Chapter 10

H e didn’t know why he decided to use his grandfather’s name as an alias. It was the first name that popped into his head. He felt as though he needed to conceal his true identity as a prince until he knew more about the girl and who she was. As she didn’t trust him, he didn’t trust her.

She lowered the weapon she had clutched in her hand and relaxed her stance. “Well, then. You can come in, Edward.”

He stepped through the doorway. As the circle of light from the lantern extended, he got his first glimpse of her. His heart tripped and his gut clenched as their eyes met. A shimmering light passed between them. He wondered if she sensed it, too. If she did, she gave no indication.

Her braided golden hair hung over one shoulder. She had a round face with perfect, full lips. The lantern light glinted off her skin, making it appear as though it shimmered. That seemed unlikely and he decided it was nothing more than his imagination.

It was her eyes that dazzled him. Emerald with gold flecks fringed in dark lashes. Something about the way she looked at him sent a shudder deep within him.

Tearing his gaze away from her, he glanced around the cabin. He stood in a shabby living area with old furniture covered in dust. A fireplace was on one wall. There was a kitchen and a wooden table and chairs beyond the living area. A staircase led up to the loft overhead.

She leaned the fire poker against the wall near the hearth.

He eyed the wrapped package on the table. “Is that food?”

“Just some bread and an apple.” She moved to the table and picked it up, pushing off the cloth.

He stepped around her and placed the lantern on the table in the kitchen. It illuminated the room, showing off dust and cobwebs hanging from every corner. The fireplace had remnants of ash, indicating someone used it at some point in the past.

“I’ll find some firewood and get a fire started.”

Though he didn’t know her, he felt it was his duty to build a fire to keep them warm. He headed back out to the woods, pausing to pick up his sword and dagger from the porch. He replaced them both on his person. It didn’t take long to find enough wood to start a fire. When he returned, Rose was in the small kitchen washing plates.

“There’s a well outside the back door,” she said, sounding pleased.

As he started to build the fire, she busied herself with cutting the bread and placing the pieces on the plates. Next, she cut up the apple. She filled two cups with water and brought them over, handing him one. When the fire was going, he sat at the table. She handed him a plate and took the seat opposite him.

“It’s not much,” she said, sounding apologetic.

It made him smile. “It’s perfect. Better than starving.” He broke off a piece of bread and popped it into his mouth. It was a few days stale. “So, what is a girl like you doing out here?”

She fiddled with a torn piece of bread in front of her, a thoughtful expression on her pretty face. “Would you believe me if I told you I ran away from home?”

Phillip peered at her, amusement flickering through him. “You did? Why?”

She shifted in her seat as she contemplated her answer. “It’s complicated.” She granted him a weak smile.

“Isn’t it always?” He chuckled.

“What about you? What are you doing out here?”

He sat back in the chair, holding a piece of the bread. “I’m looking for adventure.”

“Adventure?” That seemed to pique her interest. She sat up straighter. “Where are you headed?”

“Wherever the wind takes me.” He grinned. It was the best answer he had, because truly he didn’t know.

She propped her elbow on the table, placed her chin in her hand, and emitted a gusty sigh. “I’d love a good adventure.”

She sounded wistful and it made him smile. Indeed, it seemed he couldn’t stop smiling around her. It also made him realize how different they were and wonder if it was truly safe for her to be traveling unguarded.

“Well, I’m headed north. I think,” she added.

“You think?” North would lead her into Woodhaven, his kingdom.

“Maybe west.” She shrugged one shoulder and gave him a broad grin. “Wherever the wind takes me.”

That made him laugh.

There was something endearing and sweet about her. And yet, he sensed she really did want adventure. As though she wanted to be free. Perhaps that was why she ran away from home.

He related to that. He, too, wanted to be free from his life of court and politics. To spend his days hunting and hawking and drinking instead of running a kingdom and…marrying that princess he was supposed to marry.

He thought of the princess and his parents at Myst Hall and wondered if they were missing him. He thought of Charles and Jeffrey and wondered if they were searching for him when they realized he’d stolen into the night like a thief.

“Why did you run away from home?” he asked, peering at her from across the table.

She kept her eyes downcast on the decimated bread before her. She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “I doubt you would understand.”

“Try me,” he said in an inviting tone. “I’d really like to know.”

She looked up at him through her lashes and his heart stuttered. Such a strange reaction to this girl he just met.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“I wanted a different life than the one my parents wanted for me,” she said at last.

There was something cryptic about the way she said it. As though she were telling him enough truth to appease him. Whatever the reason, she wanted to keep it to herself.

It was yet another thing he related to.

“I feel as though we are kindred spirits,” he said.

Rose tilted her head to one side. “How so?”

“I, too, want a different life than the one my parents have planned for me.”

She stared at him a long moment in silence, then gave a little nod. “Then we appear to understand each other.”

“We do.”

She ate another piece of bread, then the apple pieces, and washed it all down with the small cup of water. She fought off a yawn. She had deep circles under her eyes as though she hadn’t slept.

“It will be light soon,” he said. “We should rest. You take the loft. I’ll sleep in the chair.”

She glanced at the old chair with the frayed upholstery. She frowned, a look of disgust flickering over her face. “In that old thing?”

He saw it was covered in a thick layer of dust. “I’ll clean it before I go to sleep.”

Rose stood, taking their plates and cups away to the small kitchen and placing them on the counter. He noticed she had only eaten a few bites of the bread. Why did he have a sudden urge to make sure she was cared for?

“I’m sure the loft isn’t much better.” As she turned to face him, she caught him staring at her.

Their eyes met again. Deep in her emerald depths, he saw strength and an independent spirit unable to be denied. He saw a wild heart that sought adventure and freedom. He saw a girl who had a thirst for a life she had not yet lived. While he did and lived as he pleased.

Her cheeks warmed. A breath shuddered out of her. He tore his gaze away and turned to the fire, stoking it to keep the flames going and pretending she was nothing but a girl he happened upon. In an abandoned cabin. In the woods. And she was alone.

“I’ll, um, see what’s in the loft,” she said at last, clearly affected by the way he looked at her.

She skittered past him and hurried up the steps, her footfalls loud on the stairs as she made her way to the loft.

What was wrong with him? He had never been so affected by a girl before. He sensed Rose was different. Rose was special. Rose needed to be traveling with an escort west through the forest. An overwhelming urge to protect her shifted through him. In the morning, he would ask her to ride with him.

He heard rustling overhead and stood, glancing upward and wondering if she needed help. Then a thud followed by a muffled, feminine oof . Then more rustling. What was she doing up there?

A moment later, she bounded down the stairs with an armload of fabric, a bright smile on her face.

“Look what I found!” In her arms were blankets and a pillow. “Clean linens.”

She pushed them into his arms. He had no choice but to take them.

“The nights are still chilly,” she said. “You’ll want a blanket or two.”

He stared down at the woolen blanket, the feather pillow, and his heart melted a little. Then he glanced back at her. Her cheeks were still pink but this time from exertion.

“What about you?” he asked.

“The mattress is lumpy but it’ll do. I found more blankets and a pillow. I’ll be fine.” She looked at the dusty chair with dismay. “Are you sure about that?”

“Well, since there’s nothing else…”

She marched over to the chair and surveyed it, her hands on her hips. Then she pulled the seat cushion off and smacked it with her hand. A cloud of dust plumed. She sneezed. They exchanged a look, then a laugh. She dropped it on the floor and spun around, looking at the remaining furniture.

The sofa had seen better days. The seat cushions were leaking stuffing. But there were seat back pillows worth saving. She grabbed them all and trotted over, dropping them on the floor by the fire, creating a make-shift bed.

“How’s that?” she asked. “Better than that old chair.”

He was awestruck by her caring and consideration. “It’s wonderful.”

Rose reached for the blankets she’d given him, taking them back. She took one and spread it over the three cushions. Then placed the feather pillow on one end. Finally, the second blanket she folded neatly and laid at the foot. A tidy little bed by the fire.

“That should keep you warm, especially by the fire.”

She brushed nonexistent dust from her hands. When their eyes met once again, it was difficult to ignore the warmth spreading through him and his quickened heartbeat. Here was this girl who had shared her bread and apple with him and made him a bed by the fire. She was adorable.

“Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome.” As she said it, her cheeks turned pink again. “Good night!”

And then she bounded up the stairs to the loft. He stood a moment, letting his racing pulse slow to normal as he sank to the floor. He removed his sword and dagger and placed them on the floor, then removed his boots.

He stretched out on the cushions, his feet dangling over the edge, then pulled up the blanket to cover himself. He watched the flickering flames of the fire and came to a decision.

In the morning, he was definitely going to encourage her to travel with him.