Christiana gasped, unable to hide her shock at such a personal question. “No!”
It wasn’t as if this were the love of her heart she awaited. If that were the case, surely the Visions would have given some hint in that direction. True,she felt a strange elation each time he appeared in the Visions, but that made sense: he was the one who would deliver her from her captivity.
“That had best be the case, little sister. You are my property and I will permit trespass from none. Champion or no, if this stranger thinks to bed you, I’ll have his head on a pike over my gate and serve up his entrails for buzzard feed. Is that clear?”
She could only nod, terrified by the strange glitter in his eyes and the vehemence in his voice.
“Very well, then. I will think upon all you have told me this day. Best you pray to the Ancient Ones that they send my new champion quickly. Now, leave me.”
“As you bid me, my laird, so shall it be.”
With a dip of her head, she made her way to the door and outside, breathing deeply only after she’d traversed the wide entry hall and stepped into the fresh air.
With renewed purpose, she hurried across the bailey and into the small tower at the far edge of the castle wall. Her quarters. Her refuge.
She set about building a fire in the cold pit before filling a small pot with water and tossing in a few well-chosen herbs. The warm tonic would soothe her nerves and mellow the worries plaguing her heart.
As she waited for the water to bubble, her thoughts drifted to her brother’s edict.
Best you pray to the Ancient Ones that they send my new champion quickly.
He had no idea that she wanted that more than anything else. She’d been sending those prayers up to the Ancient Ones for many months, with a new twist added now.
A prayer that the Elf who’d accompanied her new sister would keep the promise she had made in the glen. For without her aid, all would be lost.
OceanofPDF.com
Three
LAZYJ RANCH,MONTANA
PRESENTDAY
YOU BEST SKEDADDLEon over to the mess hall, greenhorn.” The old cowboy reached out to take the reins Chase handed over. “The way them cowboys was eatin’ when I was there, it’s a good chance won’t be nothin’ but bones left by now.”
Chase grinned at the old man. “That would be a shame, missing out on Miss Fern’s cooking.”
Whitey returned the grin, displaying a gap where his front top teeth should have been. “Damn straight. It’s roast chicken tonight and she’s made corn bread and chili beans, too.”
Though the main dish varied from day to day, the old cook made corn bread and chili beans so often, it had Chase missing the MREs he’d carried in his army pack. Not that he’d ever give voice to that thought. Everyone on the Lazy J knew how Whitey felt about Miss Fern. The two of them had been an item for the last forty years.
A twinge of envy flickered through Chase. He couldn’t think of too many things he wanted more from life than to find his own Fern.
Chase headed out of the barn and into the cold night to do exactly as Whitey had suggested.
The familiar smells of the dining hall filled his nostrils as he opened the door, assuring him he wouldn’t go hungry after all.
No thanks to the wild horses he’d hunted since early morning. They’d made sure he’d earned his pay this particularly cold and blustery winter day. Still, he felt good about bringing them in. They were destined for a new home in Colorado with a fellow who’d made himself a name for his excellent care and breeding of horses.
These ponies that would end up at the Seun Fardach Ranch were some of the lucky few. Chase just wished some of their luck would rub off on him.
Inside the door he remembered the hat he wore, pulling it off his head to stuff under his arm.
“You’re sure pullin’ a late one tonight, Chase,” Miss Fern called from behind the serving table. She looked up as he neared. “What the hell happened to you?”
His hand flew to his forehead. He’d almost forgotten the incident.
“Paying more attention to one of those ponies I was chasing than to the land I chased him through. Low-hanging branch got me.” Chase shrugged, feeling foolish.