Page 29 of The Heart of Bennet Hollow

So, when it came to his future, he’d only ever thought the same.

That all vulnerability needed to be guarded behind lock and key.

Otherwise, his heart would be ripe for the picking.

The destroying. That he couldn’t make peace with.

Which made seeking a bride nigh unto impossible.

Even so, he didn’t sense an ounce of greed among the women they’d shared both table and church pew with of late.

Which had him sincerely wondering... if men and women from such different worlds could meld their lives into a good future, was the woman for Callum. . . Jayne Bennet?

Callum fidgeted with the lock on his travelling chest. A lock more easily unfastened than that of the heart.

As a lawyer, Callum had both fortune and prestige at stake.

A life he’d worked hard to build. “I don’t know.

But... yes.” It was a bold gaze that acknowledged William now.

“If I had my way right now, I would say those words to her.” Callum’s focus rose to the sunny window. “Maybe I should just walk over there.”

Caution climbed William’s backbone. “Are you certain... Are you certain she feels as strongly as you do?”

Callum’s response came out weak. “It’s hard to say.” He looked at William. “Be honest with me. What have you observed? Maybe I’ve been so distracted by my own desires that I haven’t properly discerned hers. Have you noticed any indication of feeling from her?”

William pulled a chair closer and sat. “I can see that she’s reserved. She’s a gentle-natured woman, one of substance, and I can see why you are drawn to her. Despite her financial outlook, Jayne Bennet is a fine match for a good man.” And a good man Callum was.

“But what of her feelings? What have you witnessed?”

Already, Callum was beginning to crumble.

Yes, the woman was beautiful. Stunningly so.

But so was Helen of Troy. While William didn’t often draw upon Greek mythology for how to direct a man’s life, Callum seemed in grave danger of being a sinking ship in the Aegean Sea, and William feared the man might never rise again.

It pained him to speak honestly but it needed to be said. “Very little, I admit.”

Callum was still as William pressed on.

“I haven’t witnessed any clear indication that she’s in love.

I’m hardly an expert on the topic, though,” he hedged.

Blasted emotions. How to navigate them? If only the hearts of women could be as easy to decipher as the columns in his ledgers.

“I don’t sense Jayne would marry you for money, though were you to offer her a future with you, she may very well accept.

You would offer a life unlike she’s ever known.

Solve her father’s problems in the process. Would you be happy in that instance?”

Callum’s expression looked riddled with pain until he slowly shook his head. “No.”

It was pride in Callum’s tense jaw. Good. Better pride than the alternative.

Unfettered adoration would only plummet him into that unyielding sea.

William didn’t blame the man. He too wanted a match based on sincerity, not wealth, but what chance did they have of that? There wasn’t a woman they encountered who couldn’t tell that they had enough fortune for one happy life if not a dozen.

“Has she given you some reason to hope?” William asked. “Something she might have said in private?” Maybe Jayne had spoken more frankly in the moments Callum had shared alone with her. “How about the other day in the churchyard?”

Gaze to the floor, Callum’s eyes shifted as though the answer were woven into the Persian rug. “Not directly.”

William pressed his thumbs together, staring there to try and conjure the wisest words he could. “Then perhaps you might give it a little more time. You could write to her. And see if she writes back. Allow even a few more weeks for matters to unfold. And soon, you could be right back here again.”

Callum placed several books into the trunk.

“You could try and be more forthright in letters as time goes by.”

“I suppose.” Callum rose and grabbed several coats from the wardrobe. Hangers rattled together. One fell. “I won’t be able to return right away. But if I were able to write...”

William planned to be gone in mere days himself to oversee his other business endeavors.

By week’s end, there would be nothing left on this stretch of track save a few weeds that had grown between the rails.

But William intended to return to New River soon to finish proceedings on the mine discussion, and there seemed no reason Callum couldn’t do the same. “Much could develop in that time.”

“You’re right.” Callum clattered a hanger back into place. “It would be unwise to rush the process.”

Yet in truth, if William were basing this experience on the legend of war between Troy and Sparta, he understood more and more what it was like to have an Achilles’ heel. A weak point. One that he meant to protect with armor—but would never truly be able to. Clearly Callum had the same weak spot.

The only difference was that his friend was being honest about it.

Unease rising about his own insecurities, along with the cost of giving Callum any proper advice, William tried to rally them both. “Exactly. And the future can hold good things.”

Did he believe that himself? He was trying to.

In fact, he was starting to.

“Yes.” With a sigh of acceptance, Callum dropped the coats into the trunk. “Could you do something for me?”

“Of course.”

“Could you find me a large piece of paper to wrap a package in?” Callum searched through his belongings.

“Of course.” William hurried to the storage closet since the train would be here soon and was rarely late. He found just the right piece, returning in time for Callum to fill it and tie the package with a piece of string.

“Will you see that Jayne gets this?” The paper bundle crinkled as Callum held it out.

In the distance, a train whistle blew. There was nothing left to do. No time to aid his friend in changing course to let the winds of possibility blow his sails straight to the Bennet farm.

Instead, William took the package, holding it with all the dignity his friend deserved. “Consider it done.”