Page 30 of The Beastly Earl

The breathless note in her voice made Ewan’s muscles harden with tension. Damnation, but the woman was lovely enough to tempt a saint’s desire. The realization indicated the extreme peril he was in at the moment. He swallowed hard and pulled back from her as he quickly substituted another payment.

“You’ll dine with me tonight. Alone.”

He saw an odd flicker of emotion in her eyes that made him think she’d wanted him to ask for something different. Color still high in her cheeks, she nodded.

“I accept.”

She turned away from him and led Morag out into the yard. Before she was halfway to the mounting block, Ewan captured her elbow to bring her to a halt. The instant he touched her, an electric bolt zipped through him as if he’d been touched by lightning. His reaction emphasized his poor judgement in helping her mount Morag.

Despite his mistake, anticipation crashed through him at the idea of touching her again, if even for just a few seconds. He almost groaned out loud at the thought. God help him, he was mad. Tension tightened his jaw as he gestured abruptly toward the mare. Bending slightly, he formed a makeshift step with his natural hand and braced himself against Morag's shoulder.

The moment she touched his shoulder to steady herself, another electrical shock pulsated through his body as if he’d been struck by lightning. Ignoring the sensation as best he could, he boosted her up into the saddle. Without meeting her eyes, he watched her lift up her skirt to reveal her legs covered in black breeches. She placed one leg over the pommel while lodging her other leg under the leaping pad.

Her movements revealed the sweet curve of her thigh and shapely calves, and the memory of seeing her body unencumbered by clothes made his mouth go dry. The sudden urge to run his hand up along her leg to the edge of a softly rounded bottom made him grow hard. Christ almighty, what the hell was wrong with him? Louisa Morehouse was proving to be far more dangerous than he’d realized.

He crushed the desire hardening his body and quickly set her foot into the sidesaddle’s stirrups then stepped back from Morag with a jerk. The moment her gaze met his, her hazel eyes flickered with awareness. It heightened the tactile tension between them.

Suddenly, her face softened into a sultry, come hither expression that made his body ache as he fought off the urge to pull her off the saddle and kiss her passionately. Muscles tight and rigid with desire he looked away from her and made a pretense of checking Morag’s bridle.

“Do you know where the rock formation is, just across the burn?”

“Yes.” The breathless note hadn’t left her voice, and it did things to his insides he didn’t like. His brain laughed at him. No. He liked the way she made him feel far too much.

“Whoever reaches the formation first is the winner.”

He didn’t wait for a reply and headed toward Lachlan’s stall. Behind him, he heard Morag’s hooves softly pounding the barn’s wooden floor as Louisa rode the mare out of the stable. Ewan didn't look back as he entered Lachlan’s stall and ran his gloved hand over the stallion’s back.

For the first time in his life, he was considering throwing a race. Not because he wanted to, but because of what would happen if he won. Grunting in disgust at the predicament he'd created for himself, he took his time saddling Lachlan. Losing wasn’t something he enjoyed, but an intimate meal for two was something to avoid at all costs.

While it wasn't the choice he preferred, it was the best one for his sanity. What he really wanted was far too dangerous to even consider. The memory of seeing Louisa’s lush, naked curves the night he’d found her made Ewan’s cock stir under his kilt. He quickly crushed the images as he tightened the cinch under Lachlan’s belly.

With the stallion saddled, Ewan led the horse out of the stable. He turned his head toward the rock formation that was the finish line. Louisa already had a good head start, which offered him a small measure of satisfaction.

Unless he pushed Lachlan hard, he wouldn’t be able to catch her. Having supper with the boys and her was the sane choice, and sanity wasn’t something he’d possessed much of since the first time he’d seen Louisa Morehouse. He should never have agreed to let her be Ross’s governess in the first place.

The stallion danced to one side, and the action tugged roughly on his artificial arm. Ewan winced with discomfort as the leather cupping the stump of his arm bit into his skin. Even without the darkness that existed in the walls of Argaty Keep, his own sad state of affairs would be a deterrent toward any type of involvement with the woman. He grimaced at the thought.

Ewan vaulted himself up into the saddle and the shock of the cold leather against his bare skin was a welcome sensation. It meant his body was more likely not to respond to Louisa’s presence. In the back of his head he heard a cackling laugh but ignored it. He glanced over at the paddock and saw McCallum watching him. At the sly smile on the Scotsman’s face Ewan release a harsh breath of disgust.

McCallum’s wily grin became one of broad amusement on his craggy features, and Ewan glared at the family retainer before his legs applied a firm pressure into Lachlan’s sides. As he rode the horse out of the stable yard at a fast trot in Louisa’s direction, he heard the old retainer laugh. With a grunt of irritation, Ewan knew better than to look back at the Scotsman. It would only provide the man with fodder for the next time he saw the man who'd been the father figure in his life.

Once on the moor, he pushed the stallion into an easy canter as he gauged the distance between him and Louisa. Satisfied the distance between the two horses made it unlikely the stallion would catch the mare, he pushed Lachlan into a gallop. He wanted to ensure his loss, but avoid the prospect of Louisa realizing he’d deliberately thrown the match. The animal strained at the bit, obviously eager to catch the mare. The action made Ewan want to give Lachlan his head, but he kept the stallion from accelerating to a faster pace.

As Ewan closed the distance between them, he saw Louisa look over her shoulder. That he could clearly see her satisfied expression made him suddenly realize how much ground the stallion had covered in closing the distance between them. As the stone pillar jutting up from the ground grew larger in size, Lachlan strained even harder at the bit.

They were only a few lengths behind Morag, and the stallion clearly wanted to catch the mare. The burn was now clearly in view, and he released a harsh oath. He had no doubt Louisa would try to jump the stream. Normally, he wouldn’t have thought anything of her taking Morag over the water.

The burn was usually a small, narrow strip of water, and a relatively easy jump. But all the rain they’d had in the past month had widened the burn to almost twice its size, and Morag wasn’t accustomed to jumping.

“Stop, Louisa,” he shouted.

Either she didn’t hear him or she ignored his command. As the mare leapt up into the air, Ewan dragged in a sharp breath. A second later Morag’s front hooves hit the slope of the burn, and her rear legs thrashed in the water as the small mare struggled to scramble out of the water.

Drawing back on Lachlan’s reins he forced the stallion to go slower and rode the animal into the stream alongside the mare. The look of grim determination on Louisa’s face made him hesitate. The woman wasn’t going to be happy with him, but he could tell the way Morag was floundering it was difficult for the mare to gain solid footing.

Before she could protest, Ewan wrapped his good arm around Louisa’s waist then pulled her off Morag and sat her down in front of him. Sputtering with outrage, she jabbed him with her elbow.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”