It came down to one central question. Did he love her? Seconds ticked by. Do I? The thought of commitment lathered his body with a cold sweat. It was so easy to commit to eight seconds, but a lifetime? He dampened his dry lips with a brush of his tongue. “It’s not a hard question.” Alma said. “Either yes or no.” Silence seemed to stretch to infinity. He heard the heavy thump of the dishtowel as the housekeeper slapped it down in disgust. Heat crawled up Travis’ neck. The chair scraped across the floor, sounding more like the roll of drums for a condemned man facing a firing squad. The vibrations in the air echoed in his ears. “I thought more of you than this, cowboy.” Alma’s harsh tongue broke into his thoughts. “Glory deserves more than this.” “Alma, it’s not that easy,” he defended himself. His protest got nothing more than a raised eyebrow from her. “Easy’s what you want, is it?” she sneered. Travis winced. He’d given the wrong answer. “Easy is for books and movies.
