Serena

“Lord, no, but what a strange picture they presented out here in the woods,” Freddy said and then chuckled. “The sailor so tall, the other so short and round, all bug-eyed and harried. Whatever is towards? Something havey-cavey, I’d wager.”

As they made their way to the pike, they threw different suppositions at one another as to what these two strangers might have been up to, all alone in the woods.

Freddy gave his final opinion on the matter, “Whatever you may say, whatever they were up to, I am certain that the sailor was nearly seven feet in height.”

“Freddy!” Serena exclaimed on a giggle. “Unusually tall, yes … but seven feet?”

“Well, as to that, I am six foot two, and my uncle is taller than I … and that brute was taller even than my uncle,” Freddy returned.

It was at this point that Freddy’s horse took a misstep. Serena exclaimed, “Oh no, Freddy, have you lost a shoe?”

Freddy jumped down to investigate. When he picked up his horse’s leg and bent it at the knee, even from her vantage Serena could see the hoof was loaded with mud and debris but had no shoe.

“Aye,” he said. “We’ll stop at the blacksmith’s when we get to town.” He moved to her and touched her booted leg as he looked up at her. Worship absolute and complete was in his eyes, and Serena frowned.

She saw he was going to say something romantic and immediately stuck in, “We must hope he will not put a crack in it over the rough stones in town—”

“Serena, my dear sweet …” Freddy said, obviously trying to bring matters back to what he had in mind.

* * *

A light-stepping flash prime-blood horse trotted around the bend in the road, ears flickering. The dark horse was alert to something ahead. His rider, Daniel Pendleton, soothed him with quiet authority but looked ahead as he slowed him to a walk.

What the blazes? His nephew Freddy was on foot with his hand on a lady’s boot, and that said lady was frowning down at him.

What, just what, do we have here?

He had been seriously concerned about extricating his nephew from his involvement with the Moorely chit. He knew, after making inquiries, that she was the niece of Squire Moorely and that while the estate was modest when compared to Freddy’s, it was a respectable estate. It was obvious she must have a dowry and could make a very good match if she wanted. The question remained, had she set her sights on his nephew?

Looking at the ravishing creature before him made him blink. He would, he realized at once, have his hands full.

The two were in deep conversation, and he wondered what they could be talking about as the lady in question appeared harried and concerned. His nephew, on the other hand, looked like a puppy protecting its dinner.

His lordship adjusted the beaver top hat on his head so that it sat both jauntily and just a bit angled over his eyes. He sat a bit straighter in his saddle as he continued to approach. The closer he got, the wider his eyes opened.

She was completely ravishing though, he could see, a bit disheveled. Whatever had the two been doing?

His imagination took flight, and he cursed softly under

his breath. He had a tough road ahead, but, damn, he was up for the challenge.

* * *

Neither Serena nor Freddy heard the approach of horse and rider, although both their horses told them with body language that someone approached.

Serena was so involved with keeping young Freddy at a distance, and he with making headway, that they missed the signs.

Serena bent to put a hand on his shoulder and told him as sweetly as she could, “Freddy, I fear our friendship is perhaps—”

“In the way, at the moment. Our friendship is in the way of what I really want from you, Serena …” came his strangled reply.

She straightened and sighed. “Freddy … dear, dear friend … you know that …” The sound, an all too familiar sound of horses’ shoes scraping against stone, brought her head up, and with some surprise her eyes widened.

The big roan, she thought, must stand at seventeen hands, but its rider? She was for a moment struck dumb by the vision of the rider. He sat tall and broad in the saddle. His black locks sparkled in the sunlight. His clothes hugged a massive, beautifully proportioned and masculine body, and his eyes … his blue eyes, had they not looked as though he wanted to give her a thrashing, would have been absolutely captivating. Something happened to her, and she wasn’t sure what. It was as though her brain stopped functioning and her heart began to pound for release from her chest. Its beat was so loud she nearly put her hands to her ears. She had never seen a man more captivating!

Seeing her expression, Freddy looked around and cursed right out loud, “Fire and brimstone!” He then folded his arms across his chest and stared accusingly at the well-dressed, high-styled Corinthian bearing down upon them. “My uncle …” he said out loud to Serena.

“Ah,” Serena remarked.