Tempting Mr. Weatherstone: A Wallflower Wedding Novella (Originally Appeared in the E-Book Anthology FIVE GOLDEN RINGS) Read Online Free PDF Page B

waistcoat and shirtsleeves, the bearded shopkeeper greeted them. Ethan went straight to the business at hand, asking if his grandmother’s jewelry could be cleaned tomorrow since they were leaving for the country at the week’s end.
    The shopkeeper looked at Ethan, then pointedly down to his wares beneath the glass, a gesture that even Penelope recognized as a request for a favor in turn.
    “We are so fortunate to find such a lovely selection and so close to Christmas,” she said, coming forward and placing her gloved hands on the glass, her face crafted in a mask of delight. “I daresay, Mr. Weatherstone, your mother would love a pair of these emerald earbobs.”
    Ethan caught her eye and nodded in understanding, transforming his brusque business manner into one of cordiality. “I do believe emeralds are her favorite. Might I see the pair?”
    “Yes, of course,” the shopkeeper said with grin, and chafed his hands together. “These are very special. Not another pair like it. All my jewelry is one of a kind.”
    She’d heard those words before at other jeweler’s shops, each one vying to appeal to a woman’s vanity and desire to stand out from the crowd. However, it would hardly serve Ethan’s cause to point out that she’d seen similar pieces on her friends. “These are lovely, as well.” She pointed to a pair of pink coral clusters suspended from an inverted silver urn.
    “One of my particularly favorite pairs. They would complement your coloring—”
    “Miss Rutledge doesn’t have pierced ears,” Ethan interrupted.
    She never knew he’d noticed. Self-consciously, she reached up to touch one bare lobe and realized he was watching her. “Do you think I should?”
    His wolfish grin came out to play again, as if he was enjoying his own private joke. Surely, there must be something different with the light this morning to cause his eyes to smolder like copper over a fire?
    Leisurely, his gaze seemed to take in every detail of her face, sweeping over her lashes, down the bridge of her nose—slowly as if cataloging every freckle—and then to her mouth. Here, she could almost feel his gaze on her flesh, like a phantom kiss. A kiss they’d never shared.
    Finally, he looked from one bare lobe to the other. He pursed his lips slightly as he swallowed. “No,” was the only answer he gave, but something in the way he said it made her feel quite warm.
    She averted her face to hide her blush.
    “Perhaps she would prefer a beautiful brooch?” The shopkeeper eagerly reached into the next case and produced a jade tortoise accented with cabochon garnets. “This came from the farthest reaches of the Orient.”
    “No doubt,” Ethan said convincingly, as if equally certain. Yet she knew him better than that and wondered what game he was playing. “And perhaps all manner of reptiles make for fashionable jewelry in the farthest reaches of the Orient, as well. What say you, Miss Rutledge,” he asked without turning away from the shopkeeper. “Do you prefer one reptile over another? Snakes, perhaps?”
    She pressed her lips together in an effort to hide her smile. “I cannot say I’m overly fond of any type of reptile, Mr. Weatherstone.”
    “Miss Rutledge does not care for tortoises,” Ethan said, matter-of-fact, causing the shopkeeper to snatch away the brooch.
    “Yes, of course,” he stammered apologetically, as he found yet another brooch, this one even larger than the tortoise. “Perhaps a young woman of her refined taste would prefer something more like this bird of paradise.”
    The bird was truly hideous. Nearly the size of her hand, the brooch was a garish conglomeration of multicolored gemstones, so bright it nearly hurt her eyes to look at it. In an effort to save her vision, she looked up to study Ethan’s profile.
    “One of a kind?” he asked.
    “Yes, of course,” the shopkeeper stated proudly. “It comes from the farthest reaches of Africa.”
    He tapped his index finger against his lip