Homespun Bride

46 Homespun Bridehe planned to buy—when he found the right place thathe could afford, that is.No, there was no storm now to hide the differencesbetween him and Noelle. The differences, which hadalways separated them, always would.Henrietta Worthington gasped. “Noelle! Shame onyou. You’ve known who this man is this entire time?Why haven’t you said anything? And why don’t weknow this friend of yours? Come in—”“He is no friend of mine. Not anymore.” She cut offher aunt with her gentle alto, giving no real hint of theemotion beneath.Anger? Bitterness? Or was it nothing at all?Probably the latter, Thad realized. Lost love first lefthurt and anger in its wake, then bitterness, and finallyit was forever gone, leaving not so much as ashes toshow for it or an empty place for all the space andpower it had taken over one’s heart.Proof that love was simply a dream, not real orlasting at all.“I’d best be going.” He gave Noelle one last look.Figured this would be the last time they would comeface-to-face. He didn’t intend to spend much time onthis side of the county. He didn’t intend to play withfire; he’d only get burned if he tried. He knew that forcertain. All he had to do was gauge it by the narrowingof the aunt’s gaze, as if she were taking his true measure.And Noelle, what would she see in him now if shehad her sight? Probably the man who sweet-talked herout of one side of his mouth and lied to her out of theother.He took a step back, already gone at heart. “Not that