Restless Heart Read Free Page A

too much in his short life.
    The bright blue of his shirt contrasted so much with the rest of him, she had to blink to absorb it all. He was a striking man, not classically handsome but fascinating.
    Angeline did not ever remembering seeing him before, which wasn’t surprising because she worked in the kitchen most days.
    She managed to swallow, somehow, before she stepped toward his table with her heart firmly lodged in her throat. He watched her with wide eyes, unsmiling and unthreatening. She couldn’t have explained it to anyone, but Marta had been right—Samuel Carver was no threat to her.
    “Good afternoon, Miss Hunter.” His voice had a lilt to it, one she’d never heard before. It was like warm honey on a piece of toast.
    Angeline thought perhaps she would be embarrassed by her reaction, but she wasn’t. “Good afternoon, Mr. Carver.” At least she set the plate down on the table without dropping it.
    He smiled. “I hope you’re enjoying the book.”
    She licked her lips and managed a small smile. “I’ve never had a new book before. I-I wanted to say thank you, but it’s much too extravagant for me to accept.”
    There, that sounded reasonable and intelligent. He, however, shook his head.
    “I can’t take it back.”
    “Please, it must have cost you a lot of money.” She put her hands in her apron pockets and clenched them into fists, her right hand pressed up against the book. “It’s not appropriate for me to accept it.”
    He hadn’t even glanced at the plate. His gaze was locked on hers. “I know it was forward of me, but I saw you reading on the back steps one day. You seemed to be at peace with a book in your hands.”
    Angeline unwillingly nodded. “Yes, that’s exactly it. It’s almost as if the books give me peace.”
    This time when he smiled, she found herself smiling back. The situation had gotten complicated in less than five minutes.
    “I feel the same way about books. So please accept the gift from a fellow reader. It’s nothing more.”
    She was torn between what she had to do and what she wanted to do. Angeline could not become attached or involved with any man, regardless of her silly heart’s reaction to him. It didn’t make it any easier to conjure up every other reason why she needed to keep her distance from him.
    Angeline wanted to sit down and talk to him. Horrified by her reaction to this stranger, this man who seemed to be able to see into the depths of her soul, she backed away.
    “I have to go back to the kitchen and work.”
    “Of course. It was wonderful to meet you.” This time he looked hesitant, almost as if he was shy.
    Angeline knew she really should not accept the book, but it remained firmly in her apron pocket as she stepped back toward the kitchen. She felt his stare as she retreated, knowing he watched her from the table by the window.
    Her heart skipped a beat.

Chapter Two
    A ngeline sat on the corner of her bed and stared at the book. The morning chill hung in the air as the lamplight filled the room with warm shadows. She caressed the spine and cover, ashamed of her enchantment with it, but thrilled to have it in her hands.
    She hadn’t yet opened it, afraid if she cracked the spine, Samuel could not sell the book back to whomever he’d bought it from. Angeline couldn’t keep it, she knew that, but she pretended for a little while that she could. It was an extravagant gift, meant for a woman who could give a man something in exchange. She was not that woman and would never be.
    Samuel was not what she’d expected. He was handsome, mesmerizing even, with his dark hair and eyes. Yet her attraction to him was much more than that; it was as if she already knew him. That’s what scared her the most—she could not be with him, yet now that she’d met him, she was drawn to him. In fact, she’d even dreamed of him the night before.
    She could only remember fragments of the dream, but when she thought of Samuel, she felt warm inside.