by Lauren Smith
He pulled off his cravat and held it against the horse’s wound. It took a long while for the bleeding to stop, but the flow had already slowed considerably during the rest of the fight.
It took a lot longer to get home, and the stable boy met her with dismay and called in reinforcements. Henry walked her into the house, her a little shaky and bruises forming from her fall. When they reached the doorway, he turned her so she face him.
“Colleen, please, I beg of you, marry me. I cannot risk losing you. I want a woman courageous enough to knock a nobleman on the head with a rock to save me.”
Colleen’s heart fluttered. “Yes, I will marry you. I…nearly lost you out of fear. I cannot risk it again.”
They kissed deeply, him pulling her body so it flushed against his like to panels of a painting.
“Oh!” she cried when she could think again. “Lord Warwick! I did not kill him, did I?” Horror at the possible scandal gripped her.
“No, he is not dead,” Henry assured her. “I heard him grumping while you went to get my horse.”
“Then…what will happen to him?”
Epilogue
Three months later…
* * *
Henry looked out upon the sea of faces who had come to his wedding. So many people. And his fiancé, bless her beautiful soul, had chosen an outdoor wedding in her Aunt Julie’s gardens. Or rather, Jane’s garden.
Jane, resplendent in a peach striped gown, fairly beamed with pride. Flowers adorned the chairs and silk ribbon held them together. All of the flowers had been grown by Jane herself or under her care.
Scattered chatter reached him as he glanced fondly at his father sitting next to the countess. And then the ladies of the paranormal salon all grinned up at him. Even Lady Warwick. Course, it was the mysterious Lady Daphne he wondered about. Surely, there had to be a story there.
Then the vicar indicated it was time for the wedding to start.
His bride.
His bride.
His bride. He just could not think past that as her eyes caught his attention. He would never forget them. She never looked away from him, boldly meeting his gaze through a veil.
He tried to remember what they had told him to expect, but he could barely concentrate. He wanted to get her into bed and those promises their kisses had made.
Finally, he could kiss her, claim her in front of everyone.
The crowd cheered, and the voices all became louder and louder as servants cleared the chairs away, setting them around tables brought out for the purpose. Two long tables, laden with every kind of food imaginable, off to the left. To the right, a quartet set up, preparing for dancing.
He took Colleen’s hand in his and kissed the palm of it, delighting in her shiver. “Are you ready for this?”
“Too late for that question,” she teased.
He kissed her soundly again. “Much. Now, let us return our attention to our guests. I have the rest of my life to enjoy your company.”
Her laughter rang gayly across the meadow. Yes, the rest of his life. Lord Warwick had absconded to Australia, so one problem had fixed itself. Now, to work on making Colleen happy. She flashed a smile over her shoulder at him.
Happy as this moment. Happier.
A task he relished.
About Leona Bushman
USA Today bestselling author Leona Bushman is a crazy writer taught by dragons and known as Dragon Queen of the North. She loves to write and paint, even when her muse tries to muck things up. She chases after the three out of the five children still at home, and sometimes after the other two and the grandbaby around her freelance editing jobs. She has many hobbies like SCA, painting, quilting, sewing, and gardening. Or, as one blogger succinctly put it, Leona Bushman is a whirlwind made of sheer will with a dash of clumsy to keep her grounded.
She can be found solving mysteries, exploring space, making art, and loving dragons and other creatures of the supernatural at these places:
* * *
Facebook artist page
Blog 1: and Blog 2
I frequently post under the hashtags #thenextleonardodavinci and #thenextleonardodavinciandson
Also available by Leona Bushman :
ROMANCES
Disturbing Desire (Darkest World)
The Ulfric’s Mate, book 1(War of the Weres series)
The Midwife’s Moon, book 2 (War of the Weres series)
Bearly There, book 1(War of the Weres Chronicles)
Fox in the Wolf Den, book 2 (War of the Weres Chronicles)
Pirating Christmas
In for a Penny, book 1, (Traincoach of Death series)
The Shot, book 2 (Traincoach of Death series)
Luck of the Draw
Winds of Fire (Eagle Claw series)
Murder by Succubus
Masked Pain
Over a Dead Body
Slow Fever
Darkest Valentine, book 1, (Darkest Series)
Darkest Death, book 2, (Darkest Series)
Darkest Summer (Darkest Series book 3)
A Hunter, a Witch, and a Shrew, an Enduring Legacy story
Highland Magic, book 1 (Highland Magic series)
Evil in the Highlands, book 2 (Highland Magic series)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Faerie
Blood is Thicker
Daryn’s Slayer
Witchy Wolf
The Witch of Indigo Bayou (The Lost Witch Series book 1)
The Witch of Evergreen Mountain (The Lost Witch Series book 2)
The Witch of Purple Coastline (The Lost Witch Series book 3)
The Witch of Golden Sand Dunes (The Lost Witch Series book 4)
The Witch of Crimson Peaks (The Lost Witch Series book 5)
Winter’s Rose a Miracle Express Story
Spying on Christmas A Miracle Express Story
NONROMANCES
Demons and Wraiths
Death’s Car
Death’s Tradition
Defying Death
The Fight of the Sorceress
Zombie Infestation
Cerisa’s Quest