Dangerous Joy by Jo Beverley Page B

her head on her shoulder so he was facing two accusing females.
    "I've only killed two horses in my day, and those with broken legs that could happen anywhere if a horse is ridden at more than a trot."
    "It's foolishness, though, to be risking horses just to hunt down a fox that is of no use to anyone."
    "Charlie's of great use to the huntsmen, since he provides the run. I confess I'm surprised, Felicity. I'd not have thought you squeamish."
    She tossed her head and moved away from the fence, leading the way up to the house. "I'm not at all squeamish. But when I've seen a foal born and worked with it for years, to hear it was killed by a clumsy rider, doubtless the worse for drink, forcing it over a fence that should never have been attempted..."
    "I feel the same way," he said quietly. "That's why I sell my animals myself. So I know the purchasers. Come to Melton with me and see how it's done."
    She swung suddenly to face him. "Oh, so that's what all this is about! It will do you no good, Mr. Cavanagh. You are not dragging me off to Melton Mowbray, not even for a lesson in horse-trading!"
    She marched up the path and Miles followed, wondering whether his guardianship did give him the right to truss her like a Michaelmas goose and carry her off to England.
    "Are we in a hurry?" he asked mildly.
    "Yes," she threw back. "Kieran might be waiting."
    It touched his heart the way she cared about the lad, but worried him, too. He lengthened his stride to come up beside her. "If you're so keen on children, perhaps you should marry."
    To his surprise, she stopped and answered quite moderately. "Perhaps I should, at that."
    "What better place to go husband-hunting than Melton? It's crammed with eligible young men."
    Her eyes widened in mock astonishment. "What? Try to catch the eye of a man who's surrounded by prime horseflesh? You're mad, sir! And besides, how would I find an Irish husband there? I will not marry out of Ireland."
    She had him on both points. "There are some Irishmen in England now and then."
    "But there are assuredly more in Ireland, aren't there? So I'll do my husband-hunting here."
    She turned and swept toward the house. As they entered through a conservatory in which the only healthy plant was catnip, Miles had the distinct feeling he'd lost that round.
    To Felicity's disappointment, Kieran wasn't at Foy yet, but she used his imminent arrival as an excuse to go to her room and change out of her dusty gown. In truth, she wanted to escape Miles Cavanagh.
    Damn the man. He seemed to have her constantly teetering on the edge of disaster. And damn her grandfather for changing his will at the last moment. She could have handled Uncle Colum as easily as she had always handled her father's family.
    She wasn't at all sure she could handle Miles Cavanagh.
    She gave the bell-rope a sharp tug. A clever, strong-willed guardian could ruin everything, and the consequences didn't bear thinking of.
    She caught sight of wind-wild hair in the mirror and pulled out pins and combs, admitting she could have liked Miles if they'd met in other circumstances. He was a fine figure of a man-not that fancy handsomeness that Dunsmore was so proud of, but with robust, practical looks that appealed greatly to her. Clear blue eyes ready to laugh, red-gold hair with a crisp curl to it, and a square jaw that spoke of firmness.
    Of course, the last thing she wanted in a guardian was firmness.
    She began to drag a brush through her tangled curls, telling herself that Miles had a bit too much of the English about him. But her heart told her he was as Irish as soft mist on green grass, and just as pleasant.
    After all, he could have made a great deal of trouble about what had happened last night. He could have been even more unpleasant about her own part in it. He'd harangued her finely, but today he'd not mentioned it at all.
    Of course that could mean that, man-arrogant, he assumed a few sharp warnings would scare her off.
    She attacked her hair