AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“With time,” she warned.
“We’ll see.”
Tara shook her head. “Promise me that—”
“I will promise nothing,” he said bluntly. “I don’t know what this is between us, but I intend to find out.”
Tara opened her mouth to further protest, and he took advantage of the moment and kissed her. Not that she minded. While her focus should have been on their discussion, somehow his lips had intrigued her more than his words, and she was aching to kiss him again. So when he did, she welcomed it.
“No worries of the past or future,” Reeve said after his lips left hers. “We think only about now and see what happens.”
Tara nodded though she should have objected. She wondered if she should tell him about the origin of the curse, perhaps he would then see the wisdom in going slow. Although it could have the opposite reaction, it could possibly cause him to walk away from her forever, and that would plunge her back into a solitary existence.
She shuddered at the thought.
“What’s wrong?”
She smiled at his demanding concern. He was a bold, strong man with a heroic and loving heart.
She didn’t answer fast enough, and so he encouraged, “I can handle anything, conquer anything, and I’m always right.”
This time she laughed and shook her head. “You’ve never been wrong?”
He grinned proudly. “Never. So, therefore, you should trust me implicitly.”
“I believe I’ve already done that,” she said, thinking of when he had appeared out of nowhere and so gallantly saved her.
“You have, and look what has come of it.” His grin grew. “You have a home, and you haveme.”
Her heart lurched as if it had been shocked. The mere thought of him belonging to her overwhelmed and frightened her all at once. She wanted to linger over his words and what they meant.
Both their stomachs gurgled simultaneously, and they laughed.
“We should eat,” he said. “And once I am finished meeting with my father and brothers, we can spend the day together.”
“I would like that.”
He nibbled along her lips, stopping only long enough to say, “So would I.”
They left the cottage and walked hand in hand to the keep.
The air was biting cold, the sky gray, and the village was just stirring to life.
“Snow,” Reeve said with a nod.
“And you are always right,” Tara teased.
“You’ll see that I am.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “You can rely on it.”
She smiled, wanting to believe him, needing to believe him, needing to know this risk she took was worth it, worth the possibility of finding love again. “How was your journey?”
For a moment, she thought she saw concern in his eyes, and she worried. She had hoped when she had so spontaneously decided on this daring action that there would be no repercussions. Her father would assume that she had been dragged off and murdered by the thieves who had stolen her bride price. Had her father discovered the truth? Was he on his way here? And if so, then what?
Tara realized that Reeve hadn’t answered her, and she asked, “Is something wrong?”
He shook his head. “No. It’s just that things didn’t go as I expected.” He leaned down and stole a quick kiss. “But it is not for you to worry about.”
She almost sighed aloud. It had nothing to do with her, nothing at all. If he had discovered the truth, he would have confronted her with it. And then she would have to tell him the whole truth. What would he think of her then?
