“Are you saying we should skip straight into a courtship?”
“As long as your answer is yes. If it’s no, then that’s not what I’m saying.”
She laughed, then sobered. “Whirlwind romances only belong in books. What happens if we discover we don’t suit each other?”
The very thought of it sent an unexpected pain through his chest. “Then we go our separate ways, wishing each other well. I’ll be honest, Lydia. I’m not sure I’m capable of just being friends with you.”
“To make such a declaration, you really must have hit your head when you fell after our bet. You make it sound as if we’re either destined for a happily-ever-after or a heart-wrenching goodbye.”
She did have a way of making things sound more dramatic than they were. But in truth, that is what they faced. “As you’ve stated, our friendship is very new. We could end it now and finish this case merely as acquaintances, saving us both from an unpleasant goodbye. Or we could explore the possibility that whirlwind romances do exist.”
Feigned shock widened her eyes. “Don’t you know that possibilities are what make every story exciting?”
By the growing anticipation tingling through him, he did indeed, even if he hadn’t been able to put it into words before now.
The playfulness fell away. “Would you mind giving me a minute to pace and pray? I’ve learned the hard way that I do not turn to God or listen to Him enough.”
The fact she wanted to seek God in prayer chastised him for not suggesting that himself. Rushing her into an answer was foolish and unwise. “Take all the time you need. I don’t need an answer tonight.”
“You might not, but I do. I confess, I’m already smitten, and to walk any farther would make goodbye all the more painful.”
The admission gave him hope, and he stepped back a few paces. “I’ll be right here, praying myself.”
While they prayed, he kept his eyes on Lydia, lest Poe make an attempt to kidnap her while Abraham was unprepared. She paced beneath a tree beside the house, her undecipherable mutterings reaching him. This woman was not a passive participant in life. Whatever she did, she did it wholeheartedly. What would it be like to be wholeheartedly loved by her? And to love her wholeheartedly back? They still had much to learn about each other, but this ability to envision a future with her was new and enticing. No other woman had inspired such an intense desire to pursue a forever life together. And now all he could do was pray that a future with her was God’s intention. For if God called them to go their separate ways, it would hurt like no other experience thus far in Abraham’s life.
As the darker shades of evening pushed out the remaining light of sunset, stars appeared along with a low-hanging moon. Nearly full, it lit the grounds enough to see Lydia’s pinched lips as she approached him. Gas bubbles—not butterflies—formed in his stomach.
She stopped in front of him. “As a lover of stories, I’d like to explore the idea of a happily-ever-after future with you.”
Though he wanted to whoop, he found her hand and lifted it to his lips. “I’d like to go on that adventure with you.”
Maybe they didn’t have to wait until after Billy Poe was arrested. Right now, the idea of kissing her tantalized him.
Her thoughts must have run alongside his. “Do you know that aside from this morning, I’ve never kissed a man?”
“That does not count as a kiss.”
“Whyever not? Our lips touched. Isn’t that the basic definition of a kiss?” A hint of sauciness played in her tone, but there was also hope undergirding her words that he would contradict that definition.
“Maybe in the strictest sense, but a real kiss races your heart and steals your breath.”
Doubt clouded her face. “I’m sure you have a lot of experience with that. Many women must have counted you extraordinary over the years.”
Oh no.He wasn’t about to be trapped that way. Jealousy never served to aid a relationship. “I won’t lie. You’re not the first woman I’ve kissed, but I have a feeling you will be the last.”
“Oh, that sounds lovely.” She leaned in, and he took that as an invitation.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.
Their lips met, and he intended to teach her exactly what a knock-you-off-your-feet kiss entailed.
“You two might want to reconsider that!” Miss Plane’s voice shattered the moment. “Detective Lawson just returned!”
Lydia and Abraham pulled back from a kiss that barely lasted longer than the first.
Lydia let out a puff of breath that bounced a curl lying on her forehead. “I suppose that is my just deserts for all the times I interrupted her and Broderick.”
As much as Abraham wanted to curse Miss Plane for her timing, the truth was, a kiss of the nature he desired to give was best served much later in a courtship. “It’s wise we wait. Until Billy Poe is caught, we really shouldn’t be courting, much less kissing. And I haven’t even asked your father for permission.”
