Elinor’s brow shot up. “You don’t?”
He held his hands out wide. “I don’t know why you sound so surprised. We are on the outskirts of the village, and I don’t think anyone would give it much heed.”
“Thank you,” Elinor said. “That means a great deal to me.”
Alden held her gaze, his expression earnest. “I want you to be happy, Elinor. I hope you know that.”
Elinor nodded. “I do.”
“Good, because maybe I will wear a kilt and go riding a horse,” Alden quipped.
She laughed, just as he had intended. “That would be quite a sight to see,” she said. “I don’t think the grooms could handle that.”
Alden chuckled. “I don’t thinkIcould handle that.”
“My father always encouraged me to be who I wanted to be. He said that life was too short to be someone you weren’t meant to be,” Elinor shared.
“That is some good advice.”
Elinor offered him a weak smile. “My father would have liked you.”
“From the way you speak of your father, I have no doubt that I would have liked him as well,” he said. “Same with your mother.”
“No, my mother would not have liked you, at least at first,” Elinor remarked.
Alden brought a hand to his chest, feigning outrage. “And why is that?”
Elinor gave him a knowing look. “You were far too cocky when I first met you.”
“That is because I had to make a good first impression on you,” Alden said. “I take it that I failed.”
“Only a little,” Elinor said with a grin.
“If I made such a poor impression, why did you agree to help me?” Alden inquired, his curiosity piqued.
The humor left Elinor’s face and her eyes grew guarded. “That was different.”
Alden’s brow furrowed, sensing the shift in her mood. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No…” Elinor said, pushing back the plate. “It is late, and I am growing tired.”
“Don’t go,” Alden said, not quite ready for her to leave. “Not yet. We can talk about anything that you would like to.”
Elinor considered him for a long moment before asking, “Would you have truly married Miss Cowen?”
Alden huffed. “Heavens, no!” he replied. “I was just trying to make you jealous.”
“You were?”
Finding himself curious, he asked, “Did it work?”
Elinor lowered her gaze before admitting, “If I were to be honest, I was a little jealous.”
Alden felt elated by what Elinor had just admitted. Perhaps she did care for him, just as he did for her. “How could you ever think I would marry Miss Cowen?”
“You wanted the horse farm,” Elinor said with a slight shrug.
“I did, but I was just biding my time until I could convince you to marry me,” Alden admitted.
