saved your pretty neck. You shouldn’t ride mounts you
can’t control. When I said you could ride, I thought you would pick
a calm lady’s mount. I didn’t know you would pick a horse as
spirited as Crusader,” he said with irritation.
Julie’s face turn red
and then paled. She clenched her fists as she turned on him. “If
you weren’t so interested in accosting ladies, it would have been
perfectly clear to you or any other dimwit that I was in complete
control, and both horse and rider were enjoying themselves,” she
ground out.
“I most certainly did
not accost you. I thought I was saving your wretched neck.
And for your information, a lady would never race her horse.”
“You, my lord, are
hardly a judge of what a lady should or should not do,” she snapped
hotly.
“And just what is that
supposed to mean?” he snapped back.
Their argument ended
when Jarvis returned with Crusader. “By your leave, your lordship,
I’ll continue on my way, unless you want me to walk back,” Julie
said sarcastically.
“Of course. I wouldn’t
dream of interfering with a lady. Jarvis, give her a boot up,” he
said through clenched teeth.
Jarvis hesitated and
looked from one to the other. He did as Matthew ordered and gave
her a boot up on Crusader, and both stepped back and watched the
two take off. It was neither a polite nor a genteel departure, but
one more expected from a jockey who means to win a race. She left
both men coughing from her dust and was out of sight before either
could comment.
“Did you ever see
anybody ride like that? It was almost as if she were a part of the
horse,” Matthew mused with a grin.
“I never did, your
lordship, and that’s a fact. I never saw that horse of yours give
its all, neither. It’s a pity she’s a woman, for she would have
made a first-rate jockey at Epsom,” Jarvis said appreciatively.
* * *
Farther down the trail
Julie had time to cool off somewhat. She turned her horse around
and returned to the stables, where she found Matthew waiting for
her. Julie pulled her horse up close to where he stood.
Still angry, she said,
“You couldn’t wait to dismiss me, I suppose. Well, go ahead and get
it over with.”
“Are you always so
hot-headed, Miss Hastings?”
“I’ve been mauled,
dragged off my horse, and deceived all in a short space of time.
You tell me, how should I feel?” She glared back at him.
“I should relieve you
of your position here and now. Lord knows it’s tempting. It’s not
often I am accused of being an abductor of ladies. However, no, I
won’t, not for the moment. I have just returned, and I have not had
a chance to check over my nephew’s progress. What I am going to do
is apologize to you. I find myself in the awkward position of being
wrong. I wish to offer my apologies, if you will be so kind as to
accept them,” he said, bowing his head slightly.
Matthew’s mind
suddenly went blank. All he could think of was the feel of her
silky hair going through his fingers and the touch of her skin. He
helped her dismount from Crusader and continued to hold her waist,
no bigger than his hands’ span, several moments longer than he
should have, before he released her. Her hands were cool and soft
where she placed them on his shoulders as he helped her down. He
imagined for just a moment what they might feel like stroking his
brow or touching him with love.
He smiled at Julie,
and that smile turned his cold blue eyes into warm summer skies.
Julie could only look at him. This was the last thing she expected.
An uneasy truce formed between them. Julie tried hard to remember
her manners.
“I’m afraid it’s I who
owe you an apology, my lord. You scared me, and I took my anger
from earlier in the day out on you. Please accept my apology.”
Julie felt an
uncomfortable flutter of her heart, and wasn’t quite sure she
trusted or liked this new side of Matthew. Surely his humbled
attitude was a practiced art, and she felt out of her
can’t control. When I said you could ride, I thought you would pick
a calm lady’s mount. I didn’t know you would pick a horse as
spirited as Crusader,” he said with irritation.
Julie’s face turn red
and then paled. She clenched her fists as she turned on him. “If
you weren’t so interested in accosting ladies, it would have been
perfectly clear to you or any other dimwit that I was in complete
control, and both horse and rider were enjoying themselves,” she
ground out.
“I most certainly did
not accost you. I thought I was saving your wretched neck.
And for your information, a lady would never race her horse.”
“You, my lord, are
hardly a judge of what a lady should or should not do,” she snapped
hotly.
“And just what is that
supposed to mean?” he snapped back.
Their argument ended
when Jarvis returned with Crusader. “By your leave, your lordship,
I’ll continue on my way, unless you want me to walk back,” Julie
said sarcastically.
“Of course. I wouldn’t
dream of interfering with a lady. Jarvis, give her a boot up,” he
said through clenched teeth.
Jarvis hesitated and
looked from one to the other. He did as Matthew ordered and gave
her a boot up on Crusader, and both stepped back and watched the
two take off. It was neither a polite nor a genteel departure, but
one more expected from a jockey who means to win a race. She left
both men coughing from her dust and was out of sight before either
could comment.
“Did you ever see
anybody ride like that? It was almost as if she were a part of the
horse,” Matthew mused with a grin.
“I never did, your
lordship, and that’s a fact. I never saw that horse of yours give
its all, neither. It’s a pity she’s a woman, for she would have
made a first-rate jockey at Epsom,” Jarvis said appreciatively.
* * *
Farther down the trail
Julie had time to cool off somewhat. She turned her horse around
and returned to the stables, where she found Matthew waiting for
her. Julie pulled her horse up close to where he stood.
Still angry, she said,
“You couldn’t wait to dismiss me, I suppose. Well, go ahead and get
it over with.”
“Are you always so
hot-headed, Miss Hastings?”
“I’ve been mauled,
dragged off my horse, and deceived all in a short space of time.
You tell me, how should I feel?” She glared back at him.
“I should relieve you
of your position here and now. Lord knows it’s tempting. It’s not
often I am accused of being an abductor of ladies. However, no, I
won’t, not for the moment. I have just returned, and I have not had
a chance to check over my nephew’s progress. What I am going to do
is apologize to you. I find myself in the awkward position of being
wrong. I wish to offer my apologies, if you will be so kind as to
accept them,” he said, bowing his head slightly.
Matthew’s mind
suddenly went blank. All he could think of was the feel of her
silky hair going through his fingers and the touch of her skin. He
helped her dismount from Crusader and continued to hold her waist,
no bigger than his hands’ span, several moments longer than he
should have, before he released her. Her hands were cool and soft
where she placed them on his shoulders as he helped her down. He
imagined for just a moment what they might feel like stroking his
brow or touching him with love.
He smiled at Julie,
and that smile turned his cold blue eyes into warm summer skies.
Julie could only look at him. This was the last thing she expected.
An uneasy truce formed between them. Julie tried hard to remember
her manners.
“I’m afraid it’s I who
owe you an apology, my lord. You scared me, and I took my anger
from earlier in the day out on you. Please accept my apology.”
Julie felt an
uncomfortable flutter of her heart, and wasn’t quite sure she
trusted or liked this new side of Matthew. Surely his humbled
attitude was a practiced art, and she felt out of her
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