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“Can I ask you a question to answer a question?” Joel replied.
Raya was confused, but didn’t have the willpower to think it over. She nodded.
“Will you marry me?” Joel asked. He reached up and untied Raya’s hands, which had long since turned pale and gone numb from the lack of blood. When Raya didn’t reply, he began to ramble. “I know it’s untraditional, and certainly you were expecting me to pick Michaela—but I love you, Raya. I love how you look when you’re on a horse, when you’re free. I love that fire of an independent woman deep inside of you. I love how you’re not afraid to ask me the things that no one will ask me.”
He looked ready to continue, but Raya interrupted him with a quick, “Joel, shut up.”
He gave her a horrified look, but when Raya sat up and kissed him, his love was sealed. He kissed back, putting his hands on the back of Raya’s neck.
“Yes, I’ll marry you,” Raya agreed after she pulled away from the kiss. Joel sighed, and she admired the way that he looked when he wasn’t putting up a front. “I’ll stay with you forever,” she said.
Joel savored the word, repeating it in his head as they fell to the bed, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.
Forever.
6. Emily’s Desire
By: Erin Walsh
Emily’s Desire
© Erin Walsh, 2015 – All rights reserved
Published by Steamy Reads4U
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.
This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please return it to the seller and purchase a copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.
Warning
This book contains graphic content intended for readers 18+ years old.
If you are under 18 years old, or are not comfortable with adult content, please close this book now.
Chapter 1
Emily sat at her workspace, carefully threading another piece of yarn through the long, intricate spool that Finn had set in front of her. She had thirty more to complete before she took her lunch break, and she was already weary from the tedious work. “I’m not sure how much more of this I can complete, Leila.” Emily glanced over at her cousin who seemed unfazed by the looming pile of yarn sitting before them.
“You know, Emily…” Leila flicked one of her long tresses of golden hair behind her shoulder. “It could always be a lot worse. We could be stuck over in the stables, mucking out straw and manure with Ellie and Felix.” She chuckled and then covered her mouth, feeling embarrassed that she had just poked fun at her male cousins’ work. Emily rolled her eyes.
“Yes, yes. I know that situations always have the potential for being far worse, but it still doesn’t take away the fact that my fingers are raw and my hands are going limp from all of the pulling and tying.” Emily wasn’t much of a complainer, but for months now she had been hoping that by some twist of fate her life could be altered. She wasn’t necessarily unhappy, but she was still convinced that there was more out there in the world than she had yet seen.
“Maybe Finn will promote you, and then you can help him with the dyeing process, instead. Jessie and Carmine seem to like that phase of the industry work.” Leila shrugged and then decided that there really wasn’t much that she could do to appease her cousin’s woes. As far as she was concerned, it was decent work with decent pay, and she didn’t think it warranted too much to complain about.
“Maybe Finn will promote you, instead.” Emily raised her eyebrows and then gave her cousin a playful smile. “I see the way he looks at you every time he walks through here with a loom to disassemble. You know he is on the hunt for a good, pleasant wife.” Emily wondered why Finn wasn’t married, already. He was a fairly attractive man and he had a lovely home up in the Lancaster valley. Emily knew that he had a real soft spot for Leila, but she also knew that Leila would have no interest in him because of his age.
“I think that the two of us would benefit from some time away from this place, even though I really don’t mind the work.” Leila smiled and pulled a long strand of yarn from the pile. She threaded it around the spool and then lifted it up above her head. Emily watched as Leila spun it around the spool. Just as Leila was about to comment on how much she liked the color of the yarn, the door swung open, and Finn stepped inside.
“Good afternoon, Emily and Leila. I’m happy to see that you are both hard at work. You might be glad to find out that I am letting you both out early this afternoon. I just received a report from further up in the hills that snow is coming in our direction.” Finn stood with his hands on his hips. He looked concerned, yet not fearful. It was somewhat unusual for Lancaster to be hit with winter storms this time of year, but the two cousins were thrilled, nonetheless.
“Well I suppose we best get cleaned up in here, then.” Leila was the first to get up from her chair. She scooped a large pile of yellow yarn into a pile, and then stacked her cotton squares into a neat pile on the floor. Emily began picking up her scissors, spools, and yarn bags. Finn watched on with satisfaction, pleased that the girls were both efficient and amiable. He wished that all of his employees had the same solid work ethic and positive attitude.
“Thank you, Mr. Dillmore. We’ll be on our way shortly.” Emily smiled and then got up from the table. She was relieved to have the rest of the afternoon free, and she was already thinking of creative ways to spend the time. Leila wiped down her area with a dry cloth and then pushed in her chair, as well. Finn watched on a few more minutes, and then walked away to break the news to the rest of his crew.
“Shall we stop at Griffin’s Café on the way home? I bet they still have some of those cinnamon rolls from breakfast.” Leila’s eyes got wide as saucers. Emily chuckled, always amused by Leila’s love for sweets.
