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It had been five days of silence for Becca, since the Donovans’ party. Both her parents had refused to speak to her after she changed her mind about Stephan’s proposal. Instead of allowing her mother to tell the room about her daughter’s engagement, she had interrupted to wish the Donovans a happy anniversary. Then she ran from the stage. Literally ran, which caused a great deal of speculation.
The next day, Stephen had arrived and she explained to him that she couldn’t marry a man she wasn’t in love with. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them. Her parents argued and tried to convince her to reconsider, but Stephen had been gracious. He agreed they would still be friends. Her parents threatened her with cutting off her funds or sending her away, both of which she was willing to accept. Those were the last word spoken to her from them.
It wasn’t their silence that unnerved her. It was the fact that Robert had not been to visit her since that night. She assumed he would have been rushing over once he knew she didn’t go through with the engagement. Now, sitting in the quiet parlor alone, she wondered if there was a reason he hadn’t appeared. Perhaps he had changed his mind about her. Perhaps he had gotten his revenger after all. The more time she spent thinking about it, the angrier she became.
She told the maid that she was going for a walk through the park, but in fact she found her way back to the hotel. If he wouldn’t come to see her than she would simply go to find him. She went to his office first, but sound it empty and disheveled. It looked as if someone had been packing it up in a hurry.
“Are you looking for our boy?” said a voice from the hallway.
She turned to find Mr. Quincy standing there. He must have been referring to Robert.
“Yes. I... needed to speak with him about an urgent matter.”
“Does it have anything to do with what wasn’t announced the other night?”
“How did you know?”
Becca had been careful not to tell anyone besides Robert about the engagement. She hadn’t wanted to embarrass Stephen by everyone knowing she called it off. She knew her parents wouldn’t have told anyone that could have ruined the surprise, outside the Donovans, and they were very private people. It must not have been public knowledge because nothing had been written in the paper.
“I met that nice young man, the Connally gentleman, in the lobby while he tried to call his nerves. He spilled about the good news, but then it never came to light.”
Knowing that Stephen had been so emotionally affect by it made her feel a pang of guilt all over again. Even though he said he forgave her, she wasn’t sure how to forgive herself.
“I never wanted to hurt him,” she told Mr. Quincy. “I was the target of revenge.”
“You believe he would have gone through with that crazy plan he had?”
“It sounded like he thought he would.”
“The boy was acting a fool. He never would have been able to actually hurt you in such a way. He just didn’t know how to explain that to you when you found out.”
“He seems to make a habit of not saying the things he should.”
“Most men have that habit. Comes with the ability to grow a beard.”
“So if women could grow a beard....?”
Quincy grinned. “I’ve known a few and they had that same habit.”
Becca laughed and it felt rusty. She realized how long it had been since she felt any kind of relief from her anxiety.
“I know he came here to get you to fall in love with him, but I don’t think he realized how much he loved you. Not until it was too late.”
“Is it too late?” Becca asked.
She hadn’t realized that she was clutching her purse in front of her in such a tight fashion until Quincy placed his hand on top. She relaxed against the comforting warmth.
“I guess that depends on how much you are willing to forgive,” Quincy said in a low voice. “Just don’t try to go into it still holding a grudge. That’s what caused this mess in the first place.”
Becca felt him squeeze her hands briefly before releasing her.
“Where can I find him?” she asked as the older man walked down the hall.
“Upstairs. He has been eager to leave the city, so he didn’t want to wait on the staff to pack his things.”
Becca took the private elevator up to his private suites. She didn’t even care who saw her. If Robert was going to leave, she didn’t have time to think about propriety. As she stepped out of the elevator, she could hear the sound of him moving around in the bedroom, behind a partially closed door. Peeking in through the crack in the door, she could see him on his knees, reaching for something under the bed. The bedding fall across the back oof his head, bringing back memories.
“You should learn to lock the door.”
At the sound of her voice, he jolted and she heard the thump of his head hitting the bed. He pulled back, still on his knees, to look up at her. His auburn hair was a mess, with lint stuck to the wild strands. His shirt and pants were both wrinkled and he had no vest or jacket on. Dirt smudges were on his bare forearms, where he had his shirt sleeves rolled up.
“Becca?”
He looked so adorably disheveled and confused. Becca wanted to go to him and kiss his confusion away. That wouldn’t accomplish what she came for. It might get him to stay a bit longer.... but not in the way she intended. Unfortunately, she couldn’t think of what to say in the moment.
“Are you going to just... kneel there and stare at me?” Becca said with a smile.
“I didn’t think I was ever going to see you again,” he replied, setting down the dirty shoe he had in his hand.
“I see. You were going to sneak out of the city without saying goodbye...again?”
He looked bashful. “I thought you would want it that way.”
Becca became aware of how warm it was in this room. She wondered if it was the room or her nerves making her face feel flushed.
“Robert, I...”
“Congratulations,” he interrupted her. “On your engagement to Stephen. I’m sorry I didn’t stay to say that to you at the party.”
He hadn’t been there. Which meant he didn’t know what happened.
“You would wish me well with him? After I turned down your proposal?”
Yes. I would.” He looked her directly in the eyes. “I would wish you well with anyone if that was what you wanted. I realized that if I truly loved you, then I should want you to have what makes you happy.”
Becca felt her heart flutter beneath her corset. Taking a deep breath, she moved closer, standing at the foot of the bed.
“You still love me?”
“If five years living on a ranch, getting my hands dirty, and baking in the sun didn’t get rid of the feeling, I don’t think anything will.”
“You make it sound terrible out there.”
Robert shrugged, then wiped his hands on his pants and pushed himself up to his feet. She would have thought he was unbothered by their conversation if not for the slight tremble in his hands.
“Then why are you going back? You have made such a success here,” she asked.
“Going out there was good for me. Helped make me a better man.” He attempted to straighten his clothes but that only made it worse. “Helped me forget things. Perhaps it will work its magic again.”
“You are wanting to forget me?”
He shrugged again.
“Robert, were you really going to break my heart?” she asked him.
“You mean my revenge plot?” He said it with a hint of amusement, but it was aimed at himself.
“Yes.”
He blew out a big breath and sat on the edge of the bed. “I don’t know anymore. I spent so many years carefully planning my return, but I was wrong about so many of the details.”
“Such as?”
“I didn’t realize how much I still loved you. I didn’t think about the possibility of wanting to be with you, instead of hurting you.”
“And now?”
He reached up, running his dirty hands through his wild hair, making it stick out in all directions.
“I should have followed my heart and not my ego. I should have taken the chance to finally have what I wanted. It wasn’t what I thought.”
“Oh?”
“I thought I wanted revenge,” he said, letting his arms drop to his sides and looking at her. “I wanted a second chance.”
Becca could see that he was feeling a great deal of pain from the expression on his face. She knew of at least one thing that might help with that.
“I didn’t accept Stephan’s proposal,” she told him.
“You didn’t?”
“I realized that he was a fine man and deserved to find a woman who loved him.”
“You don’t love him?” There was a hopeful note in the tone of his voice.
Becca shook her head, watching him closely. She could see him wetting his lips and taking steady breathes to calm his nerves.
“If you were able to have that second chance, what would you do with it? Would you still run?” she asked.
He must have realized what she was hinting at suddenly because he sat up straighter.
“No. I would never leave this city again, if I had you with me in it.”
Becca took a few, slow steps in his direction.
“And?”
“I am so very sorry for being such a heartless fool. I should never had tried to play with your emotions.”
She took another step. “And?”
“And I promise I will never do anything to hurt you again.”
Another step and she was within his reach. She could tell by the way his hands were fisted that he noticed that too. “And?”
Robert blinked, trying to figure out what it was she was looking for. Men could be such idiots sometimes.
“Do you have something you are wanting to ask...?”
Realization dawned on him and he grinned.
“Becca O’Hare, will you marry me?”
“Yes, if it means you will stay. I’m tired of my fiancées running off after the engagement.”
He reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled her toward him between his legs. She felt his hands on her back and knew there would be prints left on the dark navy fabric. She was going to have a hard time explaining them to her parents.
“I’’m not going to give either of us time to call it off,” he said. “I will have the carriage brought around. We can elope this very day.”
“No announcements?”
“I think we would do better to skip that part.”
The sound of her giggles were smothered by his lips.