“Well, that is good to know,” Mattie muttered.
“But it all changed when we kissed,” Winston admitted,his voice softening. “Everything I thought I knew changed in a blink of an eye, and I realized that there was a fine line between love and hate. And I crossed that line.”
Mattie’s eyes widened slightly. “What are you saying, Winston?”
Winston reached for her hand. “I love you, Mattie,” he said. “Even when I thought I hated you, I loved you. I have tried to fight it, but I miscalculated my feelings for you. My whole life is you, and I know that now.”
“You love me?” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I do,” Winston confirmed.
Mattie grew quiet, her gaze thoughtful. “Are you not worried about how different we are? We fight constantly.”
Winston grinned. “I don’t want normal and simple and easy. I just want you,” he said. “Do you think you could come to love me?”
She lowered her gaze to the lapels of his jacket, and he feared that he had gone too far in his questioning. However, in a soft voice, she said, “I love you.”
He brought his finger under her chin and lifted it until their gazes met. “Do you truly mean it?”
Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “Like you, my heart started turning the moment you kissed me. I tried to fight it, but you claimed my heart that night.”
Winston moved his hand to cup her right cheek. “You should know that I am not a rich man. I intend to stop working as a barrister and focus on my sheep farm. That means we will have to live in a cottage that has a leaky roof, at least for now.”
A small smile came to Mattie’s lips. “I do not mind a little water.”
“I intend to work hard and give you a home that you deserve,” Winston said.
Mattie’s smile widened. “I do not need a home like BrockhallManor. I just want a place where we can raise our children and be happy.”
“I promise that I will be the man that will always make you smile,” he asserted.
“And I promise that I will always love you, even when you say the most idiotic things,” Mattie joked, her eyes sparkling.
Winston lifted his brow in amusement. “You are a minx.”
“That is not the worst thing that you have called me,” she retorted.
“No, it is not,” Winston said. “But I do believe our days of name calling are over. I would prefer it if I called you ‘my love.’”
Mattie seemed to consider his words. “I will allow it.”
“There is only one more thing that I have to do,” Winston said as he lowered himself down onto one knee. “Miss Mattie Bawden, will you do me the grand honor of marrying me?”
“Yes!” Mattie exclaimed.
Winston jumped up and pulled her into his arms. “You have made me the happiest of men,” he said. “But there is one more thing that we must do.”
“Kiss on it?” Mattie suggested with a playful smile.
He chuckled. “I was going to say that I need to speak to your father, but I like what you proposed as well.”
Mattie shifted in his arms and looked up at him, her eyes warm and inviting. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, making everything seem right in the world. Mattie was his; he existed for her. And nothing would compare with this kiss, knowing that his love would last forever.
Winston was so engrossed in the moment that he barely registered the loud clearing of a throat behind him.
Mattie broke the kiss and turned her head. “Father!” she said, taking a step back from Winston, her cheeks flushed.
Lord Wythburn glared at Winston. “What is going on here?”he demanded.
