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He pulled his mount right up beside me, inspecting the ground before he dismounted. “What in the world made you get off your horse?”
    “I was hurting.” It sounded pitiful and I knew it. But I felt pitiful.
    “And you thought this would help?” He crouched down and pulled my skirts out of the way. “Already past your ankle. Is it just the mud, or is your foot caught on any roots?” I glanced at him, a bit annoyed, and he explained. “I don’t want to try and pull you out if you’re caught on something.”
    “It’s just the mud.”
    “Very well.” He stepped up behind me and my breath caught as he wrapped his left arm around my waist and took hold of my ankle, easily pulling my foot from the mud. My too-large boot, however, was a different matter. He set me down on solid ground but kept his arm around my waist since I was now balancing on one foot. I stood there, trying to decide where and how to hold on to him to keep my balance. I’d never had a man’s arm wrapped around me this way.  
    Rhys stared down at the hole in which my boot resided. “How in the world—”
    “It was too big,” I answered his unfinished question.
    “Ah,” was his succinct reply.  
    “I suppose I could walk without it.”
    “No need.” He scooped me up and rather unceremoniously put me on top of my horse. It was a good thing it happened so quickly. It gave me barely any time to be mortified by the fact that my skirts did not stay properly situated the entire time. He turned his back the moment he heaved me into the saddle anyway.
    Oh well.
    I rather pointedly adjusted my skirts and hooked my leg over the pommel while trying to regain even a portion of my poise and posture. He plucked my boot from the mud and put it in his saddle bag. I didn’t dare look at him while he mounted. I was only barely holding my blush at bay and knew that any look from him would bring it out.
    He started chuckling again, so I decided to take my leave. I nudged Sapphire into motion, leading her toward the road. Rhys quickly caught up with me. “My apologies, Miss Lily. That was unpardonably rude of me, but you looked so adorably helpless.”
    I kept my eyes straight ahead, ignoring my burning cheeks.
      “How do you feel? You said you were hurting.”
    I wanted to snap, ‘ I am ,’ but managed to hold my tongue. I had made the decision to ride out with him. It was my own fault that I was hurting. “I’ll be fine.”
    “That was not at all convincing.”
    I shook my head and clenched my teeth against the pain, exasperated at myself more than anything. “I should have known better than to get on a horse less than two days after I fell from one.”
    “I should have insisted you stay back and rest. I’m not taking very good care of you, am I?”
    I turned to him, my brow raised. “On the contrary, Your Lordship. I feel very well looked after. Aside from which, I’m really not your responsibility.”
    His brow furrowed. “You expect me not to take responsibility for a little girl I found nearly frozen, huddling in my stables?”
    “Firstly, I’m not a little girl.”
    “I didn’t—”
    “And secondly, I only meant that you are not responsible for my own decisions. I insisted on coming out here,” I reminded him. “I don’t expect you to save me from myself.”
    He said nothing and I let the silence rest, hoping I had not seemed angry or unpleasant. For some reason his referring to me as little irked me.  
    “That’s an admirable quality.”
    I was jarred from my thoughts by his words. “Pardon?”
    “Not allowing anyone else to take responsibility for your decisions. I admire that.”
    I blinked. “Thank you.”
    When we arrived back at the stables, Rosamond was there to greet us. After Rhys helped me to the ground, I readily admitted to her that I might have been too hasty in my decision to ride. She whisked me up to my room, where she re-bandaged my hip and gave me a gentle scolding about the virtue of patience and