Read Online Cloudy With a Chance of Marriage by Kieran Kramer - Free Book Online Page B

mustn’t guess this was all a ruse. He was livid, but he did his best to look like an adorable, lovesick puppy—without losing an ounce of his captain’s authority or his bachelor aloofness.
    “You appear quite ill, Captain Arrow,” said Miss Jones, her voice concerned but her eyes alight with amusement. “Are you all right?”
    “Never better,” he choked out, and sped off.
    He would wring Miss Jones’s neck later.
    He found Sir Ned with his nose still in the atlas. “Purchase the thing,” Stephen told him. “And leave.”
    Instead, Sir Ned trotted to the counter, the book hugged close to his chest. “I think I shall simply borrow this book for a while. I’m living right next door, after all.”
    “I’m sorry, but I need to sell that atlas,” Miss Jones said.
    Sir Ned glared at her, dropped the book on a table, and stalked out of the shop, his wife and daughter right behind him.
    Miss Jones looked at Stephen with dismay. “Sir Ned and Lady Hartley are awful.”
    “Yes, they are.”
    She didn’t even seem to hear him agree with her, which was a rarity she should enjoy. But now that everyone had left, she was like a balloon with no air. In their short, fiery acquaintance, Stephen had never seen her so despondent.
    He didn’t like seeing her this way. She was far too appealing to sink so low.
    “I think it’s best you go now, Captain,” she said quietly.
    He felt guilt slap into him like whitecaps on the side of a dinghy. “You may not want to masquerade as the object of my affections,” he said, “but you certainly got some enjoyment out of the charade a moment ago. So why are you upset now?”
    She took out that damned dusting cloth and began to wipe it over a tabletop. “Because this deception of yours was thrust upon me. It’s a waste of my valuable time, and I regret allowing you to interfere with the running of Hodgepodge.”
    “Miss Jones, forgive me for noticing,” he said gently, “but it’s not as if you’re bombarded with customers.”
    She wheeled on him. “I know that. But I’d rather spend time on my priorities than on yours. I couldn’t care less if Sir Ned and Lady Hartley attempt to snag you as their daughter’s husband. But I do care about making my bookstore a thriving business. And—”
    “And what?”
    She bit her lip. “It’s highly improper, our arrangement. What if—”
    “What if what?”
    She shook her head. “Never mind.”
    Gently, he took her arm. “Are you worried I might take advantage of you? Perhaps even kiss you?”
    He could see her swallow. “Would you?” she whispered, and looked up at him.
    A taut silence stretched between them.
    “No.” He did want to kiss her, of course. “I would do nothing without your permission.”
    She nodded, apparently relieved, which was a new circumstance for him. Most women craved his kisses.
    “Let’s look on the bright side,” he said. “Perhaps we could both work to increase your business. Helping Hodgepodge thrive would help me, as well.”
    Her face brightened. “How?”
    “I could do some chores for you. My houseguests will see I’m here … which will confirm their belief that I’m pursuing you.”
    He thought about his beam that needed fixing. It would have to wait another day or two, maybe even a week, before he could get back to it.
    Miss Jones appeared to consider the idea. “I can’t think of anything I need, except—”
    She closed her mouth again.
    “What?” he asked her.
    “It doesn’t matter. I need some carpentry work. But I’ve no supplies and won’t be able to afford any for a while.”
    “I’ve got a shed full of tools and whatnot. What did you require exactly?”
    He saw a spark of hope flare in her eye. “A window ledge,” she said. “I want to put books in the window for passersby to look at.”
    “And a cat,” he added. “Everyone will want to come in and pet it.”
    “Yes. I love cats.” She was leaning on the counter, looking out onto the street. He thought