Page 54 of Winning Her Duke

Hale didn’t seem to mind as he watched her with a grin of satisfaction on his face.

“Look. Dante has multiple pages,” she said, flipping through.

“I would say so. He is a most noteworthy racehorse.”

“Except, they have this wrong.” She pointed to the information.

“I’m sure they check and double-check everything before printing.”

Was he doubting her? She raised an eyebrow and he chuckled before recanting.

“I’m sure you are correct. What do they have wrong?” He leaned closer and she caught a whiff of his scent which had become as familiar to her as her own. Leather, sunshine, and the sweetness of hay. He’d gone riding that morning without her. Had he missed her company?

“The description,” she said, focusing on the book once more. “I’m sure he has a white sock on his front foot not his back.”

“Well, you can verify it easily enough.” He waved toward the door and she knew right away he was referring to her other paintings.

“You’re quite right.”

“As I generally am,” he said in a lazy way befitting a duke. Only she knew him well enough to know he wasn’t as arrogant as he pretended to be. She was fortunate enough to know the real Hale.

She didn’t address his comment, instead, she entered the drawing room from the terrace and went to the door to call for Luther. She asked him to get her paintings from Bess and bring them down for her, then thanked him as he left for the stairs.

Hale had followed her inside and sat by the table to wait with her.

It was only a few minutes longer before the stack arrived and they were sorting through the paintings. Each of them focusing on their own pile seeking for the page with Dante’s image.

“Oh,” Hale said in surprise.

She looked up to see a grin pulling up both corners of his mouth. His dimple popped out and she was unable to look away. At least until he spoke again.

“I thought you said you reserve your talent for painting magnificent creatures?”

“That’s right.” She tilted her head to the side waiting for him to make a joke.

When he turned the painting toward her, she felt her breath catch at the same time her whole body went hot then cold. It couldn’t be. She hadn’t had that painting with the others. At least she hadn’t thought so. Had she tucked it away when Bess came into the room so her maid wouldn’t see it?

Had she forgotten it was there? Bollocks.

Obviously, something had gone wrong because Hale was holding a drawing of himself. Not just himself, but himself smiling at the artist the way he had the day Xandra had arrived.

“I can explain,” she said on instinct, though there was really not an explanation that would keep her from dying of embarrassment.

Best just to go with the truth then.

“I did this after Xandra arrived. You were so happy that day. I had never seen you smile like that before, and I thought it would be a good idea to capture your… exuberance, since I’m sure it doesn’t happen often.”

“Exuberance?” he said with a laugh. “I don’t recall being overcome with such an emotion.”

“But you were happy. Happy to see her, that is. And it’s not every day that you will happen across a breed of horse you’ve not met before.”

She stood and began pacing as her mind flitted from thought to thought, desperately trying to get herself out of this awkward situation and put them back to rights.

If he thought for a moment she had feelings for him, he would surely end their friendship immediately. And she would…

She would very possibly fall to pieces.

She handled skittish horses all the time, but Hale was beyond skittish.