Three Little Words (Fool's Gold #12)(83)

He remembered how he would tell himself he didn’t care about her letters, but that he always looked for them. That when they came, he saved them until he could have some quiet time by himself. That when something bad happened, he went back to the letters. That he wrapped a few in plastic and tucked them in the bottom of his backpack when he went on a mission.

“I made it through,” he said. “Now I’m home.”

“We’re all glad.”

A voice cut through their conversation.

“Yes, I know she’s an elephant.”

Ford stopped and turned toward the speaker. He saw Felicia staring down a tattooed man.

Felicia leaned closer, obviously not intimidated by the man’s glare. “Priscilla is a part of this community as much as anyone else. Heidi and her mother-in-law bought a special saddle so the children could ride Priscilla. This is a festival. Rides are a given.”

“Yeah, but now no one wants to ride my ponies.”

“Wouldn’t you rather ride an elephant than a pony?”

The man shuffled his feet. “Yeah. Maybe.”

“Then why are you surprised?” Felicia drew in a breath. “But I understand you need to make a living at this, too. I’ll move you to the other side of the park. We’ll raise the ticket price on the elephant rides to cover an additional ride on your ponies. Then it becomes a two-for-one ticket. How’s that?”

The large, tattooed man nodded his head and kicked his booted foot into the sidewalk. “You know they’re good little guys. It’s not their fault they’re small.”

“I understand,” Felicia said, clutching a tablet in her arms. “Let me get those arrangements going for you.” She turned and saw them.

She walked briskly toward them. “Hello, Isabel. Ford. Please don’t tell me you two have a problem.”

“Not a one,” he assured her. “Just enjoying the show.”

Felicia drew in a breath. “I swear, he’s more worried about his ponies not getting all the attention than he is about losing money. Which probably speaks well for his character. But Priscilla has attention needs, too.” She made a noise low in her throat. “This is not a normal town. I suspect it’s why I fit in so well, but there are constant challenges. If you’ll excuse me, please.”

With that she walked away. Ford watched her go.

“I’ve seen her get men and equipment into places where all the experts said it couldn’t be done. If NASA really wants a colony on the moon within the next decade, they should talk to her.”

“I don’t think she wants to move,” Isabel told him.

“You’re right. Come on. I’ll buy you an elephant ear. All this talk of Priscilla has made me want one.”

“That is gross and we just had S’Mores.”

“You had S’Mores. Besides, they’re the last of the season.”

“You get one,” she said, leaning into him. “I’ll nibble.”

He could think of several things other than an elephant ear that he would like her to nibble on, but that was for later. He had big plans for tonight. A fire in the fireplace, some wine. Maybe a can of whipped cream.

He grinned as he imagined a naked Isabel holding the can and asking, “Where exactly is this supposed to go?”

But she would be game, as she always was. Given which team he preferred to play for, Eric wasn’t completely to blame for Isabel’s lack of sexual awakening. Ford supposed if he had to say, he was a little bit pleased that he’d been the one to teach her how much fun intimacy could be.

“You know we need a pumpkin for the porch,” Isabel told him as they walked toward the food carts. “Maybe a couple. I hate to admit this, but I haven’t carved a pumpkin in years. Do you know how? I don’t want to have the only freak pumpkins on the street.”

“It’s going to be Halloween. Freaks are a good thing.”

“Yeah, but I’m afraid mine would be freakishly bad.”

“I know how to carve a pumpkin. I did it as a kid, and sometimes when I was deployed, they’d fly in pumpkins.”

“Marking the seasons?”

“As best they could.”

Fool’s Gold was about as far from Iraq and Afghanistan as a guy could get. He’d thought he would have trouble fitting in, but he hadn’t. Mostly because of Isabel, he realized. She’d been his buffer.

As they stood in line for elephant ears, he found himself wanting to ask her to stay. But he couldn’t. Not only was New York her dream, but he had nothing to offer in return.

He had to let her go—he owed her. She’d given him the haven he hadn’t known he needed.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

GENERALLY THE MUSIC in the bridal shop was calm while being upbeat. No songs about broken hearts were allowed. Sort of rock-edged spa music. But today Isabel could hear only the music playing in her head. The Clash song “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” played over and over as she checked inventory and ordered samples.

It was the question of the day. Her weekend with Ford had been lots of fun. He was funny and charming and sweet, if slightly obsessed with elephant ears. Being with him was easy. Loving him... Well, that had probably been inevitable.

She was willing to state the obvious. She’d totally and completely fallen in love with him. There were a thousand reasons—some about him and some about her past. For years he’d been the person she’d poured her heart out to. She’d confessed all, and whether or not he’d listened, he’d been the one she’d instinctively turned to when things got bad.