Free A Love to Last Forever by Tracie Peterson Page B

long. We’re expecting a stage, and Gwen needs my help.”
    “I understand. I just wanted to see you one more time before I left.”
    “I thought you had already gone.”
    He smiled and took hold of her hands. “We left behind some important instruments. I rode out here to retrieve them, but I knew I couldn’t pick them up without seeing you, as well.”
    Beth thought of Lord Wodehouse, riding over thirty miles in the rain just to see Lady Effingham. She smiled. How romantic that Adrian should have done something similar for her. Of course, it wasn’t raining. And it was only fifteen or so miles.
    “I couldn’t leave without trying once again to secure your promise to wait for my return in the spring.”
    His comment took Beth by surprise, and she stopped in midstep to face him. “I don’t understand.”
    “But you must. I asked you to wait for me . . . to wait for my return so that we might court properly.”
    “But you might not even return to this part of the country,” Beth protested. Her senses were returning in a rather obtrusive manner. “You said so yourself. You said once the survey was complete, you would have to move on to take on the next stretch.”
    “That’s true enough, but there’s no reason we couldn’t at least see each other on occasion.”
    Beth shook her head. “Adrian, I don’t think I can make you any kind of promise. I’m sorry.” She knew it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Still, it seemed the right thing to say, although she was certain Lady Effingham would have managed it with much more flourish and pomp.
    To her surprise, Adrian pulled her awkwardly into his arms and kissed her. Beth had never known a man’s kiss before, and the strange feel of Adrian’s damp—well, almost wet—lips against her own seemed more annoying than romantic. His hand stroked at her neck all the while, as if he were calming a mare in a stall.
    When she could no longer stand it, Beth pulled away. She wanted to say something impressionable, but nothing came to mind. Adrian just grinned at her like a schoolboy who’d just won the spelling bee.
    “I’m sorry if I took undue advantage of you,” he finally said.
    “You don’t really sound sorry.”
    He laughed. “I suppose I’m not that sorry, but I didn’t mean to offend you. I just hoped that by kissing you, it might prove to you the depth of my feelings.”
    “How?” Beth asked, not actually meaning to vocalize the thought.
    Adrian seemed taken aback. “Well . . . I just thought . . . I had hoped . . .” He went silent. “Just think about what I’ve said.”
    “I’m sorry,” Beth said, shaking her head. “I can’t make promises to you about the future.” In fact, she realized she didn’t want to make him promises about anything. Adrian Murphy did not hold her interest the way she had hoped. Why couldn’t she just be in love with a man who obviously had feelings for her? Why did she have to go on being confused by her own heart?
    He hung his head. “I’m sorry. I suppose in being so forward, I’ve ruined my chances with you.”
    Beth merely shrugged and nodded. It seemed appropriate enough and resulted in Adrian turning to walk away. He glanced back at her once, and Beth got the distinct feeling that she was supposed to call out to him, but for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what she would say. Goodness, but why didn’t life come with a book of sayings, ready for any circumstance?
    Walking quickly in the opposite direction, Beth nearly ran right over Nick. He took her by the arm to steady her but quickly dragged her off toward the back of the house.
    “What in the world do you think you were doing?”
    He was angry, that much was evident. But why?
    “Do you not care for your reputation? How can you just stand out in the street and act so shamelessly?”
    Confusion was quickly replaced by her own anger. Beth tried to push away Nick’s hold, but he had an iron grasp on her arm and refused to yield.
    “What are