was right. Mr. Cole coveted his daughter’s happiness. If this was what Victoria wanted, then surely it wouldn’t hurt to take the next couple of weeks to discover if they really could have a future together.
“Okay.”
She released her grip and spun him so that they were facing one another. Her features were lit with a delighted smile.
“But,” he said quickly, “we have to do things right.”
“Like how?”
“Like basing our relationship on friendship, not physical attraction.”
Her smile widened. “I like the sound of that.”
“Then if things don’t work out, you’re free to move on.”
“They will work out.” She lifted a hand to his cheek. “I won’t want to move on.”
A shiver of anticipation trailed up his spine, which he rapidly attempted to squelch. “I mean it, Victoria. We keep our hands off each other.”
“But we’re married.” Her sights moved to his mouth and stayed there. The desire that blazed to life in her eyes was almost his undoing. He was sure she had no idea that her longing was so readable. If she knew, she’d be embarrassed.
He took a step away from her to keep himself from crushing her in his embrace. He was certain that if he started kissing her right now in their bedroom, he would have a difficult time stopping. “At the end of this month, if we know we belong together, then we’ll have a proper wedding.”
“Very well, Mr. Cushman,” she said. “If I agree to your conditions, then you have to agree to one of mine.”
She sauntered away, so saucy, so full of life that his chest ached just watching her. When she glanced at him coyly over her shoulder, he knew he wouldn’t be able to resist her condition, not even if he tried.
“What?” he asked.
She kept walking until she reached the bed. “We can kiss every once in a while.” As she spoke the words, a flush moved into her cheeks.
He was glad she was on the other side of the room. If she’d been anywhere near him, he would have shown her his answer.
He tried to find his voice to speak coherently. “Only once in a great while,” he managed.
“Okay.” She turned away from him, but not before he caught her smile.
With weak knees and his heart sputtering, he collapsed backward onto the sofa so that he was staring up at the ceiling. Then he allowed himself to smile too.
Chapter 14
Victoria peeked past the curtain of the studio window and finally saw Tom striding up the sandy path from the tower. His head was down against the wind that had begun to increase in ferocity as the afternoon passed. The clouds had been rolling in and growing darker by the hour.
Her heart pattered in anticipation of seeing him. With a smile, she let the curtain fall back into place.
“Tom must be coming for another break,” Zelma said, wearing a happy smile of her own.
Victoria crossed toward the door of the closet-like side room that Zelma used as an art studio. “I’ll go see if he’d like a glass of the lemonade I just squeezed.”
“You do that dear. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.” Zelma dipped her brush into the palette and focused on the canvas in front of her. “Although I’m fairly certain that’s not what he’s coming up to the house to get.”
Victoria felt her cheeks heating, but she rushed into the kitchen to the pitcher and waiting glass. She poured one and garnished it with a slice of lemon on the rim.
Then she ran a hand over her outfit, smoothing away any wrinkles. She’d spent the past week remaking Ruth’s skirts. With Zelma’s help, she’d resized them and added ruffles around the bottoms and bustles to the backs, as best she could. And today she’d finally worn one. Even though the garment was better than it had been, she still felt strange and somewhat out of sorts in the plain clothes. But she had to admit, like with the cooking and baking, she’d enjoyed learning to sew much more than she’d thought she would.
She checked her reflection in the window and tucked a lose strand of hair back into the coil. After almost two weeks of having to do her own hair, she’d started experimenting with different styles and found several that were easy and rather becoming. She pinched her cheeks then hurried into the hallway and was waiting at the front door when Tom opened it.
A gust of wind blew in ahead of him and threatened to push her back with