“He might. Standish thinks he will.” Goldie took Nia’s hand. “You’re shaking. Everything is going to work out fine. Trust me. And if he doesn’t come, you will have your answer. You will come to Seabridge Manor with Reed and me, where we’ll have the freedom to do whatever we want.”
Nia swallowed hard, wishing she had the same optimism her sister did. “I know.” She nodded. But her smile was wobbly.
With each minute they drove, the distance between her and Jasper grew.
And every mile expanded the emptiness in Nia’s heart. She couldn’t see him, or touch him, or hear him. In the span of less than one week, he’d become a part of her.
She felt like she was being torn in two.
Because there was no guarantee that he’d follow them.
One minute, she was convinced that, of course, he loved her. How could he have been so sweet, so passionate and loving if he did not?
But then the next she reminded herself that he was a man of the world. He could have any woman he wanted. He’d not avoided romantic entanglements all his life only to marry her.
He might already be on the road heading south. She might never see him again.
A wave of emptiness washed through her, and she clutched her reticule to her chest. The prospect of living her life without Jasper was so devastating that it not only left her feeling weak, but it made her sick to her stomach.
She’d thought the most difficult thing she’d ever done was to defy her father by running from her own wedding, but she’d been wrong.
Letting go of Jasper was much worse.
“I hate what you must be going through. And that there’s nothing I can say to make you feel better. All we can do is wait and see.” Goldie had her arm around her now. “You’ll be all right, though. No matter what. I promise.”
Nia nodded.
Because she would. Because she had to.
So she focused on breathing in and breathing out. Eventually, this would get easier.
It had to.
Jasper groaned and buried his head beneath the pillow as the sunlight slanting inside forced him awake. Where the hell was he?
And then, along with a pounding head and a lurching stomach, it all crashed back into his brain. He was at an inn.
And sometime while drinking himself into oblivion, he’d decided he loved Nia.
Yes, they’d called their wedding off, but he’d decided to rectify that first thing today.
Which meant he needed to see her. First thing this morning.
He wouldn’t wait months for a convenient opportunity to court her properly. He already knew his feelings. And he believed she did as well. Before they continued on their way south, he needed to have a very honest discussion with that woman.
But first, he needed to open his eyes.
And damned if the sun wasn’t already high in the sky. They would be waiting for him—impatient to get on the road.
Jasper swung his feet over the edge of the bed and prayed for his stomach to settle. He should have abstained from that last drink. Or perhaps the last two.
Hell and damnation.
His mouth was dry as the desert and his head pounded like a drum, but it didn’t matter.
Standish would have the conveyances readied. Nia would be waiting.
Jasper forced himself to the washbasin, where he splashed water on his face and then, leaning forward, poured half the pitcher over his head.
