Joshua Bailey was wonderful company. He was funny, clever, solicitous. And, she had to admit, deliciously good-looking.
After he finished roasting the marshmallow, he slapped it on a biscuit, spread Nutella from a jar on the other one, added sliced strawberries then took a big bite of the whole concoction.
“There you go. The third one was just as good as the first,” he declared after he finished it off.
His dog hopped onto the sofa to curl next to him and Josh absently stroked Toby’s ears. She had a feeling this was a routine they were both accustomed to.
He was very different from the somewhat arrogant American cowboy she had taken him for the first time they had met. This version of him was sweet and funny and definitely a man she liked very much and wanted to get to know better.
“So,” he said into the conversational lull. “I have a serious question for you.”
“Oh?”
“I’m a bit hesitant to ask it.”
“Go ahead,” she said. “You’ve told me about your brothers’ divorces, your mother’s breast cancer scare and breaking up with your girlfriend two years ago. I suppose it’s my turn. I can always refuse to answer, if you get too cheeky.”
He gave her a careful look that sent alarm bells ringing. When he spoke, his voice was measured and his eyes were solemn. “Does anybody else in town know you’re British nobility, Lady Gemma?”
Of all the questions he might have asked her, that was the last one she expected. She felt her breath catch. “I beg your p-pardon?”
“Sorry.” He gave her a rueful look. “I shouldn’t have just sprung that on you like that. You obviously have your reasons for keeping quiet.”
“Yes. I most certainly do. Which begs the question of how you found out and how long you’ve known.”
And why hadn’t he said anything before now?
“That’s somewhat of a long story and kind of a crazy coincidence.”
“Tell me.”
“Three years ago, I happened to be in the UK visiting one of our suppliers, a company that makes a phenomenal line of fly-fishing rods we carry at Bailey Outfitters.”
“Summer Rods,” she said faintly. It had to be. It was one of the smaller of her father’s many businesses but one Lord Henry was passionate about.
He nodded. “They have an almost cultlike following among serious anglers and we’re fortunate enough to be their exclusive supplier across three states. Which certainly made a buying trip to Dorset to meet the owner worth my while.”
“You said you were there...three years ago.” The pieces were beginning to fall into place.
He nodded, the good humor fading from his eyes to be replaced by compassion. “The week I was there, all the UK papers were filled with a story about a tragic car accident involving a truck driver who fell asleep and plowed through an intersection, killing both the driver of the truck and a passenger in the car. A passenger who happened to be a viscount, the son of the Earl of Amherst. The same Earl of Amherst who owns Summer Rods and whom I was there to meet.”
She should have known the world was too small these days for her to hide away, even in a remote community in the mountains of Idaho.
“Also seriously injured was the earl’s only daughter, who was the driver of the vehicle,” he went on. “The story in the papers included a picture of you and two brothers from happier times.”
She couldn’t breathe suddenly and the room seemed too small. No. She wouldn’t pass out again. She could talk about the accident without falling apart.
Still, she rose from the easy chair and paced to the fire, trying to gather her thoughts so she could respond without breaking down.
“I’m so sorry,” Joshua said, his voice low. “I shouldn’t have brought it up. You obviously have your reasons for not using your title here. It’s none of my business.”
“No. It’s not,” she said faintly.
She felt a warm, wet pressure against her hand and realized Toby had risen from beside Joshua and had come to her, probably sensing her turmoil.
“I won’t say anything. I’ve known since you came to town and haven’t mentioned it to anyone. You can trust me to keep your secrets.”
She didn’t know how to respond, too busy fighting down the familiar guilt and pain that always hit her when she thought about the accident.
“I’ll show you to the guest bedroom. I started a fire in the woodstove so it should be warm, even if the power doesn’t come back.”
The odd note in his voice finally made her turn from the fire to face him. He was genuinely upset at her distress.
None of it was Joshua’s fault. He had only asked a question that set up all kinds of flashbacks.
“The accident that killed my brother was...horrific. I was in hospital for a month and nearly lost my leg.”
“Oh, Gemma.”
“I would have gladly let them take both legs and my arms too, if I could have brought David back. He was a shining light in the world and in my family and I... I took that away.”
To her horror, she felt tears begin to leak out, as if she hadn’t cried enough over the past three years.
Her tears only intensified his distress. He cursed under his breath. “I’m sorry. So sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Somehow, the compassion in his voice made everything feel more acute and fresh. She could feel more tears escape and tried to tell herself it was a combination of exhaustion and stress.
“I’m the one who’s sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Do you have a tissue?”
He rushed to the kitchen and returned a moment later with an entire box. “Here,” he said. But instead of handing her the box, he took one out and dabbed at her eyes, completely disarming her.
She couldn’t hold back the tears now and let out
