“Halt, young lady!” he called to her.
She kept on.
“I said halt!” He repeated the command only to see her crash through the prickly undergrowth as though she hadn’t a sensible bone in her body.
Having heard the commotion while on his own path, Christian was suddenly moving toward her on foot, surprising her with his powerful arms going around her chest. He held her with an iron will as strong as his father’s, while she kicked and screamed trying to get free.
“Hey, little lady, this is a hell of a day to be out hiking,” he said as though he’d just met her on a pleasure walk.
Samuel was on them both, off his horse, his fury simmering beneath the ever present calm.
“You keep her there and don’t let her move,” he ordered his son.
“Hey, she won’t be going anywhere but home,” Christian as
