Courtney wondered why she would talk this way, especially since flirting was not something she should be doing right now. However, it wouldn’t be polite to ignore his arm, now that he had offered it. She hooked her hand around his elbow, and he led her out of the house.
The evening was perfect. A small chill breezed around her, but the cooler temperature was refreshing. Pearl’s house was almost too warm for Courtney.
The sun had made its descent behind the mountains. The sparse clouds appeared lavender with splotches of yellow in the sky. It amazed her that she’d never really taken the time to study Montana’s sunsets before. With her uncertain future, she realized she wanted to see more sunsets, and she especially wanted to feel as peaceful as she did at this very moment.
Was it the sunset or the man she was with that made her feel such joy? Either way, the two made a great combination. Part of her wanted to keep them both in her life... forever.
SEVEN
ALTHOUGH THE SUNSETwas breathtaking tonight, Denton couldn’t get his eyes off something lovelier. He watched Courtney’s eyes light up as she studied the sky, and the awe on her expression was quite noticeable. He had gathered that she had been raised in Montana, and he wondered why she found the scenery so spellbinding. Then again, that’s how he thought about her right now, which was why he didn’t want to look at anything else.
“Did you have a good visit with Pearl?”
Courtney swung her gaze to him. “Yes, I suppose it went well.” She sighed. “But I can tell she and her husband doubt my innocence.”
“No, they trust my feelings, and I’ve told them both how I don’t think you did it.”
She shrugged and dropped her hand from his arm as they strolled side-by-side in the yard. “I cannot explain it, then, but I see a bit of distrust in the way they look at me.”
“Then we’ll have to change that really soon, won’t we?”
She nodded. “The sooner, the better.”
“While you were with Pearl, I went riding with Clark and had a lot of time to think. I’m starting to believe I don’t know Terrance’s siblings very well, and so I need to rely on you to help me.”
She stopped suddenly, and her gaze jumped up and met his eyes. “Me? Why would I know about Albert’s children? None of them liked me, and so we didn’t converse much.”
“True. However, I think Albert would have talked about his children. Or, you might have heard one of his servants gossiping. One way or another, I think you have heard something that might be helpful in this case.”
She frowned and twisted her hands against her middle. “Oh, Denton. I want to help you, truly I do, but the five times I had visited with Albert alone, I don’t think he talked much about his children.”
He needed to calm her down, reassure her that she could do this. “Courtney,” he said, gently cupping the side of her face, “take a deep breath and relax.” He waited for her to follow his instructions, and when her chest slowly rose and fell, her shoulders relaxed. “Close your eyes now, and I want you to think back to the first time you’d met Albert... the first time you really had a good conversation with him.”
Courtney’s eyes closed, and her breathing evened out. He moved closer and caressed both her shoulders, trying to help her keep calm. “Tell me about the meeting.”
“My parents took me to his estate. I was devastated by their decision tosellme to a man so much older. I was angry at them, and my attitude wasn’t very pleasant.” She kept her eyes closed. “Albert was understanding, and while we all sat in his parlor, he and my parents discussed the wedding arrangements and the money situation.”
