He tried not to grin.I’m almost there...
###
CLARISSA WAS TIREDof the mixed emotions rolling through her...and it had nothing to do with their discussion about ghosts.
Ryder seemed different somehow. Before she’d left to find a water bucket, he was cold and unfeeling. Now, he seemed to be more caring. The boy she remembered from school had returned. Well, sort of, anyway. He wasn’t fun and teasing, but yet, given the situation, she couldn’t expect him to be.
The concern he had for her shone through his eyes and in the tone of his soothing voice. Her heart melted, and a memory tugged at the back of her mind, reminding her of the afternoon when he had kissed her. She recalled loving the secure and safe feeling she had with him—and wanting it always. She had cherished the way he’d made her heart flip-flop and the silly way her stomach twittered with excitement.
“I would like it very much if you could stay and visit with me,” Ryder said, bringing her out of her thoughts.
“Why?” she asked timidly.
She studied his eyes, especially his facial features. She’d known him well when they were in school, and she’d be able to tell if he was lying to her or not. Then again, he’d rarely lied to her when they were friends. He joked with her quite a bit, and the only time he didn’t tell the truth was when he was trying to protect her from something horrible.
He arched an eyebrow. “I suppose it’s time you convince me that Prince Ormond is the right man for you.”
She sighed as another memory floated through her head.Flowers...Prince Ormond had given her the perfect bouquet. “I’m aware that you think I don’t know my own mind because I have fallen for Ormond so quickly, but you just don’t understand.”
“Help me understand.” Slowly, he reached out to her.
Her first urge was to grasp his outstretched fingers, but just as she began to stretch forth her hand, something in the back of her mind shouted at her to stop. She snapped her hand away and turned to walk to the window. Her heart beat frantically against her ribs. She wished she knew why she’d had such a strange reaction. Why did she feel so constantly confused lately?
“Remember when I told you about the Rapunzel flower?” She looked over her shoulder at him. “The one that my father picked for my mother before they were married?”
“Yes.”
“Well, when Ormond brought them to me on that first day, I felt a connection.”
“A connection with the flower—or with him?” He scratched his neck.
“With him, of course.” She shrugged and turned toward him, leaning back against the rock wall. “It was almost like destiny was speaking to me. I mean, my father picked this particular flower for my mother, and then Ormond picked them for me.”
“All right, I see things a little clearer now.” He walked back toward his cot and sat. The blankets and basket of food were on the cot, and he reached into the basket and withdrew an apple. “So tell me: what do you see him bringing to your marriage?” He took a bite of the fruit.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“For starters, you don’t even know him. What if he treats you with a harsh hand? Or what if he ignores you after you’re married, just so he can be with his friends all the time?”
She laughed and flipped her hand through the air. “Don’t be ridiculous, Ryder. He won’t do that.”
“How do you know?” He paused to finish chewing his food before swallowing. “I’ve heard of many marriages that turn out to be terrible. Some of my friends have married too quickly, and soon their love disappeared and they ended up resenting the other. That’s not a pleasant life to live, you know. Don’t you want a lasting love?”
Frowning, she folded her arms. “Of course I do. YouknowI do.”
“Then you need to get to know him better before you hurry down the aisle and say ‘I do.’”
Irritation grew within her. What did he know? He was just trying, once again, to talk her out of marrying Ormond.
“All I’m saying,” he continued in a soothing voice, “is that you should take a few weeks to get to know the real Prince Ormond. I want my best friend to be extremely happy when she marries.”
Although his smile wasn’t very wide, Clarissa could tell it was genuine. She might be upset at him right now, but it was obvious he still cared about her welfare. Indeed, he was and would always be, a true friend.
Clarissa sighed. “Perhaps you’re right.” She turned and leaned her elbows on the edge of the window, tapping her fingernails against the stone as she eyed the scenery of shrubbery and tall trees. “I have to admit that I’ve felt a certain urgency to wed him ever since we met, but I believe you are right. I do need to get to know him better. I certainly don’t want to be with a man I cannot love forever.”
“Have you ever asked yourself,” he continued, “why you feel this sense of urgency? At first, after returning from visiting with your cousin, you weren’t in any hurry to find the man of your dreams.”
“True.” She looked at him.
