Kathryn Alexander - The Reluctant Bride

Micah smiled. “I do. At the tech school some evenings.”

“Could I see more?”

“If you like.” Micah led him back through the kitchen to the rear door. Opening it, they entered a tiny workroom enclosed in glass. Micah switched on the light “This is another reason I keep this apartment. It's my favorite room.”

Rob glanced around the room, surveying the work on the canvases Micah had stored there. A ballerina in midair in soft pastels, a brightly colored hot-air balloon amid a shimmering blue sky, children laughing and playing on a merry-go-round, and several others including ocean and seashore scenes and some small, delicate works of flowers and birds. “These are wonderful…”

“Thank you.” Micah caught her lower lip between her teeth, restricting her smile.

“The kids in the playground and the ballerina…they look like they could walk right out of the pictures…and the ocean…it seems…restless.” He glanced at her with surprise evident in his eyes. “It all looks so real.”

“Thank you,” she said with a light laugh. “It's supposed to.”

“But these are all finished,” he commented. “What are you working on now?”

“An oil painting of an old white church that I discovered one day while I was driving through the country.”

Rob scanned the contents of the room, and not seeing the piece she'd referred to, he glanced up in question.

“I ran out of room in here. The painting is in the back room. I'll show it to you when it's finished,” Micah replied, instantly regreting the insinuation of a future for them. There could be none, and she thought she must be losing her mind even to consider it. She needed a change of subject, a change of mind.

“Do you go to church anywhere?” she asked.

“Not anymore,” Rob answered. “I accepted Christ when I was thirteen, Micah. I was active with the youth group, all the kinds of things you'd expect. Everything seemed great until my best friend, Nick, died. Then…it didn't seem so real anymore. I stopped going.”

“How did he die?” Micah asked hesitantly, not knowing if she should pursue this subject

“Car accident on a rainy night.” Rob checked the clock on the wall over Micah's easel. “It's nearly midnight. I had no idea it was that late.”

Neither had Micah, and she looked toward the timepiece. Midnight. So that's when it ended. Now she knew how Cinderella must have felt. This had to end. Now. Because the more she knew of Rob, the more she wanted to know. The longer they talked, the longer she wanted to talk. And this man, standing in the middle of Micah's paintings, was a man she could love. Easily. Maybe eternally.

“We both have to get up early in the morning. I should be going.”

Yes, Micah thought, you should. But she said nothing as she turned to walk with him to the front door. How could it be so late? Where had the evening gone? Micah swallowed hard, fighting back the words that threatened to flow from her.

They reached the entryway in silence, and when Micah reached for the doorknob, so did Rob. It could have been an awkward moment, but it was not. Rob's strong hand closed over Micah's as naturally as if he had planned it, his fingers linking through hers, warmth against warmth. Micah bit her lower lip gently as she stood facing Rob in the narrow entryway, wanting him to stay longer, wanting him to go. Dinner together. That's all it was supposed to be. Just pancakes and orange juice.

“Micah…” The tenderness with which he spoke her name calmed the rambling argument running through her head. “I want to see you again. You know that, don't you?”

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She knew. And if she knew, then he must know the attraction was mutual. And strong. And crazy.

“Rob, I don't think—”

“Dinner, tomorrow night?” he offered, overruling her objections. “I could pick you up around six-thirty?”

Dinner. It could never be just dinner again. Not with them. “No, I don't think…” What could she say? Micah had never been good at hiding her feelings and she respected honesty too much to really try. “Rob, it just wouldn't be a good idea.”

“I'll take you out for pancakes if you like.” He smiled. Just the way she knew he would.

“No.” She smiled back. “I've reached my quota of maple syrup for the week.”

“Then how about steak and a salad?” He squeezed, then released her hand and Micah wished he hadn't.

“Rob, you don't understand—”

“So, explain it to me.” He stepped out into the courtyard. “Tomorrow. Six-thirty.”

“It won't work. Let's not start—”

“We've already started, Micah. Let's see where it goes.”

Down a dead-end street. That's where it would lead them. But with this man, Micah suspected, it would be an interesting journey.

“You're the one who will regret this,” she offered quietly, truthfully.

“Tomorrow night We'll discuss this reluctance of yours over a meal. Then we'll decide whether or not it's valid. Fair enough?”

“You're a hard man to argue with,” Micah agreed with mixed emotions.

“I chose the right profession, didn't I?” Rob stated more than asked.

Micah cringed. Could he have possibly said anything worse?

Rob hesitated for a moment, standing just outside her door. “Thank you for tonight.”

Micah smiled and nodded. He was welcome, and he knew it.

Then he offered only a quiet “Good night,” and Micah watched him walk through the moonlit courtyard.

“You had dinner with him last night and you're going out again tonight?” Carole shrieked, and Micah held the telephone receiver away from her ear until Carole quieted down.

“Don't get too excited. We're going out to dinner and then we're going to discuss why we can't see each other anymore,” Micah said as she stared into the mirror above the telephone and applied blush to her cheekbones. “I've got to finish getting ready, Carole. He'll be here by six-thirty and I'm not ready. Could I call you later?”

“You'll be too busy to call me.” Carole giggled. “Forget that nonsense about not seeing him anymore. Hang on to this guy, Micah.”

“Carole—”

“What is it with you and lawyers, anyway?”

Micah froze, makeup brush in her hand. “Why do you say that?”

“That's it, isn't it? There's no other reason not to be crazy about him,” Carole responded sharply. “I know you don't like to talk about your past, but it's ridiculous to let Rob slip away because of something that happened years ago.”

“Carole, if you—”

“So you've been hurt by someone. Big deal! Who hasn't?”

“That was a long time ago, and it's not the only reason.”

“Was the other guy a lawyer, too? Do you not trust any attorneys?”

Micah remained silent for a few seconds, remembering. “He was a college student.” Her voice softened as she spoke, and she studied her frowning expression in the mirror. “I really don't want to get into this.”

“Maybe you need to talk about it. If not with me, with someone. I remember what happened when you dated Scott. Remember him?”

The government teacher. They dated for several weeks, until he was accepted to law school.

“The minute he started taking night classes, you stopped seeing him. And now Rob, how could you not like him…but you won't let it happen!”

Micah's grip tightened on the receiver, Saying goodbye to Scott had been easy, even after several weeks of dating. But Rob… She had spent only a few hours with him, and yet…

“Nothing is going to happen if you don't let me get ready for my date.” Micah attempted to speak in a lighthearted manner.

“Okay, okay. I'll shut up, but think about what you're doing. Think about Rob. About the present, the future, not the past!”