Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 99206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“Drop me your satchel.”
She did as he said.
“Walk out carefully on the branch to where I can reach you.”
It was a bare few steps she needed to take, and she took them without trepidation. She had climbed enough trees with Brigid not to worry about one with a thick and sturdy branch.
“Careful,” he warned with a snap, startling her.
She lost her footing and swung her arms to steady herself, but she could not hold her balance, and she toppled off the branch.
Magnus reacted instinctively, his arms reaching out, and she landed with a solid plop right in them. His heart thudded in fright and his breath raced out in a sigh. She simply smiled.
He shook his head. “You smile when you fall from a tree?”
“I smile because I knew you would catch me.”
“You had no doubt?”
“Nay, not an ounce of doubt. I knew you would be there for me. You never fail to help those you love or those your heart will not let you ignore, no matter the price to you.”
One of his men hurried out from the dense tree covering to the small clearing and shouted to him that strangers were spotted in the distance.
“See what they are about,” Magnus ordered and gave a quick glance at the sky. The sun had suddenly disappeared behind a flurry of gray skies and the distant sky did not look promising; a spring storm seemed probable. “The hills just west of here would be a good place to make camp for the night. There are several small caves where we can seek shelter if it rains. Meet me there when you are done with the strangers.”
The man nodded and disappeared after taking only a few steps into the woods.
“You think a spring storm brews?” Reena asked, glancing at the gray sky.
“I do not wish to take the chance, and besides”—he gave her a hasty kiss—“I wish to be alone with you this night.”
The thought his remark invoked caused her to shiver, and she cuddled against him.
“I will keep you warm,” he whispered in her ear and sent gooseflesh racing down her arms.
“And what of mapping?” she asked, attempting to keep her senses rational, to ignore the rush of tingles that nestled between her legs. She wished to be alone with him and get to know him intimately as much as he wished for them to be alone, but fear mingled with her desire. What if she disappointed him? She was thin and small and not as shapely as most women. And that doubt lingered and nagged at her. But since he loved her it should not make a difference. Still, there would be that moment when she would stand in front of him naked, completely vulnerable. Would he still want her? Or were her doubts her own insecurities?
“Do not fear, there is much for you to map, but right now is for you and me.”
He helped her onto her horse and they rode off toward the hills in the distance, the gray clouds thickening and a chilled wind swirling down around them.
It was not long before a sprinkle of rain began to fall and Reena was glad that the hills were not as far as she’d first thought, for the rain turned hard and steady. When finally they reached the hills, they were both soaked through, their skin wet and their bones chilled.
Magnus’s men arrived only minutes later, and they exchanged hasty words before two men and Magnus hurried off in search of sufficient shelter and the other two saw to the care of the horses. Reena waited under a large tree, which kept her protected from the heavy rain, though a fine and steady drizzle kept her wet.
Shelter was located in mere minutes, and the men hurried her and the horses into a cave large enough for them all. A small fire burned and she hurried to warm herself, shivering from her wet clothes and the chill in her bones.
Try as she might, she could not get warm. Her wet clothes continued to keep her cold no matter how close she got to the fire. The men tended the horses while one took bow and arrow and left the shelter in search of food.
Reena shivered and rubbed her hands together. It would be a long night, though not the night she had in mind. Not wanting to feel any sorrier for herself than she already did, she went to her horse, grabbed her satchel, and returned to the fire. She wanted to make certain none of the maps were disturbed by the weather. She always made certain to protect her maps with leather wrappings. Her father had taught her to do so, explaining that he’d lost several maps before he was wise enough to keep them from being destroyed by the elements.