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She only nodded, her teeth clenching against the frigid air. His cool hands smoothed the wet locks of hair from her face, and she let her head fall back slightly, letting out a sigh. He bent over her. “You mean to tell me that the girl who was once so afraid of horses can now saddle one on her own and ride in the dark of night?” Justine only grinned at him. “Christ! You have grown up and changed. Not too much though, I hope.” His voice had lowered, and a soft, searching look passed over his eyes for a moment. “Come on then.” He tugged on her hand and led her toward his horse. Her hand tingled within his grip. “Ride with me, we’re both too cold to go it alone.”
    “You must be exhausted.”
    “All of today’s excitement provided me with a natural delirium, not to mention the artificial delirium that is my norm. Although I can feel it coming down now. Go, bring your horse.”
    She brought her mare over to where he stood with his animal. She opened her mouth to protest, but he swiftly lifted her up into his saddle, and then his solid frame was at her back. His arms stretched around her, his hands firmly on the reins. He leaned over and took hold of her horse’s reins, and they rode away from Crestdown in silence. Justine’s muscles tightened as she tried to hold onto the pommel without falling back onto his chest or risk falling off the horse altogether and landing in the mud.
    “Lean into me.” Brandon’s lips brushed against her ear, his deep voice rumbling through her. Heat fanned her face as she adjusted herself and eased back slightly against him, his long legs pressed against hers. Brandon dipped his chin close to her face. “Justine.”
    Her breath hitched at the teasing tone of his voice. She leaned her weight more fully into him, finally relaxing her muscles and nestling into the heat of his chest. The aroma of the liquor on his breath mingled with the very masculine scent of his sweat along with the musty wet leather from the reins in his hands. She breathed it in.
    Is this what comfort and safety felt like?
    Their horses steadily made their way towards home in the wet blackness. Justine wasn’t sure if she’d prefer the ride to end quickly or not at all.

    “Are you feeling all right, ma’am?”
    “Fine, Molly. Nothing another cup of tea won’t cure.” Justine pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders against the morning chill and sank back in the old chair at the large servants’ table in the center of the kitchen, staring at the steam rising from her cup. Molly bent over the breakfast tray she prepared for Brandon. She had been in service at the estate since Brandon had been a boy. After William had fired all the servants, Molly had shuffled about the large, empty manor house on her own, dusting and arranging where she was able and cooking meals with Justine’s assistance. Justine couldn’t imagine Wolfsgate without her.
    Justine and Brandon had been soaked through by the time they had returned home last night. Brandon had insisted she go into the house and get warm and dry while he took care of the horses, but she had refused. They had taken care of the horses together, then ran back to the house in the driving rain hand in hand.
    Once inside she had tried to help him change, but he had barked at her to leave him be, stripping off all his clothes right there in the hall to underscore his point. Justine had bolted up the stairs to her room.
    She swallowed some more tea and stared at the fire roaring in the kitchen hearth. She knew that as the official Lady of the house she should be sitting in the formal dining room having her breakfast along with the Lord of said house, but she couldn’t bring herself to break some familiar habits. At least not yet. The informal kitchen was warm, cozy and safe to her.
    William and Richard had liked the fact that she had stopped joining them for most meals. They had rarely deigned to step foot in the kitchen, so it had become her retreat over