Page 40 of If The Fates Allow
“Yes?”
“And after what I’ve witnessed and from what you’ve told me, I assume they’ve become friends?”
“Noah…”
“And your family wants the land John Richards is willing to provide should he receive a wife.”
He looked like a boy. This utterly masculine man looked as giddy as a child who had concocted the perfect plan for creating mischief. “I know where you’re going with this, but Lucy does honestly love Paul. She won’t want another man. Not even one she considers a friend.”
Leaning in, Noah nipped at her bottom lip. “Your sister is kind and decent. A genuinely good person.”
“There is no need to sell me on the merits of my sister.” She yanked him closer by his vest, both smiling like a pair of co-conspirators. “I know how wonderful she is.”
“Then let us show John Richards how wonderful she is.”
Utterly uninhibited, she kissed him for being a genius. “If I recall, it was you who suggested that she write him in the first place since I was always so busy with my doctor visits.”
“Amazing how that worked out.”
Smacking his chest, she pretended to be shocked, but ended up laughing her head off. “Amazing, indeed.”
Noah turned serious, observing her in the moonlight. “I want you like this always.”
“Like what?”
“Happy.” He raised his hand hesitantly, toying with the ends of her chestnut strands. “Can I have you like this, Willa? Can I have you like this forever? With your hair down, your face flushed, and your lips swollen from my kisses?”
He had her standing on that mountaintop again. The very same one he had led her to during The Gathering. “Yes.”
“By Christmas.”
The massive smile on her face flattened into a line of disbelief. “What?”
“I want you to be my wife before Christmas.”
“Christmas is in three weeks!” Her heart pounded in her chest, the excitement over what he was saying made her woozy. “We cannot convince Mr. Richards to marry Lucy and plan to run away together before Christmas.”
Running away together? It sounded so romantic. However, when dealing with her father, the idea was less like what she would find in one of her romances and more like a gothic novel coming to life.
“Why would we have to leave?” He was genuinely confused, and it broke her heart. “Don’t you want to be married with your family in attendance?”
“My father will never approve.” If he were truly willing to take her on, it was best if he understood the way of things. “Of you, I mean. Not when you can give him nothing in return. He would rather I rot away in that house than give up a possession for free.”
“Fine. Let him win. But then again, I can’t think of a better story to tell our children one day. Who wouldn’t want to hear of how their father was so desperate for their mother that he stole her away in the night?” Seizing her by the hips with two hands, he massaged the muscles there. “I want us to go up north. I think your lungs will do much better in cooler weather.”
“But what if I don’t?” She chewed on her bottom lip, thinking the whole thing through. “What if I’m worse?”
“Then we’ll go to a drier one and continue moving until we find a climate that works for you,” he replied as if he had already planned it. “The tea leaves I mentioned have arrived and are in my pocket. We can try them during your next attack and keep them on hand as we travel.”
He had yet to witness her in the throes of a breathing spell. Not that she minded, but she was afraid Noah would think she wasn’t worth the hassle once he did.
“I can’t ask you to move all over the place.”
The hands on her hips shifted to her rear and squeezed. “You can ask anything of me, and I’ll give it to you.”
“Oh, really?” His erection rubbed against her belly, and she swayed her hips. “Can I start by asking for this? Tonight?”
The blasted man took a step to the side. “Not tonight.”
