Page 10 (1/2)

And here, so far fro seemed possible

But then he looked at the sky "We’d best be on our way home"

On the way home, Charlotte declared herself exhausted She on

Diana sat on the driver’s box beside Aaron They talked of nothings for the first hour or so, while the sun sank lower in the sky

Finally, Diana chanced a quick look over her shoulder at the wagon bed "I think she’s asleep"

"Thank God" Aaron transferred the reins to one hand, then used his free arainst his shoulder "You can rest, too, if you like"

"And waste this precious time with you? Never" She looked up at him "I liked your sister very hed a little "No, she didn’t She was kind and hospitable, but terribly suspicious of me"

He shook his head in denial

"Yes, she was She was suspicious of me because she cares about you And that’s why I liked her" She reached up and touched his newly cropped hair "I’ out for you"

His hand stroked up and down her arm

"I hope you weren’t offended that I didn’t tell"No, I understood it"

"Did you? Perhaps you can explain it to"No reason to have your fa"

"I suppose you’re right"

"There’s no rush We’re just getting to know one another"

Were they, really? Diana was so confused This wasto care for hio, but every hour they spent together strengthened the attraction

He wasn’t just a well-built body, a handsoood man, and he deserved to be with so her patience, but she knew she owed it to him to make up her mind Either accept him for the h he heard her thoughts

He glanced at her "I won’t think less of you"

"I’d think less of rew stern "Don’t do this to prove so about yourself, Diana Not to me, or to your mother, or to anyone There’s no sha over the realities We could both cite several reasons to let this go"

"You mean realities such asyou need a ho can cook?"

"Or that you need a husband who can ht never accept me," she said

He nodded and said, in a perfectly serious tone, "Your hed, then laid her head on his shoulder "Honestly, it’s Charlotte The effect on Charlotte isto be brushed aside Ifand hard about it, too"

As they crested another of Sussex’s rolling hills, she wondered if she’d ever meet another man who made her feel so free to be honest And she had the awful, sinking feeling that with all their honesty, they’d just talked theether

"Aaron, I know it’s unrealistic to say the differences won’t matter To say ‘Love conquers all’ But if you--"

He shushed her

Oh, drat She’d used the word love She’d broken the cardinal rule of female subtleties, as her mother described them She’d spoken That Word aloud, and he wasn’t ready for it

And now it truly was over

CHAPTER 8

Aaron had never been more reluctant to interrupt a lady, but in this instance, he had no choice

He slowed the horses to a walk and explained, "There’s so"

To the side of the road, a donkey cart appeared to have lost its wheel The driver of the cart stood in the center of the lane, wearing a patched coat and waving his hat in a plea for assistance

"Does he need help?" Diana whispered

"Hefor trouble

Aaron stopped a fair distance from the cart He reached under the driver’s box and retrieved the pistol he kept there He’d loaded the weapon before setting off frolad of it This lance--but it never hurt to be cautious

Patched Coat jaon "Good afternoon, sir My cartwheel’s gone off its axle, and I can’t repair it on my own As you can see, the missus is in a delicate state"

He nodded toward the cart, and behind it Aaron could reat with child

"Can I ask for a moment’s assistance, sir? With the two of us, we should have it lint in the man’s eyes and an oily quality in his s her elbow into his ribs "She’s pregnant Night will fall before long We have to help theated now He couldn’t look like a callous, unsympathetic o, danced on the verge of professing to love hiht there," he told the on aside

"You stay here," he told Diana in a firm, low voice He put the pistol in her lap and the reins in her hands "Chances are, I’ll be back in twountoward happens, you drive away If I call to you to drive, you drive away Do you understand? If there’s trouble, I can handle myself But I can’t handle myself and protect you and Charlotte"