II didnt know what to say. Its not like we had a real marriage. I was here and you were thousands of miles away, in Timbuktu
Borneo, he said, temper lending a lash to the word.
Whatever. You were off building things, and I was here. I didnt know what to tell people. You never answered my letter.
Im here, arent I?
Jack. She sounded exasperated. Im not talking about that note I scribbled two weeks ago. Im talking about the four-page letter I wrote after you left.
I answered that, too. Shed written him four pages, all rightfour pages about how confused she was, how she cared about him, but she didnt want to leave everything she knew unless he could make a real commitment to her. Which had made about as much sense as skinny-dipping in January. Hed married her. How much more
committed could a man get?
A one-way plane ticket is not what Id call an honest effort at communication, she said dryly.
You knew what that ticket meant. I wanted you to join me. But you were too busy hiding here in Highpoint, fixing peoples roofs and plumbing, to live up to your promises. He moved closer. Did you keep our marriage a secret because the marriage wasnt real to you? So you would be free to date? I hear Toby Randall has been sniffing around lately. Ida had mentioned that last night.
She rolled her eyes. Get real. Toby Randall? Hes a nice guy, I suppose, but for heavens sake! His mother still irons his Jockey shorts.
She does, huh? A smile tugged at his mouth in spite of his mood. Jack couldnt believe Annie knew about the condition of the mans underwear for the obvious reason. How would you know that?
He told me. He wanted my advice on how to get her to quit. Honestly, Jack, youre being ridiculous. Ive always had a lot of guy friends, you know that. I cant believe you thought I took my ring off because I wanted to fool around on you. She turned away, getting very busy with unpacking the last of the groceries. I thought you knew me better than that.
He sighed. Hell, Annie, Im sorry. This is all new territory for me. Brand-new. Until this morning, he would have sworn hed never been jealous of a womannot since the seventh grade, anyway, when Charlie tried to cut him out with Mary Wolfstedder. He wasnt even sure what he was feeling was jealousy. Whatever it was, he didnt like it.
Dammit. Annie kept making him feel things he didnt want to feel. So wheres your ring?
Upstairs, in my jewelry box. Apparently putting the groceries away was more important than talking to him, since she didnt glance his way again as she bustled around the kitchen. Why are you making such a big deal about it? You didnt want to wear a ring yourself. You said youd probably lose it, since youd have to take it off whenever you were working. And its not like it was a real marriage, so
Dont. His voice came out edgy. Maybe you didnt think our marriage was real, but I did.
She froze, a can of beans clutched in one hand, her other hand reaching for the door to the pantrythen falling to her side. Im sorry. I was going to tell my brothers, at least, but I wanted to wait until I knew what you were going to do. With the way things were between us when you left You just took off, leaving me that stupid note. When you come to your senses, you can join me. Geez.
She shook her head and vanished into the pantry. Youre supposed to be so good with women, Jack. Did you really think that note was going to make me decide to fly off to the ends of the earth to be with you?
Youre not like other women. Youre Annie. Annie, his friend, who had stood beside him in a gaudy little wedding chapel and promised to be with him foreverbut forever had only lasted two hours. Long enough for him to be called out of the country on an emergency. Long enough for Annie to change her mind about him. I was angry when I wrote that note. You refused to go with me.
She came out of the pantry. I wasnt expecting to leave the country practically the minute I got married! Good grief, I wasnt expecting to get married at all. I thought there would be time to adjustbut then you got that call. Everything happened so fast. Too fast. Im not proud of the way I reacted, but if you hadntoh, damn. Im doing it again. She grimaced. I promised myself I wasnt going to pick up our argument where we left off. We did each other enough damage that night.
He remembered. More clearly than he wanted to, he remembered the ugly words hed said as their argument had taken on a life of its own, and the words she had flung back at him. Words that had shocked her into silence and sent him down to the casino that night and halfway around the world the next morning. Words like liar and selfish and for Gods sake, grow up.
And the ones that had stuck to him for two months and seven days, a scab that refused to heal and peel away. Marrying you was the biggest mistake of my life.
Is that why you didnt tell anyone, Annie? Because you didnt want to admit what a terrible mistake youd made?
Ive been a coward, all right? Is that what you wanted to hear? I didnt want to face everyones questions because I didnt have any answers. At first I was waiting until you answered my letter, but you never did. The more time that passed, the harder it was to say anything.