How to Turn a Frog into a Prince - Bree Wolf Page 0,99
well.”
Her features softened, and she stepped closer, slipping her hand through the crook of his arm. “Walk with me.” They proceeded a few steps down the slope before she looked up at him again. “What did I teach you? How to dance?” She grinned. “No, that was you. How to walk barefoot?” A frown creased her forehead. “I’m not certain it should be considered a skill, but—”
“How to be a friend,” Nathanial replied, seeking her gaze. “You stood with me when I needed you even though there was no reason for you to do so. You saw that I needed someone and you helped me because you could.” His hand closed over hers. “You’re a good person, and the world is a better place because of you.”
A slight flush came to her cheeks and her teeth sank into her lower lip as a soft smile tugged on the corners of her mouth.
It was such an innocent reaction. It unwittingly drew Nathanial’s attention back to the day at the lake. God, I wish I could kiss her! He thought yet again.
“Will she return to Boston then?” Charlaine asked into the silence as he kept staring at her in a rather dumbfounded fashion.
Clearing his throat, Nathanial tried to collect his thoughts. “No, I asked her to stay.”
Charlaine’s gaze widened. “Pardon me? Why would you do that?”
“Because she needs a friend,” Nathanial replied with a soft smile. “As did I. Her father is pressuring her to marry according to his wishes, and she is all alone.” He sighed. “I suppose I should have seen her turmoil when we were engaged. But I didn’t.”
Releasing his arm, Charlaine moved a few steps away, her head slightly bowed. Then she turned around, her gaze rising to meet his. “So, you want to be her friend.”
Nathanial nodded, slightly confused by her tempered response. He had thought she would most enthusiastically encourage his intention to offer his help to Abigail. “I do,” he replied, wondering if she was merely testing his resolve. “We’ve spoken a lot this past month and…and gotten to know each other beyond the past we share.” He chuckled. “I must admit that there are sides to her I have never seen before. In fact, she often reminds me of you.”
“Me?” Charlaine’s face seemed oddly pale as she once more wrapped her arms around herself.
Nathanial frowned. “Are you all right? Perhaps we should go inside. It is rather cold today.”
“Perhaps we should,” she mumbled and strode past him, hurrying down toward the house as though she could no longer bear his presence.
Heaving a deep breath, Nathanial followed her, wondering what it was that had upset her. To his great dismay, it seemed that the brutal honesty they had once promised each other had been lost. Of course, he, too, was to blame for the half-truths and white lies that now lingered in the air between them.
Was there any way to remedy what had torn them apart?
Chapter Forty-Three
A Most Inconvenient Guest
After supper, Charlaine retreated to the library, her thoughts hopelessly jumbled.
While her heart rejoiced, the breath lodging in her throat whenever Nathanial’s gaze met her own, her mind knew not what to make of his return. Hope and fear warred within her, and Charlaine felt utterly overwhelmed by these odd emotions.
Never had she been one to shy away from confrontations. Never had she been one to hide and not speak her mind. Never had she felt torn in such a profound way.
“Are you all right?” came Nathanial’s voice from the door.
Charlaine tensed, torn between maintaining an outward appearance of friendly delight and the overwhelming desire to throw herself into his arms. How on earth had all this happened? Merely a few weeks ago, Nathanial had been her friend and nothing more. Life had been simpler then.
“I’m fine,” she told him with a small smile she hoped looked more convincing than it felt. “Only a bit tired. It’s been a long day.” As he closed the door, Charlaine turned back to the window, her gaze drawn to the green hills slowly being swallowed up by the encroaching dark.
His footsteps echoed closer, and Charlaine felt a small shiver dance down her back as he approached. Her hands began to tremble, and she knew not what to do about it. “How long do you plan to stay?” The words left her lips in a rush, something to say, something to fill the silence.
Coming to stand beside her, Nathanial gazed out at the darkening world. “Well, that depends.”