by Rebecca King
‘But that is different. I mean, you were in those situations to save people’s lives. My father and I stayed at the shop because it is all we have ever known,’ Rosemary argued.
‘What I am saying is that we all make decisions that we may regret later. It is our responsibilities that can unnecessarily tie us to places, or relationships. It is often difficult to see a different future when you are trapped in the present. It doesn’t mean that a different future isn’t possible, it just means that you have to genuinely want it to make changes you need to make so you can be happy.’
‘Are you happy now?’ Rosemary asked, although doubted he would be willing to tell her if he wasn’t.
Luke smiled and looked at her with eyes that were openly appreciative. ‘Let me just say that life is getting considerably better. I mean, just a few short days ago, my home was nothing more than a veritable sea of boxes. Now, thanks to you, it is a proper home. A few days ago, my life here was more settled but was also rather boring.’
‘Boring? Why?’ Rosemary asked.
‘Because this house is a family home. It is really far too big for just me to live in. It is far enough away from the villages to afford me the privacy I need, but close enough that I don’t have to travel for miles to reach a tavern, or a grocery, but the house was empty,’ Luke reasoned.
Rosemary wanted to ask him if he had purchased the house with a family in mind but daren’t because it made her sound needy, as if she expected something more from him. Right now, she knew exactly what she wanted, and it wasn’t to go back to the shop when the problems had been resolved. She didn’t want to move somewhere else when his investigation was over either. Rosemary knew that she wanted to stay where she was and spend her life with the man beside her.
I just can’t tell him that.
‘You have been exceptionally kind,’ Rosemary assured him. ‘Not many people would allow strangers to stay with them like this.’
‘I had to,’ Luke replied.
Rosemary slammed to a stop and stared at him. ‘Your friends made you?’ She was horrified.
Luke grinned. ‘Ah, no. The Star Elite expect us to dedicate our lives to their cause. However, they don’t expect us to hand over our houses to their purposes. Well, not often in any case. I had to make sure that you were safe, but for personal reasons,’ he announced simply.
Rosemary stopped to stare at him. At first, Luke didn’t look at her. He continued to study the house as if lost in thought. Eventually, the silence lengthening between them warned him that he had to be open and honest with her, with them both.
‘Something else happened the day that Samantha Morton attacked you. I watched what they did and the dignified way you dealt with their spite. The second I saw you, something in here clicked.’ Luke thumped the centre of his chest. ‘It was as if God had suddenly put everything I have ever wanted right before me. Despite the problems you faced that day, I just couldn’t walk away. As an investigator of the Star Elite, I knew that it wasn’t for me to help you deal with spiteful young women like Samantha Morton and her friends. I usually deal with far more dangerous and sinister criminals. You know, the kind who end up behind bars.’
‘You don’t think that Samantha Morton will end up behind bars for what she is doing,’ Rosemary interrupted.
Luke sighed. ‘If she had left it at merely pushing you, she might have gotten away with it. After all, it could be classed as a one-off attack, a fit of pique, or a flash of temper. But that was before I knew about the attacks on you and your father. The fire was considerably more dangerous to you, your welfare, your home, and yes, your life. Nobody can put someone else’s life in danger and not face justice for it. It is attempted murder.’
‘You knew that there was more to her malice, didn’t you?’ Rosemary whispered wondering if he had read something in Samantha’s mannerisms that had warned him that she was more of a hardened criminal than just a spiteful young woman.
‘I saw more in you than her, Rosemary,’ Luke corrected. ‘Even upon meeting you I knew that you weren’t as malicious as her. I have relied on my gut instincts for years. They warned me that I had to be on guard around Samantha. Her attitude, her arrogance, is evident from the looks she gives people, her arrogant smirking, as if she finds being rebuked or told about her behaviour funny. The group of women she is often with has given her confidence, an entirely false sense of infallibility. In contrast, you were merely going about your own business, doing no harm to them when they came at you. As someone who fights to protect the innocent, I knew that I just couldn’t walk away.’
‘But that is your professional need to protect the innocent. I don’t want you to feel that I need your protection at home too. Is that what the kisses have been about? You have been trying to assure me that I am safe here and that you can protect me?’ Rosemary needed to know, preferably before she got hurt any more than she was going to be if she had to leave.
‘No. Kissing you is personal, and driven by need and desire, nothing more,’ Luke assured her.
Rosemary felt a warmth spread out from the centre of her chest and begin to flow through her veins. Her heart thundered as hope began to blossom into something more compelling. She knew that Luke could probably read her emotions on her face, but she didn’t care. It would help her considerably if he did read how she felt about him. But even as Rosemary thought that she knew she had to be honest with herself even if she found having to say the worlds so very troubling that she couldn’t force them past her lips. It was odd to even contemplate saying three special words to anybody, especially a man like Luke. It was troubling to think that she wanted to say them to someone like Luke so soon after having met him. Moreover, it was concerning that she didn’t seem able to do anything to stop the way she felt. It had become a major part of her that her life prior to meeting Luke looked barren. Now, whenever she was with him, her day shone brighter, her future looked happier, and her life became considerably more enjoyable.
Luke stepped closer. When he lifted a hand to cup her cheek, he was aware that it shook a little, and that was most disconcerting. It warned him that his feelings for Rosemary ran far deeper than he realised, and that what was happening was going to change his future forever and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
‘We need to spend as much time together as possible while you are here,’ Luke said gently. ‘We are both adults and need to realise that there is a connection between us that is marking us both. It can enable us to create a wonderful future together but only if it is what we both want. We haven’t really spent much time together. I should like to change that. With your permission, I think we should spend time together with a view to making our relationship permanent in the future.’ Luke visibly winced and threw her a rueful look. ‘God, I sound like my father.’
Rosemary grinned. ‘I should love to,’ she assured him around a laugh. It was wonderful to see this awkward side of such a self-assured man like Luke. He was confident and capable by nature, but to see him being unnerved by something like his feelings toward her was wonderfully enlightening.
‘It is a little confusing, isn’t it? I mean, I didn’t expect for any of this to happen.’ She waved a hand airily between them. ‘I didn’t expect to meet you but now that I have, I am not sorry about it. How can I be? You have been wonderful. You have saved my life, helped me, and are doing everything you can to make sure we are safe.’
‘I don’t want to be just your protector,’ Luke warned.
‘I know. If I am honest, I am not altogether comfortable with you being my protector. If it weren’t for Samantha Morton and her father, we wouldn’t need a protector,’ Rosemary argued. ‘I would be delighted to spend time with you, but on one condition.’
Luke’s brows lifted. ‘Go on.’
‘I want to spend time with you, the man, not the protector. While we were walking just now you were on guard, watching everything and yes, noticed that something was wrong, but neither of us saw anything. We have no proof that
there was anybody watching us. While we did the right thing, I don’t want to only spend time with you when you are on guard.’
‘I am a Star Elite investigator,’ Luke reminded her, mentally wincing. ‘Being on guard is what I do. I have done it for so long now I am not sure if I can stop.’
‘But I want to get to know you, the man. I mean, I know nothing about you. Who you are, where you come from, who your family are,’ Rosemary countered softly. ‘I know more about what you do with the Star Elite than I do about you personally.’
Luke grinned. ‘I confess that life has been busy and a large part of it has been involved with Star Elite work. However, there is more to me and I should be delighted to tell you all about it. So, with your agreement, we shall spend time together and not just when it is my turn to be on watch.’
‘Thank you,’ Rosemary replied.
Luke couldn’t restrain his smile. It broke free and remained in place many hours later when it was time for him to leave. He eyed the kitchen table Rosemary was clearing with regret and called ‘good evening’ to her father who shuffled off to sit beside the fire in the sitting room. With Thomas gone, Luke took a few precious moments to speak with Rosemary again. He didn’t hesitate to stop her when she was about to pick several plates off the table, but only so he could tug her into his arms.
‘I will be gone all night, so make sure that the doors are locked.’
‘Won’t your friends need to get in?’ Rosemary asked, settling against his chest.
‘Whatever for?’
‘Well, for drinks and the like.’ Rosemary blushed prettily when Luke’s gaze fell to her lips. She tried to pretend that her heart didn’t flutter, and that she wasn’t delighted by their closeness. It felt natural to nestle against him while they discussed what each of them were going to do. It was wonderful to have him looking down at her as tenderly as he was. Her stomach fluttered nervously as she watched his loving gaze lower to his lips. She waited for him to kiss her the way she wanted him to do with breathless anticipation.
‘They will stay outside,’ Luke replied. ‘You will be asleep, and they won’t disturb you. Besides, they will patrol the garden and will be able to keep a better watch on the house if they are at a distance. Even if something happens, they will work quietly so that you won’t realise that anything has gone wrong.’
Rosemary hated to think of Luke having to work like that.
‘Lock the house up when I have gone, and don’t open the door for anybody. There is enough food, wood, and water, so you don’t need to venture out anywhere. No matter who calls by the house, don’t open the door. Keep the shutters closed. I will be back in the morning,’ he assured her.
Rosemary nodded. When Luke fell silent and merely stared at her, she couldn’t bear the distance between them. With a boldness that surprised even her, she stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips against his. She expected him to push her away and scold her for being so brash. It was delightful that he cupped the back of her head and took command of the kiss instead.
The force of the kiss changed almost instantly. Luke had no doubt that they would have stayed where they were for some considerable time, and that far more would have happened between them, if it hadn’t been for the chiming of the huge grandfather clock in the hallway. What prevented him from staying was knowing that his colleagues were waiting for him. It was highly unusual for one of them to fail to arrive to take their turn on watch. Luke knew that if he didn’t appear at the shop on time the entire Star Elite would be out searching for him.
‘I have to go,’ he whispered reluctantly. ‘Make sure you get a good night’s sleep. I will see you in the morning.’
Rosemary struggled to hide her disappointment and forced herself to step away from him. She hoped that her emotions weren’t evident on her face but knew they were when Luke smiled sympathetically at her. Sleep, however, was going to be impossible now because her thoughts were going to be consumed by him and only him.
‘Good night, Rosemary,’ Luke murmured once at the door. ‘Come and lock up behind me.’
Rosemary did as she was told but once Luke was outside, he stopped her from closing the door. ‘When this is all over, I want you to give some thought to staying.’
‘In Oakley Bridge?’ Rosemary scowled, clearly disliking that idea.
Luke pursed his lips. ‘No. Not in Oakley Bridge.’
Inside, a wild surge of hope began to bloom but Rosemary refused to allow it to grow because she didn’t think she could bear the disappointment if he were going to suggest she live somewhere else nearby.
‘I want you to think about staying here, at Wickerstone. Your father likes the workshop and has the space he needs. You have turned this house into a wonderful home. It is only right that you should get to enjoy it.’ Luke struggled to find any reason to regret what he was saying but he knew, deep in his heart, that this was what he wanted more than anything.
Words failed her. Luke had just presented her with all the things she had ever wanted in life. What Rosemary couldn’t understand was why. She longed to hear him say that he had feelings for her that were similar to what she felt for him, but he couldn’t – could he? It was far too early to decide that the growing affection between them could be love – wasn’t it? Was it possible to fall in love with someone at first sight? Was it possible to know, deep in your heart, that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone so soon after first meeting them? Was it right to trust such instant emotions and immediate connections?
‘I should like that,’ Rosemary whispered.
‘I am not doing this because I feel that I have to because of the Star Elite or your situation. I am doing this purely for selfish reasons. Since you have been here, the house has become my home. I know that I wouldn’t regret having to leave it so much if you weren’t here. I want you to stay. I want you to move here permanently.’
‘I-I am not sure,’ Rosemary murmured with a thoughtful frown.
Luke stepped toward her and tipped her chin up. ‘I am not asking you for any kind of definite decision. As dense as I am with matters of the heart like this, even I am aware that it would be wrong to ask you to make such important decisions on such a short acquaintance. What I don’t want you to do is stay here and plan the day you must leave. I want this house to be your home as much as mine. I want you to feel as if you belong here as well. If at the end of the investigation you still want to leave, of course you are free to go and with my blessing. I will do everything I can to help you settle into a new home of your choice. However, I hope that over the course of the next few weeks, we can spend as much time together as possible, and get to know each other so that when the time comes for you to decide what you want to do with your future, you choose to stay here with me – the man, not just the Star Elite investigator.’
‘But you are a Star Elite investigator,’ Rosemary countered. ‘Being a part of your life really involves being a part of the Star Elite, doesn’t it? I mean, it isn’t going to be just you who is affected by your need to be away for weeks on end. It isn’t going to be just your domestic life that is going to be altered by whatever investigation you are conducting, is it?’
‘No, and that is why I want you to carefully consider what you are letting yourself in for. There are no guarantees in life anyway, but even less for us. I cannot promise that I will always come home to you, but I will promise that I will do whatever it takes to fight to return to you as often as I can. You are going to need someone like your father to help you run this place while I am away. There are other wives who live close enough to be able to advise you if there is a problem. I will make sure that you meet them before you decide what to do. What I cannot consider is stopping what I do with the Star Elite. The men are my friends as well as colleagues.’
‘I don’t expect you to stop,’ Rosemary assured him.
‘It is important that your father stays too because you are going to need company, support, someone to talk to when I am away. Your father h
as plenty of space. If he doesn’t want to live in the main house, we can turn the rooms above the workshop into his living space if he wishes. He does have that level of freedom here.’
‘Have you spoken to him about this?’ Rosemary asked.
Luke pursed his lips. ‘I wanted to speak with you about it first because there is no point making the offer to your father if you don’t want to stay.’
‘I won’t go anywhere,’ Rosemary assured him but then realised that it made her sound as if she had already made her decision.
But I have because this man has become such an important part of my life already, I cannot live without him.
‘We will need to talk about this soon, but for now, I have to go,’ Luke whispered.
Rather than turn to leave, though, he swept her into his arms for another kiss. When he did eventually find his horse, and rode past the house, Luke knew that what he had just said to Rosemary was the best decision he had ever made. Now all he could do was spend the next few weeks with her doing everything in his power to help Rosemary believe it was possible to be happy with him at Wickerstone.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Luke spent the night replaying his conversation with Rosemary over in his mind. No matter how many times he tried to find regrets about what he had done, he couldn’t. In fact, it felt as if he had finally managed to fill a gap in his life that he hadn’t realised had dampened his enjoyment of the work he did with the Star Elite.
‘You are quiet tonight,’ Daniel murmured.
‘I am thinking,’ Luke replied ruefully.
Daniel’s lips twitched. He pretended to squint into the distance as if trying to think of what his friend might be thinking about. When he looked at Luke again, he grinned openly. ‘Let me guess, you are thinking about a troubled young woman who you couldn’t wait to move into your home.’
Luke grinned. ‘I don’t deny it. She is lovely, warm, friendly, passionate.’