“So, what’s going on?” I asked and looked toward the looming skies.
“We’re not going far, don’t worry. I won’t let you get wet.” He gestured to the land in front of us. “You know this place?”
“Of course, it’s the McLean farm. I hear they’re in some trouble, though, so it might not be for long.”
“You hear correctly and you’re right, it won’t be theirs for long. For less than twenty-four hours, as a matter of fact.”
“How do you know that?” I looked up at him. Even in my heels, he towered over me.
He bent low and kissed me full on the lips. “It’s mine. Or, it will be as of tomorrow morning.”
“What?” I squealed. “You bought this? Oh my god, Worth, that’s wonderful. It’s a beautiful farm! The barns could use some work and the house, well… but the land is prime and I think it’s all fenced. You could build a whole Steeplechase course and still have plenty of pasture land. Oh geez, you’ve got frontage on two sides and it would be perfect to build training rings and not block anything off!” Thunder droned in the distance. I turned and saw Worth leaning against the fence, grinning.
“I’m glad you like it,” he said.
“I love it! You lucky dog!” I gave him a congratulatory hug, but he would not let go.
Instead, he scooped me up and held me against his chest, kissing me at the same time. “I’m not going to lose you, Auggie girl. I want you with me. Marry me and live here with me?”
I pushed against his shoulders so I could lean back and look at his face. Was he teasing me? Was he really serious? One look at his face and I knew… he was serious.
“Will you marry me, Elizabeth August Langford?” he repeated.
I could hardly catch my breath and my mind was whirling like a tornado. There I was, all prepared to give him another piece of my mind and instead, I was in his arms and the recipient of a marriage proposal. I quickly weighed the impact. Mother would be aghast, so that was a definite positive. I could move away from home yet be close to Dad and best of all, I could have a house of my own, and plenty of land to build anything I wanted.
Best of all?
Was I missing the link here? I would be married to this man. I would become Auggie LaViere and everything that was connected to that. This handsome, successful, brilliant man, who also happened to be known for promoting the position of “black sheep” to an all-time high with his disdain for convention — this man who made my breath pause in my throat, would be mine. I would sleep with him at night and outwit him during the day. Nothing sounded more intriguing and more like me than that exact thing.
“Yes, Worthington LaViere, III. I will.”
Worth clutched me to him and swung round and round, laughing aloud. I’d never seen him be this carefree and it made me laugh.
“You lied,” I accused him.
“What? What did I lie about?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, it’s raining and I’m getting soaked!”
He laughed again and shouted, “You can give me a thousand lashes with that beautiful tongue and I will be forever chastised. Just stay with me, Auggie. I’m in love with you and this,” he waved his arm, “is where we’re going to build a life. We’re going to begin with a house — anything you want, and then you can have your course and your barns and your horses and anything else your pretty heart desires. As long as you always want me.”
I kissed him then, molding my hands to either side of his strong chin. “I love you too, Worth. God help me, I’m not sure why, but I think I do.”
“There was some doubt?” Worth asked, jesting.
I nodded. I wasn’t jesting.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Auggie
I pulled into the drive and ran into the house. Mother was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, the look of disapproval at my appearance all over her face. “Oh, Auggie, your beautiful new suit. What a shame. Why didn’t you take a coat or an umbrella?”
I could tell she was on a bender. She had a martini in her hand and the tone of her voice told me she wasn’t going to wind down for some time yet.
Worth and I had agreed not to tell anyone about our engagement for the time being. We knew there would be an uproar, one way or another. We didn’t want any interference, advice, threats, mocking, or judgment. Essentially, we wanted to be left alone. We weren’t even going to get an engagement ring. I wore his class ring around my neck on a long chain. We’d plan a wedding sometime in the future, but in the meantime, Worth was going to build a new house on the property and I’d have equal input. When the house was finished, we’d begin to think about wedding plans.
As badly as I wanted to tell Mother to screw herself and leave me alone, I smiled and went up to my room. I was amazed how much easier that was to do when I knew I had Worth at my back.
Worth had suggested that we go away for the weekend and I chose to go to a bed and breakfast in Shelbyville. It was a small, charming town between Louisville and Lexington and was filled with dozens of renovated old Victorians. We just wanted time to be alone.
Worth picked me up very early, before Mother or Dad were even awake. I left a note on the coffee table saying I’d be gone for a couple of days — no further explanation. It was none of Mother’s business how and with whom I spent my time.
“You have no idea how hard it was not to say something about the engagement,” I told him as we drove. “Mother laid into me about getting wet, treating me like a child again and her already drunk.”
Worth was strangely silent about Mother. I think he just didn’t want to mix in and cause trouble. There would be enough of that on the horizon once our wedding plans were announced.
We arrived earlier than check-in time and chose the opportunity to wander around town. There was a quaint little shop that catered to everything Scottish. Its walls were lined with bolts of plaid and the clan names were attached to each one, in case the shopper was too far removed from their heritage to know what theirs looked like. I mentioned that I loved Scottish shortbread cookies and Worth bought me a huge tin of them. I adored dipping them into coffee while reading or watching a cozy afternoon movie.
We found a gourmet shop and bought the very first items for our new life together. I loved this belonging; it made me feel such a part of him. I realized at that moment that although Dad and I had a wonderful relationship, he still jumped to Mother’s tune and I had to compete with that on a daily basis.