landscape.”
From the top you could look down into a green valley where a village hugged the
banks of a river, a church steeple rising above the roofs. “I like to come up
and think about all the people who’ve walked and ridden here before. It gives me
a sense of perspective on my place in the universe.”
“One more in a long line of people to walk this way.” The
thought gave her chills. She felt so small against the grand landscape.
“Exactly.” He jumped down from his horse. “Let me help you
dismount.” Holding his reins in one hand, he approached her.
“Here?” Why would they get off out here in the middle of
nowhere?
He nodded, a tiny smile tugging at his lips. Apprehension crept
over her. A sense of something about to happen. She jumped down to the soft,
mossy turf. Their horses were blowing with exertion, steam rising from their
bodies in the relatively cool air.
James did something with the horses’ reins that kept them
knotted up around their neck, then left them standing together. Both just stood
there, blinking and steaming, as he walked back to her. “Will they simply
wait?”
“They’re trained to, for hunting. Though you can never entirely
tell what horses will do.” He glanced back at them with a smile. As he
approached her she saw him reach into one of the pockets of his dark green
jacket, and an expression of concentration crossed his face.
Her breath came faster as he stopped right in front of her and
reached for her hand. She gave it to him and hoped it wasn’t sweating. Was he
going to kiss her? Her lips tingled in anticipation.
“Fiona…” He paused for a moment and frowned. The intense look
in his slate-gray eyes made her pulse ratchet higher. “Do you ever just know
when something is right?”
“Um, sure.” It was hard to think with him standing there
holding her hand, with that piercing gaze fixed on her. And the two horses
watching like spectators.
He held her one hand in both of his. “I pride myself on my
instincts. They’ve stood me well over the years. And my instincts tell me that
you’re…different.”
She swallowed. Had he realized she wasn’t really there to help
him find the cup? Had he sniffed out her true motive? Fear clawed at her
heart.
But his gaze had softened. “I felt it the moment I met you.
You’re smart, and serious, and you chart your own course in life. I knew
immediately you were someone I could talk to, and you’d understand.”
She nodded, not sure what to say. This conversation was so
strange, with him holding her hand out here in the middle of nowhere. If she
didn’t know better she’d almost suspect he was about to propose marriage or
something crazy like that.
As she had the thought he went down on one knee on the damp
turf and reached into his pocket. Her jaw dropped as her heartbeat bumped up to
maximum speed.
“Fiona, every instinct in my mind and body tells me that you’re
the woman for me. I know we’ve only known each other a short time, but I feel
sure that we’d form a powerful and loving partnership that could take on the
world.” He drew in a steady breath. “Fiona, will you marry me?”
It was lucky he still held her hand or she might have fallen
right over. Had she imagined the whole thing? It seemed too coincidental for her
to suddenly think he might propose—out of the blue and for no good
reason—then to have him actually do it.
“Uh…” Her brain was a tumbled mess of thoughts, none of them an
appropriate answer. “I…I…” She didn’t know what she thought, or what to say. No seemed an obvious answer, but a refusal would
end their short relationship, and she didn’t want to do that.
She didn’t want to ruin her chances of making her father happy.
And she also didn’t want to say goodbye to James. She’d enjoyed their time
together more than…more than anything she could remember. Fear and longing rose
inside her. She wanted to spend more days galloping through the countryside
From the top you could look down into a green valley where a village hugged the
banks of a river, a church steeple rising above the roofs. “I like to come up
and think about all the people who’ve walked and ridden here before. It gives me
a sense of perspective on my place in the universe.”
“One more in a long line of people to walk this way.” The
thought gave her chills. She felt so small against the grand landscape.
“Exactly.” He jumped down from his horse. “Let me help you
dismount.” Holding his reins in one hand, he approached her.
“Here?” Why would they get off out here in the middle of
nowhere?
He nodded, a tiny smile tugging at his lips. Apprehension crept
over her. A sense of something about to happen. She jumped down to the soft,
mossy turf. Their horses were blowing with exertion, steam rising from their
bodies in the relatively cool air.
James did something with the horses’ reins that kept them
knotted up around their neck, then left them standing together. Both just stood
there, blinking and steaming, as he walked back to her. “Will they simply
wait?”
“They’re trained to, for hunting. Though you can never entirely
tell what horses will do.” He glanced back at them with a smile. As he
approached her she saw him reach into one of the pockets of his dark green
jacket, and an expression of concentration crossed his face.
Her breath came faster as he stopped right in front of her and
reached for her hand. She gave it to him and hoped it wasn’t sweating. Was he
going to kiss her? Her lips tingled in anticipation.
“Fiona…” He paused for a moment and frowned. The intense look
in his slate-gray eyes made her pulse ratchet higher. “Do you ever just know
when something is right?”
“Um, sure.” It was hard to think with him standing there
holding her hand, with that piercing gaze fixed on her. And the two horses
watching like spectators.
He held her one hand in both of his. “I pride myself on my
instincts. They’ve stood me well over the years. And my instincts tell me that
you’re…different.”
She swallowed. Had he realized she wasn’t really there to help
him find the cup? Had he sniffed out her true motive? Fear clawed at her
heart.
But his gaze had softened. “I felt it the moment I met you.
You’re smart, and serious, and you chart your own course in life. I knew
immediately you were someone I could talk to, and you’d understand.”
She nodded, not sure what to say. This conversation was so
strange, with him holding her hand out here in the middle of nowhere. If she
didn’t know better she’d almost suspect he was about to propose marriage or
something crazy like that.
As she had the thought he went down on one knee on the damp
turf and reached into his pocket. Her jaw dropped as her heartbeat bumped up to
maximum speed.
“Fiona, every instinct in my mind and body tells me that you’re
the woman for me. I know we’ve only known each other a short time, but I feel
sure that we’d form a powerful and loving partnership that could take on the
world.” He drew in a steady breath. “Fiona, will you marry me?”
It was lucky he still held her hand or she might have fallen
right over. Had she imagined the whole thing? It seemed too coincidental for her
to suddenly think he might propose—out of the blue and for no good
reason—then to have him actually do it.
“Uh…” Her brain was a tumbled mess of thoughts, none of them an
appropriate answer. “I…I…” She didn’t know what she thought, or what to say. No seemed an obvious answer, but a refusal would
end their short relationship, and she didn’t want to do that.
She didn’t want to ruin her chances of making her father happy.
And she also didn’t want to say goodbye to James. She’d enjoyed their time
together more than…more than anything she could remember. Fear and longing rose
inside her. She wanted to spend more days galloping through the countryside
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