Page 33 of Hearts of Wealth

“It means Henry will pay you for your work, and then it goes on the market, so do a good job. We want it to sell quickly.”

“You guys actually ran him out of town?” I asked.

“Yes. Trust me, Sleepy Hollow does not want him around.”

I thought about it and then got a little sad. “That house is going to sell quickly,” I said. “And then someone is going to get in there and undo all the hard work I’ve done. They’re going to break the rules.”

“No, they won’t,” he said. “Because I’m going to buy it. But don’t tell him that. He’ll jack up the price.”

“What are you going to do with another house?”

“I’ll donate it to the Historical Society,” he said. “They can make it a museum or use it for offices or an event space.”

“Timothy!”

I squealed, throwing my arms around him in delight. “That’s brilliant! It’s exactly what I wanted, the house being preserved and everything.”

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. “I know,” he said, grinning broadly. “I’m nothing if not an excellent listener. My house is cooler, but I’m not giving it up. They’ll have to settle for that one.”

“You’re more than just a good listener, Timothy,” I said, looking up at him with adoration. “You’re also the most stubbornly protective man I’ve ever met. And you have no idea how much that means to me.”

Timothy looked down at me, his eyes softening. “I think I do, Catherine,” he murmured, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on my forehead. “I think I do.”

“So you and Luke, huh?” I asked. “You two are a bit of an odd couple.”

“He’s not a bad guy,” he said.

“You know my dad was trying to set me up with him?” I teased.

“I’m not surprised,” he chuckled.

“Are you worried?”

“Nope.” He shook his head.

“You’re very confident.” I grinned.

“Shouldn’t I be?” he asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement. “After all, I have you wrapped around me right now.”

I laughed and playfully elbowed him in the ribs. “Don’t get too confident, Timothy.”

“I can’t promise that,” he replied with a teasing smile. “But I’ll try my best.”

“I should go,” I said.

“Stay,” he whispered, nuzzling my neck. His tongue slashed across my earlobe.

“I can’t,” I moaned.

“Yes, you can.”

“Paisley.” I whispered her name as his tongue slid down the side of my neck.

“She’s sleeping over at Sarah’s. They went to a movie, and a few of the girls are sleeping over.”

“You’re all alone tonight?” I asked.

“I don’t have to be.”