She scowled at him, and there was the cutest frown line between her eyes. He could hardly keep from reaching out and rubbing it away with his thumb.
“You’re a man who could become a bother,” she said.
“A bother!”
“Yes, and if you find out where I live, you’ll be popping in constantly, and I really can’t have it.”
“You are the strangest woman I’ve ever encountered. Who doesn’t like to have visitors?”
“I don’t sit around embroidering towels and curling my hair. I’m very busy.”
“With your potions and your healing?”
“Yes, and don’t you dare make fun of me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, but his tone was very sarcastic.
“I provide a valuable service, but I’m sure you think my life is silly.”
“You’re correct. I think you are extremely silly.”
He smiled at her, his gaze warm and even a tad affectionate. In his mind, he understood he was treading on dangerous ground, but he couldn’t rein in his fascination. She was charming, and he was charmed.
She blew out a heavy breath. “Why am I letting you waste my time?”
“I’m not wasting your time. My arrival is the most intriguing thing that’s happened to you all day.”
“Or maybe the most annoying. Don’t you have chores at the manor? You’ve been away for ages. There must be ledgers to review or tenants to harass.”
“I’ll be home for a few months, so there will be plenty of opportunity to review ledgers and harass tenants.”
“Have you chatted with your sister yet?”
“No. She doesn’t appear too excited that I’m back.”
“I’m sorry to hear it. I’m meeting with her in a bit; I’ll drag her out of her room to converse with you.”
At the news that she would stop by the manor, he was much more thrilled than he should have been.
“Do you call on her often?”
“If I’m nearby. I’ve advised her it’s pointless to mope and brood.”
“We’re Ralstons. We’re skilled at moping and brooding.”
“You don’t seem very morose.”
“I hide it better than her.” He shrugged. “It was difficult for us, growing up here.”
“How could it have been difficult? You’re rich and landed, and your father was a famous mariner. You don’t necessarily comprehend the meaning of the word difficult.”
“You could be right. Perhaps I shouldn’t whine so frequently or flog myself so much.”
“Perhaps not.”
She stared at the stream, at the sky, relishing the quiet tranquility, and again, he was struck by her beauty and poise. His sense resurfaced that his rural sojourn might be more interesting than he’d expected. She would render it more interesting.
She pulled her feet from the water, and though he glared avidly, she ignored him and tugged on her stockings and shoes. He couldn’t irritate or rattle her, so he did the same.
“Are we leaving?” he asked.
“I am leaving. I can’t speak for you.”
He rose, then reached down to help her up too, but she gaped at him as if she’d never seen an extended limb before.
“Don’t tell me you’re squeamish about clasping my hand,” he said. “I’ll never believe it.”
“I don’t usually . . . ah . . . hold a person’s hand.”
“I’m not trying to hold your hand. I’m trying to lift you up.”
He didn’t wait for permission, but grabbed on and yanked her up, but then . . .
The eeriest experience occurred. For an instant, their palms were fused together, and she studied him with a look that delved down to his tiniest pore, as if she was rummaging around in his veins.
Time seemed to halt. The wind in the trees ceased blowing. Birds silenced their cawing. Even Mutt quit breathing, and Jacob was rocked by the oddest perception that she was digging into details about him she shouldn’t. He yearned to order her to desist, but he was frozen like a statue, his tongue unable to form any remark.
Then she blinked twice, and the peculiar episode abruptly terminated. She jerked away and stepped back. Before he could recover his wits, she’d scooped up her basket and was hurrying away, her dog trotting at her heels.
He physically shook himself, as if he’d been momentarily turned to stone, and he called to her, “Miss James!”
She glanced over her shoulder. “Yes?”
“What just happened?”
“Nothing, Captain.”
“You’re a terrible liar. What was that?”
“Don’t work yourself into a lather over it.”
“Our hands were . . . we were . . . you were . . .” He couldn’t describe what had transpired. Was she a sorceress? “You were assessing me—from the inside out.”
“I couldn’t possibly have been.”
“It feels as if you’re still in there, probing where you shouldn’t be.”
“I wasn’t aware that you were prone to flights of fancy.”
“Where are you going?”
“As opposed to you, I have chores to complete.”
He was suffering from the most potent notion that they had much more to discuss, and he shouldn’t allow her to flit away. “Forget about your chores for once. Let’s stroll in the forest. You can show me some of your favorite spots. I ought to learn more about my property.”
“It can’t be me. If you’re curious, you should ask Kit Boswell. Or Mr. Sanders.” Geoffrey Sanders, Sandy, ran his stables and tended his carriages, carts, and wagons. “He knows more about Ralston than anyone. He’d be delighted to give you a tour.”
“I don’t want to trudge about with a boring, tedious male. I want female company, and I demand you entertain me.”
“Despite what you imagine, I am not very entertaining.”
“I would beg to disagree. I find you thoroughly fascinating.”
“I can’t fathom why.”
“When will you visit Margaret?”
“I’ll be there when I get there.” She could be so exhausting!
“Which is no answer at all. How am I to guess when to expect you?”
“You shouldn’t ever expect me.”
“You are a nuisance, Miss James.”
“So I’ve been told, Captain. It was lovely chatting with you, but I really must be off.”
She whipped away and continued on, acting as if he was a person of no account, and he was incredibly annoyed. He was a navy captain who’d commanded underlings for the past fourteen years. He said jump, and they asked, how high? They didn’t argue. They didn’t refuse to obey. They understood their place in relation to him,
