The Hellion and The Heartbreaker

by McNare, Jennifer

  “It’s been too long,” Alec replied with sincerity.

  Colin grinned, slapping Alec lightly on the back. “Let’s go to my study. I’ve got a bottle of fine Irish whiskey that’s just waiting to be opened.”

  “Lead the way my friend.”

  The next morning, Scarlett was up at dawn. She had stayed in her room throughout the previous afternoon and night, eventually cajoling Tess into bringing her supper upstairs when she had stubbornly refused to join her brothers for the evening meal, frantically pondering how to convince them to let her keep the magnificent stallion. She hadn’t come up with much, and as a result her usually sunny disposition had taken a turn for the worse. Pulling on her riding boots, she tiptoed from her room and scanned the hall. Luckily it was empty. She wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone and hoped to exit the house without encountering Tess or any of her brothers.

  Silently she made her way along the narrow hallway and down the front staircase. As she entered the empty foyer her thoughts turned to Colin’s friend, the duke, and his upcoming arrival. Blasted man would probably be arriving at any minute to try to take her horse away she realized, grimacing at the disconcerting notion.

  Alec, sitting in the breakfast room holding a steaming cup of coffee, shifted his gaze toward the faint tapping sound of booted heels and caught a glimpse of a young girl crossing the front foyer. Noting the long red curls hanging wildly down her back, he quickly surmised that she must be the one and only Scarlett Angelica McPhearson, the sister Colin always spoke of with such great affection. His eyebrows rose at the sight of her masculine clothing. Hmm, apparently young Scarlett wasn’t the conventional sort. She failed to notice him as she passed by, and in the next instant she was out of sight.

  A moment later, he heard the distinct sound of the front door opening and closing. Where was she off to at such an early hour, he wondered? Aside from the kitchen staff, most of the servants weren’t even up and about yet. Hell, after a late night of drinking and card playing with Colin and his brothers, he had barely managed to drag himself out of bed, for it was just past sunrise. If not for his eagerness to see the stallion he had been hearing so much about, he would likely have been abed for several more hours.

  Curious about Scarlett and eager to see the stallion, he quickly finished his coffee, rose from the table and left the breakfast room. There was no need to wait for Colin to awaken as he’d been to Grey Oaks once before, years ago, and knew his way around well enough. Like Scarlett had done, he let himself out and then started toward the stables, enjoying the crisp morning air as he walked along the narrow stone path that curved around the front lawn. Despite the short night, his mood felt as light as the breeze that gently stirred the leaves in the towering oaks surrounding the estate.

  Entering the stable, Scarlett glanced about, warmly greeting the few grooms who were already up and beginning their morning tasks. She breathed in the familiar, pungent smell of hay and horses as she moved through the stable, the light brush of her footsteps on the hard straw-covered floor stirring up tiny clouds of dust as she walked. She didn’t see the stallion in any of the stalls and stopped to ask one of the older grooms his whereabouts.

  “Just put ‘im in the north paddock, miss,” he informed her with a smile, “lettin ‘im burn off some o’ that energy o’ his.”

  Once she reached the paddock’s railing, Scarlett scampered up to stand on the second rung from the top. Bracing her hands on the roughly-honed wood of the top rung, she was delighted to see the stallion galloping along the far side of the enclosure. She watched enchanted as he tossed his head proudly from side to side while his flowing mane, shimmering in the early morning sun, streamed in his wake. He was splendid, an unrivaled beauty of absolute perfection. The duke couldn’t possibly appreciate such a fine animal nearly as much as she would. Once again, the thought of him taking the stallion away soured her mood. Horse breeding had always been her father’s passion, as it was now for her and her brothers, and she had long ago grown accustomed to the animals coming and going from the estate. But this was different. This horse was meant to be hers, and regardless of Colin’s promise to his friend she was determined to keep him.

  Walking up to the fence a few feet from where Scarlett stood, Alec looked over the top rail. Colin hadn’t exaggerated; the stallion was indeed magnificent. He was more than pleased as he admired the animal’s impressive height and clean lines, as well as his smooth, powerful stride.

  Scarlett turned her head at the man’s approach. She didn’t recognize him, but that was nothing new. She was accustomed to seeing strangers on the estate, especially around the horses. The McPhearson stables were among the best in the land and maintained a vast, though elite, clientele. She noted the admiration on his face as he watched the stallion. He obviously knew quality when he saw it.

  “He’s not for sale,” Scarlett said, causing the man to turn his head toward her. He was a nice enough looking chap she guessed, not too old, about the same age as Colin by the look of him. But that’s where the similarity ended. Although they were about the same height and build, their coloring could not have been more different. Unlike Colin’s thatch of thick red hair that more often than naught refused to be tamed, this gentleman’s hair was a deep, rich black, neatly cut and styled. She was close enough to see his eyes, and they were a vivid green, framed by long dark lashes. At present, they were regarding her with what appeared to be polite curiosity.

  “No?”

  “He’s mine,” Scarlett told him, with casual assurance.

  The simple statement, spoken with such cavalier assertion caught Alec momentarily off guard, but he recovered quickly. “Actually, I believe he’s mine,” he informed her, with a bemused smile. In wonder, he watched her eyes narrow, her expression turning cool and assessing. He had the odd sense that he was being sized up as her gaze swept slowly from his booted feet to the top of his head.

  “You’re the duke?”

  Her voice held such a blatant mixture of rancor and animosity that Alec was briefly nonplussed. He regained his composure quickly though and promptly introduced himself. “Alec Weston,” he began, “and you must be Scarlett.” Surprisingly, his polite attempt at civility was met with a decidedly hostile glare.

  “You can’t have him,” she stated with staunch conviction, her eyes daring him to refute her.

  “I beg your pardon,” he said, the courteousness in his voice diminishing slightly.

  “I said, you can’t have him,” Scarlett repeated, slowly and precisely, enunciating each word as if he were simple minded. She knew she was being rude. It wasn’t like her, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. “You can have another horse.”

  He arched his brow, regarding her with a combination of surprise and disapproval, unaccustomed to being spoken to with such an obvious lack of respect. Despite his youth, he was a duke, a title that generally awarded him a certain degree of deference, deserved or not. That she met the obvious censure in his gaze without flinching irked him more than he cared to admit.

  “And what if I don’t want another horse?” he asked, just as slowly and precisely, deliberately mimicking her insolent tone.

  Scarlett hesitated. She didn’t like the way this was going. Her jaw tightened, and for one long moment she studied his expression. She had a sudden, sinking feeling that like her, the duke was also used to getting what he wanted. It was an unsettling notion. Perhaps it was time for a change of tactics. She briefly considered tears, but doubted they would do the trick, especially on him. She turned back to watch the horse and thought for a moment. “He’s nothing special you know,” she said finally, trying to sound indifferent. “We have others that are far better.”

  Such an obvious ploy, he was tempted to laugh but suppressed the urge. She was just a child after all. He turned his gaze back to the stallion. “I doubt that,” he said. He could certainly understand why she wanted to keep him. He tried to be nice. “I’ll take good care of him, I promise.”

  Oh
! Why was he making this so difficult? Scarlett ground her teeth in frustration and then turned angrily back to the young duke. “I said you can’t have him!” she said, her voice raising several octaves as a rare display of temper overtook her good sense. “Are you daft?”

  With lightning quick speed, he reached out and grasped her chin in his hand. Tilting her face up, he gave her a stern, no nonsense look that clearly said enough’s enough. “You had best watch your tongue young lady,” Alec informed her, quickly losing patience with the mouthy little chit.

  If he weren’t holding it in his grasp, her jaw would surely have dropped. He’d caught her off guard, but she wasn’t about to back down. She hesitated for only a second. “And if I don’t?”

  God’s teeth, how old is this child, ten going on thirty, he wondered as she glared up at him, blue eyes blazing.

  “Well for starters, I could turn you over my knee.” The words seemed to come out of his mouth of their own accord, the offhand threat shocking him almost as much as it seemed to shock her.

  Scarlett couldn’t believe her ears. How dare he threaten to spank her? She had never received a spanking in her entire life, not from Tess, not from her brothers, and certainly not from a stranger. Her temporary shock was short-lived however and quickly replaced by anger. “You wouldn’t dare,” she boldly challenged.

  His eyes hardened. The pint-sized vixen had just pushed him to his limit. “Wouldn’t I?” he countered, his voice soft and low, yet unmistakably threateningly. He wouldn’t of course, but she didn’t know that.

  Scarlett stiffened under his cool, unwavering regard. Enough was enough all right. Without another thought, she dipped her head and sunk her teeth into the soft flesh of his hand, still cupped firmly beneath her chin, and bit down hard.

  Alec flinched as Scarlett’s teeth pierced his skin, causing him to jerk his hand back in stunned surprise. He couldn’t believe it. She’d bitten him. He stared at his hand in disbelief. The wretched little brat had actually drawn blood.

  Now that the duke had released his grip, Scarlett wasted no time jumping down from the fence. She landed with a thud, ready to run. He stared at her, incredulous. She stared back, her eyes narrowing, and then with one last parting shot she reared back and kicked him squarely in the shin with the rock-hard toe of her riding boot. The duke’s explosive, “Bloody Hell!” was the last thing she heard as she darted away, running toward the house as fast as her legs could carry her.

  Alec stared down at his injured hand, his shin throbbing, his mind reeling. Unbelievable! He had just been verbally abused and physically assaulted by a child, and a girl child at that. He shook his head in astonishment. Hells bells, he thought with dawning horror, if any of his cronies ever found out about this he would never live it down. Glancing about, he was immensely relieved to see that no one else was around to have witnessed his humiliation.

  Clenching his injured hand into a tight fist, he turned indignantly back to the paddock and his horse. Poor Colin! He certainly didn’t envy him, saddled with the guardianship of such a loathsome child, sister or not. He tried to think back. Had Colin really spoken of her with affection? Clearly, he must have misunderstood. Regardless, at least Colin wouldn’t be stuck with the little hellion forever. If he provided a fat enough dowry, surely he would be able to entice some hapless fellow into marrying her and taking her off his hands. Though Lord help the unfortunate chap when the time came he thought with a woeful shake of his head, whoever the poor sod might be.

  As soon as Scarlett entered the house, she ran straight up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door shut behind her with a loud bang. Throwing herself down on the bed, she grabbed a pillow, pulling it tightly to her chest as she rolled onto her back, replaying the last few minutes in her mind. She had never been so upset in all her life, and it was all his fault!

  Gradually though, as time passed and her temper began to cool, her fury gave way to more rational thinking, and slowly her anger was replaced with a combination of horror and shame as the magnitude of what she’d done began to sink in. In truth, it wasn’t fair to put the blame upon the duke’s shoulders. She knew that she was at fault, not him. He was Colin’s friend, and her behavior toward him had been inexcusable. She had crossed a line this time, and she knew it. Her brothers were going to be furious with her, and with good reason. That thought alone brought genuine tears to her eyes. She sniffled softly as the first crystal drops began to fall. She loved her brothers more than anything in the world, and now they would be so disappointed in her. Losing the stallion seemed like nothing compared to that. She wished she could take it all back, but of course she couldn’t. Unheeded, the tears coursed slowly down her cheeks. She didn’t bother wiping them away. Flipping over onto her stomach, she buried her face into the pillow to muffle her ragged sobs.

  After what seemed like a very long time, her tears gradually lessened, and then finally stopped all together. As her cheeks dried and the last of her sniffling subsided, it was then that the waiting began. It was agony. Her thoughts spun in a continuous whirl of frenzied apprehension as she listened anxiously for the sound of footsteps outside her door. How could she have been so stupid? Tess was right. She was spoiled rotten and far too willful for her own good. She rolled onto her back, staring morosely at the ceiling. How much longer would it be before her brothers learned of her appalling behavior?

  Not long, she realized, when a soft knock sounded on her door a short time later. Uh oh! She tensed, holding her breath as the door slowly opened. It was Tess.

  “Good morning, Scarlett,” she said, entering the room with a cheerful smile.

  No disappointed shake of her head, no censorious frown, hmm, obviously she hadn’t heard yet.

  “Well, aren’t you up early this morning,” Tess noted, taking in Scarlett’s shirt and breeches. “Have you been to the stables already?”

  She had difficulty meeting Tess’ eyes as she dodged the question. “Actually, I’m…uh… not feeling so well.”

  Tess immediately walked over and placed her hand on Scarlett’s brow. “You don’t feel warm,” she said, a look of concern suddenly clouding her features. “Is it your stomach, dear?”

  “No, it’s nothing really,” Scarlett assured her quickly. “A headache, that’s all. I think I’ll just stay abed until it passes.”

  “Hmm, I was going to go to the village this morning and do a bit of shopping, but perhaps I shouldn’t,” Tess mused, eyeing Scarlett critically from head to toe.

  “I’ll be fine, Tess. You don’t need to stay, honestly.” Better if she were gone when the news of her horrid behavior broke anyhow, she thought. Facing her brothers would be bad enough.

  “Well,” the older woman hesitated, her expression uncertain “if you’re sure you’ll be all right.”

  Scarlett nodded and Tess finally moved toward the door. “All right then. I’ll check on you when I get back, love. I won’t be gone long.”

  After Tess left, Scarlett once again stared dolefully at the ceiling above her bed. Actually, she wasn’t feeling so well. In fact, she’d never felt worse, and as the minutes ticked by her anxiety only continued to mount. Where was Colin? The duke must have told him what she had done by now. Was he so angry that he needed time to cool off before confronting her? Her stomach churned at the thought. A hundred different scenarios played out in her head as she waited, the minutes slowly turning to hours, but nothing happened. Afraid to leave the relative safety of her room for fear of encountering Colin or one of her other brothers, or heaven forbid, Alec Weston, she remained in self-seclusion, her insides twisting into knots of nervous trepidation. Surprisingly, it was midafternoon when the knock finally came.

  “Scarlett, its Colin. May I come in?”

  She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. Hmm, his voice sounded calm, definitely not the heated you have really done it now voice she had been expecting. Still, her stomach did a sudden flip flop as she sat up. “Yes,” she managed, her voice little more than a hoarse
croak.

  She tensed as he entered, expecting to see the visible sign of his anger; instead his features reflected something altogether different. He looked… dejected. Her throat tightened and she fought back tears. He was so disappointed in her. Her heart seemed to shrivel in her chest. “Colin, I…”

  “I’m sorry, Scarlett.”

  They spoke simultaneously. Wait, what? She blinked in confusion, her breath catching in her chest. He was sorry. Had she heard him correctly? No, she couldn’t have.

  Colin came toward her, sitting gingerly on the side of her bed. “The stallion’s gone,” he said, his tone apologetic. “Alec just left with him.”

  The stallion was gone. Yes, and…? She eyed him in confusion.

  “He’ll have a good home, Scarlett, I promise.”

  She waited, searching her brother’s face for any sign of anger or condemnation, but there was none.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know you wanted to keep him.”

  She didn’t say anything, too stunned to speak.

  “We’ll get you another horse, Minx, I promise.” He smiled encouragingly, his tone cajoling now.

  Another horse? Scarlett could scarcely believe her ears. What about what she had done? Why wasn’t he chastising her for her abominable behavior? It didn’t make sense. Unless? Was it possible the duke hadn’t told Colin about her atrocious conduct? Could it be? Had she truly been given a reprieve? It seemed too good to be true.

  “Umm, all right,” she managed, finding her voice at last.

  “That’s my girl,” he said, looking a bit surprised and more than a little relieved by her response. Standing up, he pulled her to her feet and steered her toward the door. “Come on, Minx. You missed luncheon. Let’s get you something to eat.”