AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But before she managed to retract her hand, he weaved his fingers through hers and held on tight, their hands resting over their children. A deafening silence filled the tent. He didn’t dare to breathe, and he swore she might hear his heart thundering in the space between them.
“Is this all right?” he asked finally.
Another swallow, followed by the faintest whisper. “Yes.”
Slowly, he released the breath he had been holding as the faintest hope glimmered in his soul. Hope for their marriage. Hope for their future. Hope for a clean start for the both of them. With the two sweetest girls slumbering between them in their small, mismatched family, he knew one way or another, everything would turn out all right.
Chapter 8
The chill of morning brushed Nyana’s face like an icy finger. Yet, one of her cheeks rested on something warm and solid. Her arm tightened around the warmth, and she snuggled closer. It was like simmering sunshine that cradled her within its basking embrace. She yearned to stretch her limbs and lift her face to the welcoming sun’s rays…
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her eyes flew open.
Only to find her hand resting against Joel’s chest, her head tucked against his shoulder while his arm encircled her. The previous warmth scorched her cheeks, her heart burning with frantic heat. She bolted upright, startling him out of slumber as she put distance between them.
His green eyes quickly found hers, clouded by sleep. “What is it?” he croaked.
“You were…we were…ah, nothing.” She wiped her suddenly slick hands against her skirt. Despite taking several calming breaths, her pulse continued to race. Not out of fear, but fluster. When was the last time a man held her sweetly through the night? She couldn’t recall staying with Calle through an entire night. Joel was the first.
My husband…
Wrapping her head around the fact proved difficult. How long would it take for reality to sink in?
Her gaze darted from him to the empty space between them, and she inhaled sharply. “Where are the girls?”
Mama! Papa! Maisy’s voice reverberated through her mind. Scared. Frantic. And just outside the tent, she heard her daughter yelp, followed by a crash.
Joel shot to his feet faster than her, as if he heard the voice as well. She stumbled out of the tent after him with her cane in hand, barely feeling the pain in her leg when her blood rushed through her ears.
And then her entire ribcage seemed to squeeze her heart into a corner when she spotted three men standing on the opposite side of the remaining ashes of last night’s fire. Even without their masks, she recognized them by their height and stature alone. The men who had broken into her house.
She rushed toward where Maisy had tripped over a log, now righting herself beside Eva. She placed herself between them and the men, slowly backing away. Joel grabbed the ax he’d brought with them and held it menacingly as he stared down the other men.
The tallest man spoke through long, bristly facial hair as he held a loaded crossbow aimed directly at Joel. “Would you look at that? So, it really is Joel Harrington. I thought my eyes had been deceiving me.” The man gestured to the space around them. “It’s a bit cold for a camping trip. Don’t you think?”
“Ethan. Lee. Cole.” Joel acknowledged them with a nod of his head. She clenched her jaw as she glanced between the four of them. How did Joel know them?
Lee glared as he touched the white bandage wrapped around his neck. “You stabbed me.”
“I think it’s a fair trade for breaking into my house, attacking my wife, and scaring my children.”
The man’s eyes hardened. “You are a fool, Harrington. After what she did to Genica?”
Joel’s fists clenched as Nyana backed the girls further away from the dangerous men. Eva began whimpering and Maisy held tight to her skirt. She glanced toward the horse standing near the carriage, haphazardly saddled as if a child had made an attempt. Sunweave was too far away to make an escape on his back.
“Nyana was not responsible.”
“No?” Cole replied this time, standing tall despite being closer to her own height. He brandished a knife in one hand and a rope in the other. “What did she do to stop all of the horror? All of the deaths and murders? Right. She did nothing.”
“What could she have done?”
The tallest, Ethan, moved closer. “Step aside. And we promise to leave the children alone. But then again…they are the spawn of a man-demon…”
Joel warily eyed the others, likely taking stock of all their weapons like she had. A branch snapped beneath her boot, and each of the men turned their attention to her. Ethan leveled his crossbow at her. Again, Joel stepped in the arrow’s path as if to shield them should the man release the bolt.
Fear consumed her when she realized exactly how outmatched they were. Joel, herself, and two children against three armed men.
