Page 44 of His Unforgettable Bride
As much as she told herself it wasn’t to see Gray, she was having doubts. It was trite to say so, but he made every day brighter. And who didn’t lean toward the light? Well, probably plenty, now that she thought about it.
Sighing, she veered off the road and tiptoed to avoid the swampy grass. To the best she could gauge, she headed southeast toward town. Skeletal trees loomed as she hurried down a dirt path, drawing her shawl tighter around her neck.
A large sandbar curved on a horseshoe beach. The sunset of yellows and oranges reflected on the water and beamed on shells and scattered debris. She turned toward the thick, towering woods.
A tall man exited the stand of trees and approached. Juliet paused, squinting at him until he waved his hand high above his head. “Hello.” His familiar voice echoed.
Gray. What a pleasant development.
As she waved back, her eyes focused on his form. More accurately, his broad shoulders. “Hello, yourself. Are you coming to fetch me?”
Admittedly, she admired his appearance and liked that he stood taller than her. Not all men did—the reverend, for example. And the scruffy manliness of Gray’s whiskers—she liked that, too. Not to mention the gleam that sparkled in his lively golden-brown eyes whenever he grinned.
No, she didn’t mind that for a heartbeat.
He’d donned a too-short shirt, suit coat, and trousers that rode inches above his ankles. Still, he was the most adorable thing she’d ever seen. Tabitha had ordered him better-fitting clothing that hadn’t arrived yet. “Is it not the gentlemanly thing to do?”
When he reached her, she fell into step beside him. “I could have managed on my own. Do the sisters know you came after me?”
“Once I suggested my plan to Livy, she thoroughly supported the idea. How is Icala’s ailing wife?”
“She’s expecting a baby and can’t keep any food in her belly. Poor thing.” Juliet had never pictured herself in such a condition. What if she fell in love, wed, and expected a child one day, only to orphan the little one?
The thought made her nauseous, much like Icala’s wife, perhaps. No, she couldn’t think about that. “What’s happening back at the house?”
“When I left, Livy was beating Cy at checkers, and Tabitha was?—”
“Reading a book.”
“Indeed.”
“And you?”
Gray shot her a look. “I was attempting to sketch the lettering on the sign for the tea shop but kept worrying about you.”
Her brow rose. “Me?”
“Indeed.”
The past week had been busy with construction inside the tearoom. Cy and Gray worked from well before daybreak to after dusk each evening, except on Sundays. Now that Icala had rearranged his schedule, he hoped to start helping with the construction, too.
Although it had been evident to everyone that first morning that Gray had not known much about carpentry, he learned quickly under Cy’s direction. By midweek, he’d been measuring, sawing, and hammering as if doing so his whole life. Was that the confirmation they had been waiting for that he was really Alex? Or was Gray merely a quick learner?
With him in the lead, they entered the wooded area, the temperature dropping and the light dimming. There were other routes home, though far longer than the one they now journeyed. Gray raised a branch high enough for her to pass underneath before releasing the springy limb.
Before he started forward again, he reached for her hand. “Holding hands…for safety’s sake might be helpful.”
She glanced down at where his fingers encircled hers. His skin was soft, cool, a perfect fit. “For safety, huh?”
“Precisely.” Under the canopy of thick brush, his eyes seemed to challenge her, daring her not to pull away. “It is quite dangerous here.”
“You’re right.” She lifted her chin and challenged him back. “I was frightened for my life the whole way to Icala’s.”
“I am told the raccoons and squirrels are actually vicious in this part of the woods.”
“Is that so?” She tried not to smile, but it wasn’t working well.
As he started forward again, she didn’t pull away from him, but suspected she probably should.
