Learning to Love Read Free Page A

have wanted for me to show you-"
    Mary held herself in place. "It's fine, I'm glad you took me here. Now I can see how much it meant to him. It's beautiful. Looks like a beautiful place to live. Well, it would have been..."
    "It could still be."
    Thinking she'd heard wrongly, Mary asked, "What do you mean?"
    Looking to the ground as if choosing his words as best he could, Robert said, "There's something I'm about to say and—to tell the truth I don't think there's a right way to say this-"
    "Say what?"
    Robert took his hat in his hand and ran his fingers along the edges of it. "Well, before James died, he asked me to do something-"
    "What?"
    "Truth be told—I told him that it was a stupid idea and not talk like that but, well—he asked me to take his place."
    Mary shook her head. "What place?"
    "With you. He said he knew he wasn't going to make and that I should take his place in marrying you-"
    "What!"
    "I know, I know it was a stupid idea, and I told him that myself, but he made me promise that I had to look out for you and-"
    Mary thought back to the silent exchange between him and his aunt. "So, Sarah, knows too?"
    Robert nodded his head. "I had to tell someone. I thought he was raving or something and-"
    "No. I'm sorry, but no Robert. I promised myself to your brother. I just couldn't just put his death aside like that and then jump into a marriage with his brother. I don't even know you, heck you don't know me. No, it's all wrong," Mary said, "Is this why you took me up here."
    "What? No," Robert said. "I just thought he would have liked you to have seen what he'd planned for you-"
    Mary walked towards the horse and buggy. "I'd like to go now please."
    "Mary."
    Mary ignored him and kept walking away. Hearing his come running behind her, she turned to face him. "What?"
    "Look I know it was a stupid idea, but when it's a man's dying wish and when it's your brother and all I…"
    "I appreciate that, and I know you must have loved him to take on a task like this, but you know in your heart it wouldn't work, don't you? I'm not the right woman for you Robert," Mary said and then looked him over. Now seeing him in a different light, she had to admit he was an attractive man. Maybe in another time and place, but not now. "Look there must be a woman in town here who'd love to fall in love with a man like you. I'll not stand in your way of finding the right one."
    "OK."
    "OK, what?"
    "You're right it was a stupid idea," Robert admitted. "But can I ask? Do you want to go home to Oak Grove?"
    Mary said nothing.
    "Now I don't know why you don't want to go back there. Maybe you're low on cash," Robert said and held up his hands. "And I don't expect you to answer that question. But there's some reason you don't want to go back there."
    "Just take me back to Sarah's," Mary said and turned to walk back to the buggy. Feeling a hand on her arm, he pulled her around.
    "Please, just hear me out."
    "Look marrying you is out of the question."
    Nodding his head, Robert agreed. "I know that, but if there's something else I could help you out with. I made a promise to my brother that I'd look out for you. And if going back to this Oak Grove is going to put you in danger or something or other, then it's up to me to make you stay here."
    "Robert you don't have to," Mary patted him on the arm. "Whatever promise James held you to, I'm breaking it. You don't have to worry about me I'm a big girl now, I'll look after myself."
    "You'll need a job," Robert asked. "Well, why not help me out at the school, you've got the experience, right?"
    "You said yourself, Robert, three kids doesn't compete with thirty. I wouldn't be much help to you."
    "But if you had a job here," Robert said and smiled.
    Mary looked at him and found her own face mirror his. "Alright, if I had a job. But I've nowhere to live."
    "Already sorted," Robert grinned even more. "You stayed there last night."
    "Sarah's?"
    "Well you could. And you did hear what she said about female