Page 25 of One Bed for the Bluestocking
Kate lurked on the fringes of the crowd, wondering what she was going to do now.Nathaniel was obviously talented at skittles, and here she was, about to make a complete and utter fool out of herself.This was going to be bad enough without humiliating herself in front of the man for whom she was suffering a horribletendre.
She decided to wait.The courtyard was crowded, and she soon lost track of him.Perhaps he wouldn’t spot her, either.
Five minutes passed, and she saw no sign of Nathaniel.Perhaps he had headed back inside.She did a quick sweep of the courtyard, but he wasn’t there.
Thank goodness!She hadn’t seen Iain, either.Nobody was making use of the skittles alley.Perhaps she had time for a few practice shots.
She scooped up a ball and brought it to her chest, the way she had seen Nathaniel do.She tried to emulate his form, stepping forward as she swung her arm back.
She promptly dropped the ball at the crest of her backswing, sending it rolling feebly behind her.
She heard a couple of guffaws.Face flushing, she retrieved the ball to try again.This time, she at least managed to throw the ball in the right general direction.But it only advanced halfway down the grassy alley before coming to a stop.
Her heart beat fast.This skittles business was trickier than Nathaniel made it look.But, on the bright side, at least he had gone inside and would not be on hand to witness her humiliation!
“Kit?”a familiar voice called.“Is that you?”
Oh,fiddlesticks!
She looked up and surely enough, Nathaniel was weaving his way through the crowd.He gave her a genial grin, which she answered with an awkward wave.
“So,” he said when he reached her, “what brings you to the Sheep Heid Inn on this fine spring evening?”
She waved a hand toward the opposite side of the courtyard.“Just having a night out with Colin, Arthur, and Roderick to toast our impending departure.”
He glanced around, then dropped his voice low.“In a strange coincidence, I saw Iain Galbreath a moment ago.I hope I’m not overstepping, but you’re not playing against him, are you?”
Kate swallowed.She might as well tell him the awful truth.“I’m afraid I am.You see…”
She quickly filled him in about her confrontation with Iain and Roderick’s subsequent challenge.“So now, I have to defend my honor by defeating Iain in a game of skittles.Except I’ve never played skittles before!”
Nathaniel winced sympathetically.“Would you like to practice a few throws?Perhaps I could offer you some pointers.”
“Would you truly?”Kate didn’t hold out any great hopes that she was going to win.But perhaps she could learn enough that she wouldn’t humiliate herself.
“Of course.”Tilting his head, Nathaniel led her toward the skittles alley.He handed her a ball but didn’t bother to set up the pins.“Let’s see your technique.”
“All right.”Kate felt more nervous than ever with him watching.Her palms had grown slick, and she managed to drop the ball on her own foot.
Nathaniel bent to retrieve it.“That’s all right.Try again.”
Her next two throws went slightly better, but not by much—both balls rolled feebly outside of the designated lane before reaching the pins.Now Kate was starting to panic, because her match with Iain was looming ever closer.How was she going to knock down the pins if she couldn’t even reach them?
After another unsuccessful attempt, Nathaniel stepped forward and scooped up the ball.“I think I see where the problem lies.You’re releasing the ball too soon.That’s what’s destroying your momentum.”He drew back his arm and threw the ball himself.It easily rolled to the end of the alley.“Do you see the difference?”
“I think so.”Kate scooped up a ball and tried again.This time, it rolled past the halfway point of the alley—a new record for her.But it still didn’t reach the place where the pins would be.
“That’s it.Try again,” Nathaniel said encouragingly.
She made two more attempts but still couldn’t get the ball down the length of the alley.She made a sound of frustration.“It’s hopeless.Iain will be back any minute.I’m doomed!”
“You’re closer than you think.”Nathaniel stepped forward.“Let’s practice the throw together.”
Before Kate had a chance to wonder what he meant bytogether, he stepped so close behind her that her backside was flush against his front.She could feel his warmth through the wool of her coat, and his sweet, fresh scent filled her lungs.
He placed a ball in her hand, then covered her hand with his.Neither of them were wearing gloves, and she shuddered at the brush of his skin against hers.Her cheeks were already aflame, but the situation somehow grew even worse when his rich, deep voice rumbled in her ear.“Like this.”He pulled his arm back, drawing hers with it.Somehow, she managed to step forward in time with him.
She tried to release the ball, but he squeezed his hand over hers, preventing her from letting it go.At the very peak of the arc, he opened his hand.Kate stared in astonishment as the ball flew down the alley, rolling all the way into the pin area.
