There are no excuses for this late update, but I do hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy Holidays!

Chapter 6: An Engagement (Sarah's POV)

As I continued on with my story, I watched James for his reaction to what I was telling him. Most of the time he looked me in the eyes, but at other times he looked away and he seemed as if he wished to run away from me. No matter his reaction though, I continued on:

"After a dozen more calls from Mr. Roberts, we began to become affectionate towards one another and eventually that affection molded into something else…"

"Ms. Phillips you are quite the nature lover. I have yet to meet any other woman like yourself, who enjoys long rides on a horse through the woods," said Mr. Roberts as he stepped down from his horse. We had just finished a long ride through the woods around my family's estate and had decided to sit down for awhile.

I smiled as he walked over to my horse and set his hands on either side of my waist. I could feel the warmth of his hands through my dress, and I felt a blush begin to creep across my face. He lifted me easily from my horse and set me down gently on the ground.

"I will have you know, Mr. Roberts, that I am a unique and independent woman, who finds joy in the things that most women deem as for men only," I stated as I stared at him.

Mr. Roberts smirked at me before removing his hands from my waist and tying our horses to a nearby tree. After he was done he returned with a blanket, which he spread over the ground in the clearing we were in.

I kneeled onto the blanket, while Mr. Roberts laid down on his side. He propped his head up on his hand and his blue-gold eyes stared at me. My heart began to beat faster as he reached a hand out to me. I slowly took his hand and he pulled me closer to him. When I was only a foot away from him, he sat up and kneeled in front of me, his hand never leaving mine.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, just staring at each other. His eyes scanning me, and mine scanning him as well. Then gradually, he moved his free hand off his thigh and up towards my face. Gently, his hand came to rest on my cheek. His fingertips stroked my cheek and my heart beat even faster.

"Ms. Phillips," he whispered softly, "You are so beautiful and you are so unlike any other woman I have ever met."

"Thank you Mr. Roberts," I replied as the blush on my cheeks began to spread down my neck. He smiled kindly and titled my face up so I looked him in the eyes.

"You are welcome Ms. Phillips, but I did not bring you out here this afternoon to merely compliment you. I have asked your father for your hand in marriage, and he gave me his consent, along with your mother's…"

I stopped my story for a moment because I knew what was coming next. I looked to James who was staring at the floor with his hands bunched into fists. He was breathing faster and my head told me to stop telling him this story, but my heart told me to continue on. My heart told me that he needed to know, so I listened to my heart. I closed my eyes and was instantly transported back into the moment…

"So, Ms. Phillips, will you do me the blessed honor of becoming my wife?"

My eyes widened and my heart stopped. What was I to say? This man who knelt before me was a man who I had hated, and yet come to love. Should I marry him? I was young and there were plenty of young available men. But could any of those men capture my heart as this man had? Once I answered that question, I knew my answer.

"Yes, Mr. Roberts, I will become your wife," I answered confidently.

Mr. Roberts sighed and smiled even bigger than he had before. He removed his hand from mine and put it on my other cheek. Then he pulled my face closer to his and our lips met. It was not the first kiss we had shared, but it was the most passionate. His lips moved against mine and I felt complete. I moved my hands from my lap to rest on his broad chest. My head spun and my stomach flipped. After a few more moments we pulled apart breathing heavily.

Suddenly Mr. Roberts dropped his hands from my cheeks and got off of his knees. He stood up stretched his arms and next he sat with his legs crossed in front of him. He reached for me and lifted me into his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and held me to his chest. He buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes for a moment and just enjoyed the feeling of his arms around me.

"Ms. Phillips," said Mr. Roberts in my ear. His breath tickled my skin and I opened my eyes. "Ms. Phillips, since we are now engaged to be married, may I call you by your first name?"

"Yes Mr. Roberts, you may call me Sarah, but only if I may call you by your first name as well," I replied.

"It sounds like a wonderful idea to me Sarah. Please call me Thomas."

"Thomas."

Thomas smiled, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. "Say it again Sarah, please."

"Thomas."

Thomas opened his eyes and kissed my forehead. "Oh God, I love you so much Sarah!"

"I love you too Thomas," I whispered back before he crashed his lips to mine once again.

I stopped talking and looked over to James. He had not moved an inch since I had started speaking again. His breathing was even heavier than before and his face was bright red. I set my hand on his shoulder, but he shook my hand off his shoulder. That was when I saw the tears running down his cheeks and falling onto the floor. I set my hand gently on his face and wiped away a few tears. Suddenly he let out a muffled sob. He then jumped off my bed, opened the door, and ran out of my room.

I shook my head and fell back onto my bed. My eyes began to water and I knew that my suspicions had been correct. James did have affection for me, and I had just told him I was engaged. Tears next began to roll down my own face. I did not know whether the tears were for my fiancée, for James, or for the truth that had yet to be uncovered.