“So say what ye will.” He looked at her with such an expression of love that Camri almost forgot her concerns.
“It can wait until our walk.”
“No. Let’s be discussin’ it now and save spoonin’ for the walk.”
“Spooning in broad daylight? We would be the talk of San Francisco.”
This made Patrick laugh all the more. “You’re avoidin’ the point. What is it ye want to talk about?”
“There’s plenty. For example, we’ve not had a true courtship. There’s been all this trouble with Daniels and searching for my brother, but in all that time, we’ve not really been able to court.”
“And that’s important to ye?” he asked.
“Yes. I think it must be.” She searched for the right words. “I don’t want to act in haste. Judith and Kenzie asked me if we’d set a date and where we’d be married, and it only reminded me that I know very little about you.”
“Aye. The thought has come to my mind as well.”
“It has?” She felt a sense of relief. “I’m glad. It’s not that I don’t want to marry you, because I do. I love you, Patrick.”
He grinned. “And I love ye too.”
“I’m happy to set a date for our wedding, but I think we should probably give ourselves a little time.”
“Then we’re of like minds,” he replied. “Ye see, I would gladly have asked the judge to marry us here and now, but it wouldn’t be right. I have nothin’ to offer ye, and I can’t be marrying ye without havin’ a proper home to take ye to. And I won’t have that unless I get back my business.”
Camri lowered her face so he couldn’t see her frown. She hadn’t considered all of this. What he was saying made it sound as if it would be a very long time until they could marry. Maybe even years.
He lifted her chin. “Now, don’t ye go frettin’. It won’t take all that long, and while we’re waitin’, we can be courtin’.”
“Sometimes, I think you can read my thoughts.”
“Most of the time, I can.” He grinned. “Like right now, I’m thinkin’ ye’d like to be kissed.”
“Oh, you think that do you?” She tried hard to sound aloof, even disapproving, but it wasn’t working.
Patrick tightened his hold on her. “I think that and more.” He gave her a very brief kiss, hardly more than a peck. “I’m thinkin’ that ye’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” He gave her another kiss, this one just as abbreviated. “And I think ye might well be the smartest woman I’ve ever known.” Again, he pressed his mouth to hers.
Camri found herself weak in the knees. Her pulse raced. This man had such power over her emotions. “I feel like I’ve been looking for you all of my life,” she whispered. “Searching for something I didn’t even know was missing. Something I definitely couldn’t find in a book.”
“Aye.” He chuckled. “I’ll be enjoyin’ gettin’ to know ye.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. “In that case, let me introduce myself. Good afternoon, sir. I am Camrianne Coulter.” He looked at her, puzzled, prompting her to ask, “And you are?”
“Yers,” he whispered just before lowering his mouth to hers. This time the kiss lasted for a very long time.
Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of over one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling HEIRS OF MONTANA and ALASKAN QUEST series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Visit Tracie’s website at www.traciepeterson.com.
Books by Tracie Peterson
www.traciepeterson.com
GOLDEN GATE SECRETS
In Places Hidden
HEART OF THE FRONTIER
Treasured Grace • Beloved Hope
Cherished Mercy
THE HEART OF ALASKA***
In the Shadow of Denali
Out of the Ashes
SAPPHIRE BRIDES
A Treasure Concealed
A Beauty Refined • A Love Transformed
BRIDES OF SEATTLE
Steadfast Heart
Refining Fire • Love Everlasting
LONE STAR BRIDES
A Sensible Arrangement
A Moment in Time • A Matter of Heart
Lone Star Brides (3 in 1)
LAND OF SHINING WATER
The Icecutter’s Daughter
The Quarryman’s Bride • The Miner’s Lady
LAND OF THE LONE STAR
Chasing the Sun
Touching the Sky • Taming the Wind
BRIDAL VEIL ISLAND*
To Have and To Hold
To Love and Cherish • To Honor and Trust
STRIKING A MATCH
Embers of Love
Hearts Aglow • Hope Rekindled
SONG OF ALASKA
Dawn’s Prelude
Morning’s Refrain • Twilight’s Serenade
ALASKAN QUEST
Summer of the Midnight Sun
Under the Northern Lights
Whispers of Winter
Alaskan Quest (3 in 1)
BRIDES OF GALLATIN COUNTY
A Promise to Believe In
A Love to Last Forever • A Dream to Call My Own
THE BROADMOOR LEGACY*
A Daughter’s Inheritance
An Unexpected Love • A Surrendered Heart
BELLS OF LOWELL*
Daughter of the Loom
A Fragile Design • These Tangled Threads
LIGHTS OF LOWELL*
A Tapestry of Hope
A Love Woven True • The Pattern of Her Heart
DESERT ROSES
Shadows of the Canyon
Across the Years • Beneath a Harvest Sky
HEIRS OF MONTANA
Land of My Heart • The Coming Storm
To Dream Anew • The Hope Within
LADIES OF LIBERTY
A Lady of High Regard
A Lady of Hidden Intent • A Lady of Secret Devotion
RIBBONS OF STEEL**
Distant Dreams • A Hope Beyond
A Promise for Tomorrow
RIBBONS WEST**
Westward the Dream
Separate Roads • Ties That Bind
WESTWARD CHRONICLES
A Shelter of Hope
Hidden in a Whisper • A Veiled Reflection
YUKON QUEST
Treasures of the North
Ashes and Ice • Rivers of Gold
All Things Hidden***
Beyond the Silence***
House of Secrets
A Slender Thread
What She Left for Me
Where My Heart Belongs
*with Judith Miller **with Judith Pella ***with Kimberley Woodhouse
Sign Up Now!
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
Facebook: Bethany House
Twitter: @Bethany House
In Places Hidden Page 28
