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CHAPTER TWO

WELL, IF THAT HADN’T been the most vexing woman he had encountered in a while he didn’t know his left arm from his right. And just as he had told the nice lady, she was exactly the kind of woman he didn’t need in his life.

He only had need for two types of women, one to fire up his sheets, and the second to bear him an heir.

He was still holding off on the second kind until he absolutely had to buckle down.

Though to put it mildly, when Matilda had graced his cheek with a kiss, he had quite the unusual reaction to her.

Normally her come hither suggestions were felt in the vicinity of his cock, but today that kiss had lodged a peculiar dryness in his throat.

Embarrassment? No, but certainly discomfort.

In his slight fluster, he had sent her away.

He wanted to shake it off and attribute it to the stubborn lady eyeing his every move. Yes, he felt her eyes linger on his biceps. And yes, he could practically feel her eyes licking at his thighs. And yes, eyes licking, that was a thing.

But that lady—God, he didn’t even know her name, did he? She was an ice cold piece of work. Thinking she could just saunter up to him and buy his horse. The balls on her.

He chuckled at the thought.

At the very least, he had a story to tell the boys when he met up with him tomorrow.

With a rough hand, he scrubbed the lower half of his face. Maybe he was getting too old for all this gallivanting about. He was a duke after all. Dukes didn’t enter horse races, much less win them.

Maybe it was time to settle down and find that second type of woman he needed.

Nothing fanciful. Nothing wild. He had seen his parents' explosive marriage turn cold, and he wanted nothing to do with an outspoken woman.

He was far too much like his father had been when he was alive to deal with a woman like his mother.

The thought of it curdled in his stomach.

The horse-buying-lady was the third type of woman. The type he would never have and never want. The type a man could easily lose his head over.

Satisfied with neatly locking up that thought, Broderick went to grab himself a drink before he took off with Providence and headed to the place he should have already been en route to.

PAULINA WANTED TO BE grabbing the bull by the horns. That was the theme of the day, but instead she was merely tapping her toe against the dirt. Not nearly as satisfying.

“Did you know that the man who won the race travels with his own horse in a caravan he built himself?”

“Gladys, that is a wealth of information. Where on earth did you hear that?”

“Rumors,” she said while munching on some bread. “Everyone’s whispering about him. Some say he’s a duke.”

“Pfft. That man is not a duke,” Paulina scoffed. “I would bet my frock on that.”

Gladys eyed her. “That is a nice frock…”

“And I don’t plan on losing it.”

“Of course not.” Gladys took another bite of her snack, this time with some cheese. “What is the plan now, milady?”

“Well, I have some matters to attend to. You may go home.”

Bread crumbs tumbled out of Gladys’s mouth.

“Gladys, my dear. Please control yourself.”

Gladys wiped at her mouth. “I can’t leave you here.” She leaned in with a hiss, “Alone.”

Paulina patted her shoulders gently. “I’ll be right behind you. I just have to do one quick thing. Please go on. You’ve been out in the heat too long. You can’t even hold your mouth shut, you’re so fatigued.”

That wasn’t the reason, and Paulina knew it. But she just did not want Gladys around for this part of her decision. Perhaps she didn’t want to be talked out of it. Perhaps…

And then a better idea came to her mind.

“All right Gladys, here’s what we’re going to do. I’m planning to buy that racehorse.”

“You are?”

“Yes.”

“Whatever for?”

“I want it.” Saying the words aloud, Gladys could hear the spoiled debutante voice (despite her not being a debutante any more), but she didn’t care.

There was something about that horse that she needed.

It was Providence. Another thing she would bet a frock on.

She had many frocks. She could stand to lose a few.

Though, of course, she didn’t plan on losing any.

Glady simply eyed her quizzically and waited for further explanation.

“I’m going to try again to get that horse. I’ll offer him a sum he can’t refuse?—”

“Unless he’s a duke?—”

“He’s not a duke.”

“He might be?—”

“He’s not.” Paulina huffed a small puff of air.

“Please Gladys. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.

” She had no idea what she was talking about, but she wasn’t about to let Gladys in on that tidbit.

For now, she needed Gladys to have full confidence in her, and she also needed Gladys to have overconfidence in herself.

Such overconfidence as to play a role. “I’ll find him alone at his caravan and make the proposition?—”

GASP.

“Not that kind of proposition.” Paulina patted Gladys’s hand. “I’ll offer for the horse. And he won’t be able to refuse.”

“Why not?”

“Because you’ll walk in on us alone.”

Gladys’s eyes showed no understanding.

“You’ll find us. Alone. Together. And we’ll threaten him with a scandal. He’ll have to marry me. Or he can choose to sell me the horse.” Paulina clapped her hands proudly. “It’s foolproof.”

“What if he marries you instead?”

“He won’t.”

“But he might?—”

“He won’t. He loathes me.” It actually pained a small part of her heart to admit that, even though she knew it to be true. “So he’ll sell me the horse.”

“All right…” Gladys hesitated. “What should I do while I wait?”

“Go grab another snack.”

Gladys gave a simple nod and walked back toward the food stalls. She seemed perfectly calm, if not a bit reticent. That was normal.

Paulina, on the other hand, was bursting with energy.

This is what it felt like to grab life and get what you wanted from it.

This was a thrill. This was the pinnacle of being a strong woman.

Her sister had got herself the man she loved, and now it was Paulina’s turn to get something she wanted.

A damn fine horse. It didn’t matter that she had only been obsessed with him for the last fifty minutes.

And so what if Philomena had been obsessed with Henry for years?

Didn’t both sisters still deserve happiness?

Yes. The answer was a resounding yes.

Paulina discreetly made her way to the caravan where she found Providence. The most beautiful animal she had ever seen. He was in his trailer, so she assumed Broderick would be returning soon.

She stepped into the trailer and pet the horse’s soft nose. The trailer was quite unique. As she took a look around it was easy to see a small partition at the front of the trailer. She looked over the edge and noticed blankets and a pillow. Did Broderick sleep here?

Ha! She laughed to herself. This was certainly no sleeping quarters of a duke. Broderick? There was no way.

Paulina stepped over the partition for no other reason than to say (to herself) that she had trod on Broderick’s bed. She picked up the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders, playing as if it were a cape, laughing again at the thought of Broderick being of the peerage.

But it seemed as though Providence could read her mind, or maybe he was spooked by the cape. Either way, he didn’t particularly like the strange woman’s behavior, and he bonked her on the head. Gently. But then again, he was a horse, so it was strong enough to knock her out.

So the only thing Paulina was grabbing on her way to the hay was the cape around her face.