. He doesn't know if you love him."

"He hasn't given you any indication of his intentions?" Meg asked, shushing Gates.

"When he returned from Colorado he told me he wanted me in his life. But since then, we haven't talked much about the future. Besides, it's only been a few weeks," Belle explained.

"A few weeks? What about all the years between the third grade and now? I can't stand it," Gates said, feigning exasperation, a slight smile on her lips.

When Burke joined her on the bleachers, her private reminiscing ended. "Sorry to make you wait," he said, sitting down next to her, the subtle clean scent of his cologne stirring her senses.

"That's okay," she said, smiling shyly. "I'm an old hand at waiting."

He laughed, shivering and digging his hands into his Haymakers coach's jacket. "Good game," he said, his blue eyes peering intensely into hers.

She didn't look away. "I only saw the last few minutes."

"I inherited a great team."

"Coach Anderson was one of the best."

"Absolutely."

They were quiet for a moment. Burke boldly slipped his hand into hers. "I'm glad you came."

Her heart fluttered at his unexpected touch, and she swallowed before answering. "I wanted to be here."

He pulled her to him, causing her to catch her breath. "Belle," he whispered, his face close to hers. "The moment I saw you in the gym that day before the reunion, I knew."

"What'd you know?" she asked, her head swimming, her lips barely able to speak.

"That I still loved you," he said, confident, his tone lavish and sincere. "The kind of love that makes my heart pound and seizes my thoughts." He cupped her face in his hands and peered into her eyes. "I love you, Belle Jamison. I love you."

She burst into tears as she heard the words she so longed to hear. She buried her face in his broad chest as he wrapped her in his stalwart arms. "I love you, too, Burke. I always have."

For a long while he held her, soothing away her tears with words of comfort and love. "I can't believe the Lord has shown me such mercy and favor," he said after awhile.

"I can't believe I'm sitting here in your arms again," Belle said, lifting her face, still nestled close to him. He gently wiped away her tears with the tips of his fingers.