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fell back. Standing so close to her gave him full view of the cute freckles on her nose and the intense green of her eyes.
    He stepped to the passenger door of the car and held it open. She didn’t hesitate, as most ladies would have upon their first entrance into a horseless carriage. Instead, she lifted her skirt and jumped in, running her hands over the crisp leather of the seats, studying the controls.
    He joined her and closed the door. Slipped on one pair of goggles and handed her the other, while the family chauffer started the car. Again Ada didn’t hesitate, securing them over her eyes. She looked ridiculous, the goggles two sizes too large, but in an endearing kind of way.
    “Ready?” He glanced at her.
    She nodded, excitement radiating from her.
    He made himself comfortable, placing his hands on the steering wheel and his feet on two of the three pedals below. Pressed down hard on the brake and clutch. Released the hand brake then moved one foot to the accelerator. The engine thrummed to life, and he steered them out of the circle drive. Gravel skittered behind them as he took off down the avenue.
    Sitting behind the wheel always gave him a sense of freedom. He made the rules, he decided where to go and what route to take. And the barely contained anticipation in Ada fueled his own.
    Once on the main road, he gave the car less brake and more accelerator. The wind whipped past them, blowing her veil behind her. She scooted closer on the seat, and he slowed slightly. Had he terrified her? At forty miles per hour, he
was
going faster than most ladies would find agreeable.
    “Why are you slowing down? This is fun. Can we go faster?” she called over the wind.
    Who knew that the girl he’d picked to play his fiancée would have tastes so perfectly attuned to his? More so than any other woman he’d ever met. Partner that with an infectious smile and wide green eyes… Ada McClane made quite the attractive package.
    Not that he could or should think of her as anything more than an employee.
    Certainly not.
    He flashed a grin at her and upped their speed. They dashed through the countryside, dirtying the motorcar and streaking their faces with dust. Having the time of their lives.
    Finally, he stopped not far from Meadowbrook. He opened the door and handed her out. The stillness of the woods contrasted against the noise and motion of the moments before. He drew in a long breath of pine and damp earth. Far preferable to hothouse flowers and scented candles.
    Ada tugged off her veil, shaking her hair back behind her. A streak of dust dotted her nose. He pulled off his gloves and wiped it away. His heart accelerated as he brushed her skin. Softer than silk, the warmth of her breath swooshing over his fingers.
    She blinked, her lashes fluttering.
    He drew his hand away. Burned by her touch.
    “That was fun.” She reached up and gingerly touched her hair.
    “Yeah.” More than fun. He hadn’t remembered enjoying anything so much in… he didn’t know when. “It’s strange doing something I love with someone else. Most of the time, I go alone. Nobody else likes my crazy speeds.”
    “Strange?” She quirked a brow.
    “In a good kind of way.”
    She released a sigh, stretching her arms wide. Sunlight tinged the sky overhead, the air touched with the barest hint of breeze. She spun in a circle, head tilted back, her skirt swirling around her. His breath webbed in his chest. He’d seen many elaborate ballets in his day, meant to stir the heart and entice the senses. Yet nothing before had ever transfixed him as Ada’s flying curls and blissful expression did at this moment.
    She returned to her normal posture with an embarrassed laugh. “Out here, it’s so easy to believe that there is a Creator who made the universe. In New York, you can forget that sometimes. Everything there is created by man, his money, and power.”
    He nodded.
    “Do you believe in God?” She cocked her head.
    He shrugged. He used to, in