Free Taming the Duke by Jackie Manning

understand how dangerous that horse—”
    “I know exactly what I’m doing!”
    “No, you don’t!” He found himself glaring down at her, arms akimbo, as she mocked him, exactly as she had done in the stable, the first night she arrived.
    “Come, Lady Alicia,” he said, peering around to see if anyone was watching. “I would like a few words with you.” He took a deep, unsteady breath, then took her elbow, leading her to the bench inside the high arbor of roses he knew would be vacant this time of day. Most of the female guests would be napping before dinner, and the men were either at billiards, whist or shooting skeet. The rose garden would be the perfect place to explain the rules to this recalcitrant wench.
    Alicia said nothing as he hurried her along and stood while she took a seat on the curved Italian marble bench.
    “Well?” She glared up at him in such a fierce attempt to unnerve him, he almost laughed.
    “Have you forgotten the orders that I already gave you?”
    Alicia took a deep breath. “Your grace, I’ve dealt with injured animals before. But I can’t help Bashshar if I can’t win his confidence. Now if you continue to interfere when I—”
    “Bashshar is a high-strung animal. He’s a one-man horse, and to expect to work with him without my presence is simply foolish.”
    She took another deep breath, and Dalton was becoming more than a little irritated with his immediate reaction to her. “You are his master,” Alicia said, the sun catching the fiery glints in her hair. She leaned her face into the sun, reminding him of a pink blush tulip opening to the dawn.
    “I have no wish to infringe upon your mastery with your horse. But Bashshar must come to trust me. Trust me completely. And it will occur more quickly if I am the only one he sees. Not the stable boys, or the grooms or even the stable master. That is why I’m asking you to refrain from interrupting our sessions while I’m working with Bashshar.”
    Dalton could only stare at her. Didn’t she know that men quivered in their boots when addressing him? Didn’t she know that she was breaking every civilized rule to address him with such audacity? Damn, she was giving him orders like they were equals.
    She looked so small, so helpless, sitting beforehim. He remembered Elizabeth’s hurtful comments earlier and how hard Alicia had tried to cover up the pain he knew she felt. An overpowering need to protect her shot through him. “You must promise me you won’t take chances again with Bashshar.”
    She tilted her head to the side. “I’ll make you an offer.”
    He almost laughed. Damn! She’d make him an offer? He was the duke of Wexton, and she would make him an offer? Her dark eyes twinkled, and he could only wonder what she had in mind.
    “Very well, what is your offer?”
    Her slight smile hinted that she thought she was making progress, and the thought gave him a surprised spark of pleasure.
    “I won’t take unnecessary chances,” she said carefully, “if you promise me one thing.”
    He eyed her warily. “Which is…?”
    Her mouth turned up in a bow as she studied him, as though judging how best to begin. “I want you to promise me that you won’t have any contact with Bashshar for…four weeks.”
    His mouth dropped open. “What the—”
    “And I promise to be extremely prudent in my future actions with your horse.”
    “Four weeks? That’s absurd!” Dalton stepped back. “First, Bashshar won’t allow you to bring him food and water to his stall.” Satisfied that he had won the argument so easily, he chuckled. “So you see, I can’t remain away from him.”
    Alicia shook her head. “I will feed and water him.”
    “Bashshar won’t let you.”
    “Bashshar will go hungry until he does.” Her words were said without sarcasm, merely as a statement of fact.
    “You’d really let him go hungry?”
    She smiled. “Bashshar is too smart to go hungry. He’ll come around, and I’ll gain his trust in the