Taming the Barbarian

Taming the Barbarian by Lois Greiman Read Free Book Online

Book: Taming the Barbarian by Lois Greiman Read Free Book Online
Authors: Lois Greiman
Tags: Romance, Historical, Fantasy, Paranormal
holdings. And now that Eddings Carriages is doing well, I was hoping to do just that.”
    “Yes, certainly.” He took his second sandwich, but held it in his hand as if forgotten. “But well…” He chuckled and rubbed his neck with his free hand. ” ‘Tis a funny thing, to be sure.”
    “What?” she demanded, then smoothed her voice and smiled. “What is funny, Lord Gardner?”
    “Well, I just now…” He chuckled as if embarrassed. “I just today had a visitor. We had a bit of a chat about…” He cleared his throat, looking sheepish and flitting his gaze to her and away. “Well about a good many things, truth to tell. It seems he appreciates a fine horse, though his own mount was far and away the sorriest—”
    “Lord Gardner,” she interrupted, patience fraying as she preened a smile. “What has this to do with my—”
    “I got another offer on that land.”
    “Another offer?” she snapped. “From whom?”
    “As I said, ‘tis a funny thing.” He looked anxious now, anxious and fidgety. “I was out for a gallop with the hounds. Fritzy whelped just last week. As handsome a litter as ever I’ve seen. Six bitches and the same number of dogs. Can you believe it? Twelve all told and—”
    “Lord Gardner,” she prodded, careful to smile through her gritted teeth, “about the land.”
    “Ahh, yes, well, the land.” He cleared his throat. “As I said, just this morning a gentleman comes to visit. Rides up through the chestnuts on the saddest-looking gelding I’ve seen in some time. Long in the tooth and low in the back if you take my meaning. The horse that is, not the rider. As for that gentleman, I’d not met him before, or his ilk, I’ll wager. Big man, he was. Twice my size. And he was dressed peculiar. Truth to tell he looked as if he hadn’t two pence to rub together, but—”
    “Who was he?” Fleur rasped, but before the baron spoke, a figure loomed in the doorway.
    ” ‘Tis meself,” rumbled a voice.
    Fleurette turned with a start and stumbled backward, for not five feet away stood the towering Scot from Madame Gravier’s front yard. “What are you doing here?” she breathed.
    Sometime during the night she had convinced herself that the irritating Scotsman had not been as large as she remembered. She had been entirely wrong.
    “I’ve a need for the wee quarry,” he said. “And the land what surrounds it.”
    She breathed a shocked hiss and turned toward Lord Gardner with a start. But the baron giggled and shrugged as if too embarrassed to speak. She jerked back toward the Highlander.
    “That’s ridiculous,” she snapped, then drew a slow breath and gave him a well-groomed smile. “I’m afraid that’s impossible, Mr…” She waited in silence… as did he, showing a detestable lack of good manners and no embarrassment whatsoever. From what murky depths had he slithered?
    “Hiltsglen,” Gardner supplied nervously. “Mr. Killian Hiltsglen, wasn’t it? Truth to tell, Mr… Hiltsglen…” He giggled again, then cleared his throat and seemed to go rather pale. “I thought you had ridden off.”
    “As I see it…” The Scot didn’t turn toward the baron, but kept his gaze steady on Fleurette. His hair was long and dark. Tied in a queue behind his muscular neck, it boasted a single narrow braid behind his left ear. A scar slanted through his right eyebrow and across the bridge of his nose at an obtuse angle. “Ye’ve na need for more land, lass,” he rumbled.
    She huffed in outrage, then lowered her brows and glared at him. “If you’ll excuse me, Mr… Hiltsglen, I don’t believe it is for you to decide what my needs might be.”
    He remained silent for a moment. His brows were low and dark, shadowing his narrowed eyes, ” ‘Tis just yerself ye look after. Ye’ve no bairns to care for, have ye?”
    “Bairns?” she blustered, wondering madly just what Lord Gardner had said about her.
    “Wee ones,” he explained, and let his gaze drop to her breasts.

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