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A smile that held an unspoken promise. The winsome smile a woman bestowed on the man she adored and who held her heart.
Shelby’s heart skipped a beat, then accelerated into an irregular cadence.
She loves me. She loves me. She loves me.
When would he hear those coveted words from her sweet lips?
TWENTY FOUR
Blackheath Cottage entrance
Two blinks later…
Perhaps today.
“Would you like tea or perhaps something more substantial?” Roxina asked. “I baked bread and gingerbread this morning.”
What time had she arisen to have baked and gardened already?
Did she, like him, have trouble sleeping?
Did thoughts of him keep her awake at night, just as thoughts of her kept his slumber at bay?
“Not now.” Shelby shook his head. “I have something important to discuss with you first.”
When her features didn’t fall into the neutral, shuttered expression she usually reserved for him, his heart soared with encouragement. A new openness, a welcomeness she had never shared before lit her face, softening the sharp lines of her usual guarded demeanor.
“Well, do come into the sitting room.” Roxina glanced at the hallway mirror as she led the way down the narrow corridor. “Oh, my goodness! Why didn’t you tell me I had dirt on my face, Shelby?”
Cheeks blooming with color, she rubbed furiously at the mark.
Shelby found her self-consciousness adorable.
“Because, Roxina, even with smudges on your face, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever known.”
She ceased swiping the smear.
Surprise flitted across her face before delight softened her features, and a pleased smile arched her mouth, revealing a rare, unguarded joy.
Had no one ever told her she was beautiful before?
After leading him into the sitting room, she motioned toward a green settee, the style several decades old.
He chuckled, sweeping his gaze over the profusion of verdant hues. “I take it the previous owner had a fondness for green?”
She laughed, unfettered and unrestrained—the first time he had ever heard her laugh freely—and his soul soared.
“How can you tell?” Mirth danced in her chocolaty eyes. “It’s everywhere! Even the china.”
The last vestiges of Shelby’s heart tumbled to lie at her feet.
He already loved her, adored her, cherished her.
But this happy, lighthearted Roxina?
For her, he would capture the wind and bottle the dawn, scale the heavens to snatch a comet from the sky, and pluck the stars to weave into her silky tresses.
“Please, have a seat,” she invited, perching on the edge of a chair herself, like a timorous songbird, ready to take flight.
