Chapter 14

Calling on all the memories of his life before he moved west, he decided it was the best, most polite course of action. He wanted this to be as painless as possible, for all of them. He wanted to keep his promise to Christian without violating his earlier promise to his father’s old friend. Even if it would have just been easier to steal Christian away in the night and ride until nobody would be able to find them again.

He washed his hands and his face and wore his Sunday clothes. He had already asked Lee for a chance to speak with him that night after dinner, and when he knocked on the door, Christian wasn’t surprised to see him.

“Good evening,” she greeted.

“Hey.” He wanted to touch her. He always wanted to touch her, and judging by how close she stood to him in the entrance way, the feeling was mutual. “You look very…lovely.”