Page 31 of The Beastly Earl

Any other time, her colorful language might have made him laugh, but he was too relieved she was safe to do anything more than grimace. Lachlan carried them up onto solid ground and safety as a soft gasp echoed in his ear. Ewan looked down to see all the color had left Louisa’s face as she stared at something behind him.

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Morag lurch wildly then stagger to one side before she regained her footing and climbed up the embankment. He knew without saying a word Louisa had suddenly realized the high probability she would have been unseated or the mare would have been injured in the animal's effort not to throw Louisa. His gaze returned to study her stricken expression, and she quickly averted her gaze.

“I was certain Morag could make it up the embankment,” she whispered with remorse.

“Normally she could, but the burn was too wide for her with all the rain we’ve had.”

“I should have known better.”

“You wanted to win,” he murmured in response to her self-recrimination.

She muttered something unintelligible as she sank deeper into his chest. With incredible speed, his body reacted to her warmth. Something primitive rose inside him as he watched the rapid flutter on the side of her neck that was her heartbeat.

Desperately he struggled with the growing need to caress the spot with his mouth. At that moment, she turned her head, and her soft mouth parted slightly as if she’d gasped. Color quickly filled her cheeks before she swallowed hard and jerked her gaze away.

“It appears you’ve won, Ewan.”

The soft sound of his name drifting past her lips was the sweetest thing he’d ever heard. He didn’t realize his arm had tightened around her until it was too late. For a split-second, she stiffened against him before her body relaxed against him once more. Never in his life had he experienced such a sensation of sheer, agonizing temptation.

Eager to put distance between them, he unceremoniously forced her to slide off Lachlan’s back onto the ground. She stared up at him in surprise and with what he thought might be disappointment.

“If anyone won, it was you,” he grounded out as he dismounted Lachlan knowing she would need assistance mounting the mare. “In better weather, Morag would have sailed across the burn without any problem at all. I’ll not hold you to our wager.”

“Very well, but I will, since you’ve conceded the race in my favor. I expect you to dine with me and the children at six this evening.”

“I did not concede the race in your favor, I called the race a tie.”

“No, you said ‘if anyone won, it was you,’ which means you’re required to honor your commitment this evening.” The triumph threading its way beneath her reply made him grimace.

“Remind me never to enter into another wager with you again.”

“Only if I think I might lose.” The mischievous reply made him laugh. It was an unexpected sound that surprised him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually laughed.

“You should laugh more often,” she said with a smile. “It makes you look younger and far less forbidding.”

Ignoring her gentle barb, Ewan walked past her with a shake of his head to where Morag stood several feet away. He quickly checked Morag's girth cinch to determine how secure it was against the mare's belly. Satisfied the cinch was still snug despite the animal's struggle to cross the burn, he grabbed Morag’s reins and led the mare back to Louisa. He gestured for Louisa to mount, and this time he steeled himself for his body's reaction to her. Relief relaxed his tight muscles as seconds later he was able to step back from the mare.

“There’s a bridge about a mile down the burn. We can cross the stream there.”

For a moment it appeared as if she wanted to argue, but she simply accepted his decree with a bob of her head. The moment she was seated in the saddle, he quickly ensured her feet were in the stirrups then mounted Lachlan.

Ewan turned the stallion in the direction of the bridge and rode off without waiting for Louisa. Behind him, he thought he heard a gasp, but he didn’t turn his head to see her expression. They rode in tandem for a few minutes before she suddenly appeared beside him.

“I understand now, why the few servants you have call you the beastly earl.” Startled by her disgruntled remark, he eyed her with surprise.

“They call me what?”

“Ewan Colquhoun, the Beastly Earl of Argaty.”

He mulled her scornful words over for a long minute. It didn’t really surprise him that people had labeled him a beast. In many ways, it was a well-earned title, if only because of his disfigurements.

“A title I’m more than worthy of, no doubt,” he murmured with a touch of irony.

“I don’t think you’re beastly, but you can most definitely be an ass.”

The reply was barely audible, and he had to look at her to be certain she’d actually said something. The moment she realized he was watching her, she flushed with embarrassment, but remained silent. She had the look of a schoolgirl when she blushed as she was doing now.

She didn’t apologize, but he’d not expected her to do so. Louisa was too forthright to ask forgiveness for speaking plainly. A few moments passed before he made an effort to alleviate the tension between them.