Free Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood Page A

help heating the water. My, you do have an unusual name,” she told Jade then. “It’s very pretty.”
    â€œHe ridiculed my name,” Jade whispered, though loud enough for Caine to overhear.
    Caine closed his eyes in vexation. “I did not ridicule your name!” he shouted. “I swear to God, Lyon, that woman’s done nothing but complain and weep since the moment I met her.”
    Jade let out a loud gasp, then allowed Christina to prod her along toward the back of the house. Both Caine and Lyon watched the pair depart.
    â€œDo you see how insulting he is, Lady Christina?” Jade asked. “All I asked was one little favor from the man.”
    â€œAnd he refused?” Christina asked. “That certainly doesn’t sound like Caine. He’s usually very accommodating.”
    â€œI even offered to pay him silver coins,” Jade announced. “I’m a pauper now. Caine threw my cloak in the Thames, too. The coins were in the pocket.”
    Christina shook her head. She paused at the corner to look back at Caine so he could see her displeasure. “That was terribly ungallant of him, wasn’t it?”
    They rounded the corner on Jade’s fervent agreement.
    â€œWhat was the favor she asked of you?” Lyon asked.
    â€œNothing much,” Caine drawled out. He bent over to pull off his water-soaked boots. “She just wanted me to kill her, that’s all.”
    Lyon let out a shout of laughter, but stopped when he realized Caine wasn’t jesting.
    â€œShe wanted it done before morning,” Caine said.
    â€œShe didn’t.”
    â€œShe was willing to let me finish my brandy first.”
    â€œThat was thoughtful of her.”
    The two men shared a grin. “Now your wife thinks I’m an ogre because I’ve disappointed the woman.”
    Lyon laughed again. “Christina doesn’t know what the favor was, friend.”
    Caine dropped his boots in the center of the hall, then added his socks to the pile. “I could still change my mind and accommodate the little woman, I suppose,” he remarked dryly. “Damn, my favorite boots are ruined.”
    Lyon leaned against the archway, his arms folded across his chest, while he watched Caine pull off his shirt. “No, you couldn’t kill her,” he replied. His tone was mild when he added, “She wasn’t really serious, was she? She seems quite timid. I can’t imagine . . .”
    â€œShe witnessed a murder,” Caine interjected. “Now she has several unsavory men chasing after her, obviously intent on silencing her. That’s all I know, Lyon, but as soon as possible, I’m going to find out every detail. The sooner I can solve her problem, the sooner I’ll be rid of her.”
    Since Caine was glaring so ferociously, Lyon tried to hide his smile. “She really has you rattled, doesn’t she?” he asked.
    â€œThe hell she does,” Caine muttered. “Why would you think a mere woman could get me rattled?”
    â€œYou just took your britches off in the middle of my foyer, Caine,” he replied. “That’s why I think you’re rattled.”
    â€œI need some brandy,” Caine countered. He grabbed his pants and started to put them back on again.
    Christina strolled past him, smiled at her husband, and then continued on up the stairs. She didn’t mention his near naked condition, and neither did he.
    Lyon thoroughly enjoyed Caine’s embarrassment. He’d never seen his friend in such a state. “Why don’t you go inside the library. The brandy’s on the side bar. Help yourself and I’ll see about your bath. God, you do smell rank.”
    Caine did as Lyon suggested. The brandy warmed him a little and the fire he started in the hearth took the rest of his chills away.
    Christina left Jade alone once the tub had been filled with steaming hot water. She’d already helped her wash