The Sweetest Kiss (Brothers of Worthington Series) (37 page)

His eyes widened and his smile stretched. “Forgive me, Judith, but I never gave you credit for having a brain. You proved me wrong just now.”

Jumping out of her chair, she screamed and lunged for him. The table knocked over, and when she landed on him, his chair collapsed, bringing them both to the floor. She clawed at his face and beat on his chest.
Anything to punish him.
Tears clogged her vision, but she continued to bring upon him as much pain as she could.

He finally grabbed hold of her hands and rolled them until he loomed over her. He lifted his fist and it swooped down, connecting to her jaw. Pain exploded in her face and her head jerked back and hit the hard wooden floor.

Sounds all around her faded in and out as she struggled to keep from sinking into an unconscious state.
The more she tried to focus on the murderer in front of her, the more pain filled her skull.

Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the ground and breathed deeply, fighting to keep from going into the black abyss. Other voices swarmed around her, none that sounded familiar. Her head spun, and waves of nausea assailed her stomach. If she didn’t move, she would be fine. The deeper she breathed, the quicker her stomach eased.

A strong pair of hands lifted her up. Dirt and sweat wafted around her, making her want to gag again.

“Miss?
Are you all right?”

The small amount of alcohol on the man’s breath wasn’t a lot, but mixed with the other smells surrounding him, caused her to turn away.

“I will be in a moment.”

She sat on the floor, still keeping her eyes closed until the dizziness settled. His hands continued to hold her shoulders.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. The man from the corner of the room sat in front of her. His dull blue eyes staring deep at her face as if studying her.

She shook away his touch. “Thank you, but I’m feeling better now.”

As she tenderly touched her throbbing jaw, she glanced around for Alex. He lay on the ground, unconscious. She looked back at the man next to her. “What happened?”

“I gave him a good pounding. I could not allow him to harm you that way.”

Not many strangers were so kind. She smiled,
then
winced when her cut lip bled. “I thank you again, sir.”

She struggled to stand, and the man helped her up. When she swayed, he grabbed her shoulders again to steady her. Glancing down at Alex, her heartbeat quickened. Was he out cold? Now was the time to escape. But, where would she go to hide?

“Miss?” the stranger asked.

She looked back at him. “Yes.”

“You look very familiar.”

Underneath all the dirt, there was probably a man she’d like to meet. Obviously he had a giving heart even though his straggly hair and beard, and ragged clothes kept her from looking deeper. Unfortunately, his stench was enough to make a pig swoon. Yet, there was something familiar in his blue eyes. If only his hair was shorter and clean, maybe she’d know him.

“I don’t know, sir. I’m Miss Faraday. What’s your name?”

He frowned and dropped his hands. “That, I do not know.”

“Pardon?
How could you not know your name?”

He shrugged. “That slips my mind, also. I had a head injury a while back and I cannot remember anything.”

She sucked in her breath.
Amazing.
She’d heard of things like this happening, but she’d never met anyone with this problem.

On the floor, Alex groaned and stirred. She jumped away from him, closer to the stranger.

“Is he your husband?” the man asked.

“No. He has kidnapped me and intends to take me to Gretna Green to get married.” She turned toward him and clutched his filthy shirt. “Please help me. He killed my parents.” Her voice broke and tears gathered in her eyes again.

The stranger’s face hardened. His blue eyes darkened as he glanced back at Alex. The man grumbled before bending and slamming his fist into Alex’s face again, knocking him out.

The stranger took her hand. “Come. I will get you out of here.” He pulled her outside and toward the barn.

“Where will we go? There’s nowhere to run. Alex will find me.”

“I will think of something. Give me a moment.”

He rushed them into the barn and toward the back. His gaze flew over every wall. “There has to be some kind of tool I can use as a weapon against him.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think it will do much good. He has a pistol.”

The man stopped and faced her. He clamped his hands on her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes.

“I will not let him harm you, Judith.”

Gasping, she took a step back, breaking the contact. “Pardon me, sir. How do you know my name? I didn’t tell you my Christian name.”

He stood frozen for a few moments as he looked at her. Confusion creased his forehead and narrowed his gaze. “I don’t know, but I know you are Judith Faraday.”

“Do you know my parents?”

He gazed in the distance for another few seconds before meeting her eyes again. “Is your father Viscount
Manderville
?”

She sucked in a quick breath and covered her mouth. Tears fell from her eyes quicker than before. “Yes. You do know him.
How?”

The man shook his head. “I cannot recall.” He scratched his head. “But when I see you in my mind, you are a young girl.”

“I—I wish I recognized you, but I cannot say I do.”

Through the stillness of the night, Alex’s voice shouted, calling her name.

“Oh, no!”
She clutched the stranger’s hands. “He’s coming.”

“He won’t get you. I promise.”

He led them further back in the barn. Alex’s voice grew nearer toward the front. He’d be in sight at any moment.

“Look, there is a back door.” He pointed and hurried them toward it.

It took a couple of hard pushes, but the stranger finally opened the door. He grabbed her hand and led her out, then closed the barrier behind them. Down the road, two horsemen rode fast toward the inn. In the moonlight, the figure of the lead rider looked familiar. It wasn’t until he was almost to the inn when recognition struck.

“Trey!”

She yanked away from the stranger’s grasp and ran toward the man she loved. He’d heard her because he stopped the horse and jumped down.

“Trey,” she screamed and ran with outstretched arms.

He ran toward her, and when they met, he held her tight in his embrace and swung her around once.

“Oh, Trey.
I never thought I would see you again,” she sobbed, pulling herself closer to his body.

“
Shhh
… I’m here now, my love.” He kissed her forehead. “Where’s Alex?”

“He was in the barn.” She looked over her shoulder in that direction. She didn’t see him, but the stranger stood back a ways, studying Trey through hooded eyes.

From around the corner, Alex stumbled away from the barn, holding a pistol. Trey moved Judith behind him, blocking her from Alex’s aim.

“Let her go, Lord Trey. She’s not yours.”

“Yes she is, and I will not let her go.”

Alex waved the pistol as he walked closer. Judith noticed Dominic slowly sliding off his horse, trying not to be seen. Taking careful steps, he crept through the shadows toward Alex. She prayed Dominic reached him before he shot Trey.

Alex shook his head. “I cannot let you take her. I have gone through a lot in order to make her mine.”

“Yes, I know. You killed her parents.”

She gasped and clutched the back of Trey’s cloak. How did he know? Unless… Was that what he and Dominic talked about this afternoon?

Throwing back his head, Alex laughed. “Exactly, so you know why I cannot leave without her.”

Finally, Alex stopped and aimed the weapon. No longer was his hand shaky. “Give her to me now, or I will kill you, Trey Worthington.”

“Then shoot, you coward, because I will not give her up.”

She sobbed and buried her head against his back. Why did he say that? Dominic wasn’t close enough to Alex to stop him yet.

“As you wish,
my lord
.”
Alex narrowed his gaze on Trey.

“No!” The voice of the stranger shouted in the stillness.

Judith jerked her head up just in time to see him run toward Trey. The pistol fired. Smoke filled the air, and Trey’s body went limp. She screamed.

~*~*~*~

The force of the strange man slamming into Trey’s body caused him to lose his breath. He sagged against Judith who stood behind him. But the bullet didn’t hit him. Instead, the man who’d saved Trey’s life fell to the ground at his feet, clutching his shoulder. Trey glanced up in time to see
Nic’s
pistol fire and Alex crumble to the dirt in a motionless heap.

Hawthorne looked his way. “Are you all right?”

Trey nodded. “The bullet hit this man, instead.”

Judith sobbed and wrapped her arms around Trey. He pulled her to his chest and she clung to his shirt. Burying his face in her hair, he held her tight. “I’m all right,” he whispered.

Nic
ran closer to kneel beside the stranger who’d taken the bullet. “I think he’s still alive.”

Trey pulled away from Judith and crouched beside the unconscious man, rolling him from his side to his back. Blood coated the stranger’s shoulder and down his arm.

“We have to stop the bleeding,”
Nic
said.

Judith stepped beside Trey and lifted her gown, showing her petticoats. “Use this.”

Trey took the bottom hem and ripped a long strip while
Nic
removed the man’s filthy coat.

“Who is he?” he asked Judith.

“I don’t know, but he knows me somehow.”

Trey looked up at her. “He does?”

“Yes, but only when I was a young girl. He does not know his name. He says he has a head injury and does not remember anything.”

Not much light shone on them from the half moon, and Trey couldn’t see the man’s face very well. With all the hair covering his features, it was hard to detect anything. Trey concentrated on bandaging the man’s arm, hoping it would stop the flow of blood.

As
Nic
finished removing the man’s shirt, the stranger’s arm fell across his chest.

“Look!”
Nic
shook his head and pointed to a ring on the man’s finger. “Trey, isn’t that—”

Gasping, Trey ignored his bandaging and lifted the stranger’s hand.

“What is it?” Judith asked.

“He’s wearing my ring.”

“How can it be your ring?”

Trey shook his head. “It’s a ring with my family’s crest.” He peered closer at the unconscious man. Moving the long hair out of his face, Trey studied him until familiarity sneaked upon him.

Good heavens!
 
It couldn’t be.

Emotion lodged in his throat as he gently rolled the man to his side so
Trey
could look at his back. When the old bullet wound just under his shoulder blade caught Trey’s eye, he gasped. “It’s Tristan.”

Judith fell to her knees and
hiccupped
a sob as she covered her mouth.

Nic’s
eyes grew misty and he shook his head. “How is that possible?”

Trey rolled the man back toward him and swiped the hair away from his face again, studying him closer. Tears built in Trey’s eyes, but it was his heart that told him this was really his brother.
“Tristan!”
Trey’s voice cracked as he gently shook his brother. “Open your eyes and look at me.”

With tender prodding, Tristan finally blinked. When he met Trey’s stare, he smiled. “Trey,” he rasped.

Trey’s chest tightened and tears leaked down his cheeks. He gathered his brother in his arms and hugged him. “I cannot believe you are alive.”

Tristan sniffed. “I remember now. Thank God, I remember!”

Trey pulled away and cupped his brother’s face. “Where have you been?”

“I don’t know. I have drifted from one place to another. Nothing was in my memory. Not even my name.” He looked to Judith.
“Until I saw her.
Somehow I knew her.”

Crying, she leaned forward and hugged him.

“When she yelled your name,” Tristan told Trey, “another memory hit me. I knew you were my brother.”

Laughing with happiness, Trey wiped his moist eyes. “I…we all thought you were dead.”

Tristan looked on the other side of him at
Nic
and smiled.
“Hawthorn, old man.
How are you?”

Nic
chuckled and gave him a bear hug.

Trey couldn’t believe the waves of emotion he’d experienced in one day, but the happiness flowing through him was worth every ache and sorrow he’d suffered. “Let’s get you home and cleaned up, Tristan. You look awful.”

Everyone laughed.

Judith scooted next to Trey and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. He winked and kissed her on the mouth.