Page 78 of Wolfhaven

Gareth grinned. “If you’re asking me to marry you, Miss Ballard, the answer is yes.”

He wasn’t ready to contemplate marriage quite yet. Nor was he willing to let this remarkable woman escape if there was any chance of keeping her. He didn’t need to mull over every possible consequence of a wedding to know that he wanted her by his side. Forever.

“I was wondering if you would make an honest man out of him, Evie.”

Evaine’s jaw dropped in shock. “I wasn’t implying—” she sputtered. “I only meant that you could rebuild your house, you ridiculous man!”

Gareth already had her in his arms. She struggled, but he held her tight. “Then allow me to be the one to ask. Now that you’ve seen my pots of money and my paintings and my Chinese vase, will you marry me, Evaine Ballard?”

“If you think money is going to persuade me to say yes⁠—”

“I’ll be outside. You finish your discussion in private,” Hazel said, and bustled out the door. On her way out, she mouthed, “Don’t be a fool. Say yes.”

Chapter 34

Gareth

Evaine shot her grandmother a glare of pure outrage for suggesting she marry him. Gareth had to bite back a smile. Hazel was a delightfully mercenary lady, and her granddaughter wasn’t nearly mercenary enough.

“What would persuade you to accept?” he asked the instant they were truly alone.

“I thought you made no vows to women. Of any sort.” She lifted one brown in challenge.

“I could be persuaded to change my mind.”

“Could you, now,” she said.

“It’s not every day a beautiful woman stabs your foes for you.”

Evaine laughed. “The words every woman wishes to hear.”

“Would it change your mind if I told you that you are the only woman who has ever tempted me to matrimony?”

“No.”

Gareth winced. “I suppose I did make an attempt to kill you. If only to scare you away.”

“Admittedly, I attempted to kill you first.”

“And that was before you even knew me,” he said ruefully. “You came too close to killing me with that chestnut. I shall have to watch my back when we’re married.”

“That makes two of us.” She winked. That was how he knew he was forgiven for what he had done. He was a man of strong emotions. He’d been forced to bottle them up to get through the aftermath of losing his bride-to-be and his father in one deadly fire. Wolfhaven was the site for all of his ill feelings. In that moment, she had pressed hard against his weakest point and he had lashed out.

He wasn’t going to do that ever again. He never intended to harm Evaine. Only by confronting his past had he finally lanced the boil of old hurts. He was eager to see what life had in store for him now that he wasn’t filled with self-recrimination.

“Is that a yes?” he asked with his heart in his throat.

Evaine tilted her head thoughtfully.

“It’s a maybe,” she said after a minute. “After all, I have only known you for a week and we have both attempted to murder one another during that span. It seems prudent to get to know one another without the intervention of ghosts. Or meddling grandmothers.”

“We aren’t escaping those any time soon. Hazel won’t be happy with you for turning me down, you know.”

“Propose to her, then. I’m sure she’d say yes.”

Gareth laughed and kissed her thoroughly.

Evaine