suit as I was waiting for his.”
“Do you trust me now with the truth?”
“I do. You’ve only reaffirmed what I’ve always known about you. You’re honest, protective, and a great joker. You care about family. You care about justice. I admire you greatly, Laurence.”
“You sound as though the next thought begins with, ‘But…’”
She grinned. “But…we know too much about each other to make for a happy marriage?” she asked.
“I disagree. We know enough about ourselves to know we’d succeed at a happy life together.”
She smiled but said nothing.
“I won’t spout flowery words for you this time, Hannah. You know what I’m asking. Marry me. Share my life, my heart.”
“Since arriving home I’ve thought often about what you said to me in June. I’ve begun to accept that you might truly love me. You know me better than anyone, and yet here you are asking for my hand again. How can I believe anything else?”
“Then may I have your answer?”
“Yes. My answer is yes, Laurence. I love you. I misjudged it to be like what I feel for my brothers, but as I said, I’ve thought about us almost constantly in the past two months. You are the only man I can be my true self around. I can’t imagine marrying anyone else.”
“Are you certain?” He was frozen in his spot.
“You’ve waited two months to hear my answer and this is all you can say to me?”
“I’m unable to find words.” Now he took the steps that brought him close to her. He stroked one of her cheeks, his fingers noticeably warm against her cool skin. Trailing a finger beneath her jaw, he lifted her face and lowered his lips to hers.
He savored her minty taste, the soft pressure of her lips against his. He would never get enough of kissing her. “I love you, Hannah. With all my heart, all my being. I will work every day of my life to keep you happy.”
“If you work every day I’ll never see you, and that would make me very unhappy. I love you, dear man. I’ll be forever grateful to Louisa for bringing us together. I’ll treat her as my own child, if that’s all right with you.”
He nodded, resting his head on hers. “I think you’ve been doing that since first you met. That act alone has made her transition so much easier. I hope you’ll always feel that way about her.”
She stood on her toes and kissed him again. “How can I not? She reminds me of you in many ways.”
“Lord help us when she turns eighteen, then. I doubt I could survive a Season with someone as wild as me.”
He’d do it, though. He would endure any number of Seasons in the future to be allowed to show off this beautiful woman on his arm. He’d come so close to never having her. She loved him. He was very blessed.
~*~*~*~*~
I hope you enjoyed Her Impetuous Rakehell. Please turn the page to read an excerpt from my Civil War novella, The Lieutenant’s Promise.
The Lieutenant’s Promise
Chapter One
June 28, 1861
Wilson Creek, Missouri
“Cletus Bocephus Gilmore, you get your tail back here before I tan your hide.” Emily Gilmore waved a switch at the enormous hog that’d escaped his pen yet again. It had plenty of mud available to keep itself cool, thanks to the unrelenting rain this past week. The sun managed to break through this morning just long enough to make the air thick and heavy, but not dry the ground.
Cletus ignored her shouts and continued to waddle toward the woods on the edge of Em’s family’s farm. This had become almost a ritual, his knocking down a fence rail and slipping out to rut his way through the fresh undergrowth in the woods on the west end of the farm. Although, slipping wasn’t the best word to use on a critter his size.
“Em, wait,” cried Billy from behind.
She paused and glanced back at her little brother. The poor boy had a smudge of dirt in his sandy brown hair already. He was always forgetting to wear his hat. At eight, he was finally old enough to take on a few of the chores more
“Do you trust me now with the truth?”
“I do. You’ve only reaffirmed what I’ve always known about you. You’re honest, protective, and a great joker. You care about family. You care about justice. I admire you greatly, Laurence.”
“You sound as though the next thought begins with, ‘But…’”
She grinned. “But…we know too much about each other to make for a happy marriage?” she asked.
“I disagree. We know enough about ourselves to know we’d succeed at a happy life together.”
She smiled but said nothing.
“I won’t spout flowery words for you this time, Hannah. You know what I’m asking. Marry me. Share my life, my heart.”
“Since arriving home I’ve thought often about what you said to me in June. I’ve begun to accept that you might truly love me. You know me better than anyone, and yet here you are asking for my hand again. How can I believe anything else?”
“Then may I have your answer?”
“Yes. My answer is yes, Laurence. I love you. I misjudged it to be like what I feel for my brothers, but as I said, I’ve thought about us almost constantly in the past two months. You are the only man I can be my true self around. I can’t imagine marrying anyone else.”
“Are you certain?” He was frozen in his spot.
“You’ve waited two months to hear my answer and this is all you can say to me?”
“I’m unable to find words.” Now he took the steps that brought him close to her. He stroked one of her cheeks, his fingers noticeably warm against her cool skin. Trailing a finger beneath her jaw, he lifted her face and lowered his lips to hers.
He savored her minty taste, the soft pressure of her lips against his. He would never get enough of kissing her. “I love you, Hannah. With all my heart, all my being. I will work every day of my life to keep you happy.”
“If you work every day I’ll never see you, and that would make me very unhappy. I love you, dear man. I’ll be forever grateful to Louisa for bringing us together. I’ll treat her as my own child, if that’s all right with you.”
He nodded, resting his head on hers. “I think you’ve been doing that since first you met. That act alone has made her transition so much easier. I hope you’ll always feel that way about her.”
She stood on her toes and kissed him again. “How can I not? She reminds me of you in many ways.”
“Lord help us when she turns eighteen, then. I doubt I could survive a Season with someone as wild as me.”
He’d do it, though. He would endure any number of Seasons in the future to be allowed to show off this beautiful woman on his arm. He’d come so close to never having her. She loved him. He was very blessed.
~*~*~*~*~
I hope you enjoyed Her Impetuous Rakehell. Please turn the page to read an excerpt from my Civil War novella, The Lieutenant’s Promise.
The Lieutenant’s Promise
Chapter One
June 28, 1861
Wilson Creek, Missouri
“Cletus Bocephus Gilmore, you get your tail back here before I tan your hide.” Emily Gilmore waved a switch at the enormous hog that’d escaped his pen yet again. It had plenty of mud available to keep itself cool, thanks to the unrelenting rain this past week. The sun managed to break through this morning just long enough to make the air thick and heavy, but not dry the ground.
Cletus ignored her shouts and continued to waddle toward the woods on the edge of Em’s family’s farm. This had become almost a ritual, his knocking down a fence rail and slipping out to rut his way through the fresh undergrowth in the woods on the west end of the farm. Although, slipping wasn’t the best word to use on a critter his size.
“Em, wait,” cried Billy from behind.
She paused and glanced back at her little brother. The poor boy had a smudge of dirt in his sandy brown hair already. He was always forgetting to wear his hat. At eight, he was finally old enough to take on a few of the chores more
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