And of course, her cursed power malfunctioned at the worst time and hurt the last person she kissed—the love of her life and best friend.
To this day, no one knows how or why it happened. One moment Chris had his lips on her and then the next, electricity was coursing through his body. They were just outside the house, so she ran into the house, calling her mother and father for help and brought Chris to the hospital.
While they were able to help cover up the whole incident, they couldn’t help Chris. He was in a coma for three months, and when he woke up, he couldn’t remember what happened. While he was asleep, her parents had whisked her away, sending her to live in upstate New York with her grandmother until she went to college. Chris had tried getting in contact with her, but she couldn’t bear to see him again and told him to forget about her. She knew she hurt him, but it was for his own good. Last she heard he was married with a kid on the way.
And here she was. Still stuck with a power she couldn’t control or want. The gloves helped keep the electricity from harming anyone else, and she didn’t dare get too close to anyone ever again, afraid that the touch of her bare skin would send someone else into a coma.
That is, until Reed Townsend.
“Miss?” Melinda’s voice was full of concern. “Are ye all right? Ye seem like a million miles away.”
Over two hundred years away, she corrected mentally. “I’m fine. Just tired.” She wished she had some concealer. “The outfit really is lovely.” It was lemon yellow, perfect for a picnic on a sunny day and had sturdy leather boots to match.
“I’m sure Mr. Richardson will like it,” the maid said with a grin.
She laughed. “Simon? What makes you say that?”
“Oh, you know …” Melinda raised a brow. “Us downstairs people, we talk. And the footmen said that handsome devil was payin’ ye particular attention, out of all the lovely ladies during dinner.”
“He was sitting beside me, so that could be why he was giving me all his attention.” Simon really was handsome—exactly what she thought a hero in a regency romance would be like. But there was something about him … or rather, something that just wasn’t there.
“Whatever you say, miss.” Melinda gave her a wink before asking to be excused.
Was Simon really into her? Well, maybe she would have noticed if that sister of his wasn’t making cow eyes at Reed the whole night. “Thank you for being such a generous host to us,” she mocked into the mirror, copying Beatrice’s high-pitched, posh tone and twirling a lock of hair with her finger while cocking her hip like some high-school girl.
Stop it. She righted her posture and smoothed her hands down her gown. It was just a stupid kiss, and soon they would find the dagger and be back home and Reed would be far away.
A thought made her chest ache. In the future, Reed would not be around at all. He would be gone.
“Elise! C’mon.”
Turning her head, she saw Julianna’s head poking through the door. “You’re running late. We were supposed to meet everyone in the stables five minutes ago.”
“The stables?” She hoped Julianna was joking.
But she was not.
“Don’t ye worry, miss,” the groom said as he led a mare to her. They didn’t actually have to go into the stables as the grooms and stable hands were assisting everyone with their horses, but still, it was intimidating to be around the huge beasts. “This is one of my gentlest ones.”
Looking over her shoulder, she saw everyone else seemed to be more relaxed around the horses. Even Julianna and Cross had mounted their rides with ease.
“I, uh …” Nervousness made her hand shake as she accepted the reins. Sure, she worked at an animal shelter and was really good with animals, but she’d never actually ridden one before. And this horse seemed so huge.
“Miss Henney, may I be of some help?”
She turned around and saw Simon Richardson behind her, looking handsome and well put-together in a dark blue velvet riding jacket, brown breeches, and calfskin boots. He held a hat under one arm. If she really was a miss from this era, she probably would have swooned.
“Um, I’ve actually never ridden before.” And certainly not side-saddle.
“Don’t worry, Miss Henney.” He fixed his hat on his head. “Please. Allow me.” Simon linked his hands together and lowered them. “Place your left foot here and then hold on to my right shoulder.”
While she thought a ladder would have been a better idea, the groom didn’t seem to object. With a shrug, she followed his instructions.
“All right, straighten your knee … that’s it.” Slowly, he raised his cupped hands and lifted her up. Her body brushed against his, a fact that he seemed fully aware of as his lips curled into a lazy smile. A shiver ran through her—and not the good kind.
“There now,” he said as she settled into the saddle. “That wasn’t too bad, was it?”
“Not at all.” She tried not to think of how close he was and how his hand was on her mare’s flank which meant it was only inches from her thigh.
Suddenly, a thunderous sound came from behind the stables. A large black horse galloped toward them, stopping short just a few feet from Simon. Of course it was him.
Dressed in all black and sitting atop the huge black stallion, Reed looked like he had ridden from hell itself. “Mr. Richardson,” he began, his voice flat and his expression looked like
