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Olivia stopped beside the mounting block and looked from him to the horse. "Are we riding together?" she asked, her eyebrows lifting.

"Yes," James replied, extending his hand toward her. "Unless you have suddenly developed an objection to horses."

Olivia placed her hand in his, trying not to notice how easily his large fingers enclosed hers. "I have no objection to horses," she said, allowing him to help her mount. "It is husbands who occasionally concern me."

She settled herself in the saddle before him, and in that instant Olivia felt a shiver run through her. His body pressed warmly against her back, solid and unmistakably masculine, and she became painfully aware of every point at which they touched.

His strong arms came around her to take the reins, effectively enclosing her between him and the horse, and Olivia suddenly found herself far too conscious of the breadth of his chest behind her. She caught the faint scent of him beneath the cool morning air, something distinctly James, mingled with leather, soap and the outdoors, and her heart began beating far too quickly.

Good heavens.

She had been near him before, had stood beside him, but this was different. There was no polite distance between them now, and every movement of the horse brought another subtle reminder that she was sitting in his arms.

James appeared completely unaffected, which Olivia found both reassuring and deeply irritating. She tried to concentrate on the countryside instead, watching the estate roll past them in green stretches and wooded paths, but she could not stop noticing the warmth of him at her back.

When he shifted his hands upon the reins, his forearms brushed lightly against her sides, and she swallowed.

This is ridiculous.

She was married to the man. Surely, she ought to be capable of sitting on a horse with her husband without becoming flustered. Yet she had not expected his closeness to affect her quite so profoundly, nor had she expected to feel so safe within the shelter of his arms.

After some time, James guided the horse along a narrower path beneath a canopy of trees. The sound of rushing water gradually grew louder until the trees opened onto a rocky clearing, revealing a waterfall cascading over a series of dark stones into a clear pool below.

Olivia stared in wonder. "It is beautiful," she breathed, dismounting with James's assistance.

James tied the horse to a nearby branch before joining her. "I used to come here as a boy," he said, his gaze fixed upon the water. "I played along those rocks, climbed the trees and generally gave my father reason to be angry with me."

Olivia looked at him with surprise. "You?" she teased. "A troublesome child?"

James gave her a dry glance. "It is difficult to imagine, I know."

Olivia laughed and began walking along the edge of the water, carefully stepping from one wet stone to another. "I think I would have liked you as a boy," she said, turning toward him with a smile.

"I doubt you would have liked me," James replied, following her closely. "I was considerably less patient."

Olivia stepped onto another stone. "I find that difficult to believe." The moment the words left her mouth, her foot slipped. She gasped as the stone shifted beneath her, and before she could fall, James lunged forward and caught her around the waist.

Olivia's breath caught as James pulled her against him, his arm firm around her as he steadied her. She looked up, startled, and found his face much closer than she had expected. His blue eyes locked upon hers, and suddenly neither of them moved.

The waterfall thundered behind them, but Olivia heard nothing except the rapid pounding of her own heart. James's gaze dropped briefly to her lips, and the sight sent a tremor through her.

Is he going to kiss me?

Her entire body went tense with anticipation, yet she did not pull away.

He leaned closer, and Olivia instinctively held her breath. For one suspended moment, she thought he would close the distance between them, and the possibility sent a rush of warmth through her.

Then James seemed to jolt himself out of the moment. His expression hardened, and he straightened abruptly, setting her carefully back upon her feet.

"You must be more cautious next time," he said, his voice suddenly stern as he released her.

Olivia stared at him, still trying to recover her breath. "I shall endeavor to remember that," she replied softly.

James turned toward the waterfall as though nothing had happened, but Olivia remained rooted to the spot. Her heart was still racing, her lips tingling from a kiss that had never occurred, and her mind was filled with questions she dared not ask. She had spent weeks telling herself that friendship with James was enough, that their arrangement was practical and that she ought to expect nothing more. Yet as she watched him standing beside the rushing water, Olivia knew with uncomfortable certainty that whatever existed between them was becoming far more difficult to dismiss.

For several moments they walked beside the waterfall without speaking, following the narrow path through the trees while the sound of rushing water filled the silence between them.

Olivia was still painfully aware of what had nearly happened among the rocks, and every time she glanced at James, she remembered the way his eyes had dropped to her lips before he had abruptly stepped away. She tried to dismiss it as a moment of foolishness, an accident brought about by their closeness and the surprise of catching her, but her heart refused to settle. James walked beside her with his usual controlled expression, though she sensed something restless beneath it.