Page 21 of Married at Midnight

CHAPTER SEVEN

The next morning, Ellie frowned at the grandfather clock Connor and her father had deposited in the foyer of Grayson House last night. She’d always hated the heirloom.

“Too bad our family tradition ends here with you, daughter.” Her father had sighed with regret many times in front of the clock.

At first she’d tried to persuade her father that since they were of English descent, and because England could recognize a female queen, he should accept a female heir.

That argument had gone nowhere, and over the years, she was reduced to simply rolling her eyes and proclaiming that both she and the clock were innocents in all this. That was until one day when she looked closely at the face of the clock and saw not an ordinary clock face, but the face of an old man.

No wonder the Hawthorne males loved the clock so much. He was one of them.

Old Man Hawthorne stared at her now as he had the residents of whatever house he’d occupied over the centuries, judging them, warning them not to make a false step in any Hawthorne marriage. The steady ticking of the old clock could easily be accompanied by a wagging finger of warning.

Ellie narrowed her gaze, trying to warn the old man in return. “You don’t belong here in this house, especially if you’re going to see too much. So keep that frown to yourself or you’ll find yourself on the front lawn. Got it?”

The old man continued to frown.

Ellie groaned. “Okay, fine. I can’t move you by myself, but you don’t have to watch us.” With a sudden, satisfied grin, she cast an old sheet up and over the crown, covering the clock. If her parents asked her why she’d covered their wedding gift, she’d simply explain she was keeping the antique safe from all the construction at the house.

The day passed quickly as she and Connor worked side by side, cleaning the upper floors and meeting with contractors. The bids for the roof, new siding and windows, and painting would come in tomorrow. Until then, they had plenty to do themselves. With the rest of her day, Ellie set about stripping the foyer of its old wallpaper.

Methodically she mixed up then spread the remover solvent across the aging paper. By the time she made her way around the front room, it was time to start peeling the paper off. Scraper in hand, she started at the top. Since most of the decorative covering had started falling off on its own, it took little effort to convince the rest to follow.

The most difficult part was moving the double ladder along the wall. Trying to save time, instead of getting down and moving the ladder, Ellie leaned out, struggling to reach the next row of paper.

Too late she recognized her mistake when the ladder wobbled and pitched away from her. With nothing to support her, she reached out and grabbed the only thing she could, the cloth covering the clock. The sheet slithered to the floor, doing nothing to break her fall. She fell . . . right into Connor’s arms.

Ellie shrieked at the unexpected rescue. Strength wrapped around her. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” He held her close to his chest. “It’s not every day I get to rescue a damsel in distress.”

Heat flooded her cheeks. “I wasn’t distressed, just stupid.” While she might not like the idea of being rescued, she did appreciate the way his arms cradled her as though she was precious and worth saving.

Time seemed to stand still as they stared into each other’s eyes. There was something different in his expression—something she couldn’t name. Warmth flamed inside her.

“I’ve got to go,” Ellie said, breaking the moment.

“Can I ask you something?” Connor asked at the same time. He lowered her to the ground. When she was stable on her feet, he released her. “Where are you going?”

“You wanted to ask me something?” Again they spoke at the same time.

He reached for her, settled his hands on her waist, and simply held her. “We’ve gone about this whole thing wrong. We might be legally married, but we skipped every step in a relationship to get there.”

“What are you saying?” Ellie asked, not sure if she was frightened or excited at where this conversation might lead.

“It’s what I’m asking you,” he clarified. “Let me make amends for my misdeeds in the past. Will you go on a date with me tomorrow night?”

She startled. Although it had been obvious he was interested in her, it had taken Connor five months to ask her out when they were in high school. Things were definitely improving with their timing. “You’re ready to put the past behind us?”

“It’s time, don’t you think?”

She nodded.

“Good. It’s a date then. Leave everything to me.” He bent and pressed a kiss to her forehead, then released her. “Where did you say you were headed?”

“My friends Jordan, Olivia, and I meet every Tuesday night. It’s kind of a tradition.”

His eyes narrowed. “You and yours have lots of traditions.”