Turning the alarm off and forcing herself out of bed she pulled on her fatigues. She missed out on running the past several mornings and she knew she was going to regret it this coming weekend. So today's run was going to be short but in full gear. Halfway through she was glad she decided to lighten her ruck last night. All the being lazy with Grace was making her soft. She really needed to get into a workout routine and stick with it. Resisting Grace was hard, she craved her in every possible way. Taste, touch, sight. Hearing her voice, smelling her skin, all of it was addicting. So instead of turning back toward home she decided to continue on to the station.
"Hey Chief." Doug called out when she walked in.
"How's it going Doug?"
"Good." He answered as he came around the counter to check on her when she bent forward to lean on her knees.
"What are you doing Dawes?" Baxter asked, coming out of their shared office.
"Just checking in, Sheriff." Liza answered with a laugh, "I rested all weekend."
"Don't need you today." Baxter replied.
"I can ride patrol with Doug." When he shook his head no she added, "If I don't find something to do then I'm going to end up doing something to get in trouble with the doctor."
After a moment Baxter said, "Half day but not until tomorrow."
"Deal." Liza grinned. "One more thing?"
"Yes?"
"Can I get a ride home?"
"Did you run all the way here?" Baxter asked. He didn't need her to say anything to know that she had. He shook his head and sighed, "Doug, take her home please."
"Yes Sir." Doug responded.
"Thanks Sheriff." Liza said.
They were almost to the farm when Doug cleared his throat for the third time. "What's on your mind Deputy?"
"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question Chief?"
She turned to look at him, "Depends on how personal it is."
"Oh." He mumbled.
Liza laughed, "Ask it Doug, if it's too personal then I'll tell you so."
"Okay." He said as he pulled in and parked the truck. He cleared his throat again. "Why'd you break up with my sister?"
Liza laughed again, "I thought you were going to ask something hard. We broke up for several reasons. Why?"
"So it wasn't anything specific to Diane then?" He asked.
"What do you mean?"
He shrugged, "She wasn't needy or something like that?"
Liza smiled, "No. Grace was the main reason. I had feelings for Grace and it wasn't fair to your sister to pretend to make things work." She paused for half a minute. "Don't get me wrong Doug. I think I loved her at the time but not in the same way that I love Grace."
He seemed to contemplate her answer for a moment. "So if it weren't for Grace do you think you'd still be with Diane?"
"It's hard to say. Like I said, there were several reasons we broke up. I wanted the Army and she didn't. We just both wanted different things." She turned in her seat to look at him better, "What's this all about Doug?"
"Diane came down this weekend but without Beth. It seems they're having problems."
"All couples have problems Doug." Liza replied.
Doug hesitated for a few seconds, "My sister proposed and Beth said no."
Liza was shocked, "Wait a minute. Diane proposed? Really?" When Doug nodded yes she added, "Wow, that's serious!"
"But Beth said no."
"What was her reasoning?" Liza asked.
"She said she wasn't ready. But Diane is taking it pretty hard." Doug answered.
"I can only imagine." Liza replied. "So, you're wondering if maybe there was something about Diane that made Beth say no?"
"Yes."
"Your sister is a player. I don't mean any disrespect. I for one never thought of her as being the type to ever want to get married. I was honestly surprised to hear that she's been with Beth as long as she has. Her and I lasted as long as we did only because I was away most of the time."
"She won't go home and she was drunk most of the weekend." Doug said. "I don't know what to do for her."
"Well, I could talk to her but she'd kick your ass for telling me any of this." Liza said. "If I were in your shoes, I'd ask her if this is what she really wants. Because if it is then she needs to figure out how to win Beth over. Or figure out if she can wait for Beth to be ready." Liza opened the door to get out, "Tell her to stop being a cry baby and fight for her." Liza shrugged, "It's what I would do."
Doug nodded, "Thanks Chief."
"Anytime. Take it easy Doug. See you tomorrow." Liza closed the door and stepped back to let him back out and leave.
She dropped her ruck on the porch next to the screen door and pulled her dog tags out of her shirt. Looking at the ring she added to the chain last night. She sat down on the steps wondering if she was rushing things. She was confident she was ready until her talk with Doug. She still wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with Grace, but was Grace ready? She sat there for a few minutes before getting up to go in the house.
"What's up with the fatigues?" Cali asked when Liza walked into the kitchen.
"Went for a run in full gear to try to make up for the last few days." Liza answered. She went to the fridge and stood there, staring inside.
"What's wrong?" Jess asked.
"Nothing is wrong. Why would anything be wrong?" She said, grabbing a bottle of water and closing the fridge.
"Well, something is. You're so worked up about whatever it is that even your run didn't burn it off." Jess observed.
"Talk to us Liza, we're your sisters." Cali pleaded.
"That's the thing, this involves your sister." Liza answered, staring directly at Cali.
When Liza started pacing Jess muttered, "Oh boy!"
"No!" Cali raised her voice as she stood, ready to pounce on Liza. "You don't get to do this. If things aren't going the way you hoped then too bad. You're not going to break her heart. You figure out a way to make it work."
"Woah, wait! What?" Liza stopped pacing the kitchen, put her bottle on the counter and turned to look at Cali.
"Cali, calm down and let her talk." Jess said.
"It's not bad. Well, not to me. It might be to you. Or to her? What if it is bad to her?" Liza ran her fingers through her hair.
Cali and Jess both sat down at the table. Jess placed her hand on Cali's arm to quiet her when she started to question Liza again.
Liza resumed her pacing and started muttering to herself. She reached up and fingered her dog tags absentmindedly as she paced. "We haven't discussed anything beyond her graduating and my discharge. We haven't been a couple for very long but I've loved her for years." She stopped pacing, "It's too soon. That's all there is to it, it's too much too soon." She looked at her best friends, her sisters. She then looked at her hands, seeing the scar in the palm of her right hand where they did their blood sister's oath when they were twelve. The brunette had slipped her finger through the ring on her chain without realizing it. "It's too soon isn't it?"
"What's too soon?" Cali asked, "You're not making any sense."
Jess noticed the ring, "What is that? Is that what I think it is?" She stood, moving to Liza. She slipped the ring from Liza's finger. "Is this what this whole rant is about?"
Liza nodded her head.
"What?" Cali asked as she stood to join them. Looking from Liza's eyes to Jess's, seeing tears forming in each. "Wait! Is that for Grace? It's gorgeous!" Her eyes started to water too.
"It's too soon isn't it?" Liza asked again. She started to drop to her knees, "I can't breath."
"Sit down." Cali said, shoving her into a chair. "Let me see it."
Liza slipped the chain over her head and handed everything to Cali. Jess made Liza slowly sip her water. Each woman pulled a chair over to sit on either side of Liza.
"Breathe." Jess said soothingly. "Calm down Liza." She turned to look at Cali, saw her smiling from ear to ear. "She's so worked up over this that she's going to have a breakdown and you look like the cat that ate the cream."
"I thought she was going to break things off." Cali responded.
"Oh, no no no!" Liza groaned. "I can't breathe when I think of losing her."
"Sweetheart." Cali cried and pulled Liza into a hug.
Jess leaned in and wrapped her arms around both women.
"What is going on here?" A sleepy Meg asked when she walked in.
"Liza's going to propose to Grace!" Jess answered.
"That's great!" Meg exclaimed excitedly. "When?"
"I don't know yet. We've never talked about the future. What if she doesn't want to? I'm fine with our relationship the way that it is if that's what she wants. I love her. It just seemed like this was the next step." Liza started rambling again as the other three took turns admiring the ring.
"Why wouldn't she?" Cali asked.
Liza shrugged.
"I think you're getting worked up over nothing. Well, not nothing. This is a huge deal. But I don't think there's anything to worry about. She loves you, it's obvious." Jess reassured.
"I'm sure everyone gets worked up like this before they propose." Meg offered.
"You're right. You're all right. I'm overreacting." She took a deep breath.
"Where did you get this ring?" Cali asked, handing it back to Liza.
"I had it made. I designed it and Loni's uncle made it. There's more to it though. That's a lover's knot with my birthstone in it. My ring has hers. Then both have bands that attach to them with celtic knots all the way around the band. They fit together like puzzle pieces." She looked up from the ring and saw three pairs of watery eyes staring at her. "What? Do you think it's too much?"
"It's perfect Liza." Jess said as she wiped her eyes.
"She'll love it." Cali assured.
"So when are you going to ask her?" Meg wanted to know.
"I don't know yet. I'm still working on it." Liza paused then looked at Jess. "There's more." She shrugged, "You know, 'In for a penny, in for a pound'." She quoted before taking a deep breath. "I need to talk to you about buying a chunk of land from you. I'm buying the piece between the river and my dad's place. I want to buy an acre or two from you this side of it."
"Liza, Grandma Jessie left land to you. You just have to decide what you want."
"Okay then. Just a few acres right there from the road where the apple orchard is to the river. Where the hollow is just off the river." Liza nodded.
"Done. We just have to legalize everything on paper and get the deed drawn up." Jess said.
"What are you going to do with it?" Cali asked.
"I want to build a house in the hollow. It will only be seen from the river or as you come around the point of the hill. I've designed the house already. My GI benefits will pay for most of the construction. I'll get a loan for the rest. I want to give it to her as a wedding present."
"How long have you been keeping this to yourself?" Jess asked.
"Forever." Liza shrugged. "I've wanted to build a house there since we were kids."
"Okay, let's talk wedding now!" Mes said.
Liza looked at her, "Are you going to be able to keep this a secret? Because right now she's the only one that doesn't know."
"Yep. Your secret is safe with me." Meg mimed zipping her lips and throwing away the key.
"Now that you've calmed down, you want to tell us what got you so worked up about it all?" Jess asked.
"I was talking with Doug earlier. Diane proposed to Beth and Beth said no. She said that she wasn't ready. I was thinking about how much Diane and I are alike and about Grace just getting out of school. That maybe there are things she'd want to do before settling down." Liza stood up to start pacing again.
Cali stepped in front of her, getting nose to nose with her. "Do you love her?"
"Yes! So much it hurts."
"I know she loves you."
"Yes." Liza agreed.
"Then where's the problem?"
Meg interrupted, "The problem is, Liza's overthinking it."
Liza sat down again, feeling defeated. "It's all the time apart and everything else that's been going on. I'm going to get deployed and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it." She sat there, spinning the ring around the tip of her finger. "I'm probably not going to be able to see her graduate."
"So propose before you deploy." Meg suggested.
"I thought about that." Liza replied.
"You do realize that you can't propose without all of us there right?" Jess asked.
Liza smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way." She stood and looked at Cali, holding the ring up to her, "Can you keep this until then?"
"I'd love to!" Cali laughed, "I can't wait! We have a wedding to plan!"
"Slow down a second!" Liza said, waiting for all three to look at her. "I'll leave it all up to you guys as long as Grace agrees but I have two stipulations."
"Which is?" Jess asked.
"It has to be small and in the greenhouse." Liza answered.
"Oh wow! Down at the end, in front of the arch full of Grandma Jessie's climbing roses." Meg said softly.
"Yes." Liza agreed.
That afternoon Liza pulled the blue prints out of the closet. She had them drawn up a few years back. Looking at them now she realized she needed to make some changes. Before she always figured it would be just her, but now she knew she needed to add a few rooms. Laila would need a room to come stay during the summers and having a guest room for Loni and Joe was needed as well. If Grace agreed to marriage, what about kids. There were kids out there that needed families plus she wasn't opposed to insemination. Mental images of a pregnant Grace made her smile.
Her phone beeping, indicating a text brought her out of her daydream. Checking it, she smiled.
"Video chat in five?" Grace asked.
"Yes." Liza quickly answered.
She put the blueprints on her chest of drawers, making a mental note to take them in to have the changes made. She then set up her laptop to be ready to answer Grace's call.