he’d come here.” She met his eyes, and read the helpless regret. “He’s a nice enough fellow, isn’t he?”
Keeping her voice low, she replied, “The fact remains that it’s all a lie. Is he going to stay forever? Is this what the rest of my life is going to be like? I can’t help but dread the possibility. What about my life? What about my privacy? I didn’t choose that man as a husband. What if I wanted to marry someone else?”
“Do you?” Louis asked.
She rested her head in her hands, elbows planted on the table. “No. I just want the freedom of choice. I no longer have that freedom.” She raised her gaze to his. “As much as I hate him being here, at the same time I also live in fear that he’ll leave, and John James will be left brokenhearted.”
He nodded. “As do I.”
“What can we do?”
A footstep startled them both. “Plotting what to do with me, are you?” Wes stood inside the doorway, the furry pup in one arm. “Didn’t let out the dog before John James fell asleep. I’d best do it.”
He passed to the back door, and Mariah exchanged a look with her grandfather.
When Wes came back, he broke a crust of bread from a wrapped loaf on the cutting board and fed it to the dog. He turned to face them. “Come to any conclusions?”
“You have us over the proverbial barrel, and you know it.” Mariah straightened and sipped her milk. “What I still can’t understand is why.”
Wes made his way into the pantry and returned witha mug of beer. He pulled out a chair to join them at the table and leaned forward. “I’ve given you my reasoning a dozen times. You can’t accept it. Told you I regretted that I hadn’t thought this all the way through, and I’m sorry you feel trapped.
“But I’m not sorry about the way John James has taken to me. I don’t regret seeing the pride and pleasure on his face. I don’t intend to take that away from him. I can’t.”
Mariah couldn’t help asking, “What about me?”
“Have I disrupted your life so much?” he asked. “Maybe you’re angry now because you don’t hate the situation as much as you want to. Maybe you’re even softening toward me.”
He was referring to that kiss and they both knew it. Was that part of his plan, too? “You think too highly of your own charm,” she replied. “Why should I want to be married to you?”
“You were scared before.” He took a long drink and ran his tongue across his upper lip. “But you’re more scared now.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“Then you’re afraid of yourself, ma’am. But I guarantee you’re afraid.” He set down the mug. “And it’s because of that kiss.”
Chapter Ten
A t his ungentlemanly revelation, heat climbed Mariah’s neck to scald her cheeks. A quick glance at her grandfather showed mild amusement, and that angered her all the more.
Bold as could be, Wes looked her in the eye. “Kissing me scared the wits out of you. I’m guessing that’s because you liked it.”
Just when she thought he couldn’t get any bolder, he pulled something like this. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and you don’t know me. That was a mistake. This—” she gestured wildly as though groping for a word to describe her hellish predicament “— arrangement is not working.”
He acquiesced with a curt nod. “I have to admit I’m not all that keen on sleeping on the floor for the rest of my life.”
Again Mariah looked at Louis, now listening withfascination. Her grandfather composed his expression. “Surely there’s a solution here.”
She didn’t have much hope for that, but she had nothing more to lose. She rested her hands flat on the table and leaned toward him. “I’m listening.”
“Well.” Louis tapped his fingers on the wooden surface. “What if the two of you took your own house? One of the nice ones near town—or build your own right here by the others. You could keep up the appearance, yet have separate rooms.”
Wes rubbed
Keeping her voice low, she replied, “The fact remains that it’s all a lie. Is he going to stay forever? Is this what the rest of my life is going to be like? I can’t help but dread the possibility. What about my life? What about my privacy? I didn’t choose that man as a husband. What if I wanted to marry someone else?”
“Do you?” Louis asked.
She rested her head in her hands, elbows planted on the table. “No. I just want the freedom of choice. I no longer have that freedom.” She raised her gaze to his. “As much as I hate him being here, at the same time I also live in fear that he’ll leave, and John James will be left brokenhearted.”
He nodded. “As do I.”
“What can we do?”
A footstep startled them both. “Plotting what to do with me, are you?” Wes stood inside the doorway, the furry pup in one arm. “Didn’t let out the dog before John James fell asleep. I’d best do it.”
He passed to the back door, and Mariah exchanged a look with her grandfather.
When Wes came back, he broke a crust of bread from a wrapped loaf on the cutting board and fed it to the dog. He turned to face them. “Come to any conclusions?”
“You have us over the proverbial barrel, and you know it.” Mariah straightened and sipped her milk. “What I still can’t understand is why.”
Wes made his way into the pantry and returned witha mug of beer. He pulled out a chair to join them at the table and leaned forward. “I’ve given you my reasoning a dozen times. You can’t accept it. Told you I regretted that I hadn’t thought this all the way through, and I’m sorry you feel trapped.
“But I’m not sorry about the way John James has taken to me. I don’t regret seeing the pride and pleasure on his face. I don’t intend to take that away from him. I can’t.”
Mariah couldn’t help asking, “What about me?”
“Have I disrupted your life so much?” he asked. “Maybe you’re angry now because you don’t hate the situation as much as you want to. Maybe you’re even softening toward me.”
He was referring to that kiss and they both knew it. Was that part of his plan, too? “You think too highly of your own charm,” she replied. “Why should I want to be married to you?”
“You were scared before.” He took a long drink and ran his tongue across his upper lip. “But you’re more scared now.”
“I’m not afraid of you.”
“Then you’re afraid of yourself, ma’am. But I guarantee you’re afraid.” He set down the mug. “And it’s because of that kiss.”
Chapter Ten
A t his ungentlemanly revelation, heat climbed Mariah’s neck to scald her cheeks. A quick glance at her grandfather showed mild amusement, and that angered her all the more.
Bold as could be, Wes looked her in the eye. “Kissing me scared the wits out of you. I’m guessing that’s because you liked it.”
Just when she thought he couldn’t get any bolder, he pulled something like this. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and you don’t know me. That was a mistake. This—” she gestured wildly as though groping for a word to describe her hellish predicament “— arrangement is not working.”
He acquiesced with a curt nod. “I have to admit I’m not all that keen on sleeping on the floor for the rest of my life.”
Again Mariah looked at Louis, now listening withfascination. Her grandfather composed his expression. “Surely there’s a solution here.”
She didn’t have much hope for that, but she had nothing more to lose. She rested her hands flat on the table and leaned toward him. “I’m listening.”
“Well.” Louis tapped his fingers on the wooden surface. “What if the two of you took your own house? One of the nice ones near town—or build your own right here by the others. You could keep up the appearance, yet have separate rooms.”
Wes rubbed
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