limited time if he wished to “engage in the act.” He nearly smiled, stifled the urge, and managed to keep his expression suitably solemn. “I was hoping she’d be here sooner. I’m looking forward to meeting her.”
His response clearly wasn’t what she expected. “Sooner?” she echoed in a thin voice. “I thought that you’d—”
Gabe finally allowed the grin twitching at the corners of his mouth to curve his lips. He looked deeply into his bride’s worried eyes, took a moment to think before he spoke, and then said, “I know what you thought, Nan. But you misjudged me. As I said earlier, now it’s time for the courting part to begin. ‘Engaging in the act’ isn’t on my agenda for tonight, or for tomorrow night, or for
any
night unless you are a willing participant.”
“I will
never
be a willing participant.”
Gabe was a man who enjoyed laughing. Even as a kid who’d had little to be happy about, he’d always felt better with a smile on his lips. So he allowed himself to chuckle now. “Never is a very long time, but I’ll still stand behind my word. If the moment never comes when you can
willingly
engage in the act, I won’t press you. It’s not my way.”
Her worried expression turned to one of pure and undiluted bewilderment. “Why on earth did you insist on marrying me then?”
He ventured a grin. “Because you’re beautiful, and I enjoy looking at you. And also because any single man with eyes who didn’t want to marry you would be a damned fool.” He glanced toward the rear door that led upstairs to her living quarters. “I’m thirty-three years old, and except for a year of my life when an elderly ex-schoolmarm took me in to clean me up and teach me to read, I’ve never enjoyed a home-cooked meal, never slept in a real bedroom, or spent an evening doing whatever it is families do after supper.” He winked at her. “If your prediction of never turns out to be true, then I’ll still count myself lucky to have the opportunity to be in your home and spend time with you and your sister.”
“Daughter,” she corrected. “You mustn’t refer to Laney as my sister. No one but you knows the truth.”
“Daughter, then,” he said with a shrug.
Well-done
, the angel Gabriel murmured in Gabe’s ear. Gabe barely managed to stifle a response to his heavenly mentor.
Damn
. If Nan heard him talking to himself again, she’d feel certain he was crazy, and he wouldn’t blame her. The last thing he needed was for her opinion of him to sink even lower.
Time to back off
, he silently conveyed to Gabriel.
From this point forward, you have to leave me alone and let me handle this my way.
The angel laughed softly, causing a waft of air to tickle Gabe’s ear.
The instant I leave you to your own devices, you’ll be calling upon me for advice.
Gabe couldn’t deny the possibility. He’d only ever dealt with eager, willing females, and he knew he was totally out of his depth with Nan. Even so, the angel needed to scat.
I can’t say I deserve my privacy
,
Gabe replied in his mind,
but Nan has never deliberately harmed anyone, and she does deserve hers. What happens between us from this moment forward needs to be between her and me and nobody else, not even an angel. You can’t hover invisibly in the air, watching us and listening to every word we say. It wouldn’t be right or fair to her.
Gabe heard the angel sigh.
All right, my friend, I’ll leave you to proceed without my inestimable wisdom to help you along. Before I leave, however, I’d like to give you a few last words of advice. When you have no idea what to do or say next, take a moment to listen to your heart.
Gabe wasn’t sure his heart did much talking.
“Would you like to see my shop and the upstairs?”
Nan’s question jerked him back to the moment. Her nervousness and the anxiety in her expression told him she’d issued the invitation with great reluctance. “I’d love to see everything.”
She gave him a
His response clearly wasn’t what she expected. “Sooner?” she echoed in a thin voice. “I thought that you’d—”
Gabe finally allowed the grin twitching at the corners of his mouth to curve his lips. He looked deeply into his bride’s worried eyes, took a moment to think before he spoke, and then said, “I know what you thought, Nan. But you misjudged me. As I said earlier, now it’s time for the courting part to begin. ‘Engaging in the act’ isn’t on my agenda for tonight, or for tomorrow night, or for
any
night unless you are a willing participant.”
“I will
never
be a willing participant.”
Gabe was a man who enjoyed laughing. Even as a kid who’d had little to be happy about, he’d always felt better with a smile on his lips. So he allowed himself to chuckle now. “Never is a very long time, but I’ll still stand behind my word. If the moment never comes when you can
willingly
engage in the act, I won’t press you. It’s not my way.”
Her worried expression turned to one of pure and undiluted bewilderment. “Why on earth did you insist on marrying me then?”
He ventured a grin. “Because you’re beautiful, and I enjoy looking at you. And also because any single man with eyes who didn’t want to marry you would be a damned fool.” He glanced toward the rear door that led upstairs to her living quarters. “I’m thirty-three years old, and except for a year of my life when an elderly ex-schoolmarm took me in to clean me up and teach me to read, I’ve never enjoyed a home-cooked meal, never slept in a real bedroom, or spent an evening doing whatever it is families do after supper.” He winked at her. “If your prediction of never turns out to be true, then I’ll still count myself lucky to have the opportunity to be in your home and spend time with you and your sister.”
“Daughter,” she corrected. “You mustn’t refer to Laney as my sister. No one but you knows the truth.”
“Daughter, then,” he said with a shrug.
Well-done
, the angel Gabriel murmured in Gabe’s ear. Gabe barely managed to stifle a response to his heavenly mentor.
Damn
. If Nan heard him talking to himself again, she’d feel certain he was crazy, and he wouldn’t blame her. The last thing he needed was for her opinion of him to sink even lower.
Time to back off
, he silently conveyed to Gabriel.
From this point forward, you have to leave me alone and let me handle this my way.
The angel laughed softly, causing a waft of air to tickle Gabe’s ear.
The instant I leave you to your own devices, you’ll be calling upon me for advice.
Gabe couldn’t deny the possibility. He’d only ever dealt with eager, willing females, and he knew he was totally out of his depth with Nan. Even so, the angel needed to scat.
I can’t say I deserve my privacy
,
Gabe replied in his mind,
but Nan has never deliberately harmed anyone, and she does deserve hers. What happens between us from this moment forward needs to be between her and me and nobody else, not even an angel. You can’t hover invisibly in the air, watching us and listening to every word we say. It wouldn’t be right or fair to her.
Gabe heard the angel sigh.
All right, my friend, I’ll leave you to proceed without my inestimable wisdom to help you along. Before I leave, however, I’d like to give you a few last words of advice. When you have no idea what to do or say next, take a moment to listen to your heart.
Gabe wasn’t sure his heart did much talking.
“Would you like to see my shop and the upstairs?”
Nan’s question jerked him back to the moment. Her nervousness and the anxiety in her expression told him she’d issued the invitation with great reluctance. “I’d love to see everything.”
She gave him a
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