Free Concealing Grace (The Grace Series Book 1) by Elizabeth Courtright

He was so close her skirt touched the entire length of his leg!
    “Besides gardening what do you like to do?” he asked.
    Jessica studied her fingers, folding and unfolding on her lap. The only things she could think of were her chores, and speaking of those would be terribly gauche. With nothing else to say, she merely shook her head.
    “You must have some hobbies you enjoy?” he prompted. “What do you do in your spare time?”
    “I like to read,” she managed.
    “Oh? What do you like to read?”
    “Anything, really.”
    “Hmm,” he murmured.
    They fell into silence—the awful, cumbersome silence Jessica was afraid would prevail. Several times she felt his eyes on her, but she couldn’t look back. The whole situation, second by dragging second, was becoming acutely painful. She grew even more appalled with herself when she felt the burn of tears. The only thing she could do was swallow over them and hope her eyes wouldn’t fill, or worse, spill over.
    They sat together for more than an hour. Periodically the captain asked a question. Jessica answered him, but there was no decent dialogue between them. Eventually, he said, “I should be going.”
    At Jessica’s nod, he stood up. Together they walked back to the house. There, he took her hand, kissed the back of it and said, “Thank you for the pleasant afternoon, Miss Emerson.”
    From the front porch, Jessica watched him go to his horse, mount and ride away. Although she wished he would look back, he didn’t.
    At dinner that evening, while they were passing the serving plates, her father broached the dreaded topic. All afternoon Jessica avoided both her father and her brother, but there was no way to keep doing so, not with the three of them seated together at the table.
    “I’m on pins and needles, Jessie. Aren’t you going to tell us how your visit with Captain Kinsley went?” her father asked.
    Pretending her attention was on the green beans she dished onto her plate, Jessica shook her head. But her father knew her too well. He picked up on her tremulous upset right away. His concern was evident in his sorrowful smile.
    “Come now,” he said gently. “There must be something to tell. I saw you through the window sitting in the garden together. What did you talk about?”
    Jessica set the serving dish down with a thump, picked up her fork, stabbed it into a green bean and shoved it into her mouth. When she looked up, Trent was staring at her with his eyebrows halfway to his hair line.
    “There’s nothing to tell,” she said. “I’m sure he thinks I’m the dumbest girl he’s ever met. Trent, you won’t have to worry anymore. There is no chance he will ever call on me again.”
    “Did he say unkind things? Was he rude?” her father asked.
    “No. He was a perfect gentleman. I’m the one who ruined it. We should cancel the orders for the dresses.”
    Her father put his hand over hers and squeezed her slender fingers tenderly between his big ones. “Jessie, I don’t believe that for a minute. You are a very bright, intelligent, beautiful girl. If Captain Kinsley doesn’t see that, then it’s his loss.”
    “But you like him because he is rich!” she cried. “I’ve ruined everything!”
    “No, my girl,” her father said. “You misunderstood me. Rich or poor, all that matters to me is your happiness. You have ruined nothing. You couldn’t possibly.”
    The tears she’d been holding at bay gathered in her eyes. “Why do I have to be so shy? Why do I have to be so boring? Why can’t I ever think of anything to say?”
    Her father dug his handkerchief out of his pocket and used it to dab tenderly under her eyes. “You are not boring, dearest, not in the slightest. So what if you’re a little bashful? There’s nothing wrong with that. Once people get to know you, they realize how wonderful you are.”
    “Well, it’s over now,” Jessica said. “There’s nothing more to be done. No man will ever want to court me, or marry me,