Maggie paced the parlor, weighing her words against the contradictory stories she’d grown up on, and wondering exactly how much she should tell the heir to the Gable secrets right off the bat. Imparting her knowledge of the Gable family history was something that would benefit from a slow, easing-into-it approach. 

Or, perhaps, you’re just wanting to prolong your time in Noah Miller’s company? Maggie batted her lashes, chasing away her annoyingly accurate inner thoughts. 

“Archibald was born…um…I want to say in the late sixteen-hundreds, 1680 maybe. His actual birthdate is unclear since he wasn’t born here in the U.S. In 1701, he immigrated to the New England area from Heathshire, Wales with his parents, Theodore and Julia. They both died within months of arrival, having contracted something on the way over.” She drew a breath and continued. “Archibald—”

He interrupted and asked, “How about we call him Archie? It’s less of a mouthful.” 

She smiled and began again. “Archib…uh…Archie built a trade empire on the backs of indentured workers. According to journals I’ve reviewed, he was not beneath cheating his business partners or competitors. It’s even said, he had a man murdered for not selling him a parcel of land.” 

“Damn! I thought my ex wife was bad. My ancestors may have her beaten.” He grinned, and added, “But not by much.” 

Oh, good. He’s not married. Hot as hell and available. 

“In 1718, Archie married his first wife, Estella Lanier, daughter of a wealthy French businessman. Armand Lanier died a few months before his daughter’s wedding, leaving his entire estate to Estella. With no business experience to rely on, she gladly turned her fortune over to her new husband. Archie purchased the land and built Gable House for her in 1720, with the intention they would start a family. They became one of the half-dozen or so founding residents of what is now Willow-By-The-Sea. Their plans for a family took longer than they’d hoped, but eventually they had a son, Cornelius. Unfortunately, Estella died shortly after childbirth. Archibald—”

“Archie,” he corrected. 

“Archie remarried a year-and-a-half later, to a woman named Penelope Green. He and his second wife also had a son they named Alister.” 

“Good grief. How do you remember all these details? More importantly, why would you want to?” 

She readily admitted, “It’s become important to me. My fifth-removed grandmother was also a founder of Willow, and I’ve scoured her personal journals over and over again trying to reconcile them with other historical documents.” 

“And?” he prompted. 

“I’m not sure yet. There’s a very thin line between fact and fiction. Sometimes there’s no line at all.” 

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