What a shocking experience it was for a woman—a woman like her, who'd sworn off men for the rest of her days—to realize she had fallen in love. With that realization had also come the conviction that Melvin Steffington did not deserve to be thrown into the pit with the other unsatisfactory members of his sex.He was a fine man. A pity he couldn't—in this instance—be more like his brother, who had shown interest in her womanly attributes. Was Airy blind to them? Or did he not find her attractive?Thoughts of him had made sleep impossible. She’d felt a dizzying excitement over the prospect of traveling with him the next day. Being with him was comfortable while at the same time exhilarating. She had become closer to him than she’d ever been to any man.She peered into his dark eyes, her heart fluttering. He may not be in love with her, but the very fact that he could tell she hadn’t slept last night spoke to his deep connection with her. “I never seem able to sleep the night before a trip.
