The Cottage by Coniston (Seasons of Change Book 5) by Deborah M. Hathaway

Author:Deborah M. Hathaway [Hathaway, Deborah M.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Draft Horse Publishing
Published: 2020-08-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

This was just what William needed, for Miss Paxton to be occupied by someone other than himself. Now he would be free to enjoy his time on the lake without being distracted by her blonde strands of hair blowing across her pink lips or her eyes as deep and blue as Coniston Water peering over at him.

Of course he’d enjoyed his time laughing with her at Flitfield, but that was only because he hadn’t laughed in so long. He wasn’t disappointed in the slightest that she’d agreed to go with Mr. Roberts—whoever the devil that man was. In fact, William had more than expected it. After all, Miss Paxton was still doing whatever Hugh asked of her. And that was fine with William. More than fine.

But then, why did his heart struggle to beat, as if his chest had shriveled to half its normal size? And why did he regret now more than ever agreeing to Mrs. Paxton’s insisting that he join them on the lake?

He held back as Mr. and Mrs. Paxton entered the first boat, followed shortly by Mr. Roberts and Miss Paxton in the next. Miss Paxton disregarded the gentleman’s helping hand and clambered in the boat herself.

As much as Hugh claimed to be friends with Mr. Roberts, the rest of the Paxtons appeared rather displeased with his arrival. Especially Miss Paxton.

Setting aside his thoughts—he had no reason to dwell on such things—he approached the final boat with Hugh.

“You wouldn’t mind rowing out, would you, sir?” Hugh asked. “I’m not one for exerting myself when it comes to rowing. Or ever, really.”

That came as no surprise. Hugh didn’t appear to have done a lick of physical labor in his life. At any rate, William preferred rowing himself. That way they wouldn’t end up banked in the mud at the opposite end of the lake or with the boat overturned due to some poor mishandling of the oars.

They set off across the lake in the direction of the others. After a few strides, William peered over his shoulder to ensure they were still on course, surprised to find they’d already caught up with Mr. Roberts and Miss Paxton.

As they passed by, William could better see the man’s red face as he appeared to be concentrating very hard on keeping both oars steady, though they veered to the right once William moved ahead.

Miss Paxton hardly seemed to notice, her eyes focused on the water lapping at the boat’s side. She’d removed her glove and was now threading her fingers through the lake, a small smile curving her lips.

He had rented a boat last year to spend some time on the water with Charity, but she had had a miserable time. She wasn’t one for getting wet—as he’d discovered to his detriment when he’d attempted to playfully splash her. She hadn’t spoken to him the rest of the evening until he’d contritely apologized, though he’d meant only to engage her in a bit of fun.

William didn’t know how Miss

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