They were talking of the latest foals, and how Magnus had lost a sizable wager over the last foal's color while I continued to fret over the secret bubbling inside of me.
"So tell me, Lisa," Leighton said suddenly, turning those bright, earnest eyes on me. "What did you think of the house yesterday, when you explored?"
The coffee nearly caught in my throat.
Explored, he said.
If only he knew.
"It's... beautiful," I managed, setting the cup down with trembling hands.
Magnus's eyes glinted. "It is that, but you should see the grounds, the vineyard, the rest of it."
"Oh yes!" Leighton exclaimed. "What a wonderful idea. Why don't you show Lisa the estate while I deal with the vineyard business? Then, when you're done, you can meet me in the fields and I'll take her on a tour of the grapes so she can get to know the land, too?"
My eyes grew large as I took a deep breath, ready to protest.
"That sounds like a marvelous idea," Magnus responded to his friend before turning to me. "If you're sure you're up for it and not too... overwhelmed."
I swallowed my apprehension. It was now or never.
Leighton must have misread my fear as something else. "Don't mind him, Lisa. If you're not too tired, there is no one better to show you the grounds than Magnus."
My cheeks burned. Heat pooled low in my stomach. I should say no. Come up with any number of excuses.
But I didn'twantto. Not really.
And perhaps I could take this moment alone with him to make it clear howvery muchit would not happen again.
"Yes, I'd like that, thank you, Lieutenant."
Magnus's half smile spread into a full-faced grin, and my breath hitched.
It was magnificent.
"Please, call me Magnus. I have a feeling we'll be growing very close."
I dropped my gaze to my plate, unable to even sneak a glance at Leighton to see his reaction to his friend's words.
If I had, I might have seen their satisfied smiles and the way their eyes promised to do dirty, filthy, naughty things to me.
Chapter Six
There really was no getting used to having someone attend to you.
Chloe tied the ribbon of my hat beneath my chin, stepping back with a satisfied smile. "There," she said. "A proper lady for her morning ride."
I didn't have it in me to tell her I wasnolady. There probably wasn't any need to, because I was sure that my wardrobe said that for me. Other than the small upgrade I'd ordered thanks to a small portion of the money I'd gotten from selling the equipment on the farm, my clothing was very much that of a farm maid from a small Transvaal farm.
I smoothed the brim with nervous fingers, though it wasn't the hat that had me fidgeting. Boots laced snugly at my calves, skirts adjusted for walking—I was dressed for anything Magnus might plan, but no amount of cloth or leather could protect me from what I knew must be done.
I would tell him that what happened in the garden was a mistake, and it could not—no,would not—happen again.
Magnus was waiting for me in the hall. He cut an imposing figure, one boot braced against the wall, face expressionless ashis gaze trailed slowly, deliberately, down my attire. "Prepared to ride, I see," he murmured.
Heat climbed my neck. "I thought it best, as I didn't know the size of the estate and if we'd be taking horses."
"Practical and logical," he said, pushing off the wall with feline ease. "I like a woman who uses logical and practical thinking." He offered his arm, and though every instinct told me to refuse, my hand slid onto his sleeve as though it belonged there.
