Black was the one out following the horses? “Did you say a Ms. Black?”
“Why yes I did, her Pa, Mr. Black is busy at the ranch, its selling time for horses right now, and he got the finest to be seen anywhere. Envy of all the others I dare say, no one’s got a breedin’ program so fine.”
Surly the Ms. Black out with the horses wasn’t the lady he was going to marry; maybe it was a cousin or a sister, for he had been told she would make the ideal wife of a duke. One who was smart, clever, and beautiful and had a cunning head on top of her pretty shoulders, a true lady.
Shaking his head he followed his guide until they were clear of the mud.
His guide smiled at him and shook his hand. “It’s been real great taking you out here sir, but this is where I leave ya. Follow this here road on the other side of this meadow and you should be there in a few hours.” And without farther ado the man swung up into his horse’s saddle and rode off in the other direction he had pointed out.
The duke stared at him open mouthed and let loose a growl of frustration. He stomped about until he cooled off then mounted his own horse and started off. He could do this, he was a duke after all, he told himself.
…
“Sir are you alright?” asked a sweet voice from up over him. He opened his eyes only to have rain fall into them, so he blinked it away to get a glance at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen with a mass of long curly raven black hair that fell to her waist and bright green eyes staring at him with concern in a heart shaped face.
“Mister, do you need some help?” she asked again.
His chest hurt from the fell off his horse, but he tried to speak. “Horse…got scared by…fell…” and then all went black.
…
“Well gosh damnit anyway,” I said blowing hair from my face.
I had just finished picking out the two foals from the group this year to be coming back to the ranch when I had spotted a man lying on the ground near the Old Well in the rain. The man was tall, his wet hair a beard seemed to be black, and he looked like he had been chewed up and spit back out a few time. Poor fellow must had taken a wrong turn to get lost on their land. Looked as if his horse had thrown.
Now if only I could get the man to wake up long enough to get him back to the ranch house so I could treat any wounds that he may have suffered.
Bending down I slapped his face a couple more times and his eyes finally opened, blinking in the rain.
Suddenly as his sharp grey eyes found mine I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“Mister, come on, we go to get you up and out of here before night falls. There have been a few mountain lions spotted near here recently.”
The man struggled to sit up and with all my might I pulled him up along with me.
“There you go, see? That wasn’t so bad. I’m Alanna, who might you be?”
“My name is Grayson, my lady,” he wheezed a little bit.
I felt my grin slip right off my face. Dear god he had an accent and not just any accent, he was British. And there was a good chance this was the man who was going to be my husband within a few months.
The British are coming
Black Creek Ranch 1818
The fire was warm and roasting the smell of food wafted up from the kitchen downstairs and it felt good to slid into my own bath after two weeks in the wild with the horses. Nothing could beat a hot bath fresh from the stove downstairs, the curiosity about the man was killing me, but I had left him in the care of the kitchen staff so that
“Why yes I did, her Pa, Mr. Black is busy at the ranch, its selling time for horses right now, and he got the finest to be seen anywhere. Envy of all the others I dare say, no one’s got a breedin’ program so fine.”
Surly the Ms. Black out with the horses wasn’t the lady he was going to marry; maybe it was a cousin or a sister, for he had been told she would make the ideal wife of a duke. One who was smart, clever, and beautiful and had a cunning head on top of her pretty shoulders, a true lady.
Shaking his head he followed his guide until they were clear of the mud.
His guide smiled at him and shook his hand. “It’s been real great taking you out here sir, but this is where I leave ya. Follow this here road on the other side of this meadow and you should be there in a few hours.” And without farther ado the man swung up into his horse’s saddle and rode off in the other direction he had pointed out.
The duke stared at him open mouthed and let loose a growl of frustration. He stomped about until he cooled off then mounted his own horse and started off. He could do this, he was a duke after all, he told himself.
…
“Sir are you alright?” asked a sweet voice from up over him. He opened his eyes only to have rain fall into them, so he blinked it away to get a glance at the most beautiful woman he had ever seen with a mass of long curly raven black hair that fell to her waist and bright green eyes staring at him with concern in a heart shaped face.
“Mister, do you need some help?” she asked again.
His chest hurt from the fell off his horse, but he tried to speak. “Horse…got scared by…fell…” and then all went black.
…
“Well gosh damnit anyway,” I said blowing hair from my face.
I had just finished picking out the two foals from the group this year to be coming back to the ranch when I had spotted a man lying on the ground near the Old Well in the rain. The man was tall, his wet hair a beard seemed to be black, and he looked like he had been chewed up and spit back out a few time. Poor fellow must had taken a wrong turn to get lost on their land. Looked as if his horse had thrown.
Now if only I could get the man to wake up long enough to get him back to the ranch house so I could treat any wounds that he may have suffered.
Bending down I slapped his face a couple more times and his eyes finally opened, blinking in the rain.
Suddenly as his sharp grey eyes found mine I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“Mister, come on, we go to get you up and out of here before night falls. There have been a few mountain lions spotted near here recently.”
The man struggled to sit up and with all my might I pulled him up along with me.
“There you go, see? That wasn’t so bad. I’m Alanna, who might you be?”
“My name is Grayson, my lady,” he wheezed a little bit.
I felt my grin slip right off my face. Dear god he had an accent and not just any accent, he was British. And there was a good chance this was the man who was going to be my husband within a few months.
The British are coming
Black Creek Ranch 1818
The fire was warm and roasting the smell of food wafted up from the kitchen downstairs and it felt good to slid into my own bath after two weeks in the wild with the horses. Nothing could beat a hot bath fresh from the stove downstairs, the curiosity about the man was killing me, but I had left him in the care of the kitchen staff so that
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