Page 7 of Brazen

Chapter Three

Lucy walked between Mia and the gentleman. Mia glanced at him. She didn’t like the way the blood stain on his shirt had grown. Fortunately, they had only half a mile to walk, and the path was mostly downhill.

Lucy bumped his leg.

He glanced down at her. “I assume Lucy is protecting you from me, now?”

Mia shook her head. “On the contrary, she only does that to people she likes.”

“How fortunate for me,” he said in a dry voice.

“You should be thankful she likes you. You have seen what happens when she doesn’t like someone.”

He looked at her. “What did George want from you?”

Frustration welled up. "Marriage.”

His eyes narrowed. “He was proposing to you?” Before she could reply, he added, “The man should be whipped.”

“Nae, he does not want to marry me. He wants to marry my sister.”

“What the devil?” he muttered. “Why ask you for your sister’s hand in marriage? Never mind. It does no’ matter what he wanted. His actions were reprehensible.”

“He is a boy who fancies himself in love,” she said. “Were you ever in love at that age?” Or any age? she silently asked. Mia wasn’t certain the large, austere man knew what love was.

“I never manhandled a woman,” was his only reply, and she wondered if he’d ever touched a woman.

They rounded the hill and Kaerndal Castle came into view at the bottom of the incline. Mia winced at sight of Aunt Leana chasing half a dozen chickens with the billy goat on her heels. Mia cast a covert look at the gentleman. He stared, lips parted, brows arched. They seldom entertained visitors outside of their neighbors, but his reaction was one she’d seen before.

Lucy abruptly squealed and took off at a run. Her hind quarters swung left and struck his leg. He stumbled, lurched forward, and fell on his shoulder. Then rolled down the hill in the wake of the dust Lucy kicked up.

Mia cried out and raced after him. He rolled onto his feet as she neared him. Her boot toe caught on a rock. She toppled forward as he turned.

“Bloody hell,” he cursed as she crashed into him.

He yanked her to him. They fell hard, her on top of him. His arms banded around her like a vice and she buried her face in his chest as they rolled the final ten feet to the bottom of the hill. When they halted, he lay on top of her, crushing her against the rocky ground. She felt as if the air had been knocked from her lungs and her head spun, despite the fact her face was jammed against his chest.

“Oh dear, what has happened? Are you hurt? Get off of her, you brute.”

Mia realized Aunt Leana was speaking. The man pushed off her. Mia sat up.

“Who are you? Oh dear.” Leana fell to her knees beside Mia. “Are you hurt, Mia? What happened? Did this man accost you?”

“I beg your pardon, madam,” he said, “but Lady Mia fell on me. If anything, I saved her from a nasty fall.”

“Saved her from a nasty fall, indeed,” Leana muttered. “Mia, dear, speak to me.”

Her surroundings didn’t spin quite as violently. “I am fine, Aunt, and the gentleman is correct, I did crash into him.”

“Whatever for?” Leana asked. “I have never known you to do anything like that before.”

“Today has been a singularly unique day,” Mia said. Her head still swam a little.

The gentleman squatted beside her. “Look at me.” He grasped her chin and tilted her face upward.

His face blurred. Before she realized his intent, he scooped her into his arms and lifted her. She threw her arms around his neck.

“What in the world?” Leana exclaimed.