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Her father had coaxed her outside by telling her the horses she loved needed attention And that had worked to get her out a bit Slowly, albeit listlessly, she began to eat, talk, walk, but she felt as though all joy in life had been snatched away

She got to her feet and touched the tree before turning towards home She loved the quiet solitude of her beloved Devon landscape It was like a tonic that soothed her Johnny had never quite been at home in the country He was too restless

She crossed the open field with slow, long strides and felt the overgrown grass brush against the thin s at her ankles and calves The day had been touched with scudding clouds, and they hovered with the tease of rain

It was still mid-afternoon, and yet, because of the overcast sky, it appeared later Jenny’s gaze swept upwards, and she made the decision to take the shortcut across Farmer Cubbins’ field She reached the roadside fence, picked up her skirts, clied wood stocks, and then pushed herself forward onto the country dirt road

She had been so engrossed with getting her skirts past the splintered rail and her feet over the ditch that lined the road that she hadn’t noticed the rider co around the bend

Her sudden descent onto the road caused the horse to rear and champ at his bit This startled Jenny, and before she knehat had happened, she had released a screech, stepped forcefully backward, and landed herself in the very ditch she had tried to avoid

~ One ~

A LOW, STRONG MALE voice cursed beneath his breath as Jenny tried to recoup and get to her feet

As she pressed her hands into the earth and tried to straighten, she heard him dismount and within an instant felt herself pulled up into a standing position, though she wasn’t sure her shoes were touching the earth

A pair of startlingly blue eyes glared angrily down into her own, and the voice said in a tone that made her open her eyes wide, “Well, well, at least it’s a pretty wench that’s detained me”

He sounded as though he were soiant about to eat her, and without another word, and before she realized what he was doing, that hat he did

Jenny found herself being ruthlessly kissed! In that er’s lips on hers, she was almost too shocked to react, but she was just a bit aware of a tingling sensation that journeyed through her body

At length her mind returned to her and sheher hands to his chest and pushing hard This, however, did not budge hirip She should have been afraid but was too astonished to consider that

She was, however, furious at his daring, and when he put his head back to look at her and laugh, she felt so of her old self return The old, vibrant Jenny would never stand for such treatment!

As he got into position, obviouslyboth outrage and anger, formulated a quick plan