Free Duchess of Mine by Red L. Jameson

earlier—and tried to catch his hair back in the
leather tie at the nape of his neck. But then wondered why he’d go
to such lengths when Fleur had already seen him looking more a
beast than a man, like now.
    As Rory approached, the bright orange and
yellow setting sun hit the golden colors of his hair and his new
palomino’s too, making the man appear to have a golden halo.
Angelic. Fickin’ perfect, Duncan huffed, thinking of his ma’s
language.
    Had Fleur noticed that his new captain was a
man who made grown women tremble in excitement? Had she as
well?
    Duncan imagined punching Rory in the jaw. As
hard as he could. For no reason, of course. Not that he was
jealous, he told himself.
    God, he hated being home. Hated the
discomfort of it all.
    Through it all though, he wondered if
delicate, delightful, divine Fleur thought of him, the
uncomfortable oaf, at all.
     

 
     
     
    Chapter 7
     
    A s Rory trotted along the dirt road,
he easily spotted huge Duncan in Mrs. Cameron’s back garden, while
the lovely Lady Fleur was sitting in the front, the sun’s setting
rays bouncing off her dark hair, making some of it appear scarlet.
He smiled. Oh, the lady’s tresses were bonny. Making him appreciate
the scene before him even more was the fact that Duncan was nowhere
near her. Rory had heard the women of the MacKay territory chatter
about the large man—the warrior returned; the good son who had
given his mother so much money, she was almost as rich as his own
brother, the laird. Duncan, the man who would make the chits swoon
as he silently stalked by. Although Rory knew himself to be a very
different man from Duncan, if anyone was his competition, it would
be him.
    He took a deep breath though, thinking what
he could offer the lady. Conversation for one thing. It seemed that
Duncan could only talk when giving orders. Aye, the lady wouldn’t
want that. Rory could talk to her at length about a variety of
subjects, unlike the immense soldier. He could also seduce her with
wealth. All right, Duncan might have riches too, and—Wait, Rory
told himself. He was already thinking of seducing the lady?
    Rory knew better. He was a gentleman after
all.
    He chided himself for his rushing urges,
which would never win the lady to him.
    Duncan started to walk along his mother’s
fence line. He gave a nod and a quick wave. It wasn’t truly a wave,
but more of an acknowledgement. It irritated Rory more than it
probably should have. He knew Duncan in the last four years had
served as a bodyguard to the Swedish king, whatever his odd name
was, and as such mayhap being around lairds and lairds’ brothers
might not be all that exciting anymore. Nonetheless, he thought
Duncan should have more respect for his rank and authority.
    Duncan somehow found his way to the front
garden as Rory did. Damnation. Rory dismounted from his new horse
gained from a nearby neighbor of Mrs. Cameron’s, then tied the
reins to the front fence, close to the steed Duncan had stolen from
him. He nodded at Duncan as the too tall man held the gate open for
him. Walking through, Rory finally caught exactly where the lady
sat in Mrs. Cameron’s garden. Apparently Duncan did too, for the
man gurgled a kind of gasp. They both gaped as she weeded through a
row of carrots. Dirt smeared along her thin hands, she looked up at
both men and smiled.
    “I haven’t done this since I was a kid. It’s
actually kind of fun once you get into a rhythm.”
    Her hair appeared to be tied in a literal
knot at the back of her head. A few black strands hung around her
face and neck, somehow highlighting her appearance, making her seem
so soft and feminine. Delicious.
    Rory heard a squawk, then looked up to see
Duncan’s mother hold her hands over her mouth in horror. Finally,
she came rushing from the porch of her house to the stone path,
close to Lady Fleur.
    “My lady, you can’t—”
    “I’m sorry,” Lady Fleur said, quickly
standing and wiping dirt from her extra long