Duke Herheart Final Read Online Free

Michael could solve the mystery of her plight and see the woman settled and on her way to wherever she belonged—out of his life.
    “Kathryn, are you in here?” Avoiding the lads working in the far stalls, Michael called her name in a low whisper. She did not answer.
    Fists clenched, nerves taut, Michael meticulously checked the loft and each unoccupied stall but no minx was in the stables. He stalked through the village and after hunting in all the obvious hiding spots for well nigh an hour, Michael was gravely concerned for Kathryn’s safety and completely out of sorts.
    After surreptitious glances into the storefronts along the street, to no avail, Michael stepped into the Climbing Vine Inn to inquire of the barman at the tavern. “A pint if you please.”
    “Yes, milord.” The barman filled a tankard and plopped it in front of Michael on the bar. Michael placed a guinea next to the mug and the man’s eyes glinted at the largesse. “What can I do for ye?”
    “I am looking for a lady who is dressed as a lad.”
    “Nay. Haven’t seen anyone like that through here today. Had some visitors but I’d say they’re all in their right clothes.”
    “Thank you my good man.” Michael tipped the mug and took another long drag but ale was not what he needed right now. He needed a titian-haired houri. Ah, yes, houri was the perfect description, she was truly an exotic temptress.
    Michael calculated that Kathryn must have headed directly out of town but how and in what conveyance? Hadn’t she had told him she had 15

    Duke of Her Dreams – Olivia Ritch

    no money? There were not many ways to leave a town like Wilton when someone was without means to pay. But she had something any number of men would have accepted as payment. He cursed loudly since no one could hear.
    The woman had been coy and quite lovely but she had not propositioned him . She had asked for help and he had freely given it. But what if the next man she approached was not a gentleman? That thought was enough to make an old soldier groan.
    Cursing her possible fate wasn’t going to find the woman so Michael turned his steps back down the street, lengthened his stride and began planning the next move in his campaign.
    There were only two roads leading into and away from Wilton and he doubted she’d choose any of the narrow bridle paths. So for departing, Kathryn could make for London or take the split that led to Hawthorne.
    Unbidden, images of Kathryn carted off by ruffians or set upon by highwaymen flashed before him. His protective instincts surged and he said a quick prayer that she had chosen the Hawthorne track, where she would be safe. She would also get a nice surprise when she landed on the doorstep of the man she had asked to help her then deserted. Michael rather liked the idea that Kathryn would get the opportunity to pay him back in his chosen currency for the clothing she had pilfered.
    The satisfaction of that thought was fleeting as he stalked back into the Blue Bell, settled his account, and summoned for his horse to be brought around. Michael could not shake the tightness in his chest he felt at the woman’s effective disappearance. He had to beat a swift and steady pace toward the missing woman and to intercept her before she arrived at Hawthorne. As much as he wanted her to be heading there, he didn’t want her to precede him. His staff would be in a spate if she arrived at the door dressed …or only partially dressed, as a man in clothes that Minton or his all-too-perceptive butler Hallthorpe might even recognize as Michael’s own. That would be unacceptable.
    Fury’s hooves ate up the distance while Michael scanned the open fields for any sign of her. He remembered every copse of trees, the hedge, and hiding places that had been the site of childhood adventures.
    Today his land was alive with the smell of earth, sheep, cows, horses and hay, and fresh grass and he breathed it in deeply, letting the familiarity and the constant