All About Seduction(118)

Jack leaned against a tree halfway between the Broadhurst house and the mill. The early darkness was nearly complete, and the December air was brisk.

The one bright spot about returning was that Caroline had looked thrilled to see him. Her eyes lit up, her carriage lifted, and she eagerly leaned toward him as if she too wanted to greet him more warmly. But her excitement quickly turned to dismay. She slipped him a note midday asking to meet in front of the house after dinner.

He’d been dreading and anticipating being alone with her, but he didn’t know how to answer her questions. Oddly enough, he hoped he’d failed to get a child on her too. He’d failed at everything else.

Even the physicians of the Royal College were unable to do more than marvel at the ingenuity and advanced treatment of the country doctor who saved his leg when they would have amputated. All they were able to do was give him a new plaster of paris cast that allowed him to walk, warning him his ankle was locked in place and he’d likely need the solid cast or a brace for the rest of his life. Then they shook their heads over his inability to command his toes to move.

The front door of the Broadhurst house opened, allowing a brief spill of light onto the stairs. Then the silhouette of a woman scooted through the opening.

Caro. Even though he couldn’t make out her face, and her form was bundled in a long cloak, he knew her.

His heart racing, Jack pushed away from the tree and walked out to the center of the drive.

Looking left and right, Caroline hesitated at the bottom of the stairs.

“I’m here,” he called softly.

She walked briskly toward him for a few steps, then trotted, then broke into a full run.

He leaned against his cane, bracing for an impact that was likely to send him to the ground. The cast didn’t exactly provide him with the same stability as having two good legs. He’d found he could barely tolerate bearing weight on it for more than ten minutes, but at least his back didn’t hurt the way it did when he used the crutches for long periods. But he wouldn’t have stopped her headlong hurtle into his arms for the world.

At the last second she drew up. He didn’t know if his disappointment or his relief was stronger.

“Jack,” she breathed.

His disappointment. He wanted to feel her against him.

Unable to help himself, he reached to brush his fingers across her cheek. “I missed you.”

She caught his hand and squeezed. “You mustn’t. We mustn’t. Oh, why are you here?”

The cold wind gusted, stealing his breath.

Staring at him with glittering eyes, she took a step back and then another.

The space between them was like a dull knife carving out his heart. “Caro.”

“We can go to the mill office and talk.”

He didn’t want to talk. He wanted to pull her to him, to kiss her, and to make love to her until dawn.

She walked faster than he could manage to follow. The office wouldn’t exactly provide a soft bed, but it would get them out of the wind. All he could think about was tasting her. His body tightened and his thoughts swirled with memories of the texture of her skin, the softness of her sighs, the eagerness of her hands on his body.

He closed the door behind him as she lit a lamp in the inner office. Making his way through the darkened room, he wove between desks and chairs until he could lean against the door frame and take the weight off his bad leg.

She stood behind her husband’s desk and folded her arms. “What happened?”

“The company owner didn’t think I could do the necessary work with my leg in a cast.” Jack rubbed his face. The man might have been right.

She stepped forward and her hips hit the edge of the desk. “Did you tell him you would eventually heal?”

“He wasn’t interested. He couldn’t see past my injury to even look at my designs.”

She rubbed the upper part of her folded arms. “Couldn’t you have tried with other companies? You have other ideas, other drawings.”

“No.”

Her face fell, and he couldn’t bear that he’d disappointed her.

He held out his hand, palm up. “I haven’t given up yet. I just didn’t have money to stay in the city. I figured being a clerk for a while would give me a chance to save again.”

She stared at his palm.

“I’m sorry, Caro. As soon as I have some savings again—”

“What did you do to your hand?”