Mattie reached out and touched the soft petals of a rose. “Thorns can be removed,” she remarked.
“Yes, they can, but it can be a painful process,” Winston said.
“Only for people that are afraid of being pricked,” Mattie retorted. “But I believe that some things are worth a moment of pain.”
Winston turned to face her, his expression unreadable. “How is it that you know precisely what to say to speak to my heart?”
Mattie shrugged, pretending that his words did not affect her. “I suppose it is because I am very wise,” she teased.
“That you are,” he agreed, hesitating. “Mattie… I am grateful for this moment alone… with you.”
As he uttered his words, Mattie saw Matilda jump up on her bench, sprawling out lazily. She pointed to the goat, and said, “It would appear that Matilda is in need of a rest.”
Winston followed her gaze. “Yes, I do wish that Mr. Warren wouldn’t let Matilda roam free in our gardens.”
“I just adore Matilda,” Mattie said.
“Matilda is just a goat,” Winston teased.
Mattie grinned. “I saw Matilda perched in a tree yesterday,” she said. “She bellowed at me as I passed.”
Winston turned back to face her, his expression growingserious again. “Yes, well, I was hoping to speak to you, and it wasn’t about Matilda.”
Her heart raced as she sensed the gravity of what he was about to say. “What did you wish to speak about?”
He took a deep breath. “Mattie, do you ever think of that kiss?”
Every day.
But she didn’t dare admit that.
She nodded. “I do, on occasion,” she replied, attempting to keep her voice steady.
Moving closer to her, he said, “That kiss changed everything for me… for us. It made me realize that I cared for you, far more than I ever cared for another.”
Mattie’s heart swelled with emotion, but fear still lingered. “Winston, if that was the case, why did you treat me so terribly after?”
“It was because you ignored my letter, but I am willing to move past that?—”
She furrowed her brows. “What letter?” she asked, interrupting him.
“The letter I delivered to your cottage,” Winston replied. “The one I wrote the night we kissed.”
“I received no such letter,” Mattie assured him.
Winston pressed his lips together. “But I handed it to Miss Emma, and she assured me that she would deliver it to you.”
“She never gave me a letter,” Mattie asserted.
A look of palpable relief came to Winston’s features. “For so long, I have thought the worst of you, but I was wrong to do so. I thought… you didn’t care.”
Mattie looked into his eyes, seeing the sincerity there. Her walls were crumbling, and despite the risks, she knew she had to take the chance. “Winston, I care for you, more so than I should admit.”
Winston reached out and gently took her hand. “You don’t know how happy I am to hearyou say that.”
She took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of hope and apprehension. “Dare I ask what was in that letter?”
As he opened his mouth to reply, the sound of slow clapping echoed from behind them.
