Page 30 (1/2)
And how could she doubt him, when he looked at her thus--with those ah to reflect all her hopes and dreams?
"I honestlyhis finger from the crown of her head, to her brow, to the tip of her nose, to her chin "I admire every part of you, inside and out And I’rateful"
"Grateful?" she breathed "For what?"
"For the fact you’re not wearing a bonnet this " He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her
She alrateful, too--and for an equally absurd reason Not because she’d married a man who could turn her insides to jelly with a smile, or because he’d ued castle Not even because she trusted him so implicitly, so completely that she could accept not only kisses, but pleasure and praise from these lips
No, in that ratitude--for the fact that Toby was tall Taller than she, when so many men weren’t She would always have to reach for his kiss--stretch her neck, arch her feet--and feel just a bit girlish and uncertain and excited as she did This kiss would never lose its thrill
A giddy bubble of infatuation rose in her belly By sheer force of will, she taainst desire, but she was doubly resolved to guard her heart Desire would inevitably fade--but love?
Love had a way of altering one’s priorities And Bel needed to keep hers intact She pulled away, and he growled deep in his throat
"Yes, that’s enough of that," he said, planting one last fir her "Else we’ll never "
"Why is it we’re going there at all?"
"Just a ation canal"
"Ah, yes" Isabel remembered her reement, simply to vex your mother?"
"I’m certain there’swhen it core under the bridge, rather than the neighbor living across it" Their bootsplanks that bridged a small rill "I hope you don’t mind the walk," he said "I didn’t think you’d feel up to the carriage just yet"
"No," Bel agreed, her pulse accelerating at the mere mention of yesterday’s calaain
"And I suppose I could have left you at ho at her "But I’m too selfish for that This is our honeyed a wheat field in silence, walking arm in arm, and Isabel tilted her face to the warm June sunshine If God had ever created a , Isabel would still prefer this one She didn’t think her heart could withstand a day that carain were just a degree warhtly deeper shade of blue … if her husband, the handso under the sun, winked at her just one more time--true disaster could strike
She could fall in love
"We have a problearden hedge Behind the strawberries, gathering the tiny red fruits in one palirl had never seen strawberry plants There were so hts she’d never experienced
"We have a serious probleain "This little plan of yours is off to an inauspicious start"
"How so?" Toby asked
"Let ive you a hint If you don’t want the populace to support your candidacy, you shouldn’t go perfor heroics in front of the crowd You’re the talk of the borough, after that little trick-riding stunt"
Toby winced He’d iined that wouldn’t help his cause "Well, I couldn’t have done differently Should I have simply stood back and waited for disaster?"
"No, of course not" Yorke looked over his shoulder at Isabel "And even I have to applaud you It ell done, Toby For a moment there, even I was certain you’d break your neck But you should know, much as it pains my pride to admit it--now you may have to make a real effort to lose"
"It’s only a bit of excitement and chatter Don’t worry I’ll be cos; I’ll send no one to speak in my stead You’re still a sure bet for reelection, I’m sure of it"
"Perhaps But it is a proble them both with her sudden nearness She extended her hand to Toby "Have soht shake of his head It was all the ainst his ribs Surely she hadn’t heard the need bride who just discovered she’d been betrayed by her husband, less than one week into herthe irrigation canal Mr Yorke was about to tell me what his problem is"