But neither of them looked away. Neither of them moved.
And Noah knew, with absolute certainty, that he was in serious trouble. Because kissing Ava Harris hadn’t felt like a mistake at all.
CHAPTER NINE
“So ye’re just nae goin’ to talk about it?”
Ava nearly dropped the bread she was packing, her hands jerking at the sound of Mrs. Crawford’s voice.
The older woman stood in the doorway of the orphanage kitchen, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised in that knowing way that made Ava feel like a child caught stealing sweets.
“Talk about what?” Ava kept her eyes firmly on the food she was wrapping for the journey.
“About whatever happened last night that’s got ye jumpin’ at shadows and blushin’ like a new bride.”
“I’m nae blushin’!” But Ava could feel the heat creeping up her neck even as she said it.
Mrs. Crawford made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a snort. “Aye, of course. Come on, lass. Out with it. Did somethin’ happen between ye and MacGregor?”
“Nay!” The word came out too quickly, too forcefully. Ava cleared her throat. “I mean... nothin’ that matters. Nothin’ important.”
“So somethin’didhappen.”
Ava groaned, pressing her palms to her burning cheeks. “He kissed me. All right? Are ye happy now?”
Mrs. Crawford’s eyes went wide as saucers. “The Lairdkissed ye? And ye’re just mentionin’ thisnow?”
“Keep yer voice down!” Ava hissed, glancing toward the doorway where Esther was playing with the other children in the yard. “It was... it was nothin’. A mistake. He said so himself.”
“A mistake that’s got ye lookin’ like ye havenae slept a wink and turnin’ red every time I mention his name?” Mrs. Crawford shook her head. “Doesnae sound like nothin’ to me.”
“Well, it was.” Ava tied off the bundle of bread with perhaps more force than necessary. “And it willnae happen again. I’m his employee. That’s all.”
“Is that what ye want it to be?”
The question hung in the air between them, weighted with implications Ava didn’t want to examine.
Did she want more? With Noah MacGregor, of all people? A laird so far above her station she might as well be reaching for the stars?
“What I want doesnae matter,” Ava said finally. “Now, are ye goin’ to help me finish packin’, or are ye goin’ to stand there pesterin’ me about things that are none of yer concern?”
Mrs. Crawford smiled gently and said, “Och, lass. Everythin’ about ye is me concern. Ye’re like a daughter to me.”
Ava’s throat went tight. “Daenae... daenae say things like that.”
“Why nae? It’s true.”
“Because...” Ava turned away, blinking rapidly. “Because it makes leavin’ harder.”
“Then maybe ye shouldnae leave.”
“I have to… For Esther. And for the orphanage, ye heard what Noah said about sendin’ funds. This is the right thing to do.”
Even if it felt like her heart was being torn in two, and even if the thought of facing Noah this morning made her want to crawl under the floorboards and hide.
“Ava!” Esther’s voice was as low as a whisper. “Are ye almost ready?”
“Aye, sweetheart! Just a few more minutes!” Ava grabbed the last of her belongings, shoving them into her bag as Esther walked outside. “I need to go.”
