Brides & Bargains. Maureen Child

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СКАЧАТЬ fellow you’ve been scratchin’ is all yours,” Cappy said. “Gus will take good care of you. I’ll get him tacked up and then you all can take off.”

      Nasira stood by as the ranch hand led Gus out of the stall and toward the rear of the barn. While she and Sebastian remained in the aisle, the stallion began to grow restless. “He appears to be rather spirited,” she said. “Are you certain you can handle him?”

      Sebastian scratched the horse’s neck and that seemed to calm him somewhat. “If I can handle chasing a three-inch ball with mallet in hand on the back of a racing beast during a game of polo, I can manage one spirited stallion.”

      She had clearly dealt a blow to his ego. “Of course. How foolish of me to question your manhood.”

      “My manhood is never in question, sweetheart. You should know that after ten years.”

      “It is understandable I would have forgotten since I have had very limited exposure to your manhood for the past six months.”

      “Touché. Yet I do recall your manhood drought ending last night.”

      “Unfortunately I do not recall much about that at all, and neither do you, considering we were both half-asleep.”

      Cappy returned with the gelding, interrupting the banter and greatly embarrassing Nasira when she considered that he might have overheard. “They’re all yours,” he said. “Just go out the front, take a right and follow the trail past the back of the barn. Once you reach water, you’re all out of path.”

      “Would we be allowed to explore the rest of the acreage, Cappy?” Sebastian asked.

      The man chuckled. “Well, that would be close to two thousand acres, but if you want adventure, be my guest. Just take care not to get lost.”

      Nasira could imagine wandering around for days and days. “I believe we will stay on the path. My husband does not have the best sense of direction.”

      Sebastian sent her a quelling look. “Might I remind you that you have been known to become lost looking for the tube?”

      “I have not.”

      “Yes, you have.”

      She suddenly remembered one incident from long ago. “For heaven’s sake, Sebastian, that happened once right after we married and I barely knew my way around London.”

      Cappy cleared his throat. “I hate to interrupt, but I need to muck these stalls while you’re gone. I’d like be done before midnight.”

      “Of course,” Sebastian said. “Do you need assistance mounting your steed, Sira?”

      She answered by putting her boot in the stirrup and hoisting herself onto the saddle. “No, I do not.”

      Sebastian laid a dramatic hand over his heart. “You wound me by not allowing me to make any show of chivalry.”

      She clasped the reins in one hand. “Knowing you as well as I do, you only wanted an excuse to put your hand on my bum.”

      He frowned and mounted the stallion with ease. “Darling, you are going to lead our friend here to believe that I’m a scoundrel.”

      “If the moniker fits, darling.”

      Cappy narrowed his eyes and studied them both. “How long have the two of you been hitched?”

      “Ten years,” they responded simultaneously.

      “Well, that explains it,” Cappy said. “Just some friendly advice. The missus and me have been married nearly forty years. In that time we figured out when you find yourself bickering a lot, the best way to cool down is taking a nekkid swim together in the crick. You should try it.”

      “Crick?” Sebastian asked.

      Cappy scowled. “That’s Texan for creek. See y’all when you get back.”

      With that, the man disappeared, leaving Nasira and Sebastian sitting atop the horses, staring at each other. And when her husband presented her with a slow, knowing grin, Nasira pointed at him despite the seductive images flashing in her mind. “Do not even think we will be engaging in that behavior.”

      He shrugged. “I can see some merit in the man’s suggestion.”

      So could she. Bent on ignoring him and her own questionable thoughts, Nasira nudged the gelding forward with her heels, not bothering to look back.

      When she guided Gus through the stable doors into the bright sunshine, Sebastian rode up to her side. “Perhaps you should lead the way since I have such a terrible sense of direction.”

      She turned right on the path without giving him a passing glance. “Could we call a truce and concentrate on having a pleasant ride?”

      “I suppose I could do that. Will I be allowed to speak?”

      She sent him a sideways glance. “I highly doubt I could prevent that if I tried.”

      “Your request is my command.”

      Whether he could be quiet for any real length of time remained to be seen, Nasira thought as they rode down the path at an easy pace.

      As they traveled on, she relished the feel of the sun on her shoulders, the scent of freshly cut grass, the wide expanse of open land before them where livestock grazed nearby. “Oh, look,” she said, breaking the silence. “A baby cow.”

      “I believe the proper term would be calf,” Sebastian began,” although that does conjure images of a disjointed leg frolicking in the field.”

      It took great effort to contain her laughter. “Always the witty one.”

      Another span of silence passed before Sebastian addressed her again. “When did you last communicate with your mother?”

      The question came as a surprise to Nasira. “When I became pregnant.”

      She could feel his gaze boring into her. “Are you saying she doesn’t know—”

      “About the miscarriage? No.”

      “Why haven’t you told her?”

      “She did not share in my excitement over the pregnancy. She has never been concerned about my life.”

      He released a rough sigh. “I’ve never understood your hesitancy to reconnect with her.”

      “She does not welcome that, Sebastian. I remind her of my father.”

      “You are still her child.”

      “Perhaps, but I was raised by the palace staff. She only gave birth to me out of obligation.”

      “In a manner of speaking, I can relate. I’m certain that was the reasoning behind my birth. And that insistence on producing heirs is no bloody reason to bring a baby into this world. Nothing good can come of it.”

      “We are both good СКАЧАТЬ