Gabe sat atop his stallion holding the still smoking rifle. “Blasted snakes,” he muttered as he searched the road for more. There had to be more, he was certain of it, and he’d shoot every last one of them if he had to.He turned to the nearest carriage. His uncle had opened the door and stuck his head out. Gabe waved his hand in the air. “All is well now, Uncle. I just shot a rattler who had gotten in my path.”“Thank the Lord you saw the snake before he could strike.”

Emmie couldn’t sleep. Knowing she’d get to see her mother—and speak with her—kept Emmie dreaming of their meeting all night long. Once in a while she was able to think of Gabe and how wonderful he’d been to her, especially the gentle and passionate way he’d made love to her…but then her thoughts returned to her mother. Today wasn’t the day to stress about her feelings for Gabe and what she was going to do about it, and especially what she was going to say when she explained to him why she had to lie to him.An hour ago, Rebecca took the fake Lady Sarah out to stroll through town with one of the servants. Emmie was invited—which surprised her greatly—but she declined. How could s

Emmie saw him…and she held her breath. Although he wasn’t glaring at her as she suspected he would, the pain of betrayal on his expression was evident through his dark eyes and rigid jaw. Her heart clenched in sorrow. She really needed to talk to him—privately. But they couldn’t do that now.When Elias noticed Gabe, he waved and quickened his step until he stood in front of him. “Good afternoon, Lord Wilshire.”The frown Gabe was wearing tweaked slightly into a smile. “Good day.”

Gabe sat at the small desk inside his room at the inn as he wrote correspondences to his friends, William Braxton and Marcus Thorne. Gabe needed all the help he could get in dealing with Mercer, and Braxton and Thorne were as qualified as any man Gabe could think of right now. Over the years, he’d kept in touch with both of his friends, happy to know they succeeded in having such successful marriages. William had two children with Mercedes—twins, a boy and girl, and Marcus and Isabelle just had their first child—a boy. One day Gabe hoped to join the rank of father, and with any luck, Emmie would hold the title of his wife very soon.

Gabe combed most of Brighton, even going into every shop just to inquire about Lady Sarah’s whereabouts. For those few who knew her or had seen her with Mrs. Lucia, they couldn’t tell him where Emiline was, and they certainly couldn’t remember when they had seen her last. As the day passed, his hopes of finding her sank lower, and he feared he would never find her. Thankfully, Uncle Henry helped him search. If Gabe had to do this all by himself, it would have taken him longer. As the sun began its descent, Gabe didn’t know if he could give up tonight. But what else could he do if he couldn’t find her? He’d asked Elias over and over again what exactly Mercer and the other man told him, hoping there woul