Free My Lord Deceived by Rebecca King

he wasn’t sure
what to do. Brian merely stared back with a frown while being
watched by Colin and Robert, who daren’t move without orders.
    “I think you
had better not cross me again, or you will be sorry,” Kat snapped.
She shoved roughly at Brian and bent down to scoop something off
the floor while he regained his balance and couldn’t see what she
was doing. As expected, her elbow was caught in Brian’s painful
grip as he swung her around to face him.
    He intended to
threaten her again. What he got instead was a face full of Molly’s
richest manure, which Kat took great delight in rubbing into his
face. He immediately relinquished his hold and spat the foul straw
covered mass out of his mouth, while his friends smothered their
laughs.
    “I wouldn’t
stand there smirking if I were you,” she growled and gave each of
them a warning glare before she shoved Brian roughly out of the
way.
    It took every
ounce of self control she possessed not to run for her life. She
could hear the muttered conversation behind her, and was half way
to the gate when she heard Brian order, ‘get her’.
    Fear locked in
her throat. Lifting her skirt, she ran the last few feet to the
gate and hurtled over the top so swiftly that she didn’t notice the
dark flurry of movement to her right until the horse’s terrified
squeal rang loudly in her ears.
    “Good God,
woman. What are you trying to do, get yourself killed?” Jonathan
snapped with a scowl. He froze at the sight of the fear evident on
Kat’s face. He took a quick look at the four men who raced towards
them and moved his horse around until he blocked Kat from their
view. He didn’t wait for permission, and grabbed hold of Kat. The
effortless way he swung her up behind him left her clinging on for
dear life.
    “Hold on,”
Jonathan growled.
    It all happened
so swiftly that Kat gasped for breath as she clutched the back of
his riding jacket with desperate hands. She wondered why he made no
effort to race away and took a breath to ask him when he shifted
before her. Her hold was loosened by his movement and she had to
fight to keep her seat on the rear of the horse. Her view was
blocked by the broad width of his shoulders. She wasn’t tall enough
to see whatever he had in his hand, but whatever it was had enough
impact to make all four of her pursuers slam to a stop on the other
side of the gate. Their gazes were fixed on whatever he held and
they made no attempt to approach any further.
    “Who are these
people?” Jonathan drawled, and threw her a questioning glance.
    “These are the
village’s worst occupants. Brian, Wally, Robert and Colin are all
wastrels who have far too much time on their hands and are the
worst of bullies,” Kat reported sharply. She wished her voice
didn’t tremble so much but she shook uncontrollably and didn’t seem
able to control it.
    “I was just
bringing Molly back to her field for the night before going to read
to your uncle, but then this lot turned up looking for trouble.”
She gasped when Jonathan moved to sit sideways in the saddle so he
could face the men without the need to dismount. He studied her so
carefully that she had to work hard not to squirm under his intense
stare.
    “Did they hurt
you?”
    “No, but they
would like to,” Kat whispered.
    The lingering
fear in her eyes unmanned him. It made him furiously angry that
anyone would threaten any woman’s safety in such a way, and it
angered him even more that Kat was the person they had chosen for
their target of the day. He wondered what would have happened if he
hadn’t turned up when he had, and quickly closed that thought out.
Four men in a field with one woman – the prospect of her getting
out unscathed was remote. He stared stonily down at the defiant men
gathered before him.
    “I suggest that
you all depart this area, now, before I really have to get down and
teach you all not to mess with this woman,” Jonathan drawled, aware
that the gun in his hand had drawn