Reese's Bride. Kat Martin

screaming up his leg. He could do this, by God. He would learn to walk without his damnable cane. In time, perhaps he would even be able to ride again.

      “Harder, dammit. You’re as strong as a bull. Put that strength to use.”

      Timothy looked dubiously at the sweat popping out on Reese’s forehead, but he was a soldier and a soldier followed his superior’s commands. “Aye, Major.”

      Reese caught hold of the wooden contraption they had constructed above the bench and Timothy threw his weight against the leg.

      Pain shot through him. “Keep going.”

      Timothy kept pulling until something made a popping sound and Reese hissed in pain. “Dammit!”

      Timothy hovered worriedly above him. “How bad is it, Major? What did I do?”

      “You did exactly what I told you to do, nothing more.” Very slowly, he forced his knee to bend, which hurt like the very devil. “I’ll be all right. But I think we’ve done enough for today.”

      “Yes, sir.”

      “That’ll be all, Tim.”

      “Maybe I’d better stay and help you back to the—”

      “I said that would be all, Corporal Daniels.”

      “Aye, sir.” Timothy snapped to attention, turned and left the barn. Reese caught the glint of the young man’s red hair as he passed in front of the window on his way back to the house.

      That was when he spotted the boy.

      “Jared,” Reese growled, his leg still throbbing. “I thought you were inside with your mother.”

      The boy stood frozen, terrified that he had been caught in the barn. Reese frowned. The boy’s shyness went far beyond normal. He couldn’t help wondering what had happened to make him the way he was.

      “It’s all right,” he said more gently, pulling his riding boots back on. “My leg is hurting, is all. Makes me grumpy as a bear.”

      The boy said nothing, just stood there transfixed, as if he wanted to turn and run but was afraid of what would happen if he did.

      “You pet the mare today?”

      Jared started shaking his head. “No, sir, I—I didn’t touch her. I swear.”

      “It’s all right. You can pet her anytime you want. As long as you don’t go into the stall, you’ll be perfectly safe.”

      Jared didn’t move.

      “Why don’t you go on over there and give her this?” Reese pulled a lump of sugar out of the pocket of his riding breeches. “Just put it in the flat of your hand and hold it out to her. Come on, I’ll show you.”

      Jared inched forward until he came up beside Reese. The two of them made their way to the stall where the mare stood watching.

      “Hold out your hand,” Reese said. Jared didn’t hesitate. Clearly he wasn’t afraid of horses, only men.

      Reese set the lump of sugar in the middle of the child’s small palm, then lifted him up so that he could feed the sugar to the mare.

      She took it with a soft nicker that made the boy grin. “She likes it!”

      “Yes, she does,” Reese said gruffly, setting the child back on his feet. He could still feel the imprint of the boy’s small body against his chest, smell the clean soapy fragrance of his hair. There was a time he had yearned for children of his own. Holding the boy stirred all those forgotten emotions.

      Silently, he damned Elizabeth to hell for returning to his life and bringing her young son with her.

      “Does your mother know you’re out here?” he asked, focusing once more on the boy.

      Jared shook his head.

      “Then I think you had better go back in.”

      Jared just nodded. Turning, the little boy dashed out of the barn and ran like fire all the way back to the manor.

      Reese watched him until he disappeared. He looked up at the sound of Timothy’s voice.

      “Sorry to bother you, Major, but Mr. Hopkins said to fetch you. He said to tell you your brother and his wife have arrived.”