Nettie ground her teeth. "Quit talking nonsense. I already owe both you and your sister more money than I'll ever be able to repay. I can't possibly allow her to buy me any more clothing. I suppose you'll want me to bob my hair as well, so I can keep up appearances."
"No. Your hair is perfect the way it is." The fervor with which that statement came out startled Eli as much as it appeared to startle Nettie. She took advantage of the moment to snatch her hand away from his.
"Thanks, I suppose," she said. "But you know this idea of yours simply cannot work. For one thing, I'm not that good an actress."
He pondered that, and then nodded. She didn't have it in her to lie. Then an idea struck, and it was so damn simple and so damn perfect, he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before. He spoke slowly, choosing his words as carefully as if this were a courtroom. "Yes, I think I've come to see that. So I have another proposition. One I think will be far better for both of us in the long run."
She narrowed her eyes. "What?"
"Simply this." He stood up and strode around the desk. When he reached her, he dropped to one knee and took her hand. "Annette Price, will you do me the honor of being my wife?"
She yanked her hand away. "What? Don't be silly. I know this isn't for real. Remember?"
"That was before." He took her hand again, more firmly and gazed right into his eyes. "This time I'm serious. We like each other. We can talk about almost anything. I've never had that kind of friendship, that meeting as equals, with a woman before. When I've gone out with a girl, it's all been about fluff and flattery. You're the real deal, Nettie. Honest. Trustworthy. Bright. We'd be happy together. And you know as well as I do that there's no lack of physical attraction. I think that side of marriage would go swimmingly." He kissed her hand.
"You didn't say a word about love," she said in a voice so low it was almost a whisper. "Isn't that what marriage is supposed to be about? Loving someone with all your heart?"
He shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't seen much of that sort of love - I'm not sure it's even real. Diana and Randolph care for one another, of course, but he travels so much - and I'm not sure he's faithful to my sister when he's away."
"No! And you haven't beaten him senseless?" He could see her begin to quiver with outrage on Diana's behalf as he shook his head. He'd been tempted, but had respected their privacy. "Does she know?"
"I think so. It's not something we've ever discussed. You won't have to worry about that with me, Nettie. When I make a promise, I keep it. There will be no other women in my life - not as long as we both shall live."
She tipped her head. "I believe you. You're too honorable to cheat."
He felt that compliment warm in his chest. She trusted him. That was something. "Then you can look at my parents. They barely speak." He took a deep breath, unexpectedly desperate to convince her. "I truly believe that the combination of a deep friendship and strong physical attraction is a much more rational basis for marriage than some idealized notion of romantic love."
"My parents loved each other." Nettie said. "That's why she asked me to take care of him and that's why he took to drink when she died."
"I think you'll find your father was a drinker even before your mother's death." Not a sterling example, in Eli's opinion. He stroked her cheek with his free hand. "And perhaps your mother did love him - but from what I've heard, he never treated her well. That's something I can absolutely promise you, my dear. For the rest of my life, there will be someone looking out for you, not the other way around."
"I think it's supposed to be mutual." Her quirky smile made a brief return. "I don't think I'd like being pampered all the time. And what about children? Do you want them someday? How do you think that would work in this friendly marriage you envision?"
"I do want children." He squeezed her hand. "And I find that I cannot think of a better candidate to be the mother of any potential offspring. I trust you to help raise them and love and protect them like no one else I've ever met - even if something should happen to me." He leaned closer and kissed her lips, softly at first, but then deepening, his hand in her silky hair. By the time he pulled away, he was ready to take her there on his office floor. Based on her rapid breathing and flushed skin, she might have let him.
"I don't think we'll have any trouble in that department." He kissed her cheeks and her forehead. "Do you?"
She wet her lips and drew in a deep breath. "No. It seems we won't - I mean we wouldn't. If."
"Will you marry me, Net? I'm dead serious here. I even think the wedding should be soon." He gulped in a few deep breaths of his own.
"I'll - I'll think about it."
"Think quickly. I find I don't want to wait very long." Even for a litigator, that was a massive understatement. He didn't want to wait at all. All he could think about was carrying her up to his bed and stripping that modest little dress...
The fire bell rang.