me-'
'I believe I hated it.'
'Liar.'
It was an insult, yes, but the way he'd said the word actually warmed her heart. He made it sound very like an endearment.
That didn't make any sense. Was she so desperate for a word of kindness from the Viking that she now responded to insults? Sara could feel herself blushing. She stared at her shoes and folded her hands demurely in front of her. 'You can't kiss me again,' she announced, wishing her voice had sounded a little more forceful and less breathless.
'I can't?'
His amusement was apparent. 'No, you can't,' she told him. 'I've decided that you're going to have to court me first, Nathan, and then we must have a proper ceremony performed by a true minister before you may kiss me again.'
She hadn't looked at him when she made that emphatic speech, but when she was finished she glanced up to gauge his reaction. His expression, unfortunately, didn't tell her anything. She frowned at him. 'I believe our marriage could be challenged in the courts unless we say our vows to each other in front of a man of God.'
He finally let her see his reaction. She wished she'd been left guessing. Lord, his scowl was as hot as the noon sun beating down on them.
But his eyes… the color was so vivid, so true, so mesmerizing. When he was looking directly into her eyes he made her forget to breathe. A sudden thought settled in her mind. Her Viking was actually very handsome.
Why hadn't she noticed that before? she asked herself. Good God, was she beginning to find him appealing?
Nathan pulled her from her thoughts when he said, 'Are you thinking you've found a way to breach this contract?'
'No.'
'Good,' he countered. Almost as an afterthought he added, 'As I instructed you before, I'm not about to dissolve this contract, Sara.'
She disliked his arrogant tone. 'I already knew that before I was so instructed.'
'You did?'
'Yes, I did.'
'How?'
She started to shake her head at him again, but Nathan stopped that action when he hauled her back into his arms. He firmly grabbed hold of her hair.
'Unhand me, Nathan. You make my head ache when you tug on my hair like that.'
He didn't let go, but he did begin to rub the back of her neck. His touch was very soothing. Sara had to catch herself from letting out a telling little sigh.
'You realize how much I want the money and the land, don't you, Sara?' he asked. 'That's why you know I won't walk away from the contract.'
'No.'
Nathan didn't know why he pressed her for an explanation. His curiosity was caught, however, because she was acting so damn shy. The woman didn't make any sense to him, and he was determined to understand how her mind worked.
'Then why did you know I would want to be married to you?'
'Well, why wouldn't you?' she whispered.
'Why wouldn't I?'
'Nathan, I'm everything a husband could want in a wife,' she blurted out. She tried to sound as arrogant, as self-assured as he did whenever he talked to her. 'Truly,' she added with a vehement nod.
'Is that so?'
She could see the laughter in his eyes. Her bluster of pride immediately began to evaporate. 'Yes, I am,' she said.
A fine blush covered her cheeks. How could anyone sound so arrogant and look so shy at the same time? he wondered. She was such a contradiction to him. 'Would you care to tell me why you think you're everything I could want?'
'Certainly,' she replied. 'For one, I'm pretty enough. I'm not plain,' she added in a rush. 'I'll admit I'm not a raving beauty, Nathan, but that shouldn't signify.'
'You don't believe you're a… raving beauty?' he asked, amazed.
She gave him a good frown, for she was certain he was deliberately baiting her. 'Of course not,' she said. 'You must have a cruel streak inside you to taunt me over my appearance. I'm not overly ugly, Nathan. Just because I have brown hair and brown eyes doesn't necessarily mean I'm… homely.'
His smile was tender. 'Sara, haven't you ever noticed how men stop and stare when you pass by?'
She wished she could strike him. 'If you mean to imply that I'm that unappealing, well, sir,' she muttered.
'Well, what?' he asked when she seemed to be at a loss for words.
'You're no prize either, husband.'
He shook his head. He wasn't married to a vain woman. That fact pleased him considerably. 'You're right,' he announced. 'I have seen prettier women, but as you just said, that shouldn't signify.'
'Lest you think you make me feel completely inferior with that rude remark, you're mistaken,' she returned. The blush had moved to her voice. 'I'm really all a man could want. Dare you smile at me? I mean what I say. I've been trained to be a good wife, just as you've been trained to be a good provider. It's the way of things,' she ended with a deliberate shrug.
The vulnerability in her expression was apparent. She had pricked his curiosity, too. The woman said the damnedest things. 'Sara, exactly what is it that you've been trained to do?'
'I can run a household with ease, no matter the number of servants you employ,' she began. 'I can sew a straight stitch without pricking my finger, plan a formal dinner party for as many as two hundred,' she exaggerated, 'and accomplish any other duty associated with the running of a large estate.'
She was certain she'd impressed him with her list. She'd even impressed herself. Most of what she'd just boasted of was pure fabrication, of course, as she didn't really have the faintest idea if she could run a large estate or not, but Nathan couldn't possibly know about her inadequacies, could he? Besides, just because she'd never entertained anyone before didn't necessarily mean she couldn't organize a party for two hundred guests. She believed she could accomplish any goal if she really put her mind to the challenge. 'Well?' she asked when he didn't make any comment. 'What think you of my accomplishments?'
'I could hire someone to run my household,' he countered. 'I don't have to be married to have a comfortable home.'
He almost laughed out loud, for the look of disappointment on her face was comical.
She tried not to feel defeated by his remark. 'Yes, but I can also engage in intelligent conversation with your guests on any current topic. I happen to be very well-read.'
His grin stopped her. His conduct, she decided, was proving just what one would expect from a man bearing his name. Nathan was turning out to be as despicable as the rest of the St. James men. He was certainly as muleheaded.
'You could not hire anyone with such a fine education,'' she muttered.
'And that's it?' he asked. 'There isn't anything else you've been trained to do?'
Her pride was like a shredded gown pooled around her ankles. Wasn't there anything she could say that would impress the man?
'Such as?'
'Such as pleasing me in bed.'
Her blush intensified. 'Of course not,' she stammered out. 'You're supposed to teach me how…' She paused to step on his foot. Hard. 'How dare you think I would be trained in that… that…'
She couldn't go on. The look in her eyes confused him. He couldn't decide if she was about to burst into tears or try to kill him. 'A mistress could see to those duties, I suppose,' he said just to goad her.
