“She beat you?” His voice was quiet and dangerous.
“I can usually prevent it now that I’m older,” I stammered. “She rarely attempts to strike the boys.”
“Rarely?” He got up quickly and stood in front of me, obstructing my view of the tree. “How long has it been since she hurt you?”
My gaze flickered to the new bruises on my arms. For a moment I thought my movement went unnoticed, but Owen’s sharp blue eyes caught everything. He leaned forward and set hisfingers on the bruise so gently I hardly felt it. His touch sent a shiver down the length of my arm.
“It’s nothing.” I pulled away, trying to reassure him with my eyes.
He must have noticed my discomfort, because the intensity of his gaze softened and he took his seat beside me on the bench. “It isn’tnothing.” His brows drew together. “It is completely unacceptable. I won’t allow you to be treated like that ever again.”
I laughed under my breath, uncomfortable with his seriousness. I was not accustomed to being defended so valiantly. “How are you going to do that?”
His jaw tightened. “I will think of something.”
I was a little shaken. From what I had seen of him, I wouldn’t have guessed that he could be so serious. Or so…protective. I wanted to tell him about Mr. Frampton’s proposal, but the words lodged in my throat. He would likely encourage me to accept it, and I was afraid of being told something so reasonable. The idea of being Mr. Frampton’s wife was still new—and still unnerving.
Owen didn’t speak for several seconds. “Your parents were so different from her. They were always very kind to me. I am sure they were kind to everyone.” His voice was so gentle it made my heart ache deeper.
“They were.”
In a softer voice, he asked, “How long has it been since they died?”
My heart lurched. Why did he have to ask me so many questions? I replaced my sights on the orange in the tree. “Nearly five years.”
“How old are your brothers?”
“Peter is seven and Charles is five.”
He paused for a long moment. “So Peter was two years old, and Charles was only a baby?”
I nodded, avoiding his gaze with every muscle in my body.
“And you have looked after and taught them all on your own.” He stated it as a fact, and I couldn’t detect any pity in his voice. Something else lingered in his voice, though. Was it admiration? He fell silent for several heartbeats until I could feel the heat of his gaze on the side of my face.
“I have obviously been very inept so far,” I said. “I truly don’t know what I’m doing. If I were better, then surely their behavior would be more appropriate.”
Without warning, Owen moved his fingers to the side of my face and softly turned my head so that I was forced to look at him. “Their circumstances are the only thing to blame for their behavior, not you. Living in fear of their guardian, no longer having a mother or father…” He held my gaze. “You arenotinept.”
My heart gave a furious leap.
“You have been enduring the same pains as your brothers all these years, but with a greater understanding of what you have lost. That is no small burden to bear on your own.” His brow pinched together at the center. “You are so brave,” he said in a hushed voice. “And so capable. They are fortunate to have you.”
The unexpected tenderness of his words plunged through my heart. My throat tightened with emotion. I would prefer Owen’s teasing over . . .thisany day. It made me feel completely defenseless in a way that I never remembered feeling before. In fact, I felt strangely close to crying, which would not do.
I closed my eyes, hoping that doing so would drive away the tremor that was spreading through me. Owen was unearthing my pain too easily, pouring salt on the oldest wounds of my heart, making them sting anew. I wanted to run away.
His voice came again, deep and quiet. “But no matter how capable you are, you deserve to have someone you can depend on—someone willing to share the weight of your burdens. Please know that you can depend on me. And that you can trust me.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. My hands shook in my lap, my fingers clutching that thorny pink rose. It was a kind offer, but how could I possibly depend on Owen? The weeks would pass quickly, and then I would be gone. I had depended on myself for so long that it was the most natural thing for me to do. I had forgotten how to trust someone else.
“I will try.” My voice was just a faint whisper. He had severely disheveled my emotions. That had not happened in a very long time. In just one morning, Owen had already managed to discover a hidden piece of my heart. It was terrifying to think of how much yet he could learn of it.
He stood and walked toward the nearest orange tree and plucked off the very one I had been staring at. He sat down and handed it to me.
“Thank you,” I said, finding my voice again. I met his gaze with a smile. For some reason, I couldn’t look at his face for very long. My eyes flickered away, a flutter erupting in my stomach. I felt strange with my pile of gifts from Owen on my lap when he held nothing. “Don’t you want an orange?”
“We can share it.” He took the fruit back from me and peeled back the skin. In the silence, I felt the hum of vulnerability shrouding me, as if my own skin had been peeled away too.
