Free A Hope Remembered by Stacy Henrie Page B

He’s out back.”
    Colin ducked inside and his jaw slackened with surprise. If not for Nora’s presence, he would have guessed he’d entered the wrong cottage. The sheets had been removed from the furniture and not a speck of dust could be seen anywhere. The two front rooms, though simply furnished, appeared tidy and respectable.
    “Look at this.” He waved his hand to encompass the dining room, hallway, and parlor.
    “What do you think?” she asked, her question full of anticipation.
    “What do I think?” he repeated. “It’s a thousand times improved.” He glanced down to find her earlier smile had deepened at his praise, revealing a tiny dimple beside her full mouth. He hadn’t noticed it last night. A speck of what appeared to be gravy sat next to the bewitching dimple.
    “You…have something there.” He pointed at the speck.
    Her cheeks turned pink as she swiped at the corner of her mouth with her fingers. Instead of removing the spot, though, she smeared it.
    “Allow me.” Colin wet the tip of his thumb and ran it from the corner of her mouth to her chin, wiping away the gravy. Her lips twitched at his touch, but she remained still. He allowed his finger to linger against her smooth, warm skin, his attention caught up in the blue-green recesses of her large eyes. What was it about them that captivated him?
    “Must be some of Bess Tuttle’s cottage pie.” She broke free of Colin’s touch to shut the door, disrupting whatever pull of attraction he’d felt.
    Colin mentally shook himself. He was supposed to be charming her, not the other way around. “You met Auntie Bess?”
    Nora nodded and moved down the hallway toward the kitchen. “She brought me a pie and invited me to supper tomorrow night.”
    “All the while conversing with herself without taking a breath,” Colin joked as he followed her into the kitchen.
    Nora’s lips pressed together as if she were trying not to laugh. “She was very kind.” Her voice choked with barely hidden amusement. Colin grinned in triumph.
    She stepped to the back door and called for Perseus. The dog tramped inside. On seeing Colin, Perseus wagged his tail and came to sit in front of him.
    “Ready for your walk, ol’ boy?” Colin scratched behind the dog’s ears.
    Nora began putting away the dishes stacked in several neat piles on the counter. “Where do you usually walk?”
    “Around the lake or on the fell. Would you care to join us?”
    “I would,” she said, looking back over her shoulder, “but I need to buy groceries in the village and order a new windowpane.”
    “Right.”
    Now what? Colin thought with mounting frustration. His time with her was moving to a rapid end. Or was it? “Perhaps Perseus and I could walk somewhere else today. We could show you Larksbeck, if you don’t mind us tagging along.” He slipped his hands back into his pockets. Did he sound too eager?
    “That would be nice.” She put away the last of the plates into the cupboard and removed her apron. “Give me a minute to fix this hair of mine and I’ll be ready.” She faced the window as she began unpinning her hair.
    Colin moved into the hallway, intent on waiting out front, but he stopped when he caught sight of Nora’s unfettered hair. Free from its pins, it fell in red waves to the middle of her back. He stared, mesmerized, at the beauty of it. Would those tresses feel as soft and silky as they looked, slipping through his fingers?
    As Nora began to rearrange her hair into a knot, Colin realized she could turn at any moment and discover him gawking. He beat a hasty and rather silent retreat to the front door, Perseus on his heels.
    Outside, Colin took a cleansing breath of fresh air. He needed to clear his head, remain focused on his task, and not succumb to Nora’s beautiful face or hair. It wasn’t just her beauty he was struggling to ignore, though. Nora wasn’t trying to capture his fancy, like Lady Josephine or Lady Sophia. She was simply being herself,