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He drew back as if she’d struck him.
“Do you think I am the kind of male who would force you to leave if you rejected my advances?”
“No,” she said quietly. “I wouldn’t have gone as far as we have if I thought that. But this is my family and I’m responsible for them.I needed to be sure we were clear. Wouldn’t you have done the same if it affected your men?”
He nodded as his anger faded. She was right to make sure that everything was clear.
“Then I hope you’ll understand this next part.”
Her attention was back on his buttons and he was already dreading what she would say next.
“I think we should have a moratorium on kissing. For one week,” she added quickly. “If we can get through a week without kissing or touching, then I’ll agree to formally accept your offer and move in a week from today.”
He was right—he hated the idea. But he understood.
“Very well. Beginning when?”
Mischief sparkled in her eyes as she looked over at the clock on the wall.
“In five minutes?” she suggested, then gasped as he tugged her impatiently into his arms. “Or perhaps ten.”
It was actually fifteen, but he did his best to make sure the memory of those fifteen minutes would last all week.
CHAPTER 15
Exactly a week later, Ida looked around the bedroom she shared with Tommy and smiled. Her quilt was on her bed, Tommy’s precious spaceship blanket on his, and their clothes filled the small closet and dresser. The rest of her furniture and belongings were stored in one of the outbuildings, although Temel had offered to let her change anything in the house she wanted.
As much as she appreciated the offer, those things represented her past, and she was determined to focus on the future. The carved wooden crib that had once been Tommy’s was set up in Dora’s room, Tommy’s books and toys were on a set of shelves she’d brought from his old bedroom, and her album of photos was stored in the bedside table. Nothing else was important.
She shook her head as she glanced out the window—barely midafternoon and everything had been done. Then again, Temel had only waited for the sky to lighten before heading into town. With four large males at her disposal, it had taken surprisingly little time to pack up ten years of her life. Dora had accompanied them as well, slipping away briefly to mail a few letters, but she didn’t seem distressed by the move.
They had retrieved Lady as well. As she’d hoped, Temel had been able to recover her carriage as well, although she hadn’t been present. It had simply shown up in the stables one morning, all traces of the muddy water removed.
As they loaded the wagons, she’d seen Mrs. Raven watching from the other side of the street, her eyes wide and scandalized. She was a short, stout woman with a round, rosy face, but as with her husband her appearance was deceptive. In her case it hid a bitter, mean-spirited heart, but Ida had just given her a cheerful wave then ignored her.
No doubt she would be the subject of town gossip for weeks to come.They’ll probably think I’m setting up some sort of reverse harem, she thought with a smile. But she didn’t want four males—she only wanted one. The one who had waited so patiently all week.
They had kept to the moratorium.Mostly.There had been a few brief slip-ups, for which she was equally guilty, but they’d done their best. She continued to join him in the study each evening, but they’d quickly learned not to try and share the settee but to sit in separate chairs as they talked. Saying good night was another danger zone—it was far too easy to lean towards him for a good night kiss. Or that first moment in the morning when he walked into the kitchen and their eyes met.
But the limitation on touching had also encouraged them to talk. She suspected she knew more about him than anyone else, everything other than the details of the war, but she had no intention of forcing him to relive those days.
And he knows just as much about me. The knowledge should have made her feel vulnerable. Instead it made her feel safe. If he knew everything and still… liked her, she had nothing to fear.And tonight they could do more than just talk. She hugged her excitement to her chest and went to find Dora.
Her daughter was leaning over Angel’s crib, setting the colorful mobile dancing. A little to her surprise, when she’d told Dora that she thought moving to the farm would be best for all of them, her daughter only nodded.
“I suppose it’s as good a place as any for now.”
“If you’re really unhappy here, I think I have enough put by for a small place in town.”
She didn’t believe that Dora would be happy there, but she wanted to give her the choice. Her daughter only shook her head, an odd look on her face.
“No. I think Wainwright belongs in the past.”
Dora didn’t look unhappy now, Ida decided, only thoughtful. But then she’d been like that all week—quiet and thoughtful.
“All moved in?” she asked softly.
“Yep.”
