The Groom Says Yes Read Online Free Page B

very important if he died.
    His brows came together. He had definitive brows, the kind that could express emotion on their own, the kind that made a man’s face interesting, appealing.
    “What?” he grumbled out. “Couldn’t . . . breathe.”
    “Of course, you couldn’t. I was holding your nose.” Sabrina clambered to her feet.
    His scowl deepened. He’d understood her. “Me nose?”
    “Your nose,” she confirmed. Me nose . What a quaint quirk, she thought, then realized he had the hint of an accent she couldn’t quite place. “Where are you from?”
    He’d started looking around the bothy as if completely disoriented. She repeated her question.
    However, instead of answering, he tried to help himself up, using the stones of the doorway for leverage, but he lacked strength. His arms could not give him support, and he fell back against the door between the two rooms, his expression dazed as if he didn’t understand what was happening to him.
    Sabrina softened her voice. “Sir, you are very ill.”
    Glassy brown eyes met hers. They reminded her of the color of good sherry when sunlight passed through it.
    “What is your name?” she asked again.
    “Enright,” he said.
    “Enright,” she repeated, wanting to confirm what she’d heard. When he didn’t correct her, she said, “Mr. Enright, do you know where you are?”
    Those expressive brows came together, but before he could answer, he began shaking. The chills were starting to come upon him, and she had nothing to use to help him fight them off.
    “I need to fetch help,” she said, starting to rise. “You—”
    She didn’t finish her sentence. With unanticipated swiftness and a strength that must have cost him everything he had, Mr. Enright grabbed her, placing a hand to the back of her neck, so he could look her in the eye. “ No. ”
    The single word reverberated in the air around them.
    “But you need help,” she said. Surprisingly, she was not afraid. “If you don’t receive care, you could die here.”
    She watched as he processed her words and realized he’d already accepted the possibility of death. He knew how ill he was.
    “Please,” she whispered. “It might not be too late.”
    “No,” he repeated, the word spoken softer but just as emphatic. “No one else. Safe here.” It was taking great effort for him to speak. “Secret. Keep . . . secret. Promise me.”
    For a second, Sabrina could imagine they were the only two people in the world. He was asking for her trust.
    “If I promise, you must let me help you,” Sabrina said, uncertain even as she spoke the words why she should be willing to make such an offer, and yet there it was.
    Suspicion came to those hard sherry eyes.
    “You aren’t in a position to refuse me,” she reminded him gently.
    A bark of rusty laughter escaped him, as if she’d made a jest only he understood. His hand slid from her neck to rest on his thigh. He slumped against the door, a wan smile of defeat on his lips. “Suit yourself,” he managed, and Sabrina felt a note of triumph.
    She sat back on her heels. “I always do,” she admitted. “Is there anyone I should contact for you if the worst happens? A wife, perhaps?”
    He shook his head. It was all he could do. His eyes were growing heavy, and his shivering grew stronger. Sabrina stood and fetched his jacket. She placed it like a blanket around his shoulders. “I will return shortly,” she promised, and left the bothy. She needed to fetch her pony cart. She could not leave Mr. Enright alone overnight. He would not survive without food, water, and good care.
    And she would have to tell one person of his presence—her father. Certainly, Mr. Enright could understand the necessity.
    Besides, she hadn’t given him her promise, not actually, although she would honor his wishes to the best of her ability.
    Her feet didn’t slow until she reached the trees surrounding Kenmore village.
    Little more than an hour had passed since she had walked