Read Online Heart of Gold (A Gold Rush Romance) by Ali Olson - Free Book Online

breast. She realized what was happening and where this could lead, and the danger of the situation screamed into her mind, forcing Alice to listen, however little she wanted to. Her breath caught in her throat. Her eyes sprung open and she pulled away and stood up, nearly knocking over her chair in her haste.
    What was she thinking? She could lose her employment if anyone found out she had done anything remotely close to this, not to mention losing her heart and her self-respect, which would both take much longer to regain. She needed to get out of the presence of this man, and her reluctance to do so was the strongest reason that it was so important.
    Alice took a deep, shaky breath. She had known she was playing with fire, and the kiss had only made it more clear how very dangerous that was. And if she waited another minute, she feared she would find herself scorched from it. “Thomas—Mr. Lancaster—I think it is best if I leave. Now.”
    The smile that had started when she said his name disappeared as he heard the rest of the sentence. He wrinkled his brow, and she wanted nothing more than to kiss him and smooth it out again. But she stood her ground, although she had to grab the back of the chair for support in order to do so.
    He seemed confused, but he nodded and stood up without speaking. Her heart twisted as she waited for him to say something angry, to show annoyance, but he simply accepted her words without question, despite the fact that she was the one who initiated the kiss. She almost wished he would argue with her. Instead, he said, “I shall get the buggy ready.”
    She followed as he walked to the door, wanting to say something but with no idea what. She was even more dumbfounded, however, when he opened the door, froze for a moment, then started laughing in rich loud notes that rolled over her pleasantly. The response was so unexpected, she could not react except to stare at him.
    He looked back at her, grinning, and announced that it was raining.
    She could see it was raining—they often had sudden showers in May and it was to be expected—but did not understand his humor until he shrugged and continued. “The buggy has no top, and there is no carriage on the property. We have no choice but to wait until the weather clears.”
    She wanted to both groan and jump for joy. Instead, she stood and looked at the spring rain dropping from the sky in thick ropes. No, she would not be going anywhere, at least for a short while.
    They looked at each other for a long time as the sound of the pattering rain drifted through the still-open door. His face was split into a wide, nearly triumphant, grin, but her heart was still pounding with near-panic at what had happened only a few moments before.
    When she watched him, though, she could not stop the edges of her lips from curving upwards the slightest amount and some of the tension in her shoulders from disappearing. There was no help for it. His smile was so warm, so relieved, she had no choice but to catch his mood, if only a little.
    He shrugged again. “There’s no point standing here. Shall we go back to dinner?”
    Here was a chance to allow some space between them, regardless of how little she actually wanted that space. “I am not hungry, thank you, but you should eat. I can occupy myself in the sitting room.”
    She turned away from him and the pouring rain and went into the nearby room, taking the same spot she had occupied when Mrs. Leach was present—the far end of the couch. She was happy to have a chance to create distance between them. When he was too close she had a difficult time thinking, and it was high time to start mulling over her own behavior. She was still in shock at what she had done and needed an opportunity to reconstruct the walls around her heart—they had taken some heavy blows throughout the evening and were crumbling fast.
    But she did not get her wish for privacy. Instead of going back into the dining room, or even sitting in