Anna sucked in a quick breath, suddenly weightless. The soft, tenderness of his lips, the fresh scent of his breath…
As quickly as it began, he pulled away, taking the fleeting warmth and wanting with it. Eyes hooded, his gaze lingered, searching, while reverent congratulations began to usher through the room. Her lungs tried to work. How did one breathe? She stared, mouth partly open, her heart beating a furious rhythm.
He blinked his eyes wide and looked away. The two other fellows neared her husband, all smiles and slaps on the back.
“Anna!”
Behind her, Eliza and Kitty took her by the shoulders and turned her to face them. They wrapped her in a firm embrace then released her, talking at once.
“I’m so happy for you.”
“Mrs. Fredericks. The name suits you well.”
“Come.” Thomas motioned to the kitchen. “Let us enjoy some refreshment in honor of our newly wedded friends.”
Kitty neared, her husband by her side. “Anna, I would like to introduce my husband, Nathaniel Smith.”
He bowed, his handsome face brimming with happiness. “’Tis a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Fredericks.”
Anna curtsied. “The pleasure is mine.”
Kitty smiled up at her husband, love shining in her countenance as he continued to speak. “I surely speak for everyone when I say we are pleased to have you join our little family.”
The emphasis he placed on the last word brought the ever-present moisture to her eyes once more, but blessedly it stayed in place. The generosity so sincerely offered moved her beyond words.
He took his wife by the hand. “We will soon have you and your husband to our home for supper. But I believe Kitty has brought some delicious vittles for us to enjoy here.”
Kitty looked at her husband and nodded. “True.” She grinned then took Anna by the hand and led her to the kitchen. “I always manage to have some baked goods waiting to be eaten.”
At the doorway, a hand brushed her arm. “Mrs. Fredericks?” That now familiar timbre tickled the air at her neck. She turned, her chest instantly tightening. Her husband’s kind features rose. “I would speak to you.” He paused and looked to the others gathering around the table in the kitchen. “Only for a moment.”
“Of course.”
He gestured to the parlor, ushering her to the place they’d stood moments before.
“I hear…” He lowered his voice and turned to face her. His jaw tightened and loosened before he spoke again. “I hear there is a farm we may look after.”
She slanted her head. “Farm?” She heard him but failed to listen, instead allowing her vision to trace his hair, his eyes, his lips, remembering all too well the pleasing sensation of his mouth against hers. The pleasure tickled her memory, begging to be savored, but she forced away the vain imaginations
and raised her head, fully determined to keep her eyes and thoughts away from anything but the business he wished to discuss.
William shifted his weight over his feet. “An entire family has passed, leaving their farm in need of care.”
She forced both her breath and her pulse to stay calm. “Oh?”
“Doctor Smith says no other relatives have come forth to claim the property, and to this point it has remained vacant.” William stopped, his eyes studying her face. “Would that…would that please you?”
Would it please me? She blinked and gripped the skirt of her gown. No one had ever asked that of her. This had to be a dream, for how could reality bring such a man into her life? She shook her head lightly, believing the action might clear away the hopes she wished not to be dashed, but instead, it clarified them. In the light of the fire his honey-colored hair looked darkish brown, his eyes glimmering with a kind of sincerity she’d never known. Could this be real? Would this feeling of being wanted, cared for, continue when the sun rose again the next morning?
The words jumped from her lips. “You would ask me such a thing? If it would please me?”
He tilted his head, his eyes thin, as if her question were so foreign he could not interpret it. “Of course. If we are to work together, should we not be equal partners and have equal say in such decisions?”
His response rendered her mute. She looked down. Never had a man, or any person besides Mother and Samuel, expressed to her their desire for such an open and honest relationship. Edwin had never discussed anything with her—had cared only for those things which furthered his interests. As did her father.
She peered at him. “Are you in earnest?”
“You do not like the idea.” He pulled back. His words inquired more than accused.