She never would have made that error if she hadn't been in such sorry shape. Lord, she ached.

"You insult yourself by saying I'm afraid," she explained.

"I what?"

"Caine, if I am still afraid, then it would mean I don't have any faith in you, wouldn't it?"

Her sudden smile diverted his attention. "As to that," she continued, "I've already counted eleven men with their weapons at the ready. I assumed they were in your employ, since they aren't trying to shoot us. The fact that you'd already seen to such nice precautions set my mind to rest."

Her smile widened when she guessed he was thinking she was daft again. Then she stumbled. It wasn't another ploy to turn his attention, but a real stumble that would have felled her to the ground if he hadn't caught her.

"My knees are weak," she hastily explained. "I'm not accustomed to riding. Do let go of my waist, Caine. It aches a bit."

"What doesn't ache, love?" he asked. His tone was filled with amusement, yet there was tenderness in

his eyes.

She tried to act disgruntled. "I'm a woman, remember? And you did say all women were weak. Is that

the reason you're looking so smug now, sir? Because I've just given your outrageous opinion substance?"

"When you look at me like that, I seem to Forget all about Slow confusing you are. You have the most beautiful eyes, love. I think I know what green fire looks like now."

She knew he was trying to embarrass her. His slow, sexy wink said as much. The man could be a tease all right. When tie leaned down and kissed the top of her forehead, she had to catch herself from letting out a telling sigh of pleasure. She forgot all about her aches and pains.

The front door opened then, drawing Caine's attention. With his gentle prodding, she also turned, just as

a tall, elderly man appeared in the entrance.

He looked just like a gargoyle. Jade assumed the man was Caine's butler. He was dressed all in black, save for his white cravat, of course, and his austere manner more than matched his formal attire. The servant looked as though he had been dunked in a vat of starch and left out to dry.

"That's my man, Sterns," Caine explained. "Don't let him frighten you, Jade," he added when she moved a step closer to his side. "He can be as intimidating as a king when the mood comes over him."

The thread of affection in Caine's voice told her he wasn't at all intimidated. "If Sterns takes a liking to you, and I'm sure he will, then he'll defend you to the death. He's as loyal as they come."

The man under discussion advanced down the steps with a dignified stride. When he faced his employer, he made a stiff bow. Jade noticed the wings of silver hair on the sides of his temples and guessed his age to be in the middle to late fifties. Both the salt and pepper hair and his grossly unattractive face reminded her of her Uncle Harry.

She liked him already.

"Good day, mi'lord," Sterns stated before he turned to look at Jade. "Did your hunt go well?"

"I wasn't hunting," Caine answered.

"Then the pistol shots I heard were just for sport?"

The servant hadn't bothered to look at his employer when he made that remark but continued to give

Jade his full scrutiny.

Caine smiled. He was vastly amused by Sterns' behavior. His man wasn't one to rattle easily. He was certainly rattled now, and Caine knew he was fighting quite a battle to maintain his rigid composure.

"I was after men, not game," Caine explained.

"And were you successful?" Sterns inquired in a voice that suggested he wasn't the least interested.

"No," Caine answered. He let out a sigh over his butler's lack of attention. Still, he couldn't very well

fault the man for falling under Jade's spell. He'd already done the same. "Yes, Sterns, she is very beautiful, isn't she?"

The butler gave an abrupt nod, then forced himself to turn back to his lord.

"That she is, mi'lord," he agreed. "Her character, however, is still to be discerned." He clasped his hands behind his back and gave his lord a quick nod.

"You'll find that her character is just as beautiful," Caine replied.

"You've never brought a lady home before, mi'lord."

"No, I haven't."

"And she is our guest?"

"She is," Caine answered.

"Am I making more of this than I should, perchance?"

Caine shook his head. "No, you're not, Sterns."

The butler raised an eyebrow, then nodded again. "It's about time, mi'lord," Sterns said. "Do you require one of the guest chambers made ready or will the lady be occupying your rooms?"

Because the sinful question had been asked in such a matter-of-fact fashion, and because she was still stinging from their rudeness in talking about her as though she wasn't even there, she was a little slow to take insult. Only when the fullness of what Sterns was suggesting settled in her mind did she react. She moved away from Caine's side and took a step toward the butler. "This lady will require a room of her own, my good man. A room with a sturdy lock on the door. Do I make myself clear?"

Sterns straightened himself to his full height. "I understand perfectly well, mi'lady," he announced. Although the man's tone was dignified, there was a noticeable sparkle in his brown eyes. It was a look only Caine had been privy to before. "I shall check the bolt myself," he added with a meaningful glance

in his employer's direction.

"Thank you so much, Sterns," Jade replied. "I have many enemies chasing after me, you see, and I won't rest properly if I have to worry about certain gentlemen sneaking into my room at night to put my nightgown back on me. You can understand that, can't you?" "Jade, don't start…" Caine began. "Caine suggested I stay with his mama and papa, but I couldn't do that, Sterns," she continued, ignoring Caine's rude interruption. "1 don't want to drag his dear parents into this sorry affair. When one is being hunted down like a mad dog, one simply doesn't have time to worry about one's reputation. Don't you agree, sir?"

Sterns had blinked several times during Jade's explanation, then nodded when she gave him such a

sweet, expectant look.

A clap of thunder echoed in the distance. "We're going to get soaked if we stand out here much longer," Caine said.

"Sterns, I want you to send Parks for the physician before the storm breaks."

"Caine, is that really necessary?" Jade asked.