Page 91 of Tempting the Highland Spy
The pain in her eyes was like a punch in the gut. “That is precisely what I think.”
“You are incredible.” Anger and despair laced her tone. “You still don’t trust me.”
“Should I, Grace?”
Her lower lip quaked, and her throat constricted. “Evidently not.” She tossed the cover aside, came to her feet, and marched up to him. “After all, I’m nothing but a thief. Right?”
“I did not say that.”
Her chin went higher. “Then whatareyou saying?”
“I was a fool to trust you.”
“Were you now?” she challenged. “I’d say I was the fool. I thought you were a man of integrity.”
“God above, Grace… I thought you would refrain from putting yourtalentsto work long enough to complete this blasted mission.” He turned away and went to the door. “Get dressed. I’ll be back in a quarter hour to settle this.”
She followed him. Her fingers curved over his shoulder. “Give me my brooch.”
Slowly, he turned to meet her gaze. “Yourbrooch?”
With a nod, she reached for his closed hand. Moisture glistened in her eyes. “I need that. It’s all I have left.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know how you got your hands on my mother’s brooch, but I insist that you return it.” Her bottom lip trembled, and she gulped a breath. “Now.”
Unfolding his fingers, he examined the heart-shaped pin. Tiny gems in shades of red and blue and green adorned the gold.
“I can prove it.” A whispered note of desperation blended with her anger. “That piece was a gift from my father. Look at the back.”
As he turned it over, he spotted the engraved letters.ALW.An invisible fist slammed into his chest.
Bollocks!He was a fool. A jackass of the highest magnitude.
“Anna Lea Winters.” Contempt dripped off each softly spoken syllable. “Now, I’ll thank you to take your head out of your backside and give that back to me.”
He placed the brooch in her palm. “Bloody hell… I assumed…”
She stared down at it as if he’d tarnished something quite precious.
“It seemed a reasonable conclusion.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I am sorry, Grace.”
“It would have beenreasonableto ask me about the piece. But in your eyes, I am nothing more than a thief.”
He moved to take her hand, but she jerked away. Her eyes blazed with hurt and anger.
“I told you I was sorry, Grace. The assumption was logical, given the past.”
Her chin trembled. “Notthepast.Mypast.”
He reached for her again. This time, she didn’t move away. Enfolding her in an embrace, he drew her near. Letting out a sigh, he threaded his fingers through the silken strands of her hair. When he held her like this, everything seemed right. Deep within, his heart pulsed with a yearning so unfamiliar, it seemed a bitter ache nothing else could ease.
“You said it’s all you have left. Grace, what did you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said. That brooch is the only possession that truly means anything to me, the only thing I own that my mother ever touched. Everything else was sold to make ends meet.”
“Will you tell me what happened?”
