She didn’t need to tell him twice. He filled his plate again.
“Thank you,” he finally remembered to say. “This is the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time.”
Her cheeks went a pleasing pink color. “I’m glad. What do you normally eat for breakfast?”
“Coffee.”
She laughed then. “That’s not a breakfast.”
He grinned. It was impossible not to feel as if some weight had been lifted from his shoulders when he was with Ruthann. She was like sunshine through a storm. Speaking of storms . . .
He set his fork down for a moment. “You invited Miss Flagler for tea?”
She swallowed a bite of eggs. “I thought it might smooth things over for her. She’s struggled since her family came here. Honestly, I don’t believe she has many friends.”
That wasn’t hard to imagine. “It feels a bit reckless, having her here.”In our home, he wanted to say, but the words felt too intimate in his mind.
“It will be just fine. We’ll speak of parties and the latest fashions, and so long as you don’t go calling meMiss Joliet,it will all go well.”
“Well, I wouldn’t call you Miss Joliet when you’re Mrs. Harper now.” Nate didn’t know what possessed him to say it, but the words made her face redden again.
Exactly how much joy could a man derive from making a lady blush? He couldn’t seem to stop.
“Yes, that is true,” she said, her eggs seemingly forgotten as she looked up at him.
Those incredible blue eyes had likely never seen true worry, never mind fear or sadness. It made him feel wildly protective of her, as if he’d fight anyone who ever tried to bring her a moment of distress.
Of course, he’d been the one doing exactly that last evening.
“Ruthann.” He turned in his chair to face her. He wanted to reach out and take one of her hands, to cradle it in his, but he didn’t dare. “I owe you an apology for last night. I was short with you, and withdrawn, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“Of course I will.” She paused, twisting those hands he so badly wanted to hold in her lap. “May I ask what was on your mind?”
Nate clenched his jaw. What could he tell her? That he feared falling in love with her—again? That he didn’t want her to care so much about him? That every night for years, he dreamed of horrors he’d never contemplate detailing to her? That what he’d seen five years ago in the Dakota Territory had shaken him to his very core and made him question who he really was? That he could never think of a way to repay her for the kindness she’d done him, other than to set her free as soon as possible so she could find a better man to marry?
“It’s nothing you need worry about,” he finally said.
She watched him a moment longer, her eyes tracing his face as if she might find the answer there. Then, ever so gently, she rested a hand on his arm.
Nate’s entire body stilled, not wanting to miss a moment of the way her soft fingers felt through the fabric of his shirt sleeve.
“Please know you can share anything with me,” she said. “I’m an excellent confidant. Goodness knows I’ve helped Norah through a trying time, and even Stuart would admit to sharing a few confidences with me over the years.”
She gave him that sweet smile again, and all it would take was just a second of doubt before he spilled everything to her willing ears.
Hecouldn’tdo that. Not only would he be baring feelings he’d had for her for years, he refused to let her know of the things he’d seen. Those were memories best kept sealed tightly, deep inside, so they wouldn’t disturb this new life he was creating.
So instead, he wrapped his own hand around hers, reveling for just a second in the touch of her skin, before removing it and standing.
“Thank you,” he said awkwardly. “I’ll be downstairs. Please let me know if you find yourself in need of anything.”
And with that, he closed the door to the apartment, and the strong urge to confess all his deepest thoughts to Ruthann.
