The Hellion and The Heartbreaker

Text copyright © 2012

Jennifer McNare

All Rights Reserved

Table
of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Epilogue

England, 1840

“Put me
down this instant,” Scarlett demanded, her voice imperious despite the
indignity of her current position, dangling head first over her eldest brother,
Colin’s shoulder.  Much to her chagrin, he simply continued to laugh as
she thumped fruitlessly upon his back with her small fists.

“Well now,
what do we have here?”

Scarlett
immediately stopped pounding on Colin’s back and turned her head toward the
voice.  Her long red tresses swirled around her, standing out like
brilliant flames against the white of Colin’s shirt as she hurriedly pushed
them aside.  It was Conner.  She thanked her lucky stars that it
wasn’t Tess, and knew she still had a chance.  Although she adored Tess,
her governess was no push over.  Her harassed, yet much beloved brothers
were much easier targets for the cunning wiles of her quick mind.

She
watched as Conner approached, quickly altering the look on her face from
mutinous to despondent.  Her brother shook his head, grinning at her
morose expression, not seeming the least bit surprised to see her hanging
upside down over Colin’s shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Still
grinning, he stepped forward and playfully tugged on one of her curls. 
“What have you done this time, Minx?” he asked.

Scarlett
felt a flash of ire at her brother’s assumption, but with a little effort she
maintained the pitiful expression.  “I haven’t done
anything,
” she
whimpered with exaggerated dejection.  “Colin’s just being an awful
bully.”

To her
extreme annoyance, Colin and Connor looked at each other with barely concealed
amusement, rolling their matching blue eyes, the same blue eyes that she and
all four of her brothers had inherited from their beautiful English
mother.  She looked away, her jaw tightening as she fought to control her
rising temper.

“A bully
am I?” Colin queried with a chuckle, grabbing Scarlett around the waist and
setting her back on her feet in front of him.  He cocked an eyebrow as she
looked up and met his gaze, his expression skeptical.  “Did I not just
catch you trying to sneak out to the stables, young lady?”

Standing
well over six feet tall, Colin was an imposing figure.  Large and
muscular, he seemed enormous in comparison to her small frame, but she didn’t
fear him, not in the least.  In fact, she adored him.  At present
however, he was the sole recipient of her rapidly increasing ire.  She
fought the urge to stamp her booted feet on the polished marble tile that
spread the length of the large two-story foyer, knowing there was another, more
effective method of getting her way.  She turned toward Conner, gazing up
at him through the thick veil of her long dark lashes, affording him with the
saddest, most forlorn look she could muster, and then turned back to
Colin.  “I just wanted to see the new horses,” she said with a sad little
pout, her voice conveying the perfect combination of contrition and desolation.

“Lessons
first, Scarlett,” Colin stated firmly.  “You know the rules.”  He
looked pointedly at Conner, the unspoken message was clear – s
tand firm!

Scarlett
stood before her brothers in her typical garb, a wrinkled and worn long-sleeved
cotton shirt, a hand me down from one of the twins, tucked into a pair of faded
breeches, another hand me down, and a gleaming pair of black riding boots,
custom made especially for her by one of London’s premier boot makers. 
They were her most prized possession.  She cast her eyes downward, staring
at the tops of her boots, brushing the toe of the right one lightly from side
to side against the marble floor.  As usual, her red hair was unbound and
fell around her shoulders in a tangled mass of unruly curls.  She heaved a
long drawn out sigh, and then after a moment’s pause, made a small sniffling
sound.  When she raised her head, Conner and Colin’s expressions were
nearly identical, expressions that said
, not this time Scarlett
. 
Her lower lip quivered, she gave another dramatic sniffle, and with a prowess
that would have done the most skilled stage actress proud, a single tear rolled
slowly down her cheek.  Their stern expressions faltered, and so quickly
that it was almost laughable, their resolve crumbled before her eyes.

“All
right, but just this once!” Colin said, as Conner nodded his agreement.

Scarlett
mentally congratulated herself, for that simple phrase,
just this once
,
was something she’d heard more times than she could count.  She dashed the
lone tear from her cheek and flashed her brothers a brilliant smile. 
Turning, she darted toward the front door, allowing Colin no time for second thoughts.

They
followed her outside, watching as she raced full speed across the beautifully
manicured front lawn, her hair flying out behind her like a flaming cape as she
sped toward the stables.  “Are you certain she’s only twelve-years-old?” Conner
asked.

Colin
chuckled.  “She reminds me more and more of Papa every day.”

Conner
nodded in agreement.  “Like mother too,” he said, a gentle smile curving
his lips.  “She’s the best of both of them, a whole lot of sugar and a
healthy dash of spice.”

A light
breeze gently ruffled Colin’s red hair as he turned to his brother, his bright
eyes twinkling.  “A force to be reckoned with.”

“We’ve
spoiled her you know.”

“I know,”
Colin agreed, his amused tone betraying not an ounce of regret.  “She’s
had us all wrapped around her little finger since the day she was born.”

Grinning,
they followed Scarlett to the stables.

Rory and
Gavin, Scarlett’s sixteen-year-old brothers didn’t seem overly surprised to see
her barreling into the stable yard shortly before noon.  She should have
been at her lessons for at least another hour, but neither of them so much as
blinked as they noted her sudden appearance.  They were home from boarding
school on summer break, and she had missed them dreadfully.  She loved all
of her brothers immensely, but the twins were especially full of fun and
youthful energy, and brought an added lightness to the estate when they were
home.

“Good
morning, Trouble,” Rory teased, as Scarlett skidded to a halt beside him.

“Are they
here yet?” she asked breathlessly.

“Yep,”
Rory responded, setting down the bridle he’d been working on and taking
Scarlett’s hand, “they just arrived.”  He led her into the massive stable,
past numerous horse-filled stalls, walking in the direction of the rear
paddock, their clasped hands swinging freely between them.  The grooms
smiled fondly at her as they passed, and she smiled warmly at each of them in
return.  She had known most of them her entire life and she loved them
like family. 

The stable
was her favorite place on the estate.  She enjoyed the perpetual activity,
the smell of fresh hay, the gentle nickering of the horses, and the playful
banter of the young grooms as they went about their work.  She helped out
whenever she could, feeding and grooming the horses and mucking out the stalls
along with the lads.  She had spent more hours here than she could count.

Glancing
over her shoulder, she saw that Gavin had fallen into step behind them and she
immediately reached out for his hand, clasping it in her free one as they
walked toward the paddock.  Hand in hand between her brothers and
liberated, at least temporarily, from the schoolroom, Scarlett’s mood was
jubilant.

“Take a
look at these beauties,” Gavin said when they reached the tall wooden fence,
hoisting her up so that she stood on one of the rails, enabling her to get a
good look at the new additions to the McPhearson stables.

There were
four of them, all beautiful, magnificent creatures, but one in particular
caught her eye.  He was an immense stallion.  His coat, black as
night, shimmered with a silvery tint in the bright sunlight.  “Oh, look at
him, he’s beautiful,” she exclaimed.

“That he
is,” Rory agreed, following her gaze.

Gavin
nodded, following the stallion with his eyes.  “He’s a damn fine piece of
horseflesh all right.”

For
Scarlett, it was love at first sight.  She watched in blatant admiration
as he raced along the perimeter of the fence, his powerful hooves tearing up
large clods of dirt and grass as he came toward them.  He tossed his head
in her direction as he passed, and for a moment, their eyes seemed to
meet.  She felt an instant connection.  She’d always loved horses,
but there was something special about this one.  She watched his graceful
movements for several long moments, entranced.  He was meant for her, she
just knew it.  “I want to ride him,” she breathed, unable to take her eyes
off the splendid animal.

“No way,”
Rory proclaimed.

“Absolutely
not,” Gavin exclaimed at exactly the same time.

Transfixed,
Scarlett barely heard them.  “Oh please, please can I have him?” she
begged, turning her wonder filled gaze toward her brothers.

“Not a
chance, Minx.”

Scarlett
turned.  She hadn’t noticed that Colin and Conner had joined their little
group.  “But Colin…”

“Save your
breath, Scarlett, there is no way you are getting up on that brute.” 
Colin’s features were set, his tone adamant.  “Besides, he has already
been promised to someone else.”

“Promised
to
whom
?” she demanded, her brow furrowing in irritation.

“To the
Duke of Worthe, that’s
who
.  And I don’t think he would appreciate
you gadding about on his new mount before he’s even had a chance to see him.”

“You’re
selling him to some stuffy old duke?” Scarlett demanded incredulously, her eyes
widening in disbelief.

“Alec Weston
is neither stuffy, nor old, Scarlett,” Colin replied with an amused grin. 
“In fact, he happens to be a very good friend of mine.”

“Well, if
he’s your friend, I’m sure he won’t mind when you tell him that we have decided
to keep him,” Scarlett retorted, her tone matter of fact.

“I’m sorry
Scarlett, but we are
not
keeping
him.”  Colin replied firmly, with a negative shake of his head.

“You don’t
think I can handle him, do you?”  She eyed her brother knowingly. 
She had learned to ride almost as soon as she had learned to walk.  Horses
were
the family business after all.  However, despite her
first-rate skills as an equestrian, her brothers continued to treat her like a
baby, insisting she continue to ride Max, the docile gelding she’d been given
on her ninth birthday, or a few of the more even-tempered mares they housed in
the stable.  It was maddening!

“As a
matter of fact, I don’t.” Colin admitted.  “There is no way you could
handle a brute like that, Scarlett, not yet anyhow.”