Free Miss Winters Proposes by Frances Fowlkes Page A

hand, his eyes canvassing the leather cover. “ The Study of Canine Reproduction.” His gaze lifted, his dark brows rising. “What would an accomplished breeder need with a novice treatise on the topic of dog breeding?”
    Holding out her palm for the book’s return, she rolled her eyes. “I am humble enough to admit I do not know everything on the subject. There is always something new to learn.”
    His gaze flitted between her and the book. “Yes, but it is disquieting to learn the woman who has pledged to assist in the whelping of my prize bitch does not know, as she admitted, everything .”
    “I know enough to assure you most whelpings occur without incident, and the woman who is assisting you with such matters has been doing so for far longer than she has been reading that book.”
    “Which is both a comfort and a concern.” He opened the cover, and stood, turning his back toward her as she advanced on his person, doing her best to retrieve the biological study on canine breeding. “Let’s see. Page one hundred and fifty, ‘The Discussion of Hemorrhaging and Blood Loss’.”
    He snapped his head around, his gaze seeking hers. “What do you know of hemorrhaging, Juliet?”
    Next to nothing, hence her study of the topic. But she wasn’t about to admit to her lack of knowledge, especially when he had asked the question with a hint of anxiety tainting his voice. It would do no good to feed his fears, especially where it concerned his valued pet. “Hemorrhaging is exceptionally rare. The likelihood of it occurring in Artemis is minimal.”
    He lifted the book above her head, his defensive twists and turns, not to mention his sheer height and the length of his arms, preventing her from getting anywhere near her father’s book. “But it could happen,” he said, his tone far more serious than his posture.
    Juliet stood on her toes, extending her arms to their full length, the tips of her fingers brushing against the faded cover. “Yes. And in the very small possibility it does, I wish to be prepared by reading the contents of the book.”
    He lowered his hands enough so her fingers could wrap around the spine to pluck it out of his grasp. Her victory, however, was interrupted by the realization that her chest brushed against his, so close had she gotten to his person in pursuit of her goal.
    Air refused to enter into her lungs. She stood paralyzed, staring up at a pair of heavy-lidded eyes dark with…what? Certainly not distrust. Frederick had never stared at her thus, save for the previous night…when he had pursued her with other intentions in mind.
    Was it possible the viscount was entertaining…romantic thoughts? Toward her?
    She swallowed a bubble of laughter at the very idea. He was merely acting out his role as the doting betrothed.
    Never mind there was no one else present in the library to witness their altercation.
    He seemed to have realized the same thing as he shook his head and blinked, his arms lowering to his sides. “You said this morning you have been assisting your father since you were five. And never once have you encountered this particular complication?”
    Any shared intimacy between them was gone with his prodding question and guarded expression. “None. As I said earlier, most of the process occurs without mishap. You have little to worry over, my lord. Artemis is in perfect health. I have no cause to be concerned.”
    To further prove her point, she pulled herself away from the viscount to kneel at Artemis’s side, the sleeping bitch having sprawled out on the woven rug next to the roaring fire. Juliet placed her hand on her swollen sides, the unborn pups causing the future dam’s skin to ripple with their movement.
    “At least two pups disturb her slumber,” she said. “Maybe three or four.”
    Benjamin knelt down beside her, the crackling of the burning wood loud in comparison to the whoosh of air he exhaled upon placing his large hand beside hers. “How can you