“He has a gift.”
“Has he thought to make anything to sell?”
“Now and then for, when he has the wood, he wants to make something but we dinnae always need it. His skill is helpful in bargaining for what we need, too.”
Iain sat down next to her, draping his arm over the back of the seat. Emily immediately tensed but she realized it was not a tension caused by wariness or fear. It was born of anticipation, that she wanted him to put his arm around her. She inwardly cursed herself for being an idiot. She complained about the man not knowing his own mind but it appeared she did not know hers, either.
“He is good enough to make a business of it,” she said.
“Perhaps, if we lived in a city, or near one. We live out here and there just isnae the market he needs. There isnae the money here to give him a good living.”
“Ah, probably not. A bit of a shame.”
“Aye. He did much of the finishing off of the house. I recognize his skill and it would bring good money elsewhere but he has no wish to move.”
“I cannot blame him for that. It is quite lovely here, at least, from what little I have seen of it and the problem of wolves eating lambs aside. And he has no great needs as you seem to do well enough here.”
“It serves.” He moved his hand so that he could stroke her hair. “Did your sister and her man do well where they were?”
“We were not there long enough to find out.” She sighed. “They had such hopes.” The main one being that they had found peace and safety, she thought.
“Aye, it is sad that they were killed before they could attain them. This is a fine land but it can also be cruel. There are a lot of desperate men and not enough law.”
“That is because it is so new, is it not? They have not had hundreds of years, thousands even, to set in their rules and laws. Although a judge we stayed with for a few days in Boston said it is those laws and legal customs they follow somewhat.”
Iain just grunted. After what had happened to his family he did not feel anything good about English systems and laws. He had not yet decided this country did it any better. For most of the time he had been in this country he had either lived outside towns or been traveling to someplace. The threat of violence was always with them as well.
Shaking aside that thought, he looked at the woman sitting beside him as he moved his arm so that it lightly encircled her shoulders. She sat looking out at the yard which, he thought, was not the best view. She had relaxed even though he had changed his hold on her and he took that as a positive sign.
“It is very nice out here but I think a chill is rolling in.”
“Could be. Getting that time of the year.” He turned her so she was facing him.
“I am not sure this is a good idea and it is certainly not what I came out here for.” Emily was pleased with her calm tone for her insides were leaping with what she could only call anticipation.
“I just came out for a smoke.”
“A bad habit.”
Iain decided he had lost all interest in a smoke. Emily looked lovely in the soft light of the moon. He thought of her sprawled out on the swing beneath him and his whole body hardened. A dangerous thought, he mused, but one that now crowded his dreams. He just had to catch a glimpse of her in the distance and he grew hard. It was becoming embarrassing. Reminding himself that she was gentry, even if she would not say so, no longer cooled the heat of wanting and that troubled him more than the almost consistent want did.
He put his hand under her chin and tilted her face up to his. Studying her face for a moment, he saw no rejection. If anyone asked, he would have to say it was indecision mixed with a hint of curiosity. He did not blame her for the indecision but he would ignore it. He bent his head and kissed her.
Emily placed her hands on his chest to push him away but the moment his mouth covered hers, she clutched at his shirt. She opened to the gentle prod of his tongue. His kiss clouded her mind even as it heated her body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight, pressing her body up close against his. It was scandalous of her but she enjoyed it.
Desire was not something she had any knowledge of but Emily was sure that was what was flooding her body as he moved his kisses to her neck. She shivered as the feel of the heat of his mouth ran through her body. When he returned to her mouth, taking it a bit roughly, she was as eager as he seemed to be. Then he slid his hand over her breast and the surprise of the touch brought a hint of sanity. Slowly she pulled her arms from around his neck and pressed her hands against his chest, this time giving a very gentle push.
Iain lifted his head and stared at the hand he had put on her breast. Reluctantly he moved it but could still feel the hard tip of her breast nudging his palm. That he could feel it even through the material of her clothes told him that she was as stirred by their kisses as he was. Sighing softly, he met her gaze and the look in her eyes told him he had gone too far too fast. Emily Stanton was not some woman who worked at the Trading Post.
“I will see ye in the morning.” He turned and walked away, knowing that distance was what he needed now.
Emily stared after him and shook her head. She hurried back inside and slipped into her room then began to change into her nightdress. The man was confusing. He had not even apologized for touching her so, just walked away.
As she climbed into bed she decided the look on her face must have told him that he had gone too far. Kisses could be allowed but anything else was forbidden. Or it should be since she was an unwed lady and she knew that rule held in this country as it did in England. Emily was not sure she had the strength to refuse if he put his mind to having her, however.
The very thought of being touched by him, made love to by him, made her tremble and she was not even completely sure how that was done. She was in trouble. There was definitely a part of her that welcomed the idea of him showing her how that was done. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and told herself to go to sleep. It might be time to start planning what she and Neddy should do once she was completely healed. There was no doubt in her mind that, if she stayed here too long, she would give in to the man and since he offered no hint of having feelings for her that would be a tragic mistake.
She suddenly thought of her parents, which surprised her because she rarely thought of them any longer. Yet now she could see her mother, a woman who was never terribly happy.Resignedwould be the word to best describe her mother. Her marriage to Emily’s father had been arranged. Emily had always sworn she would not enter an arranged marriage but had never had much hope of being able to stick to that vow.
