The Circle Eight: Nicholas by Emma Lang

had no one of her own. Or rather, she did, but that daughter was lost. Nick would right that wrong. He would damn well give her back her only kin.
    Decision made, he found himself relaxing. Now he had to tell Winnie what he wanted to do. Or rather, convince her it was right thing to do. He would be fiddling with her life and her future. This was not a small thing. He had little time to figure out how to do what he had to do.
    “Nicholas?”
    Less than that. He had no time.
    “I’m here.”
    She sighed and sat up. “I was more tired than I thought. My apologies. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”
    “It’s all right. I didn’t mind.” That was an understatement, of course. He might have begun this trip full of resentment, but now he was bubbling with something very different.
    She yawned and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
    “I haven’t slept well in years.”
    She was quiet for a few moments. “Neither have I.”
    A comfortable silence ensued. Somehow their conversation had cleared the air between them. Nicholas had time to consider how to convince Winnie to let him find her daughter. Although he had hours to concoct a plan, the best he could think of was starting with whoever delivered the child and dig until they found her. It wasn’t much of a plan but it was what he had.
    The summer heat settled over them as they rode onward. Sweat rolled down his back, pooling at the waistband of his trousers. Winnie looked fresh as a daisy.
    “I think we should stop and have some dinner. Eva packed plenty of vittles.” He wanted to talk to her face to face about his plan.
    “I am parched. That sounds lovely.” She adjusted her bonnet. “I would also love to put a cold cloth on my neck.”
    Nick wanted to be the one who put that cloth on her neck, or anywhere else she wanted one. The memory of her skin, the scent, the incredible softness, raced through him. It took great effort to push it aside and look for a likely place to stop.
    Then he would change her life, and his, forever.
     

Chapter Four
     
    “I want to find your daughter. I want to find Grace.”
    Winnie stared at him, shock keeping her immobile. His expression was serious, completely, utterly serious. She had to swallow twice before she could speak. Her voice had deserted her.
    “Why?” Her heart ached as she tried to understand what he wanted. “She is nothing to you. A nine-year-old memory of a dark time in my life.”
    “It’s not who she is to me, it’s who she is to you.” He set down the biscuit he’d been toying with as he spoke. He brushed off the crumbs stuck to the tips of his fingers. His gaze found hers. “I’m not doing this right.”
    “Doing what right? I don’t understand, Nicholas.” She hated the trembling in her voice and the way her heart thumped with pain.
    He took her hands, his were surprisingly cool and damp. “I haven’t done much right in my life. My brothers can tell you how many times I do the wrong thing. This is something I want to do right. For you.”
    She looked into his blue-green eyes and saw earnestness. Whatever he intended, he was being honest with her.
    “For me?”
    He blew out a breath. “You were right about me. I’m a mess, not worthy of much except working with cattle. You showed me I could do something else, be something else. Please let me find her for you. Let me find your family.”
    Family.
    The word had meant nothing to her most of her life. She hadn’t known her mother and wish ed she hadn’t known her father. Now that she understood how family was supposed to treat each other, and how much she envied the Grahams, Nicholas dangled her own family in front of her.
    He had no idea what his request was doing to her. Even allowing a small speck of hope to dance across her heart was dangerous. She managed to suck in some air but she still felt lightheaded.
    Family.
    “I didn’t tell you the story of how I lost her to prompt you to