Free His Counterfeit Condesa (Historical Romance) by Joanna Fulford Page A

Behind them the chaise had also come to a halt and, leaving Jacinta in charge of the horses, his men hastened forwards to help.
    ‘Is anyone hurt, sir?’ asked Blakelock.
    ‘Fortunately not,’ Falconbridge replied. ‘It’s just a delay we could have done without.’
    ‘The next town is not far off, sir.’
    ‘Just as well. It’s going to take some time to right the coach.’ He glanced round. ‘Luis, take charge of the horses. Ramon, give the rest of us a hand here.’
    Ramon nodded. ‘Si, señor.’
    Falconbridge peeled off his coat and handed it to Sabrina with a wry smile. ‘Would you oblige me, ma’am?’
    ‘Of course.’ As she took the garment his hand brushed hers. The casual touch sent a shock along her skin. She tried not to stare at the lithe form revealed to such advantage by the shirt and close-fitting breeches.
    Unaware of the sensations he was creating, he rolled up his sleeves. Then he turned to the others.
    ‘All right, lads, let’s get this vehicle out of here.’
    Sabrina looked on, feeling unusually helpless but knowing there was nothing she could do to assist in this instance. Only sheer physical strength was going to solve the problem. Falconbridge clearly had no qualms about involving himself in the work either; she guessed thatwas in part why he had the respect of his men. On their first meeting he had been delivering food supplies for their benefit. She had been angry with him at the time but, seeing the situation more objectively now, decided he probably couldn’t have done anything else. Of course he would put the welfare of hungry men first. The decision had inconvenienced her but it hadn’t left her at risk and he knew that when he made it. She had thought him ruthless then, but now was less certain. She would have liked to learn more about his military career. It was a side to him that she knew little about and suddenly she was curious.
    * * *
    In the event, it took the combined efforts of all the men and the sweating horses to free the coach. Had the road been wet and muddy they might not have succeeded. As it was they were all perspiring freely by the time they had done. However, relief was short-lived. Ramon, examining the righted vehicle, shook his head.
    ‘The accident has damaged the axle,
señor.’
    Falconbridge frowned. ‘Badly?’
    ‘See for yourself.’
    He pointed to the crack in the shaft. Falconbridge saw it and gritted his teeth.
    ‘It’ll get us into town, but no farther.’
    ‘At least the final stretch of road looks a little better,’ said Ramon. ‘Relatively speaking that is.’
    Falconbridge nodded. ‘Once we reach town I’ll seek out the wheelwright.’
    Sabrina heard him with a wry smile. It seemed that history was repeating itself.
    * * *
    Progress was slow, but they reached town with no further problems and while Falconbridge organised thenecessary repairs, Sabrina obtained rooms and a bath at the inn. Jacinta laid out fresh clothes and then took herself off to brush out the dusty travelling dress. Sabrina shed her hot garments and slid into the tub with a little sigh of pleasure. It had been days since she’d had the luxury of bathing properly. Making do was all very well, up to a point. Years of travel had made her quite resilient but the woman in her still enjoyed a certain amount of pampering. Of late it had been hard to come by. It was a delight to soap herself all over and wash away all the perspiration and grime of the journey. It was a delight to wear pretty dresses more often, too, or rather to have a reason to wear them. That reason wasn’t just confined to present circumstances, as she now admitted. She bit her lip. It would take more than a pretty frock to attract Robert Falconbridge. Sometimes she thought he didn’t object to her company, once or twice that he found her person pleasing, but never more than that. His heart was his own. They might have been thrown together for the duration of this mission, but his interest in her