Page 108 of Boiling Point
I tilted my head. “If you like.”
She laughed, loud and unbridled. “That’s how you ask me to marry you?”
I arched a brow. “Would you rather I throw myself from the saddle and kneel in the mud?”
“Honestly? I’m not sure what I expected, but…a little more ceremony wouldn’t hurt.”
I made a show of patting my jacket. “Afraid I didn’t bring a ring.”
“Pity. I didn’t bring a pen,” she said, grinning. “You do seem to have a thing for asking big questions with government paperwork.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I beg your pardon?”
“You invited me to England with a passport application, remember?”
“It was a very efficient method.”
“It was a form, Cal.”
“A very official form.”
She shook her head, laughing as her horse sidestepped a low branch. Her laugh, bright and genuine, loosened something in my chest I hadn’t realized was still coiled.
“You’re not saying no,” I said, watching her from the corner of my eye.
“You haven’t asked me anything.”
I drew a slow breath, reining in until we were perfectly side by side. My pulse ticked hard at my throat.
“Marry me, Gabrielle.”
She stilled. Her reins slackened. For a moment, all I heard was saddles creaking and hooves on damp turf. Then she reached across and caught my sleeve, fingers curling into the fabric.
“God, I love you.”
I leaned in just enough for our foreheads to touch, the reins gathered loose in one hand, hers tangled in the other.
“Shall I take that as a yes? Or would you prefer it in triplicate?”
Her voice was warm against my cheek. “It’s a yes.”
Chapter 38
Gabrielle
Gravel crunched beneath our boots as we walked back up to the house. Cal looped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. I basked in his warmth, anchoring me to this moment.
He’d asked me. He’d really asked me.
“Shall I shout the news from the rooftops?” he murmured against my ear as we climbed the steps to Branleigh’s towering double oak doors. “Or shall it be our secret for now?”
“Just us for now,” I answered, nuzzling into him. “At least until after Isabel’s wedding. I don’t want to steal her thunder.”
“See? You’re already keeping me in line.”
The entry hall was cool and still. As we stepped inside, Cal slid his arm around my waist, his touch easy and sure. James cut across the foyer, a leather satchel slung over one shoulder.
He paused, eyes flicking to where Cal’s hand rested on my hip.
