Page 120 of The Texan Duke
She really didn’t have any idea, did she?
“I love you, you fool woman. I want you to come back to Texas with me as my wife.”
Now she was blinking at him as if she’d never seen him before. He glanced to either side of him to find that the crowd was growing.
“You can’t say that,” she said.
“Of course I can. I love you.”
“Well, you can’t call me a fool woman in the same breath.”
He wasn’t doing this at all well. Should he drop to one knee? Perhaps if he just told her the truth it would make a difference.
“You fascinated me from the very moment I met you,” he said. “I liked everything about you. And then I found out you knew something about cattle and dogs and that you’re the kindest person I know and perhaps the strongest. I know something about strong women.”
She took another step downward, approaching him as carefully as if he were a hungry bobcat.
“I like the way you smile and I want to hear you laugh a lot more. I don’t want you working as hard as you do, but I understand if it’s something you want to do. I like how you take charge and do things before other people refuse to do them. I like how you want to learn new things and the way your mind works. I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, but it’s not just your appearance I like. It’s your honor and your decency I admire as well.”
Her dawning smile was beginning to reassure him.
“Texas is a sight warmer, Elsbeth,” he said. “Right now, I’m freezing to death. Can we do more of this proposal in the carriage?”
She didn’t say a word, which made him wonder if he’d misjudged her smile. He was ruining this whole thing, and it didn’t help that it was being observed by dozens of well-bundled Inverness citizens.
He shook his head, reached out, and grabbed her hand, pulling her with him.
“I’ll still be a duke,” Connor said as he helped her into the carriage.
He gave directions to the driver to return to Bealadair, with an added caution to be aware of Samson at the rear of the vehicle.
“Does that matter to you?” he asked as he sat on the seat opposite her. “Our children will be dukes. I mean the firstborn boy will be a duke.”
She could only stare at him. The idea of having his child kept her silent.
He loved her?
Well, he could certainly have told her earlier. She would have told him that if he’d given her an opportunity to speak.
“Texas is different, Elsbeth. It’s bigger. It’s a lot warmer. I have a house but it’s not as large as Bealadair. I haven’t lived in it much. It feels too big for one man. But you might like it. If you don’t like it, I’ll build you another one. If you want a house as big as Bealadair, we could do that, too.
“We have something like the Highland Games twice a year. We hold a barbecue for all the men and their families and have tests of strength and a rodeo. We even have a caber toss that’ll remind you of Scotland.”
He was babbling and Connor never babbled. He was always decisive, always seemed to know his mind. He was the most collected person she’d ever known.
She leaned over the space between them and covered his hand with hers.
“Connor.”
He cleared his throat. “Elsbeth.”
“Yes.”
“Yes? Yes, you’ll come with me?”
She nodded. “I love you, too.”
Suddenly, she was airborne, her skirt and petticoat and her unmentionables showing as he lifted her and plopped her down on his lap.
