The American Bride - By Karla Darcy Page 0,49

Despite the fact that this was what Cara had intended she was furious at his easy acceptance of this fact. It was true that she did not want him to recognize her as the girl on the dainty gray mare, but on the other hand she would have preferred that he not see her ungainly manner on this lumbering excuse for a horse. When Julian turned in his saddle to check her progress, she kneed the mare off the trail, flapping the reins ineffectually.

"In some difficulty," Julian asked in amusement as he grasped her lead rein. Bringing the mare's head around and directing it along the path, Julian fell in beside her.

Astride the beautiful black Tyrr, he dwarfed Cara on the plodding mare. Julian appeared to great advantage on the back of a horse. His bronzed skin glowed with health and his dark curls shimmered in the sunlight. Cara's eyes scanned his muscled torso, approving the strength apparent beneath his buckskins. A blush suffused her neck and face as she forced her eyes away from his body. In her confusion she fumbled the reins and winced at the pity on Julian's face.

"I had no idea you were so inept at riding, Miss Farraday," Julian teased. "From what Glum told me of your plan for Richard I did not realize that you could barely keep your seat."

"I was not hired as a riding instructor, Lord Wilton," Cara ground out, unable to hide the irritation in her voice.

"It is impolite of me to twit you with your inability to ride," Julian apologized but the sparkle of laughter behind his eyes did little to improve Cara's temper. "I thought by joining you this afternoon I might be of some help. However if I had known sooner I could have saved you discomfort by taking Richard out myself."

"I applaud your motives but you see, Lord Wilton, the whole idea was to get Richard to stop worrying about himself. And that, you will have to admit, has been possible by my very ineptness."

Together, their eyes followed the boy who was unconscious that he was the subject of their discussion. Swatting at the bushes beside the trail, the boy foraged ahead, at ease in the saddle, all fear forgotten. Julian's warm brown eyes swung to hers and he touched his gloved hand to his hat in a victory salute. Spurring his horse he joined his nephew and began to point out various objects in the woods.

For Cara the ride was endless. Finally it was Julian who suggested that Miss Farraday might like to return to the Hall. Thus reminded of his duty to his governess, Richard was most solicitous of Cara on the return trip. His fear of horses might never have existed. How resilient children were, she thought in amazement. From the moment Richard had mounted the hunter, that frightened period of his life was erased completely.

Back in the stableyard, Glum paced, waiting for a glimpse of the returning threesome. He bounded forward to help Cara dismount. In her effort to once again appear graceless she almost tumbled to the ground atop the panting headgroom. Richard tried to smother his snort of amusement. Cara glared at the boy and then cast a withering glance at Julian who was grinning like the village idiot. Stiff-legged with affronted pride she stalked off in the direction of the Hall, while behind her she could hear Richard gleefully accepting Julian's offer to ride the next day.

Safe in her room, Cara collapsed on the bed. A great upsurge of relief washed over her as she remembered the success of her plan. Despite her chagrin at Julian's presence, she had to admit that his being there had made the outing much more special for Richard. It paved the way for other rides and a continued communication between the boy and his guardian. Cara knew that Richard needed his uncle's approbation to build up his self-esteem. He was surrounded by women in the household and needed to see a masculine point of view to grow into the kind of man Cara would wish him to be. She was contented that the relationship between the man and the boy was burgeoning.

Glaring at the ugly riding habit lying on the floor as she soaked in the tub, Cara promised she would burn it at her first opportunity. Closing her eyes she could picture laughing brown eyes in a bronzed face. Just once, she thought wistfully, I wish that Julian could see me as I