Chapter 19

Opal arrived back at the farmhouse thirty minutes later than she'd anticipated. "Come on, baby," she said to West in the back seat. He couldn't unbuckle himself, though, and Opal had to duck back there and get him out of his seat. She usually let him toddle his way toward the front door at his own pace, but today, she grabbed his diaper bag and him and hurried to the house.

"Auntie Opal needs to get ready," she said as she kicked the door closed behind her and dropped his bag.

"Ope, Ope," he sang merrily. Her heart turned to melted butter every time he said her name, and she took him down the hall to her bedroom.

"It's Valentine's Day, bud, and I have a special date with Tag." She smiled at him as she set him on the floor. She hadn't been out painting a house or working out, though one might consider attending a toddler event at the library on Valentine's Day quite the workout. She didn't need to shower. She simply needed to get her hair up, her makeup on, and her dress donned.

She started with her hair as West sang to himself.

"I'm here," Gerty called, and Opal jumped to her feet. Two steps from her dressing table, she opened the door.

"Momma's home," she told West. "Go find her, Westy."

"Mama!" The little boy clambered to his feet and went running past Opal and into the hallway. She left her door open and listened to their reunion, West babbling away in a language only he understood and Gerty acting like she knew what he'd said.

Opal finished her hair and continued with her makeup. She already had dark features, so she didn't do much to enhance them. She did put on her deep, dark red lipstick, and then she stuck her head out into the hall. "Gerty," she called. "Can you help with my dress?"

"Coming," Gerty called, and her footsteps came quickly.

Opal had already stepped into her slip, and when Gerty arrived, she picked up the black dress with shiny, sparkling sequins she'd found for this date. She'd paid an astronomical amount to have it shipped here in only two days, and she'd been extremely lucky and blessed that the dress fit well enough to avoid alterations.

"My goodness," Gerty said. "Where are you guys going?"

"I don't know," Opal said. "Tag wouldn't say. He only said I had to wear a dress."

"I have never seen a dress like this before." Gerty barely wore dresses to church, so that didn't surprise Opal at all.

"It's an Anna Thom," Opal said. "They only make one of each dress."

"What?" Gerty's fingers stilled as Opal pulled the thick strap up and over her left shoulder. The dress possessed a certain weight that made Opal feel luxurious and powerful at the same time.

"You order it and send in your measurements," she said, meeting her cousin's eye in the mirror. "They make it and ship it. They only sell each dress once."

"I'm afraid to ask, but how much does this cost?"

Opal put on her other strap and settled the dress over her chest, tugging it this way and then that to get it in place. She'd use body tape to make sure it didn't gape in the wrong way during her date, but since she'd sent in her measurements, the dress fit remarkably well.

"A lot," Opal said. "And I paid extra to get it here in time."

"You and your brother," Gerty said as she started to zip her into the dress. "It's like you don't even understand regular people."

Opal drew in a sharp breath. "I understand regular people."

Gerty finished with the zipper and stood behind Opal. She had four or five inches on her, and she hugged her from behind. "Sometimes," she said. "But no one I've ever known would be able to buy a dress they only make one of."

Opal supposed that was true. "I don't do this all the time," she said, suddenly feeling small.

"I didn't mean to criticize you," Gerty said.

Opal leaned her head back against her best friend's shoulder. "I know. It's silly when I think about it."

"Here they are," Mike said, and Gerty moved away from Opal. "What's—oh, I see." He swept his gaze down to the hem—asymmetrical and ruffled fabric with feathers and fourteen-carat gold thread—and back to Opal. "You look like a million bucks."

Opal smiled as she turned and faced him. "Not quite," she said, throwing Gerty a knowing look. "It's okay? It's not too much for Valentine's Day?"

"You're going to Velvet," Mike said as he passed West to Gerty. "So absolutely not. I've heard that place requires things like this."

"Velvet," Opal repeated. "Tag hadn't said the name of it before."

"Hunter told him about it," Mike said. "Me too, but Gerty and I are going to enjoy our time alone here at home."

Guilt ripped through Opal. "I'm going to be moving out really soon."

"Opal," Gerty said as she rolled her eyes. "It's not you." She left the bedroom saying, "Let's go get dinner, Westy. Then you can go to bed early, so Mommy and Daddy can have a peaceful evening."

Opal met her older brother's eyes. "You're not a problem," Mike said. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"Now that Mister Hanks is back," she said. "The paperwork went through, and I'm waiting on plans for the house. I just have to pick those, and Jeremy said they'd start as soon as that happens, since I've already funded."

Mike nodded, his smile kind and calm. "Are you excited?"

"Yes," she said.

"Okay," he said. "Then focus on tonight. This is a big deal for you—Valentine's Day."

Opal's pulse rippled through her veins. "I'm not as much of a holiday fiend as I used to be."

"No?" Mike grinned at her. "It's okay if they're important to you."

"I know," she said. "But I don't judge entire relationships on birthdays and holidays anymore." She once had, that was true. "Or gifts. I know there's more to life than those things. And someone can give amazing presents and still be all wrong for me."

"Sounds like you're speaking from some experience, Sissy."

"A little," Opal admitted. She turned back to her reflection. A sigh filled her whole body. "I love this dress."

"Yeah, Tag's gonna love it too," Mike said. "Should I make him come in and take pictures by the fireplace?" He laughed, but Opal actually considered it. He'd never gone to prom, and everyone should have to suffer through their parents making them take awkward pictures before they could finally escape the house.

Mike left her bedroom, and Opal adorned her earlobes with a special pair of earrings and draped a matching necklace around her throat. She'd not stepped into her shoes yet when the doorbell rang.

"That's Tag," she gasped. She hurried to get into her heels, and she took one last look at herself in the mirror. Yes, she'd spent almost six figures to buy and get this dress here specifically for this date, a number she'd never tell to anyone. "They don't need to know," she whispered. "It's my money."

And she had plenty more where that came from.

"Opal?" Gerty came into the room and stopped again. "Oh, you are so gorgeous." Her blue eyes sparkled like sapphires—a color Opal had considered for her dress. "Tag is dressed up nicely too. Come on." She reached for Opal, and Opal let her take her hand and lead her out to meet Tag for their Valentine's Day date.

Her nerves kept her smile on her face, and Gerty seemed to melt out of the way when she reached the living room. Then, all Opal could see was Taggart Crow. He'd dressed in black from head to toe as well, with a hint of a pale pink shirt at his throat, with a deep-not-overly-bright fuchsia tie knotted there.

He held his midnight cowboy hat, and he'd shaved his beard into perfection. Tag stared at her, his face slack with disbelief, and then his trademark crooked smile appeared. "The stars have nothing on you, honeybee."

Opal stepped toward him, and she eased into his arms like she'd sink into a hot bath. Everything about being with him felt right, even the way he kissed her right there in front of Gerty and Mike.

"You are the most beautiful woman in the world," he whispered. "How did I get so lucky?"

"You're a god in a cowboy hat," she whispered back.

"Not yet." He pulled away a little and settled his cowboy hat back on his head. "There. You ready? You need anything?"

She held up her phone. "Could you carry this for me?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, and Opal gave him a coy smile. Then, she watched the ground at her feet as she left the farmhouse.

"Ope, Ope, Ope!" West cried, and she turned back to the darling boy.

Gerty held him despite his efforts to break free. "She's leaving, baby. It's okay. She'll be back."

"Ope!" West actually had tears in his eyes, and Opal's heart tore from the top down. She hurried over to him, mindful of the drive ahead and the distance they had to go to get to the restaurant.

"Westy," she said as she drew closer. "Give me a kiss and then I have to go." She swept a kiss along his cheek, feeling so loved when he held her head in a hug. "You be good for your momma and daddy tonight, okay?"

"Ope," he said in a much quieter voice.

"West." She grinned at him as she pulled back, and this time, she managed to make it out of the house without incident. She held Tag's hand as they went down the steps, and she allowed him to help her into his truck.

He drove off the farm, and Opal's adrenaline finally started to wane. "Mike told me we're going to Velvet," she said, not sure she should keep talking.

"Yep," Tag said.

"I've never been," she said casually. "Have you?"

He looked over to her, clearly onto her game. "No," he said. He could've added any number of things, like, "It's not really my style," or "It's out of my price range, honeybee."

But he didn't say anything more.

Opal opened her mouth, and it felt like someone had stuffed a pair of socks down her throat. She could barely swallow, and breathing? Forget about it. She panicked and shifted in her seat, trying to get past these feelings to the other side.

Don't say it.

The words rang through her ears, throat, and mind, and Opal swallowed her offer to pay for dinner that night. She took in a breath of air, glad the episode had passed quickly. "My funding is done," she said. "I'm expecting plans for the house in the next couple of weeks."

"That's great, Opal," Tag said, his voice barely louder than the quiet radio playing in the background.

"Would you—would you look at the proposals with me and help me choose?"

He glanced over to her and took her hand in his. "Yes," he said simply.

Warmth filled Opal, and she relaxed into the seat behind her. Finally. "I think I might move out while the house is built."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said. "Mike and Gerty keep saying it's fine if I'm there, but I don't know. I have this feeling it's not okay."

"Where will you go?"

"I've been looking at a couple of places," she said. "For rent. Houses for rent. My house is going to take at least six months to build. Probably longer."

"At least you won't be moving in the winter," he said.

"I have so much stuff in storage in California," she said, her mood dropping at the thought of having to go there and get it. "Maybe I'll just buy all new everything."

Tag chuckled and squeezed her hand. "Spoken like a true Hammond."

Opal opened her mouth to protest, or at least defend herself. Then she remembered what she'd spent on this dress, and she started to laugh. "I suppose so," she said through her giggles.

She leaned back and watched the night flow by. "I feel so much more in control of my life," she said.

"I'm glad."

Looking over to him, she wondered if God would cut off her vocal cords again if she tried to ask the question dancing through her mind. She decided to open her mouth and try, and this time, she easily asked, "What about you? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he drawled.

"You know what I mean," she said.

"I'm not looking for a house or a farm," he said. His voice had taken on a black note, and Opal wanted to backtrack quickly.

"I meant about us," she said. "About your life in general. Not where you live." In truth, she wanted to know all of it, but she didn't want anything to ruin tonight.

"I feel great about us, honey-love," he said. "I love my life at the farm, and I'm not sure I need anything different."

Opal grinned at him. "That's great. I'm glad."

Tag nodded, but Opal saw how tight his jaw remained. When they arrived at Velvet, the words spelled out in gold lights, Opal waited for him to come help her from the truck. As she found her footing, he wrapped her up tightly and held her.

She smiled against his chest, the feelings of love rising within her. "I'm worried I'm not enough to hold your attention," he murmured.

Opal pulled back. "What? That's ridiculous."

"Nevertheless." Tag gave her that sexy smile, and Opal just wanted to reassure him that he was the only man who'd held her interest for longer than a date or two in years. In her heels, she only had to tip up a few inches to kiss him, and she did exactly that.

An inferno roared to life between them, and surely he felt that. Every kiss with him felt like the first time, and Opal simply didn't believe that was only on her end. He certainly kissed her back with a sense of urgency and passion.

"You're mine," she whispered against his lips. "Okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," he murmured back. "But I actually got you a giant teddy bear that's holding a heart that says, ‘Be mine.'" He touched his lips to hers again, and Opal wanted more, more, more. "So can you be mine too?"

"Yes," she whispered. "But I'm going to need to see the bear."

Tag chuckled, and Opal smiled way down in her soul. "You're mine," he said, pulling her as close as she could get. "Bear or no bear."

"Mm, okay," she said, and she joyfully received his kiss once again. She wanted to believe she'd found her Prince Charming, and for tonight, on this gloriously clear, bright, and perfect Valentine's Day, she wasn't going to bring up anything that made Tag's jaw tighten like it had in the truck earlier.

And she'd figure out what that belonged to when she wasn't wearing a ninety-thousand dollar dress and when she wasn't standing outside the nicest, most expensive restaurant in the state of Colorado.

Oh, yes, she would, whether Tag wanted to talk about it or not.