Page 81 of Second Duke's the Charm
A ray of sunlight slanted through the tree branches, gilding the water droplets on his high cheekbones and making him glitter like some unearthly fairy prince.
He smiled at her—a genuine smile of uninhibited enjoyment—and her heart gave a little stutter. An answering smile tugged her own lips. His happiness was infectious.
“You should smile more. You’re very handsome when you smile.”
She said it softly, but he heard. His brows rose, and the sardonic curl returned to his mouth.
“I thought all ladies liked brooding, surly heroes?”
She shrugged. “Dark and brooding is all very well in principle, but on a day-to-day basis I can see it becoming very tedious. No woman wants to be glowered at. We want someone who can find the humor in the darkest of situations. For someone who can make us laugh, not make us cry.”
“Duly noted.” He jumped down from the log with a splash and waded forward until he was forced to swim.
He’d just reached the middle of the pool when a frantic barking and the thrashing of undergrowth sounded behind him. He turned in time to see a fat squirrel bound out of the ferns, leap onto one of the overhanging trees, and scamper up the branch and out of sight.
The puppy, Oliver, burst out of the greenery like a tiny cannonball, clearly in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, he hadn’t anticipated the stream, nor the abrupt end to the solid ground.
Propelled by his forward momentum, he hurtled over the edge of the bank, scrabbling and skidding on all four paws in a vain attempt to stop, then tumbled into the water with an enormous splash.
Tess let out a shout of alarm, but the puppy’s head bobbed back up a moment later, and she could have sworn its little face held the exact expression of indignation and shock as Thornton’s had done earlier.
The pup let out a shrill yelp, and splashed around, apparently astonished at finding itself able to swim.
He set out toward the far bank, paddling frantically, but Justin was there. He caught the pup by the scruff of the neck and scooped it up into his arms, ignoring the sharp little claws that scratched at his bare chest.
Realizing it was saved, the puppy quieted in his hold, and he waded through the shallows and up the bank toward Tess just as she grabbed the picnic blanket from the ground.
“Oh, you poor thing!” she exclaimed, half laughing. “That naughty squirrel played a mean trick, didn’t he?”
She took the squirming puppy from Justin’s arms, wrapping it tightly in the blanket and trying to rub it dry as best she could.
Oliver gave a pitiful yowl. His once-fluffy fur now lay flat; he looked like a drowned rat. She clutched the tiny body to her breast as shivers wracked his tiny frame.
Justin used his shirt to dry his chest, then pulled it on, followed by his jacket and greatcoat. “Give him here. I’ll warm him up.”
He took the dejected little scrap and placed him inside his shirt, against his skin, then wrapped his jacket around them both. The puppy’s forlorn little face peeked out from between his lapels, and Tess felt herself melting.
She turned quickly away, bustling about to pack the remnants of the picnic in the hamper while Justin cuddled the dog.
He crooned to the animal like a lover as they hastened back to the gig, and she tried to ignore the dangerous softening in the region of her heart.
She took the reins as he clambered up into the seat, the puppy nestled against his throat.
“Mr. Collins lives just over there.” She pointed down the track. “Oliver must have escaped from the garden. Let’s take him home.”
They heard Collins and his wife, Anne, calling for the dog as they neared the end of the lane. Collins shook his head in dismay when he saw the creature bundled in Justin’s clothes, but Justin brushed away his profuse apologies, and offers of a new shirt, with a good-natured laugh.
“No need for that, Mr. Collins. Oliver here just decided to keep me company while I swam.”
He handed the bedraggled pup over to Mrs. Collins, who blushed at the sight of his wet shirt and exposed chest. Tess hid a smile. Even a practical mother of six wasn’t immune to his charms.
“You be off home now, Your Grace,” she scoldedgently, as if he was one of her own boys. “You’ll catch an ague. Take a good, hot bath, and ask Mrs. Ward for a nice hot toddy, with brandy and lemon.”
Justin nodded dutifully, and Tess ushered him back into the gig.
It was late in the afternoon, and the air was beginning to cool. She had no doubt that Justin would be feeling uncomfortable, so she set the horses to a brisk trot.
They were less than a mile from the house when they hit a rut in the road and a hideous crack sounded from the right-side wheel. Before Tess could do more than give a shout of warning, the entire wheel gave way with a sickening, bone-jarring jolt, and the seat tilted sideways at an alarming angle.