The Magnificent Rogue by Iris Johansen

unreasonable. He must have come at Sebastian’s bidding, which meant her guardian had persuaded him to his way of thinking. Well, what had she expected? He was a stranger, and Sebastian was a respected man of the cloth. There was no reason why he would be different from any of the others. How clever of Sebastian to send someone younger and stronger than himself to search her out, she thought bitterly.
    She turned and began to run, her shoes sinking into the mud with every step. She glanced over her shoulder.
    He was closer. He was not running, but his long legs covered the ground steadily, effortlessly, as his gaze studied the trail in front of him. He had evidently not seen her yet and was only following her tracks.
    She was growing weaker. Her head felt peculiarlylight, and her breath was coming in painful gasps. She couldn’t keep running.
    And she couldn’t surrender.
    Which left only one solution to her dilemma. She sprinted several yards ahead and then darted into the underbrush at the side of the trail.
    Hurry. She had to hurry. Her gaze frantically searched the underbrush. Ah, there was one.
    She pounced on a heavy branch, backtracked several yards and held it, waiting beneath the dripping trees.
    She must aim for the head. She had the strength for only one blow, and it must drop him.
    Her breathing sounded heavy and terribly loud. She had to breathe more evenly, or he would hear her.
    He was almost upon her.
    Her hands tightened on the branch.
    He went past her, his expression intent as he studied the tracks.
    She drew a deep breath, stepped out on the trail behind him, and swung the branch with all her strength!
    He grunted in pain and then slowly crumpled to the ground.
    She dropped the branch, ran past his body and darted down the trail again.
    Something struck the back of her knees. She was falling!
    She hit the ground so hard, the breath left her body. Blackness swirled around her.
    When the darkness cleared, she realized she was on her back, her arms pinned on either side of her head. Robert MacDarren was astride her body.
    She started to struggle.
    “Lie still, dammit.” His hands tightened on her arms. “I’m not—Ouch!”
    She had turned her head and sunk her teeth intohis wrist. She could taste the coppery flavor of blood in her mouth, but his grip didn’t loosen.
    “Let me go!” How stupidly futile the words were when she knew he had no intention of releasing her.
    She tried to butt her head against his chest, but she couldn’t reach him.
    “Really, Robert, can’t you wait until the vows are said before you climb on top of her?” Gavin Gordon said from behind MacDarren.
    “It’s about time you got here,” MacDarren said in a growl. “She’s trying to kill me.”
    “Aye, for someone who couldn’t lift her head, she’s doing quite well. I saw her strike the blow.” Gavin grinned. “But I was too far away to come to your rescue. Did she do any damage?”
    “I’m going to have one hell of a headache.”
    Kate tried to knee him in the groin, but he quickly moved upward on her body.
    “Your hand’s bleeding,” Gavin observed.
    “She’s taken a piece out of me. I can see why Landfield kept the ropes on her.”
    The ropes. Despair tore through her as she realized how completely Sebastian had won him to his way of thinking. The man would bind her and take her back to Sebastian. She couldn’t fight against both MacDarren and Gavin and would use the last of her precious strength trying to do so. She would have to wait for a better opportunity to present itself. She stopped fighting and lay there staring defiantly at MacDarren.
    “Very sensible,” he said grimly. “I’m not in a very good temper at the moment. I don’t think you want to make it worse.”
    “Get off me.”
    “And have you run away again?” MacDarren shook his head. “You’ve caused me enough trouble for one day. Give me your belt, Gavin.”
    Gavin took off his wide leather belt and handed itto MacDarren, who