Rightfully so, perhaps. It wasn’t as though she was so very keen on seeing Roger again. But she couldn’t very well leave this alone, either. She was involved, whether she liked it or not.
It was something Roger had said. Something she hadn’t told Caleb. She would have if she hadn’t been so...distracted. Distraught? She toyed with the edges of her book as the memory of his kiss filled her mind for the millionth time that day. She forced the memory aside but now she was too warm as well as ready to burst with impatience. Drat. The silence was so stifling she thought she might scream.
“Is there someone in particular you’re so impatient to see?”
Abigail glanced over to see Hattie peering at her from across the room.
“Hmm?”
Yes. Play the fool. When in doubt, act like an imbecile. She could practically hear Minerva’s droll voice in her head and swallowed a nervous laugh.
Hattie dropped her work. “Are you nervous to see Mr. Calhoun?”
“Caleb? No, of course not.”
Hattie continued to watch her evenly. It was a trick she’d learned from Min. Their eldest sister could always get them to talk if she stayed silent long enough.
Abigail sighed. “That will not work on me, you know. I was the one who taught that trick to Min.”
Hattie’s smile was sudden and unapologetic. “Come now, Abigail. You can be frank with me. After all, I saw how rattled you were yesterday when you left him.”
“Yes, well, that was merely because...” She wet her lips. I saw Roger.
No. She couldn’t say that. It was bad enough that she was keeping this secret from their father. It wouldn’t do to make Hattie keep it as well. It wouldn’t be fair.
And besides, if she were being totally truthful, that wasn’t the reason she’d been so rattled.
Seeing Roger had been a shock, but that was nothing compared to Caleb’s kiss.
Her breath caught. Even now, a day later, she could feel his lips on hers. She could well imagine the heat that had seared her all the way through.
But more than that...there was something so much more in his kiss. For a man so strong and gruff, he was infinitely tender. And the way he held her, the way he touched her...
She’d felt cherished. Needed. And beyond that, there had been some sort of silent communication. Some understanding that she couldn’t put into words but which was undeniable. It was the same connection, she supposed, that had her trusting him from the first day they’d met. It was the same understanding that made her feel safe and at peace when he was near.
“Abigail,” Hattie prompted.
Abigail shot up out of her seat. She couldn’t speak the truth, and she couldn’t sit here waiting. Wondering. “I must be going, Hattie. There is a matter I must attend to...” She kept talking. Prattling, really. Steadfastly ignoring her younger sister’s curious, amused gaze.
She was out of the house and heading toward Caleb’s before her sister could ask another question. She truly hadn’t wished to lie if Hattie were to ask the most obvious question—where are you going?
Once upon a time there had been strict rules governing their time, but with Minerva’s departure and then Sally and Rebecca’s visit to the earl’s estate, those rules had faded swiftly.
Abigail hadn’t been sorry to see them go. And now, racing down the hill that led to Caleb’s cottage, she embraced this rush of freedom. The fresh air, the open space, the smell of the sea...
She would miss it dreadfully when she left.
If she left.
She slowed halfway down the hill, more winded than she ought to be. If she left. She stopped entirely to grasp the enormity of what she was thinking. What she was planning.
Well, planning made it seem as though her mind was hard at work. In reality, it was something far less logical that was steering her ideas.
It was her heart.
And while her body was impatient and her mind was racing with fears and worries, her heart had never been more certain.
She smiled in relief as confusion gave way to understanding.
Her gaze settled on the cottage below and her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of her large, capable pirate fixing the eaves overhanging the door, no doubt preparing for the snow to come. She walked slowly, enjoying these few moments before he spotted her.
She would talk to him. Today. After this business with Roger was over. She would speak to him and tell him how she felt. Ascertain that he felt the same, and then...
A joy like she’d never known spread through her at the vivid images that filled her mind.
And then he would kiss her. And then he would marry her. And then they would find a home of their own. And then they would create a family of their own.
The blissful daydream images flooded her mind fast and fierce, and when all was said and done, she had no doubts. This was what she wanted. He was what she wanted.
By the time she drew close and he spotted her, she had no fears.
He was who she was meant to be with. She understood that now. She knew it as surely as she knew her own name. Oh, her brain could come up with reasons aplenty why there might be objections. From her father, no doubt. Aunt Lucinda, to be certain. But for herself? It was all so clear.
His kiss had answered every question she’d had about her confusing feelings for him. Now it didn’t seem confusing at all. This man was her home. It was that simple. And even if he meant to leave, she would happily go with him.
His gaze was wary. “You look awfully pleased this morning, Miss Abigail.”
She sighed with exasperation. They were back to Miss Abigail, it seemed. “I am pleased, Caleb.”
He nodded, turning to her with a tool in hand and a scowl on his face. For some reason, that
