Miss Whitaker Opens Her Heart by Jennifer Moore

Author:Jennifer Moore
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: australia;new wales;businesswoman;farm;friendship;romance;love;regency;deception;secrets;truth;honesty;miss whitaker;mistakes;exile
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc.
Published: 2017-02-24T21:44:33+00:00

Chapter 13

Daniel leaned back in his chair in the Freemason’s Arms dining room. He took a drink and without thinking glanced again to the door then chided himself for his distraction. He twisted in his seat, crossing one leg over the other as he focused back on his companion.

Mr. Gregory Blaxland seemed to be a young man, but Daniel thought his roundish face was deceiving. He wore his thick, brown hair short with long sideburns. After speaking with Blaxland for some time, Daniel decided the man was probably in his midthirties.

After a quick visit to the smithy, where Daniel had again failed to procure shearing scissors, he’d spent the better part of an hour sipping rum from the government brewery and listening to Mr. Blaxland describe his expedition across the Blue Mountains, the resulting road, and the land beyond.

“And how long is the journey to Bathurst?” Daniel asked.

“Now that the road’s complete, you can make it on horseback in five or six days, and that’s taking a leisurely pace.” He tipped back his head, finishing off his drink, then motioned to a server to refill the glass. “You’ve never seen a lovelier plain. A wide flowing river and stretching out before you, untouched land thick with vegetation and chock full of wildlife.”

“Sounds like a fine sight.” Daniel drummed his fingers on the table until he realized what he was doing. He took another drink, letting his eyes wander toward the door before snapping them back. He was acting ridiculous. Of course she was coming. It was perfectly reasonable for a lady to be—he glanced at the clock on the wall—two minutes late. He could maintain a conversation with this gentleman without letting himself get distracted every few seconds.

Mr. Blaxland moved his newly filled glass beneath his nose, sniffing before he took a drink. “There’s money to be made in the west, Mr. Burton. A man can purchase an enormous amount of very fertile land for a pittance.” He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “And I’ve even heard rumors of gold.”

Three minutes late.

Daniel scratched behind his ear. “It sounds very nice, but I’m quite taken with my farm.”

“Bah, you could sell that place and buy ten times the acreage with your profit. I know of a certain female sheep rancher who’d give ya top dollar for it.”

And with that, Daniel’s best efforts to keep his mind off Miss Sarah Whitaker were defeated. He could not hold back the memory of that moment, even if he’d wanted to. What had come over him in the shop? He’d been enjoying the day, feeling rather happy, despite the soreness in his posterior region. Then she’d stepped up beside him at the dry goods counter, and the world had changed.

In that brief moment, Sarah had looked up at him through her dark lashes. The light from the window had caught her eyes just right, making them shine. Her skin had seemed to glow, and when she smiled at him, his wits had fled. He’d only just been able to restrain himself from touching her cheek.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.