Adrian was speechless. That's something he experience often, so to have it happen now, he didn't know how to act. He didn't say anymore as he guided his horse toward home. Shock still stiffened his limbs and frozen his mind.
This couldn't be Nicolette!
There was no way the woman in front of him who had been in his arms as he carried her, was the little thorn that had been in his backside almost ten years ago. When he'd joined the military, she was an awkward adolescent who tried to get him in trouble. The little menace followed him around, which he'd told her not to, until he had to start acting mean just to get her to stop. Being seven years his junior, Nicolette wasn't someone he wanted around him all the time. Father had wanted Adrian to treat her like she was part of the family, but he couldn't do that. She wasn't blood relation to him, and so in his mind, she was not family.
And now, here she was, looking like a beautiful – and shapely – woman wearing men's clothes, which only enhanced her womanly curves. No longer was her hair brittle and ragged, but instead, it appeared soft as silk, and her curls flowed over her shoulders and down her back.
He couldn't believe this was the same girl. She was an imposter. His mind wouldn't accept any other explanation.
Then again, by her tone of voice a few moments ago, he could tell she hadn't gotten rid of her temperament. He was willing to bet she still acted spoiled, too. After all, her aunt hadn't had any children, and his father hadn't had any daughters.
The road they traveled toward his home had thick trees on both sides. He didn't like feeling this enclosed with someone he didn't like very well, and yet couldn't stop picturing her pretty face in his mind. They weren't going fast enough, and he nudged the horse with his heels to make him quicken the pace.
The birds in the trees were squawking up a storm, which matched the sound of the horse's hooves on the hard ground. He'd forgotten about this stretch of road. As a boy, he loved chasing through the grove as he played with his older brother. They tried to hide from each other. They also were competitive to who could climb the fastest or the tallest tree. Jacob usually won.
Suddenly, the birds took flight in unison and their squawking disappeared. He slowed his horse, holding his breath. Someone was in the grove. That was the only reason the birds would leave.
An eerie feeling crawled over him. He quickly scanned what he could of the grove, but the sun's glare made it hard to see everything. Something wasn't right, and he didn't want to stick around just to find out why he felt this way.
"Adrian?" Nicolette whispered. "I think we need to get out of here—"
The exploding rifle and the pierce of a bullet in Adrian's arm, jerked him into motion. He kicked the horse and took off, leaning over Nicolette since it was his first instinct to protect. He tried to block out the burning pain, but he'd only experienced being shot once before, and it was difficult not wonder how much blood he was losing.
Behind him came shouting. Adrian couldn't tell how many men there were, but he didn't care. All he knew was that he needed to keep riding. The twisting in his gut intensified as he tried to think of why they would be after him. One voice knew his name. And yet, why would they shoot him? Had he upset someone? Yet, he'd been gone all this time, so who would he have upset all those years ago that was still bent on revenge?
"Adrian," she said in a tight voice, "turn the horse right."
"Right?" He couldn't be hearing her correctly. There wasn't anything that way except trees and hills.
"Turn now, Adrian." She grasped the reins, pointing the animal in that direction.
He tried to get back the reins, but the pain in his left shoulder increased, and he was slowly losing strength.
"Trust me," she continued. "There's a place we can hide. If we go fast enough, they won't be able to find us."
"I don't think—"
"Give me control over the reins. I'll get us there."
Adrian had no choice. His left arm grew weaker by the second. He dropped his arms and circled them around her waist as she took over. Since she rode astride, she was also using her heels to urge the horse faster, just as he was. It surprised him how well she could lead the horse around trees.
He took the moment to glance over his shoulder, hoping to get a glimpse of the men after him. The men were too far away for Adrian to recognize any of them, and most of the time their faces were either blocked from the tree's or the sun's glare. There were three of them, and all three were riding fast. Then again, once Nicolette had taken over the reins, his horse had picked up speed, too. He had no other choice but to wrap his arms around her waist and hold on tightly.
The way she maneuvered the horse around trees and up and down slopes was very impressive. But he wouldn't tell her. Not yet. He needed to see how much she'd changed first. However, it was obvious that someone had taught her how to ride a horse. Dare he admit she was better than most of the men he was friends with at the academy?
She turned sharply and headed down a steep slope. He sucked in his breath and tightened his arms around her. What in the blazes was she doing? Did she have any idea the kind of hills that were here in this section of Woodstock?
Nicolette turned the horse again and then suddenly brought them to a halt. She tore his arms away from her and jumped down in front of the foliage covering one side of the hill they had just been on. She grasped handfuls of the vegetation, moving it to the side, and in the process, and opening appeared to a cave.
She yanked on the horse's reins and pulled them into the cave fully. She then turned and quickly placed the foliage back over the opening, sealing their hideout.
The thundering horse's hooves from the other riders pounded on the roof of the cave. Adrian withdrew his revolver, ready for their hideout to be found. Yet, as he listened to the pounding hooves from the other riders, he realized they were getting further and further away.
Nicolette released a heavy sigh and her shoulders relaxed. She turned, looking up at him with wide eyes. It was hard to see her expression since the cave-like hut was too dark to see much of anything.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
The surprised hideout had momentarily taken his mind off his bullet wound, but now that he was thinking about it again, he realized he was losing a lot of blood. His coat and uniform jacket were sticking to the left side of his body.
"I've been shot."
Gasping, she reached up to him. "Let me help you down."
Adrian really didn't want to accept her offer, but under the circumstances, he had no other choice. Using his right arm, he grasped the saddle horn and slowly dismounted – with the guidance of her hands.
"Stay right there," she told him before leaving his side.
Still not being able to see much of their hideout, he did as she instructed and leaned against the horse. He could hear her footsteps on the dirt, and he could tell there was something else in this cave that she was shuffling around. Seconds later, he smelled kerosene just as a light grew around him.
Nicolette walked toward him carrying a lantern. The light illuminated her pretty face, and especially her worried expression as she looked at him.
"Where were you shot?"
"In my shoulder." He motioned to his left side.
"Let me help you." She held out her hand. "You've got to trust me."
Instinctively, he barked out a laugh. "Trust you? Given the situation of our childhood, do you think that will ever happen?"
"Adrian, you have two choices here." Her expression changed and she became stern. "You can either bleed to death, or you can swallow your egotistical male pride and let me help you."
"And tell me, dear Lottie, how exactly to you plan on helping me?"
She motioned in back of her, and his gaze followed. He hadn't noticed until now how the cave had somehow transformed into an office. There were shelves with books and medicine cabinets lining the walls of the make-shift room. It shocked him to see a cot with a pillow and blanket, along with an office desk and chair.
"What is all of this?" he wondered.
"This is what I've been doing a lot of the time you've been away, Adrian."
His gaze narrowed on her serious face, and he slowly shook his head. "And what exactly have you been doing?"
She pulled her shoulders back and puffed her chest proudly. "I'm a Veterinarian."
The shout of laughter that came from him was instantaneous and unable to control. She shot him a glare.
"I'm sorry, Lottie, but that's rather difficult to believe. Women cannot be Veterinarians."
"And why not? Women can be nurses, and what else is a Veterinarian except a doctor or nurse?"
Adrian's head began to spin, and he knew he had to sit down. The loss of blood was evident, and even though he didn't trust Nicolette, at this moment, he didn't have a choice. He either die from loss of blood... or die from her hand. Yet, he didn't want to die.
"Prove it," he rasped as he stumbled toward the cot.
She rushed to him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she helped him move to the cot. With her head not from his face, he could smell her flowery scent, and with her body so close to his, he realized she was definitely curvier than he remembered. Somehow the childhood pain-in-his-backside had become a woman. A very alluring woman.
Closing his eyes, he shook the indecent thoughts out of his head. If he lived through this, he couldn't be thinking of her that way. Perhaps once he was on his feet again, he'd help his father and stepmother by finding Nicolette a husband. That would be the only proper thing to do. She would be married and out of his hair, and he would be able to start his new life without worrying about her trying to ruin it.
After all, he did not want to repeat their childhood. He had matured quite a bit, he only hoped that her attitude had changed as well.