Read Love Came Just in Time for Free Online

I gave you credit for one decent feature,” she grumbled. She started to move off him, then got a good look at his floor. “Geez, Miles, what’s the deal with your living room here? Are you planning on bringing barnyard animals inside anytime soon?”
    He sighed. “I know the rushes need changing.”
    â€œYeech,” she said, climbing gingerly onto the bed. It was then she realized that she’d slept on a bed while he’d slept on a blanket on the floor. On the rotting hay, rather. She frowned at him. “Why didn’t you just go sleep in another bed?”
    â€œThere is no other bed.”
    â€œWell,” she said, slowly, “I appreciate the gallant gesture, but you wouldn’t have had to make it if you didn’t run such a lousy hotel. You know, inn,” she clarified at his blank look.
    He shook his head, with a small smile. “This is no inn, my lady.”
    â€œSpend-whatever. If that isn’t a name for an inn, I don’t know what is.”
    â€œSpeningethorpe. ‘Tis the name of my hall. I know ’tisn’t much, but it gave me peace and quiet.”
    â€œUntil last night.”
    He shrugged. “Perhaps too much peace and quiet isn’t a good thing.”
    â€œAll right,” she said, crossing her legs underneath herself, “if you don’t run an inn, what do you do? Is it just you here?” At that moment a surprisingly distressing thought occurred to her. “Are you married?” she demanded. She looked around. “Is there a wife hiding in here somewhere? This is all I need—”
    A large hand came to rest over her mouth. Miles sat up, then took his hand away.
    â€œNay, no wife. Women do not like me.”
    â€œReally?” she asked, looking at him and finding that very hard to believe. “Good grief, is everyone blind here in backwoods England?” She clapped her own hand over her mouth when she realized what she’d said. “I meant—”
    He was grinning. “I know what you meant, Abigail. And I thank you for the compliment. But even though I am a knight with land of my own, women don’t care overmuch for my past accomplishments.”
    â€œAnd just what would those be?” Great. Out of all the places she could have resurfaced, she’d resurfaced in the moat of someone with questionable past accomplishments.
    But at least he had accomplishments. And what was this business about being a knight? Maybe that was why he carried a sword. Abby looked at him thoughtfully. It couldn’t hurt to reserve judgment until she found out more about him. She realized that she was already stacking him up against her Ideal Man list, but she could hardly help herself. After all, he had given her the only bed in his house. He was easily the most appealing man she had seen in years. He liked her hair. He had a great accent. He wasn’t much of a housekeeper, but that could be fixed. The first thing to do was move the barn-like accoutrements outside—
    â€œâ€”burn me at the stake—”
    â€œHuh?” she exclaimed, turning back in. “Run that one by me again.”
    He looked at her with a frown. “Haven’t you been listening?”
    â€œNo. I’ve been cataloging your good points. I don’t think this is one of them.”
    He shook his head with a slow smile. “I was telling you that I’d just recently escaped being burned at the stake. For heresy.”
    â€œFor what?”
    â€œHeresy—which was a lie, of course. I had simply made the grave error of expressing my views on the Crusades,” Miles said. “I was traveling through France this past fall, having just returned from the Holy Land, where I saw and heard tell of ruthless slaughter. To be sure, I could find nothing to recommend the whole Crusading affair. One night I sought shelter at an inn. I slipped well into my cups, but came back to myself a goodly while after