Kimberly Nee - The McKenzie Brothers (14 page)

Katherine squeezed her eyes shut. “Stop it,” she whispered through clenched teeth. “It’s only gossip for now. You’ve no way of knowing if it’s the truth. You will have to wait and see what happens.”

She wanted to confront him, ask him if the rumors were true. But she couldn’t. She was in no position to demand such answers from him. She had to remember she was only the maid, not the lady of the house. She couldn’t lay claim to him, had no recourse if he chose to take another to his bed in her stead. He spoke naught of a future with her. Should he choose to take another as his wife, the only thing she could do would be to resign her post and try to forget Garrett McKenzie ever existed.

And
that
was something she knew she’d never be able to do.

Chapter Twenty

Garrett drew Megaera to a walk as he neared the Jefferson house on Beech Street in Brunswick proper. Named for one of the Greek Furies, the black mare lived up to her name. She was powerful and fast, and Garrett adored the animal as much as he had his ship back in his sailing days.

He looped Meg’s reins around the porch railing, then took the four wide steps two at a time. His Hessians thumped against the freshly painted pine boards as he stepped up to the front door to rap briskly against the whitewashed wood.

The door was pulled open by a delicate woman with white-blonde hair and dark blue eyes. “Yes?”

“Good afternoon, Madam Jefferson,” Garrett said in his most gracious voice as he smiled down at Bradley’s young wife. “Brad at home?”

Natalie smiled up at him with the chilliest of smiles and her eyes were by no means any friendlier. She nodded, but her voice was cool as she said, “Yes, he is, Mr. McKenzie. One moment, please.”

Garrett chuckled to himself as she closed the door in his face. He hadn’t expected to be welcomed into her home. After all, he was a notorious rake and rogue and all other things proper ladies found undesirable. At least, they did when in public. In private, however, the opposite was usually true.

A moment later, Bradley stepped out onto the porch, looking absolutely terrible. His gray eyes were bloodshot slits, his hair in wild disarray, and the right side of his face a mess of scratches covered in dried blood.

No doubt from a night spent unconscious in the rose bushes.

Garrett took a closer look at a mark that looked very much like a hand print across Bradley’s right cheek. It went very well with the purple bruise just off-center of his chin. The bruise left by his Kat’s surprisingly strong punch.

He felt a hint of pride at Katherine’s handiwork, but it faded into the anger he’d been carrying since happening upon the scene in his parents’ rose garden. “Nice bruises, Jefferson.”

Bradley rolled his eyes as he rubbed his chin. “Well, I see that little bitch at Stonebridge again, it will be
her
jaw sporting a bruise. Mark my words.”

Garrett’s smile faded. He took another step closer, grabbing Bradley by his shirtfront to lift him clear off of his feet. “You so much as
look
at her again, and I will take you apart, Jefferson. Do you understand?”

He said it mildly, never raising his voice, but anyone would recognize the growl of warning. Garrett was not a yeller, he never had been. He found a cold, emotionless tone usually instilled more than enough fear.

“Why all the fuss over a maid?” Bradley retorted sharply, trying to jerk his shirt free. “You tumble her yet, McKenzie? Or are you afraid I’ll ruin all other men for her?”

Garrett was fairly certain Bradley never saw the blow coming, as he simply let go of his shirtfront and swung at the same time. Bradley let out a howl, hurtling head over heels across the porch, landing with a loud crash in the far corner.

Without hesitation, Garrett stormed over to him, grabbed him up again and let loose another spectacular blow, this time catching Bradley’s right cheekbone.

Another howl. Another loud
thud
.

Grabbing the same fistful of now-wrinkled gray cotton, Garrett hauled Bradley to his feet. “You touch her, you look at her, you speak to her, or you so much as
think
about her, and I will take a great joy in separating your head from your body, Jefferson. I promise you that. Keep as far away from her as you can, unless you want your lovely young wife to become a lovely young widow. Understand?”

“Brad?”

Garrett released him as Natalie’s gasp reached his ears. Bradley sank onto the low bench beneath the front windows, looking as if he hadn’t a clue what had just happened. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and beneath his right eye, where Garrett’s knuckles had split his skin against the bone. He reached up to touch his mouth, then stared down at his hand in almost a daze.

“Good heavens! Brad! What happened?” Natalie shoved by Garrett to sink to her knees beside her husband. Then, she lifted an angry blue-eyed stare to him. “I think you’d best go, Mr. McKenzie. Before I send Millicent for Constable McMichaels.”

He ignored her, growling, “Just remember what I said, Jefferson. Far away,” as he moved to the steps. “And by the by, you owe me a hundred pieces. Not that I give a damn.”

He didn’t bother bidding Natalie Jefferson a good day, not that it would have been received anyhow. He merely thumped down the steps, snatched up Meg’s reins, and swung up into the saddle. A jerk on the reins, a bit of pressure from his knees, and the mare tore away, leaving behind a cloud of reddish-brown dust and two very shocked-looking people.

From the Jefferson house, Garrett rode directly to Stonebridge. Ravenswood had no stables, so Megaera would stay at his family’s stables until one was erected at his house. He handed the reins off to George, Martha’s husband and the McKenzie family’s groom, and then stalked through the shadowy woods to Ravenswood.

His temper had cooled a bit by the time he reached his house, but every time he thought about Bradley’s treatment of Katherine, fresh fury burned through him. If he was lucky, he’d not destroy something in his own house.

He thrust open the kitchen door with a bang, causing Victoria to whirl around with a shriek.

“Oh, Mister Garrett!” she laughed, lowering her skillet back to the stove. “You startled me.”

He smiled at the pretty, gray-haired cook. Victoria had been a godsend — a thoroughly skilled cook with a disposition much sunnier than Mrs. Riley’s. Quite often, she would sing while she toiled away in her kitchen and her voice was lovely — lilting and sweet.

Far better than coming into the kitchen to find Katherine hacking her hands to bits on fruit and whatnot.

“I apologize, Victoria. I did not mean to startle you.”

She waved away his apology. “Please, I should not be such a mouse. I think it’s those woods. They give me the shivers.”

He didn’t miss the way her eyes flicked out the kitchen window, nor did he miss the shudder she gave as she did so. “There is nothing in those woods what can harm you, Victoria. It’s full of squirrels, rabbits, deer, raccoons, and birds. The only danger you’d be in would be to go out there and attract them with your sweet disposition. Then, we’d have a riot on our hands.”

She gave a girlish laugh. “Oh, Mister Garrett, you are a terrible flirt! I am old enough to be your mother, you realize.”

“Ah, but you are sweeter than any girl half your age, and twice as beautiful.”

A delicate flush spread into the soft wrinkles of her fair cheeks. “All save for one, isn’t that right?”

“And what might you mean by that?” he asked, crossing the room to the doorway leading to the hall.

Victoria’s sharp brown eyes narrowed slightly. “I mean Katherine, of course. You
have
been sneaking her into your chambers on occasion, haven’t you?”

Garrett felt his jaw go slack. How could she possibly know that? “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, Victoria.”

“Oh, please. You’ve no need to play dumb with me, Mister Garrett.
I’ll
not be spreading any rumors, nor will I tolerate them from others. What you do is your business. Personally, I like that girl. I think she is good for you.” She gestured at him with the cast iron skillet as if it weighed nothing. “When the time comes you do finally decide to take a wife, I do hope you’ll look no further than her.”

He laughed softly. “I’ll keep that in mind, Victoria.”

“I am serious, Mister Garrett. Besides, I’d love nothing more than for her to have the authority to put Lucy Riley in her place for once and for all. That woman certainly has it in for her.”

“That so?”

“Well, you know I cannot abide gossip, but I’m not so certain it’s considered gossip when I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

He paused in the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest as he said, “Of course it isn’t. Do go on, then.”

Victoria set the skillet down once more, moving over to a large earthenware bowl over which a linen towel had been draped. She removed the towel to lift out a huge lump of pasty-looking white dough.

As she began to pound it back down, she said, “Well, I know it isn’t my concern, but it is really necessary to make certain your laundry never touches that of the staff? It seems silly to me, if you do not mind my saying.”

This was news to him and he couldn’t help his laugh. “I’ve not once suggested such a thing. What matter is it if my clothing touches yours, or Marie’s?”

“That’s what I thought, but Lucy repeatedly harps on that to Katherine every wash day.” She adopted a superior tone as she said, “‘Now do remember, Katherine. Mister Garrett’s clothing
must
never
come into contact with anyone else’s. Make two trips, then. Three, if necessary.’” She shook her head as her voice returned to normal. “It’s terrible, the way she badgers the girl.”

Garrett felt his gut twist slightly. “Does she at least fight back?”

“Oh, no, Mister Garrett. Never. On more than one occasion, Lucy has been quite quick to remind her that she — Lucy, that is — has the right to sack her if she so desires.”

He sighed heavily. That little bit of authority was going straight to the housekeeper’s head, just as he’d been afraid it would. It was becoming tiresome to deal with. Most tiresome indeed. “I will speak to her at once about that.”

“Personally, I think you ought to tell Katherine to give as good as she gets. She is quite colorful when riled, you know.”

He smiled again. Oh, he knew. “You know I cannot possibly do that.”

“I know, sir. But still, I’d love to see it.” Again, her gaze met his and, mimicking a move she often saw, Victoria arched one delicate brow. “Perhaps one day, I will.”

He didn’t answer her, but merely grinned at her expression as he unfolded his arms and started through the door. It was another warm day, typical for mid-June, and he wanted to go up to his room and strip off his sweaty clothes to exchange them for fresh. Summer had returned, and this time, Mother Nature had gotten the weather correct.

As he mounted the stairs, he debated whether or not he ought to take Mrs. Riley to task for her high-handedness. He knew that, as long as she was employed at Ravenswood, he could not scold her before the others, nor could he tell the three maids to ignore the housekeeper. That would only be asking for trouble. Still, the last thing he wanted was for her to begin thinking of herself as the lady of the manor. Things would become most unpleasant for her, should that be the case.

Lady of the manor.

A smile lifted his lips as he pushed open the door to his room and stepped over the threshold. Katherine would most certainly fit that title perfectly.

He sighed as he sank into his desk chair to remove his boots. Marry her. The thought
had
crossed his mind. It would definitely ensure she’d never leave his bed.

The only problem? He did not wish to get married. That hadn’t changed.

Or had it?

He sighed again, reaching up to rub his eyes. Then again, it might not be such a horrendous thing, to get married. Lord knows his sister seemed happy. McCallister seemed equally happy. And then there were his mother and father — married thirty-three years and as affectionate with one another as newlyweds. He had plenty of examples of wedded bliss shining before him.

So why his hesitation?

Garrett tugged off his boots, tossing them over by the wardrobe. Then, he fell back to stare up at the ceiling. Why the hesitation, indeed?

There was no denying Katherine was beautiful. In fact, she was by far the loveliest woman he’d ever seen. She had obvious brains, was outspoken, with a will of steel and he knew he desired her. She invaded his thoughts when he least expected it, and no other woman ever made him feel the things she did.

He smiled at the ceiling. The last thing anyone would ever expect him — Brunswick’s most eligible bachelor — to ask his maid to be his bride. Half the town would think him insane, the other half wouldn’t know
what
to think.

But, the decision needn’t be made just yet. Right now, he had more pressing matters at hand.

Like a housekeeper who thought her word was law.

This time, he groaned. He was getting tired of having to remind Mrs. Riley who employed whom, and since
he
employed
her,
no decisions were final until his approval. And tonight, after supper, he’d have to sit down with her and remind her, yet again.

Yes, this was getting most tiresome, indeed.