Beyond a Doubt - By Felicia Rogers Page 0,27

hair, he saw that it was Lucy haggling over a handful of apples. Bryce moved closer.

“Too much.”

“Nay, if you don’t buy it someone else will.”

“I doubt it. Everything here is bruised and half-rotted. You’ll be lucky if you can give this stuff away.”

When she turned her back to leave, the man called out, agreeing to her stated price. A smile of satisfaction flitted across her face as she added yet another item to Bryce's arms, already full of food.

The shopping took longer than expected, and by the time they finished both of them were exhausted. Bryce offered to assist with the cooking and Lucy agreed.

They worked alongside one another. The heat in the kitchen caused sweat to dot Lucy’s brow. Bryce found a rag and wet it. At first he thought to hand the piece over but as he watched Lucy, he realized he wanted to touch her.

With a gentle hand, he pulled her close. He pressed the cool cloth to her flushed skin. A sigh of contentment rushed past her parted lips.

Bryce favored each of her closed eyelids with a kiss. Feelings for Lucy swelled within him. Taking a step backward, he left a gap between them. He dropped his arms to his sides.

Lucy’s eyelids fluttered open. A tear slipped down her cheek which she quickly swiped away. Seeming to ignore the moment they shared, Lucy stood over the fireplace and stirred the food in the hanging pot. Bryce followed suit and continued to chop vegetables.

The food finished, they carried it to a large table in a richly decorated room. When they sat down for dinner each bowed their heads in silent prayer.

Bryce made sounds of enjoyment, complimenting Lucy. Bite after bite brought an overwhelming sense of flavor to his mouth. The meal consumed, he offered to clean up but Lucy staunchly refused.

“Nay. Go check on the horses. There should be some hay out back so you can feed them.”

Bryce reluctantly complied. Perhaps the lass needed time alone after their encounter. In fact, he needed time alone as well, time to think through the shared kiss and what it all meant. Was it possible he’d set things in motion that could never be taken back? Part of him hoped so.

First he piled hay within the stalls for the weary beasts. Then he rubbed down their shiny coats. Without the animals, travel would have taken forever. He offered a prayer of thanks for their existence.

The animals secure and fed, he hastened back inside. Pots of steaming water hung above the fireplace.

Humming came from the hallway, and Bryce followed the noise. Peering inside a tiny slit in a door that was opened a crack, Bryce saw Lucy. She had removed her gown and only her thin chemise remained. Her brown hair was pulled up and securely pinned upon her head, exposing the creamy top of one shoulder.

With his body unconsciously moving toward her, Bryce bumped the door and caused a creaking sound. Alerted, Lucy looked up. A smile spread wide across her face. “Bryce, I’ve prepared us a bath.”

The way the words tumbled from her mouth, her sense of sincerity, had him gawking like a fool. Lucy must have realized her mistake. Words bubbled from her throat incoherently as she struggled to correct herself.

“I mean, well, I filled a tub for you in your room and a tub for me here, in my own room.”

Bryce could feel the heat flood his face. Without comment he fled down the hall and barricaded himself in his suite of rooms.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Lucy lifted her jaw from her chest. Sometimes Bryce’s innocent behavior was surprising. Imagine him thinking she’d made a bath for them to share! That was a big jump from their intimate moment earlier. Her cheeks burned with remembrance.

What if Bryce changed his mind and decided to come back? To be safe, Lucy secured her door before she finished disrobing. She slipped into the hot water, and her muscles slowly relaxed. She spent time working each tense area until she felt like butter melting in a pan.

With her head leaned back and water up to her neck, she mentally worked to categorize the list she’d received. Activities written on the paper included a masked ball, a day at “the office”, and numerous days in the park. Most of these were commonplace and had been used before on multiple occasions. The challenge would be to take these recurrent themes and come up with something new. There had to be a different way to meet her