But beyond that, he wanted to provide a worthy life for Gaby. She would bring life and love to Singly Park, his ancestral home. She would change darkness into light. Deep in his heart, Jack knew he would have no happiness without Gaby. He saw his sons and daughters in her eyes, and something else he never believed possible. He saw that marriage and love were not antithetical. The estate, which had never provided the nurturing he so desired, would become a place of love and an enduring legacy for their progeny.
Gaby had yet to learn of his intentions, and nor would she until he reclaimed his earldom. But now that he saw the future with such clarity, he would not be deprived of that dream.
He’d tamed Xanthus with patience and a gentle hand, and he would do the same to his thorny rose, Gaby. Jack chuckled. Atleast I will have fewer bruises to show for it. I hope.
A gentle rap sounded at the door, and he stood and took a deep breath, flooding his senses with oxygen. He would need a clear head and all his focus to deal with his temperamental temptress. He would need to listen to everything his lady love said and control his sometimes-acidic tongue.
When he opened the door and saw her, he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, but he did not, fearing she’d bolt like a frightened colt. He reined his impulses in as he’d promised he would. “Come in,” he welcomed her. He could tell by her flushed cheeks that she had come straight from the kitchen.
She seemed nervous as she crossed the threshold with one hesitant step after another. Her eyes skittered around the room, landing on the bed. As he followed her gaze, his recollections flooded his senses, forcing him to look away. Dear Lord, how he wanted to sweep her up in his arms and kiss her doubts away.
“Please sit down, Gaby. Would you care for a glass of wine?”
“I probably shouldn’t, but yes, please.” She sat at one end of the settee and stared at the flames like he had been before she arrived.
“I do love a fire burning in the hearth,” he professed. Striding to the side table, he picked up a crystal decanter from a silver tray and filled two goblets with claret. After handing a goblet to her, he sat on the opposite end of the settee, leaving a suitable distance between them. He raised his glass in a toast. “Cent’anni!May we both find happiness in what we seek.”
“A hundred years,” she whispered, and sipped.
Jack sat back and rested his arm atop the sofa frame. He extended his legs in front of him and did his best to appear relaxed and calm. Jack hoped it would encourage Gaby to do the same. He wanted her to confide whatever troubled her without feeling threatened.
“My congratulations—you outdid yourself tonight,” he said. “I still can’t get over that you are a chef, and a brilliant one, if you don’t mind my saying. I’ll have you know I had seconds. If your desire is to fatten me up, I daresay you are succeeding.”Keep it light. Give her time to unwind.
It was the first time she’d smiled since entering his room. It cut the tension hovering between them and dissipated it into nothingness. Her smile lit the heavens, as far as Jack was concerned, and the one thing he was sure of was that he wished to bask in the sunshine of her smile for the rest of his life.
“Maybe you should consider taking up a hobby instead of indulging so heavily in the art of eating,” she teased.
“Oh, I can think of one hobby I’d like to completely immerse myself in.”You dunderhead! Keep calm, for God’s sake.He took a drink of his wine, worried she would get up and run for the door.
“I beg your pardon?” She lifted her brows, but a flame of red climbed her neck and tinted her cheeks. He was relieved to see his innuendo’s effect on her was not off-putting but sensually acknowledged.
There was no denying she was thinking the same thoughts as him. With great effort, he did not look at the bed where he longed to lie with her.
“Gaby, I want you to be able to say anything to me and not worry about the consequences.”
She smiled again, and his heart thundered in his chest. “I’m trying, but I’m not sure where to begin.”
“Perhaps a fable would work, or an allegory.”
Her look showed a thoughtful contemplation of his suggestion. “We would never have met if everything in the universe had proceeded according to plan. Has the notion of time travel ever entered your mind?” she asked.
Of all the things in the universe she might have said, that was the last he’d expected. “In all honesty, I am firmly rooted in the here and now, and I can say my thoughts have never wandered to such unrealistic possibilities.”
A slight frown creased her brow, and her gaze returned to the smoldering embers in the grate. She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Jack, I never suffered from amnesia. I just couldn’t tell you the truth about where I came from. You wouldn’t have believed me. At least not when we first met.”
Jack had no idea where this conversation was going, but reassuring her was of primary importance. “I will now.”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“We will get nowhere if you provide only cryptic answers.” He reached across the settee, taking her hand. “Try me.”
Their eyes met, and he feared all control would be lost to him. A fire ignited, and he released Gaby’s hand and sucked in a much-needed breath.
Her eyes darted to where the Allegretto painting had hung, and the color drained from her face. “Where is the painting?”
Confusion and a growing sense of dread made his pulse pound. “Why do you ask? What difference does it make?”
“I told you I am here because of the painting.”
