“You trust me with it?”
“Of course. I trust you entirely, Tess.” He could hardly confess how much he wanted that trust returned. Earning it had become his deepest wish—one he’d whispered at the wishing hollow—especially after what her brother had revealed of Tess’s heartbreak.
If he could lay hands on whatever rotter hurt her, he’d be more than happy to break him.
“I’ll see you tonight,” she said, and then rushed off before he could say more.
Even as they’d worked together the past days, when they’d taken that night under a full moon, and today when she’d found the first real sign of the treasure yet to come, he’d sensed a hesitancy in her. A wariness.
He’d never been more determined to win a woman’s trust. The hell of it was, he’d never wanted a woman as much either.
Tess favored the village fair in the spring. There was one held in autumn too, and it had once been her favorite—how could one not adore apple cider and pumpkin scones and the smell of crushed fall leaves?
But the autumn fair had been where she’d met Mr. Shaw, and when the spring fair came around the following year, it had been such a bright spot. All the vibrant flowers and fruits had held a promise of a fresh start. A new beginning, even for a feckless young woman with a broken heart.
So the spring fair was her favorite now, and she relished helping Mrs. Wells set up her booth and prepare the treats she offered each season.
But after she’d assisted Mrs. Wells, she approached the main street of the village. Others had already gathered to prepare their offerings and then enjoy the evening’s bonfire that would be lit in the field at the edge of town. Tess couldn’t help remembering that autumn night years ago and how eager she’d been to fall in love.
And now, despite everything she knew, despite all the rules she’d made for herself, and all the ways she planned to protect her heart, she found herself looking for Dominic.
Whatever she’d thought she found in Shaw was nothing to what she felt every time she looked into Dominic Prince’s eyes. His scent, his nearness made her heart race, made her blood feel like syrup in her veins. And in the past days she’d found herself wanting to believe in happily ever after again.
But it only proved she was still that foolish girl.
Nothing about a man like Dominic suggested he was at all interested in ever after or love or any sort of commitment beyond a few nights of passion.
And a seductive and all too brazen voice in her head had begun to ask whether that might be enough this time.
A few nights of passion with a man who made her feel beautiful and desired and who didn’t make false promises of anything else.
Could she give herself that? Could she keep her heart from breaking when he left Norfolk?
“I haven’t seen you in far too long, Tess.” Bill Bromley’s wife, Sarah, drew up beside her with a basket full of fresh strawberries.
“Sarah, goodness, I’ve missed you.” Tess smiled and fell into step beside her friend. “Are you at the far edge of the fairgrounds again this year?”
“I am. Will you walk down with me? I could use a hand with Benedict. That boy has a frightening propensity for wandering and a nose for getting into mischief.”
Tess laughed. She could just spot the dark-haired boy in the distance, helping his father to assemble their booth.
“So you don’t recommend motherhood then?” Tess asked teasingly and with a glance down at Sarah’s growing belly.
“I recommend it wholeheartedly, just with the warning that you’ll be run off your feet if you happen to have a five-year-old like Benedict.”
“Duly noted.” Tess had always wanted a family, a husband, children. After all that had happened, she’d wondered if any of the men in the village would ever consider her. It was well known that she’d done more than steal a few kisses with Alister Shaw.
And what if she gave in to her longing for Dominic and that were discovered?
“George Faircross mentioned that he hoped to dance with you at the bonfire tonight,” Sarah told her with a wink as if reading Tess’s thoughts.
“Did he? He might have waited and said as much to me.”
“Oh, he’s Bill’s closest mate. He meant no harm by expressing his regard for you.” Sarah nudged her playfully with her elbow. “He’s not the only gent in the village who does—”
Sarah had stopped walking and stared off in the distance. Tess followed her line of sight and her heart began a wild tattoo.
“Is that him?” Sarah whispered as if he might overhear, despite the fact that he was far across the field and still striding toward them. “He’s the talk of the town.”
