The Stranger She Married (Rogue Hearts Book 1) by Donna Hatch

Author:Donna Hatch [Hatch, Donna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, historical, sweet romance, historical romance, clean romance, regency romance
Publisher: MIrror Lake Press
Published: 2018-11-04T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

Cole glared at the canopy over his bed and watched the shadows slowly slip from the room as the sunrise sent thin rays between the draperies.

Stephens had cleaned his arm where the bullet grazed him and applied several painful methods of insuring sickness would not set in. After Stephens sewed the wound and properly bandaged it, Cole sent him away with every intention of pacing the floor restlessly, but apparently Stephens had given him something to make him sleep. The dog.

Painfully, he rose. He tried to dress without waking Stephens, but his sore arm prevented him from doing anything so independent. He was forced to ring for help.

Stephens entered, looking disgustingly fresh and alert, and all too pleased with himself. He cleaned the wound again. “This will be fine, no need to worry.” He wound a bandage around it.

“I need to shave and dress.”

“You should stay abed and rest another day.”

“Stop coddling me and help me dress,” Cole snarled.

Stephens wisely kept silent, but shot a steady stream of disapproving glances.

“How is Parker?” Cole asked.

“Well enough. I looked in on him after I left you and cleaned off the manure the doctor put on the wound and dressed it properly.” He shook his head. “I’m surprised people ever heal with the imbeciles the English have for doctors. Romany children know more about healing.” He pushed on Cole’s boots.

“I slept from dawn yesterday until dawn today. You drugged me,” Cole accused.

Stephens grinned, his teeth a flash of white against his brown face. “You have to sleep sometime. I figured that was as good a time as any, since you were wounded and all. And you had about a month’s worth of sleep to catch up on.”

Cole glared at him. “I’m going to make you taste all my drinks from now on.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Shall I taste all your meals, too?”

“Insolent cur.”

Stephens grinned.

With a curse, Cole cuffed him on the back of his head.

Stephens let out a cry of outrage that his curls had been mussed and carefully smoothed his hair.

“Peacock,” Cole muttered.

After grabbing a coat, Cole left the house. Outside, the air was brisk and clean, with a faint mist hanging about the trees. Dawn glimmered on the far edge of the world, but Cole knew the grounds well enough to navigate even in total darkness. The lamps were already lit in the stables as the grooms and stable lads went about their work. Cole greeted the workers briefly before moving down the row of stalls.

“I’ve neglected you of late, André,” he said to his favorite horse.

He offered an apple he’d pilfered from the kitchen. Talking soothingly to André, he tried to tack him up, but the pain in his arm forced him to accept aid from a vigilant stable lad. Cole mounted and left the stable.

Mist swirled around him like sleepy wraiths as horse and rider walked to the open field, but when Cole urged André to a gallop, darts of pain shot through his arm and he was forced to slow.

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