Mary Jo Putney by Sometimes a Rogue Page A

reasonably sure the pony was safe.
    Sarah followed and stroked the pony’s neck as Rob checked the fetlocks and feet. He was straightening up when he heard a familiar voice speaking in Irish. He looked at the open doors and saw one of Sarah’s abductors speaking to Holmes—and he was turning toward the stables.
    Rob instantly caught Sarah around the waist and pulled her to him as he dropped to his knees so they were below the shoulder-high wall. They were kneeling in straw with her back to his chest. He felt a surge of protectiveness so intense it left him breathless. He would protect any woman in his charge. But this one more than any other.
    When she started to speak, he touched her lips with a finger. “Shhhh . . .”
    She stilled and he concentrated on the conversation between the abductor and Holmes. It ended after a couple of minutes. He waited several more before whispering to Sarah, “It was one of your abductors, the drunk who was sleeping on duty.”
    “O’Dwyer!” Sarah hissed. “He was the worst of them. What was he saying?”
    “He asked if Holmes had seen a tall Englishman with a young blond woman.”
    Sarah turned rigid against him. “What did Holmes say?”
    “That he’d seen no such people.”
    She sighed with relief. “A good thing you can pass as an Irishman. But I didn’t expect them to be so close!”
    “There are only so many roads to the coast. We’ll have to be extra careful as we continue.” Rob frowned. “Any of the three men who were in the kitchen when I came for you would recognize me, and those three plus the fourth man will know you. I hope it doesn’t occur to them that you’re traveling as a male.”
    “They weren’t very intelligent,” Sarah said tartly. “Except for Flannery, the leader. But if one of them sees me with you, they’d figure it out soon enough.”
    “So we have to make sure we aren’t seen.” Rob peered around the edge of the stall. Holmes was in the doorway talking with a fellow who looked like a local farmer. Rob released Sarah and stood. “All clear. Time we bought the pony and headed on.”
    She got to her feet, brushing straw from her clothing. “Lucky you spotted O’Dwyer before he saw us.”
    She was right. But Rob didn’t like relying on luck.
    Eventually it ran out.

Chapter 11
    S arah stayed with the pony while Rob went outside to talk to Holmes. She was still shaking at the knowledge of how close O’Dwyer had come. She was also unnerved by her reaction to being held by Rob. She liked, trusted, and respected him—and he stirred a physical attraction she hadn’t known since Gerald’s death.
    Perhaps the fact that they faced danger intensified that attraction. More likely it was Rob himself, who was an alluring balance of menace and kindness. Either way, her reaction was a serious nuisance, to say the least.
    Firmly suppressing thoughts of too-attractive Bow Street Runners, she took hold of the pony’s halter and led him out into the aisle to check his gait. Smooth and easy. She hoped Rob could buy him for a reasonable price.
    She hadn’t thought about money till now. She didn’t have a penny to bless herself with. Rob obviously had some funds, but the amount would not be unlimited. She prayed he had enough to get them back to England.
    Rob returned carrying her saddle and baggage. “The pony is now yours. His name is Boru. Holmes accepted the old horse and a few extra pounds. He also told me how to find a minor road to the east that should be safe.”
    Sarah hoped so. But she had an uneasy feeling that the word about them had gone out all over southeast Ireland.
     
     
    The road Holmes suggested wasn’t much more than a winding lane, but it was quiet and blessedly free of kidnappers. As dusk fell, they reached another reasonably prosperous farm. While Sarah waited tiredly on Boru, Rob dismounted and knocked on the farmhouse door to ask permission to sleep in the barn in return for a modest payment.
    A man opened the door. After