He opened his mouth to protest again.
But she continued before he could say more. “Being out here reminds me of home, and I need just a little time for it.”
How could he argue with that reasoning?
“Please?” Her plea was soft.
He absolutely couldn’t argue. That was the truth of the matter.
Silence settled between them with a distant squeak of bats out hunting. He drew in a breath of night air, relishing the scent of the grass and the soil and the freshness of it all.
If coming out to the field to read at night was so important to her, then he’d have to find a way to allow it so she remained safe. Should he accompany her? Or would that be inappropriate?
He didn’t want to bring harm to her reputation in any way by being with her at night in the dark alone. But if they both remained fully clothed and a proper distance apart, that would be sufficient, wouldn’t it?
A part of him knew it wouldn’t be enough, that he’d still put her in a compromising situation. Yet another part of him wasn’t willing to force her to stop her nightly rendezvous. Besides, even if he forbade her from coming again, perhaps she’d find a different spot that was less secluded and less safe.
What would it be like, instead, to sit on the blanket near her, talk to her for a while, and then maybe lie on his back as she read?
The very prospect of watching her in her nightgown with her hair flowing around her sent a spurt of heat through hisblood, a heat he hadn’t felt in a long time, a heat that made him want to cross over to her and pull her into his arms.
No, he couldn’t think about her that way. He had to douse any and all heat. At the very least, he couldn’t act upon it. Not now and not ever. Instead, he had to keep his thoughts—and his eyes—from straying where they shouldn’t.
He was a strong man, and he could do it.
Regardless, his reaction to Alannah was all the more reason to start the process of finding a bride. He was clearly ready.
7
Alannah chanced another look at Kiernan standing near the edge of the blanket.
Oh, saints above. His chest gleamed in the moonlight, showing every hard and rounded muscle in his upper body—a body that was honed and tough, so much so that his suspenders pulled taut against his bare flesh.
Aye, she’d witnessed men without their shirts on before, especially in the crowded living conditions at her aunt’s house and then on the ship to America. But she’d never seen a man who looked like Kiernan, either with or without his shirt.
She had the unholy urge to press her palms to his chest and feel the strength of his body rippling against her.
As though sensing her perusal, his gaze connected with hers, direct and intense and filled with interest.
Something sparked to life in the air between them, making her stomach flutter with a rush of warm pleasure.
Had Bellamy told Kiernan about their match? Was that why he’d sought her out? And was that why he was looking at her with undisguised desire?
If Bellamy intended to see them matched, why not get it out in the open? At the very least, she could hint at the subject. “So you met with Bellamy earlier tonight too?”
He seemed to wrench his attention from her and focus instead on the night sky. “Don’t worry. I told him I would discuss it with Torin tomorrow.”
A shiver shimmied up her spine. Did Kiernan really want her? It seemed unfathomable. But if he was talking to Torin about it, then maybe he was asking her brother for permission to have her hand in marriage.
“I’m not sure how Torin will react.” She plucked the long-stemmed daisy beside the edge of the blanket. What would her brother think about her being matched with his boss? For that matter, how did she really feel about it?
Since Bellamy had brought it up, she’d mostly put the possibility out of her mind, hadn’t believed Kiernan would agree. After all, he could have any woman he wanted in St. Louis—or in all of America. Why would he settle for a poor nobody like her? And should she let him? Maybe she ought to tell Bellamy that Kiernan deserved someone better.
Besides, even if Kiernan agreed to the match, she couldn’t imagine his parents allowing it, not after Mrs. Shanahan’s warning that first day of employment. But maybe Bellamy would know how to convince Kiernan’s parents and smooth over any problems.
“Torin wants you to be happy.” Kiernan’s voice held his usual note of confidence. “Once I assure him you’re happy here, he’ll be fine.”
How could Torin find fault with a man like Kiernan? How could she?
