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“Your father still lives here, does he not?”
She couldn’t shy away from his perfectly reasonable question, but she frowned all the same. “He does. For the most part.”
“Then people shouldn’t question the arrangement overly much.”
She sat up and glared at him, not sure if he was being purposely obtuse or if it was just a natural talent. “They absolutely would, and you know it.”
“Hmm, perhaps.” He rubbed his finger along his bottom lip, watching her until she grimaced.
“His presence isn’t exactly…reliable. In fact, he’s been gone for the last several days, and I have no idea when he’ll return. A fact known by most of the town,” she muttered.
“All right, Miss Schumacher. We obviously have more to figure out than we are going to tonight. But I’m throwing myself at your mercy. I have to get some sleep. I’m starting work with Doc tomorrow, and I am woefully ill-prepared as it is. So I’m going to do something I’ve never done with anyone before in my life. And beg.”
He sat forward in his chair, leaning toward her with his eyes locked on hers. “Please let me stay. Just for tonight. For now. We can discuss any further arrangements tomorrow. But for tonight…” His voice changed, grew deeper, softer. It sounded as she imagined it would first thing in the morning after waking. A bedroom voice. “Let me stay.”
She trembled beneath his gaze, her pulse jumping in her throat. Men didn’t speak to her that way. They didn’t think of her that way. But the way Adam’s voice lowered made it sound like he wanted her. No man’s eyes had ever raked over her before, stripping her bare without ever touching her. No man had ever begged to stay beneath her roof. For any reason.
And here he was, a man who seemed to maybe want her. Wanther. Not just what he could get from her, because aside from this exact moment, he’d made it clear he wanted nothing from her.
Would it be so terrible to be married to such a man? She might never get the chance again.
Of course, despite the way he was looking at her, he hadn’t been shy about insisting he wanted nothing to do with marriage to anyone. And she wouldn’t stoop to forcing a man to stay married to her when he didn’t want to be. Not permanently, anyway. Just for a little longer.
No matter how much she was starting to want him to stay.
“Nora,” he murmured. “Let me stay with you.”
It was thewith youthat did her in. And her name falling from those full lips. She gripped the arms of her chair and tried to force her body to calm.
It didn’t work.
“You’ll leave tomorrow if I wish?”
He nodded. “You have my word. Though I hope you’ll let me try and convince you that we can come up with an arrangement that saves your reputation without putting me on the street.”
“Very well, then. If I have your word that you will leave tomorrow if I ask…” He nodded again, and against her better judgment, she believed him. Then again, a man’s word was all he had in this world. Even gunslinging gamblers had to keep their word if they wanted people to respect them.
Besides, just because she’d agreed to let him stay didn’t mean they actually had to share the same roof. In fact, him having nowhere else to go could work perfectly to her advantage. What better way to ensure he was miserable enough to agree to sign the papers? She needed to get this marriage legal and get that deed in her name. After that, she didn’t think it would take much encouragement to send her reluctant husband running for the hills.
She stamped down the twinge of regret at that thought. “If you stay, I have a few rules.”
“As I expected.”
She frowned slightly, not sure if he was mocking her or not, but he seemed to just be listening with polite interest, so she pushed on.
“Don’t go wandering about the house or property at night. I sleep with my shotgun, and if you startle me in the middle of the night, you’re liable to get shot before I realize who you are.”
“No wandering. Got it.”
“My father…” She paused, her brow creasing before she sighed. “He tends to come and go. He won’t be happy when he returns to find you here, I’m sure. So…just keep an eye out and try to avoid him if possible. I will explain the situation to him, but if he finds you before I can…”
“I’ll do my best to stay out of his way.”
Truthfully, she wasn’t all that confident she could convince her father to let him stay on their property. But she’d worry about that when, or if, her father ever decided to return home.
She nodded. “And most importantly, never leave the garden gate unlatched.”
His forehead crinkled in confusion. “That’s the most important rule?”
