Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,53

hair before pushing open the door.

They disappeared, clearly off for another adventure without her.

She had not expected Hector to seek to entertain her son again today, or any day. Not after she’d made it plain she would not kiss Hector again. But Pip did love horses, and the stables were his favorite place in the world.

She found Hector’s interest in her son surprisingly pleasing.

Blackwood drew close. “Is something wrong, madam?”

“No. The view is just like all the rest. I am just a little chilled.”

“I am too.” He bowed to her. “Thank you for showing me more of the house. If you will excuse me, I should like to return to Lord Vyne and continue our earlier conversation.”

“But of course. Thank you, Mr. Blackwood, for your company. It has been a pleasure to become better acquainted with you.”

As soon as he left, Ruby hurried for a rear door, looking for a well-trod path to take her to the stables. It wasn’t hard to find the path Hector must have taken. His footprints were deep, though, and she quickly understood why Hector might have thrown Pip upon his shoulder.

She carefully picked her way through the snow, using Hector’s footprints to spare herself the worst of the cold and damp. But by the time she reached the stables, her toes were cold and her stockings were wet.

She pushed the heavy door open and instantly saw Hector leaning against a stall not far away. He looked over his shoulder, and then snatched up a blanket before hurrying to her. “What are you doing coming out in this weather?”

“I saw you and Pip coming here.”

“He’s playing.”

She didn’t see Pip. “Where?”

Hector wrapped her in the blanket and, with one arm around her back, propelled her to the stall he’d just left.

Pip was inside, marching around the stall with another, larger boy. They were stomping down the hay beneath their feet and laughing their heads off. Pip’s cheeks were pink already, and he was smiling. The other boy was just the same.

Ruby drew back but was worried. “If my uncle saw him doing that, he might not approve.”

“It’s harmless play. And the straw is clean, intended only to thicken the mattresses of the stable hands. They just hadn’t gotten around to using it yet and don’t mind. Young Allan there does this all the time, I’m told.”

Relieved, she glanced around the stables. There were no servants anywhere about. Only Hector, watching the boys play together.

Hector’s arm stole around her again. “Are you warm enough?”

“My feet are a bit cold,” she admitted.

“Well, then,” Hector said as he pulled her a little tighter to his side. “Shall we stroll the stables to keep ourselves warm? While we do, I suggest we make a game of choosing more fitting names for Lord Vyne’s horses. Vyne, I’ve found, lacks the imagination to choose names worthy of such handsome steeds.”

She laughed. “I’ve never named a horse before.”

“Well, now is your chance to try while we pass the time waiting for Pip or Allan to tire themselves out.”

She looked back toward her son.

Hector squeezed her waist, and then released her. “Don’t worry. Given your confession the other day, I took the liberty of making sure he’s being watched at all times.”

When he pointed up, Ruby spotted a pair of stable hands in the hayloft directly above Pip, sitting with their legs dangling over the side.

“You didn’t have to do that. Pip is not yours to protect.”

He looked away, frowning. “Clement would expect me to make sure his cousins remained safe at all times.”

Ruby didn’t quite believe Hector’s claim that he was standing in for Lord Clement. Hector cared about Pip.

And he might just care about her, too.

Pleased by that, Ruby withheld a smile as she took Hector’s arm, and they moved to the closest stall.

The differences between Hector and Mr. Blackwood were quite marked. Blackwood’s character was evident on his face. He’d be a dangerous man to cross, as Hector claimed.

And while Hector might declare himself a scoundrel, and quite proudly, too, he was a great deal warmer and kinder than he liked to let on. He was impulsive, boastful, but even though she’d told him of her interest in Blackwood for marriage, he was still willing to go out of his way to ensure her son’s safety.

She already knew which man might make her a better husband. The only impediment to her hopes was whether Hector would ever realize it, too.

Chapter Thirteen

Dinner that night was an unusually long affair hosted by Lord