He'd been a fool to propose the way he had the night before, acting too quickly and too rashly out of fear. Hoping to claim her as his own but not wanting to acknowledge why he wanted her, not even to himself.
Her wide eyes were still filled with questions—why was he leaving? Why was he running away? Shame flooded him at the thought.
She deserved better than a coward who ran away.
“I found that the one woman I was interested in making my wife had turned me down. There seemed little reason to stay.”
She winced and opened her mouth to speak, but she was interrupted by the sound of a loud laugh coming from the direction of the main house. They both looked over and then back to each other.
Standing in the doorway, they were in full view if anyone were to pass this way. He saw her realize it too...that they were here alone. Together.
He reached for her hand and tugged her inside, safe from curious eyes. She drew in a sharp breath as they entered the cool shadows of the stables but she made no move to pull her hand from his. “I’ve been plucking up the courage to explain why I said no. But it’s a bit of a risk, you see.”
His heart quickened as his fingers tightened on hers. “A risk? How so.”
Daisy filled her lungs with air. “Well,” she started, her chin tilting to look up at him, fear flickering in her gaze.
He held her cheek with his other hand, gently massaging her temple with his thumb. He’d not make her take the first step. That was his job, he understood that now. “Don’t tell me yet. I’ve actually something I want to say to you first.” He leaned over and placed a light kiss on her forehead, drawing in her fresh scent as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. “I’ve realized that my plan to find a suitable match, it—”
“Stop,” she said, her head suddenly titling away. “Do you hear that?”
He lifted his head, training one ear toward the open door. A light rumbling filled the air.
“Thunder?” she asked, tucking even closer to his body.
That male part of him that wished to protect her always reared to the surface. He let go of her hand and wrapped it about her waist. “It doesn’t look as though a storm is on the way.”
But the noise didn’t dissipate and, instead, grew louder. That’s when he realized...it was a herd of animals coming toward the stables.
“What in the…” he started.
But a booming voice rang out, “Clear a path. Clear the stables.” And then yapping of dogs carried over the noise of the hooves.
It took Griff one second before he grabbed Daisy about the waist and tugged her into an empty stall, slamming the gate behind him and somehow tossing the lock into place before the interior of the stables burst into a cacophony of noise. He reached for her again, pressing her back into the safety of his larger frame. The farmer yelled, the dogs barked, and the sheep bleated and ran, being funneled into the small space of the stables.
He heard the doors on the other end wrench open and glancing over the wall of the stall he watched as fifty or more sheep barreled out the back of the stable.
Daisy wrapped her arms about his waist, tucking her head against his chest. He wrapped her in his arms, gently rocking her as the noise died down.
“Oh dear,” she murmured against his chest, not lifting her head. “That was…”
“Interesting,” he answered, dropping his cheek onto the top of her head.
She nodded into him. “That’s the right word, I’d say.”
In the rush of noise and activity, several chickens had flown into the hay loft above and one flew down, resting along the wall of the stall until he flew down into the stall itself, landing next to Daisy.
“We’ve got company,” she smiled against his coat even as the chicken began pecking the hem of her gown.
He lifted her up onto a bale of hay so the chicken wouldn’t do anymore damage to her dress than had already been done by the rose bushes, when more voices filled the air.
“Did you see the sheep?”
“Are they all right?”
“Was anyone hurt?”
Griff stilled. Were those people coming toward the barn? Would they come in? If they did, he and Daisy would surely be found alone. Swinging her into his arms, he tucked them into the dimly lit corner of the stall, settling himself onto the floor with her in his lap. Her body fit snug to his as she burrowed her face into his neck. “If they find us…” she whispered.
“Shhhh,” he softly responded. “They won’t.” And then he smiled. Just a little. “And if they do…”
She looked at him then, her chin tilting back, her eyes sparkling with question. And then a grin touched her lips.
“What?” he asked.
“I am trying to decide if my mother would be appalled or thrilled.”
He nearly chuckled out loud at that but managed to just choke the sound back as several sets of boots entered the barn. “What got into the sheep?” one man asked.
“Something must have spooked them in the field,” another answered. “There is a winter holding pen for them just beyond the barn. They must have been heading for that.”
“Imagine if someone had been in here?” a third asked. “They’d have been trampled for certain.”
Daisy melted into him at the words, one of her hands reaching up to touch his cheek. Then she pulled her gloved fingers away again and he watched as she quickly undid the buttons on her left glove and tugged the cloth off her hand, touching his face again. Her fingertips were like velvet on his cheek as she lightly stroked his rough stubbled skin with her fingers and palm. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For saving me yet again.”
He kissed her forehead, a few strands of her hair tickling his nose. “I’m not sure the rose bush counts.”
She wrinkled her nose. “You haven’t heard one of my mother’s lectures.”
Silently, he laughed once again, realizing he hadn’t felt this happy, laughed this often in...years. His lips grazed her temple next. He couldn’t seem to stop kissing her. “I supposed I haven’t. You know that if you accepted my offer, you wouldn’t have to hear them anymore either.”
She grinned. “I wonder. I bet she’d still find a way, even if I were a duchess.”
He laughed then too, despite himself.
Love was bubbling upside him, making him light and free. He hardly recognized himself this...weightless.
“Did you hear that?” One of the men still standing in the barn said, his boots scraping against the wood floor as he pivoted.
He stopped laughing and Daisy went stiff in his arms. He lightly stroked her back just as another chicken flew down from the loft in a flurry of feathers. But the man pivoted once again even as the chicken clucked at the intrusion in the stable.
“The animals have gone mad,” she whispered again with the tiniest giggle.
He cradled the back of her head in his hand trying not to laugh again but he was finding it near impossible.
Never in his life had he felt such joy as he did right now. In the dark cool depths of the barn, this woman pressed into his lap, he was...happy.
No wonder he’d fallen in love. Even with stampeding sheep, crazy chickens, and the possibility of discovery, he was having fun. “Perhaps they’re not mad after all. Maybe they know that one grumpy duke needs a good hard push in the right direction.”
She looked up at him, her eyes filled with question as they crinkled at the corners. “What direction is that?” Her fingers slid up his arms and across his shoulders.
He quirked an eyebrow, leaning closer. “Why, Miss Daisy...your direction.”
She exhaled in a rush, her warm breath caressing his cheeks. “But you’re leaving.”
He shrugged under her hands. “There is a lady who might convince me to stay.”
“Miss Pearson?” But even in the dim light her eyes twinkled.
He shook his head, swallowing yet another chuckle. “I’d rather face the sheep again.”
Her brow crinkled. “Poor Mi
ss Pearson. She is a lovely girl.”
“You are a lovely girl.” He shook his head and then pressed a light kiss to her cheek, trailing his lips down to her jaw. “In fact, I can safely say that I’ve never met your equal.”
“Oh,” she breathed, her fingers trailing up to his neck, her silky fingertips tickling his neck. “There is so much I’ve been wanting to say to you but whenever we are together, I can’t seem to find the words.” She stopped, her gaze pleading with his to understand.
“Me too,” he whispered. His lips reached the corner of her mouth just as footsteps rang out once again. The group of men were leaving the barn, giving him and Daisy privacy once again. “I’ve been afraid for quite some time, but I’m not afraid any longer.”
“You’re not?” she replied, her breath catching as she spoke. He lifted away, just a fraction of an inch and then once again leaned closer, kissing her soft, warm mouth with all the tenderness that had been building inside him. She trembled in his arms and he pulled away, only to lean back in kissing her a second time and then a third.
Daisy’s heart raced as it pressed against his, the rapid beat melding into one. He knew he’d made the right decision to kiss her again. This was not about pretending at romance, about making a match of convenience. This was love and he tried to pour all that emotion into the light touch. He wanted to cherish this woman and he wanted her to know it. To feel the depth of his feeling with every touch of his lips.
“Daisy...” A voice hissed from outside the stall. “Daisy where are you?”
She jerked, pulling her face away from his, her body still tight against his. “What?” she blinked.
Her gaze was unfocused, her lips dewy as she attempted to focus again. Part of him was so satisfied he didn’t answer. Instead he drank in the sight of her like this. He’d see it again, that he promised himself.
“Daisy?” the female called again.
“Lily?” she asked her eyes widening as her gaze met his, finally coming into focus.
“Where are you?”
“I’m…” Daisy started, her hands tightening on his neck.
“Your mother, she’s coming.”
Daisy let out a yelp. She tried to stand and then yelped again. “Oh dear,” she cried.
Her eyes were like saucers as her fingertips dug into his skin.
“We can deal with your mother,” he started, frowning. He didn’t want to be forced into a marriage now. Not the way he felt. More importantly, he did not want her to be forced into this. He wanted to woo her, convince her to feel about him the way he did her.
And then he would marry her.
He wasn’t leaving tomorrow. He had a new mission and, this time, he’d see it through. For the first time in a long time, he knew exactly what he wanted and what he needed to do to make Daisy his.
But right now, Daisy’s eyes were still wide with terror.
“Daisy, if your mother finds us—”
“It’s not that. It is just—” Her eyes grew impossibly wide. “I do believe there is a horse eating my hair.”
Chapter Thirteen
The look of alarm on Griff’s face had Daisy smothering a laugh as he shooed away the horse who was indeed nibbling at her locks.
“My hero,” she said, her voice wobbly with repressed amusement and terror over being caught and a million other emotions that were vying for attention.
His low answering chuckle temporarily did away with all emotions except for this...this longing. She could think of no other word for this sensation that made her feel as though her heart was trying to leap toward him whenever he looked at her like this—with such tenderness and affection.
And then there was his kiss.
Her heart took another lunge in his direction at the thought of those kisses.
“Daisy!” Lily hissed gain from the other side of the stall door and Daisy hurried into action.
Now was definitely not the time to sit here swooning over his kisses. Not when her mother could find them at any moment.
With her skirts in a disarray, hay surely poking through the thin gauzy fabric, and the awkward position she was in on Griff’s lap, she scrambled ungracefully to her feet as Griff attempted to help her.
“Daisy, please try and stay calm.” He could not quite hide the amusement in his tone and she shot him an exasperated look when she finally got to her feet. “If your mother finds us—”
“She cannot find us like this,” she whispered.
“I am not afraid of your mother,” he said as he too got to his feet and then began brushing hay from the bottom of her skirt
“How nice for you,” she muttered.
He laughed and reached for her hands. “But if she were to find us—”
“She will not,” Daisy interrupted, gently tugging her hands from his. There was no way she wished to hear another proposal like this, because it was required or necessary
She would not have her duke propose to her because he was forced into it. He would propose to her again, of that she was certain.
Or perhaps not certain but merely hopeful...
She straightened her skirts, brushing straw that he’d missed from the poor mistreated gown.
No, he would propose again. And one day he might even fall in love with her. She just had to give him time, that was all.
She’d been a fool to reject him just because he hadn’t fallen as quickly and surely as she had. He might have said that he does not wish for love, but his every touch, his every glance, his every action...it all spoke so clearly of affection.
And affection led to love, did it not? At least, it could, given enough time.
A silly smile tugged at her lips as he moved toward her, wrapping an arm around her waist as though he couldn’t bear to let her go. She sighed in response, allowing herself one more moment to revel in the feel of him as she leaned into his embrace.
“Daisy, hurry!” Lily’s voice was the only thing that dimmed the sheer magic of this moment.
Well, the chicken that was clucking in the far corner didn’t help much either.
But not even livestock could mar her happiness as his fingers lifted her chin so he could look in her eyes. “I don’t want you to go.”
She grinned. “I don’t want to leave, but…” She bit her lip, casting a nervous glance toward the stall door where her friend was anxiously waiting. “Not like this.”
He nodded, his gaze dark with unspoken emotions. “Not like this,” he agreed.
With obvious reluctance, he let her out of his hold. “Until tonight, Daisy.”
A thrill of happiness had her grinning outright at his use of her given name. “Until tonight, Griff.”
She slid open the stall door and nearly struck Lily in the process.
She really ought to take more care with doors.
When she glanced back, she found Griff watching her with a darkened gaze that held more emotions than she could decipher. There was tenderness, and hope, and determination, and maybe even...fear. Wariness, perhaps.
The thought had her breath hitching in her lungs as she remembered what she’d come here to say. All the things she hadn’t had a chance to tell him.
She missed her chance...again,
Her shoulders straightened. Daisy couldn’t share her heart now, there wasn’t time. But tonight… she would find a way. She had to.
He arched his brows in a silent question as she lingered in the stall’s entry, her hands moving nervously over the lock. Part of her did not want to leave without telling him how she felt but her mother was bearing down on them and Lily was right outside the door. So she ended up blurting out what she’d come here to say in the first place. “Griff, I wanted to tell you...I wanted to say…”
He hitched his brows higher.
“I do not think you should give up on love.”
He blinked in surprise but then his lips curved up in a slow smile that stole her breath. “I do not intend to.”
Oh.
The last
of the air rushed from her lungs.
Oh my.
Did that mean…?
What did that mean?
Her lips parted and her eyes widened as his smile turned into a rakish grin.
Before she could come up with any sort of response, Lily reached for her hand and pulled her out of the stall and toward the open entrance to the stables. “What took you so long?” she demanded. “Do not answer that. Just hurry. Your mother was heading this way and she was calling your name.”
The silly grin that had her cheeks aching finally slid away at the thought of her mother’s wrath if she caught her here, frolicking in a haystack with a man who was not her fiance.
Well...not yet.
She grinned again as they exited the stables and found Marigold peering around the corner of the building as their lookout. “They’re coming,” she said, her eyes wide with fear.
Then they widened further as she took in Daisy’s appearance. “What happened in there?”
Daisy clapped a hand over her mouth to smother a giddy laugh as Lily muttered under her breath about silly girls in love, all the while swatting at Daisy’s skirts to remove the last of the straw.
“What do we do?” Marigold asked.
Lily took charge, as usual. “You help Daisy get back to her room unseen. I will go find her mother and tell her she went back to her room to repair a tear in her gown.”
“Not a lie, in fact,” Daisy said as she glanced down at her mangled skirts.
Lily wrinkled her nose as her hands came to her hips. “Well I can’t very well tell her you were frolicking with a duke in the barn, now can I?” She clucked her tongue. “It’s always better to cover the truth with the truth.”
“I wasn’t frolicking, I was…” Daisy couldn’t contain the sigh that escaped her lips.
Marigold sighed too. “I envy you. I’m afraid I might never have such a moment as that.”
“Would you two hurry so she does not catch you looking like…” Lily waved a hand in her general direction and when Daisy went to smooth her hair down, she ended up tugging out a piece of straw instead.
No, her mother could most definitely not find her looking like this.
Fortunately for Daisy, Lily’s plan worked. She was back in her rooms, and already changing into her evening gown when her mother arrived at her door. Marigold had kindly helped her to change and then discreetly discarded the mangled gown to eliminate all evidence.
A Wallflower's Wish Boxed Set: Three Regency Romances Page 10