Country Love

Chapter Nine

Isabelle nodded and sat down on the love seat across from him instead of next to him on the couch. Bradley sighed and wondered if this woman would ever let him get close.

"Yes we do need to talk." she said matter-of-factly.

"You first." Bradley said. He had learned growing up with four sisters that it was usually best to let a woman have the first word and the last word. Just as long as he was able to get all of his words in somewhere in the middle.

"Bradley, you have been wonderful to me and to my daughter since we arrived in town. You have been there to help us every step of the way and you even saved my life….." Isabelle stopped and bit her lip.

"But…?" Bradley prompted. Isabelle locked her blue eyes with his green ones.

"But my daughter is getting very attached to you." she said. 'Too bad her mother isn't' Bradley thought to himself. "And I don't want to see her get hurt." she added. Bradley's eyes narrowed.

"What makes you think I would hurt her?" he asked.

"Well…" she started but he cut her off.

"And if you say that it's because I'm a man then I swear on all that is holy, Isabelle, I will lose it." he warned. Isabelle's mouth snapped shut because she was going to say something along those lines. Bradley shook his head.

"I care about your daughter and even though you don't want to hear this, I care about you too. I know that something has happened to you in the past. Something that is keeping you from letting me in but please Isabelle, let me in. I promise I won't hurt you." Isabelle sat there in shock for several long moments. His green eyes were gazing into hers with such intensity and longing that it took her breath away.

She was reminded of her favorite song. The song that she had listened to while crying into her pillow on countless long lonely nights. The song in which Brad Thompson had been begging his woman to let him in so he could heal her….. Now she had Brad Thompson himself in front of her begging her to let him in and she just wasn't sure if she could. She wanted to trust him. She wanted to depend on him and confide in him but what if she put all of her faith in him and he let her down like so many had before him? Her feelings for him were so intense that she did not know if she would survive it.

"Bradley, you don't understand. I have to build a life for my daughter and I." she said quietly. Bradley frowned.

"Is there any particular reason that you don't want me to be a part of that life?" he asked. Isabelle felt her jaw tremble and she took a deep breath to fight back her tears. The truth was she wanted him to be a big part of that life but she was scared to let him be.

"You don't understand. I've been hurt so many times and there are certain people out there that don't think I can take care of my daughter. I want to prove them wrong. Of course given the fact that I almost killed her in a car accident, ended up spending the night unconscious on a strange mans couch, burnt our house down and became homeless and penniless all within two weeks of leaving home, I am starting to think that maybe they were right." she said her words all coming out in one quick rush. Bradley leaned back on the couch, thankful that she was finally opening up.

"Anyone that says you are not a good mother to that little girl is wrong. You are a great mother." he said. A tear slid down her cheek and Bradley decided he was too far away. He moved from the couch and sat on the loveseat beside of her.

"Thank you for saying that." she said. Bradley shook his head.

"I wasn't just saying it. It's the truth." They sat there in silence for several long moments before Bradley spoke again.