After putting the horses up we walked back up to the house, holding hands, I glanced up and saw Mrs. Birk and my mother sitting on the porch. They were both smiling at us, but my mother’s smile faded for a brief second before returning.

That’s weird.

“Did y’all enjoy the picnic?” Mrs. Birk asked.

Emma did a little jump and said, “Yes! We enjoyed it very much. Garrett took me to his favorite oak tree, and we laid out the quilt and had a lovely time talking.” She glanced back at me and winked.

I was pretty sure my face turned bright as the sun.

The screen door opened, and Dr. Birk stepped out. “Ladies, I do believe it is time to leave.” He turned back and shook Uncle Pete’s hand. Then, he walked up to me.

I reached out my hand and said, “Thank you for allowing me to take Emma on a picnic, sir. It really helped me to spend some time with her. She makes me laugh with her stories.” I looked at Emma.

“I’m not surprised. The girl has always been good at telling stories. Even as a little girl, she knew how to make us laugh.”

Emma looked down. “Daddy, please, you’re embarrassing me.”

Emma’s mother giggled and said, “Charles, don’t embarrass your daughter.”

Dr. Birk let out a loud laugh. “Now, I don’t mean to embarrass you, sweetheart. Come on, ladies, we need to be heading on back.”

After everyone said their good-byes, I watched as they left down our long driveway. I could still feel Emma’s kiss on my lips, and I reached up to touch them. When I felt a hand on my shoulder, I jumped. I quickly turned to see my mother standing there.

“Garrett, don’t do anything stupid. I see the way the two of you look at each other.” She smiled slightly and said, “It’s the same look your daddy and I shared when we were your age.”

I smiled as I took my mother’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Mother, I would never do anything to hurt you or Emma. I promise.”

My mother looked over my shoulder and nodded her head at someone. She turned and walked back toward the porch. I spun around to see David leaning against the barn door.

I took a deep breath and walked up to him. He put his hand on my shoulder and led me to the back of the barn into the foreman’s office.

He pointed at a chair and said, “Sit down, Garrett.”

I sat down and looked up at him as he shut the door.

He sat down on the edge of the desk and let out a sigh. “I’m going to ask you something, and I don’t want you to lie to me. I was eighteen once, so I know what a pretty girl can do to you.”

I nodded my head. “I would never lie to you, sir.”

He spit out his tobacco and nodded his head. “Did you and Emma…well, did y’all have sex, Garrett?”

I shook my head. “No, sir, we did not have sex.”

He let out a sigh of relief as he dropped his head. He slowly looked up at me and said, “Do you have condoms, Garrett?”

I nodded my head. “Yes, sir, I do.”

“I want you to start carrying them with you at all times. A moment will come when you both won’t be able to stop. When that time comes, you protect her and yourself. Do you understand me, Garrett?”

I swallowed and nodded my head.

“I’m not giving you permission. Understand that right now. I’d like for you both to wait until you are married, but what I rode up on today…” He shook his head and let out a chuckle. “Hell, boy, it was like looking in a mirror and seeing me and my Dorothy all over again.”

I gave him a weak smile.

“I promised your mama I’d watch over you. I don’t want you thinking that having sex with Emma will take away any of your other pain. You just need to know that, son. You can’t hide from it.”

“I’m not hiding from it,” I whispered.

David stood up and pushed one hand through his wavy blond hair. “Good. Just be careful. Her daddy would snap you like a twig if he found out you were touching his little girl the wrong way.”

I instantly felt sick to my stomach.

He laughed. “Go on. Get on out of here, and do your chores.”

I jumped up and headed out of the office.

I spent the rest of the afternoon and evening replaying every single sound and movement Emma had made. I closed my eyes and pictured her lying there, looking so beautiful.

I’ll be yours till the end of time.

Yes, I was going to make Emma Rose Birk mine, and I was going to make her mine soon.

I walked into my kitchen and came to an abrupt halt. My mother and father were sitting at the table, and they both looked at me with serious faces.

“What’s wrong?” I asked nervously.

My father cleared his throat. “Emma Rose, please sit down.”

My heart started pounding. Do they know what happened between Garrett and me yesterday? Did Mr. Bauer see us and tell my parents?

“Yes, sir,” I said as I slowly sank down into the chair. “What’s wrong? You’re both scaring me. Did I do something wrong?”

My mother and father both smiled at me, and my mother reached for my hand. “No, darling. You didn’t do anything wrong, but I’m afraid we have a bit of bad news.”

My eyes began to sting from trying to hold back the tears. Garrett…something happened to Garrett. “Garrett?” I barely said.

My mother shook her head but looked away. “Garrett is fine, darling. This has to do with us—as a family.”

I nodded my head. “Okay.”

My father took in a deep breath. “We’re moving to Austin. I’ve been offered a position with Brackenridge Hospital. This is a wonderful opportunity for us.”

“No,” I whispered. I began shaking my head. “You promised me. When we left Fredericksburg, you promised we wouldn’t move again. I have friends here. I have…I have Garrett.”

My mother turned back to face me and said, “I know you think you have feelings for Garrett, darling—”

“Think? No, Mother, I know I have feelings for Garrett. I love him. I want to marry him someday.”

My father shook his head and pushed his chair back. “Emma Rose, please, you barely even know him. You’ve spent one afternoon with him, and you think you love him. That’s impossible.”

I felt the tears sliding down my face. “Why is that impossible, Daddy? I knew the moment I first saw him back in August. I tried to deny it because I was so scared.”

“Why were you scared?” my mother asked.