Page 30 of The Lord Next Door I Wished For
He seemed so in command, and so sure of himself.
She was reminded once again of what her mother kept telling her whenever she so much as sighed with exhaustion during the wedding preparations.You ought to be grateful, child. Lord Northbridge could have anyone he chooses.
So why did he choose me?
She shook her head. She already knew the reason. But even so, his family certainly didn’t need her family’s land, and there were other women who had ample dowries as well.
He turned his head and caught her staring. “Is something the matter?”
“No, I just…I don’t know why you chose me, that’s all.”
His brows hitched ever so slightly and she regretted the admission instantly. It sounded like she was searching for compliments. “I mean, I do know. Of course I understand it’s to do with the land and…and all that. It’s just that my mother keeps pointing out that you could marry anyone and—”
“Your mother is a fool.” His harsh tone had her straightening. He glanced away, and when he looked back at her, that anger was gone. “There was no other option for me.”
“Oh.” Her heart fluttered wildly. What did that mean?
His gaze held hers, and for a moment she felt a stirring. A connection. A terrifying flare of hope that had her sucking in a breath and looking to the lake.
He was talking about the practical reasons he’d had to choose her. This was a business arrangement for him, and nothing more.
A fact that was much harder to recall only moments later when he pushed a loaf of bread in her direction with a look of concern. “You’re not eating.”
She stared at him blankly like a nitwit, and all she could think was…did business partners worry if the other was well fed?
“You’ll make yourself sick if you don’t eat,” he said.
She reached for the bread with a nod. That was her answer. Business partners surely did care about the other’s eating habits if their welfare was at stake. She took a bite of bread and chewed it slowly, hardly tasting it as she tried to make sense of these strange new emotions.
She peeked at him out of the corner of her eyes, watching as he contentedly picked out an apple and bit into it.
What was it about Luke that made her feel so at odds? One moment she found him irritating, the next she was charmed by him, and she couldn’t for the life of her decide if she was happy about this upcoming marriage…
Or if the thought of a lifetime as this man’s business partner made her want to cry.
She stuck the bread in her mouth and bit off another piece.
Oh yes, she was confused, all right. And perhaps it was the fact that she couldn’t seem to reconcile her thoughts when it came to this man.
There were times she thought she knew him. Times when he reminded her so much of her kind, wonderful, fun-loving friend.
And then there were other moments where he was so serious, and when a mere look from him made her belly flip and her heart race.
He turned his head and smiled when he caught her staring.
For a moment, she forgot to breathe. Goodness, he looked handsome in the sunlight.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, his voice a low rumble that sent shivers down her spine.
She swallowed hard and scrambled for a response that didn’t include the mention of how handsome he’d become. Brushing crumbs off her lap, she looked around at the serene meadow and the sparkling lake. “I was just wondering what we’ll do.”
He arched a brow.
“With all this time I have now, thanks to you.” She grinned over at him, and looked away again quickly at the oddly fierce look in his eyes that seemed to burn straight through her.
Her voice wobbled a bit as she pretended not to notice that look, and asked merrily, “With all this time, what shall we do?”
There was a silence. A brief pause…
