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turned his attention to Alexandra. "Good morning, Mrs. Thurston." He pulled his mount alongside hers. "You weren't exaggerating. You do indeed sit a horse well."
    His eyes twinkled with mischief as a slow heat infused Alexandra's body. She felt a blush creep up her neck onto her cheeks. "Thank you, Mr. Manning."
    "Let me introduce you to my sister. Suzanne, I'd like you to meet Alexandra Thurston."
    Alexandra felt almost giddy with relief. He was still a knave, but maybe not as much as she'd thought.
    "Hello. You're prettier than your brother," Alexandra said.
    The young girl giggled.' "Thank you. You like horses?''
    Connor grinned."Mrs. Thurston is very knowledgeable on the subject."
    Alexandra gave Connor a look intended to clearly warn him that she remembered their banter from the Rutherfords ' ball. The man had done his best to provoke her the other night with his innuendoladen conversation regarding horses, and she was not going to let him resume their previous conversation on the subject.
    "I'm fond of horses," Alexandra replied. "You ride very well."
    The young girl smiled, clearly pleased. "Thank you. Connor started me riding ponies when I was very young."
    "Why don't the two of you follow us back to the house. We'll have lemonade on the terrace," Aunt Clara said.
    Alexandra wanted to moan. But instead she smiled politely, being pleasant, yet refusing to encourage him. At every turn, this man seemed to be lying in wait for her. He'd made himself abundantly clear the other day.
    He wanted her, he'd said, and she had the feeling it wasn't just to attend a picnic.
    "We'd like to," he said, "but I promised Suzanne we'd ride awhile this morning. We'll join you as far as the Ashley River and then turn back toward our property."
    Surprised at his refusal, Alexandra glanced at him from beneath her lashes. A promise to his sister was more important than flirting with her. She smiled. Perhaps the rake had a few redeeming qualities.
    Turning her horse, Aunt Clara replied, "That would be lovely."
    Aunt Clara and Suzanne rode ahead, side by side. Connor pulled his mount in line with Alexandra's. As she swayed in the saddle to the rhythm of her horse's gait, she couldn't help but notice how his tan riding pants fit his thighs snugly, how his black leather boots hugged his calves. His shirt was open and he had a widebrimmed hat atop his head that gave him more the air of an explorer than a plantation owner.
    She glanced into his sapphireblue eyes and watched them twinkle with amusement. Quickly she stared straight ahead, trying to calm the rapid beat of her heart as a flush crept up her neck. To be caught leisurely examining him as if he were on display was so mortifying. Yet somehow, what she'd seen had been pleasant. Actually, it had been more than pleasant, she'd truly enjoyed her brief perusal, which was alarming to a woman who wasn't interested in men.
    Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Unusually warm for this time of year, yet the heat doesn't seem to be affecting you."
    "I've visited this area of the country since I was a child. Although it's been many years, I'm well acquainted with South Carolina heat." She wouldn't dare let him know that sweat trickled between her breasts.
    "I imagine it's much different from England."
    She shrugged her shoulders. "England is definitely cooler, but a good part of the year is a chilly drizzle."
    "Then our climate should be a welcome change."
    "There was much about England I loved." Alexandra raised her brows. "Most especially my solitude."
    Her horse shook his head and snorted through his nostrils trying to escape a pesky fly.
    "Which has been disturbed in the last few days?" he asked.
    "Precisely, Mr. Manning."
    Connor smiled. "But don't you find this new experience to be challenging? Even a little exciting?"
    She thought for a moment before she answered. "I've never wanted my life to be exciting. At least it hasn't been for the last