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Authors: Jill Barnett
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his heat of passion he wouldn't take her in the mud. He moved off her and she looked up at him with a look that was half-puzzled, half-hurt. "Here." He offered her his hand and helped her up.
She looked everywhere but at him. They were covered in mud and briars and damp grass.
He started back up the hillside, gripping onto the bushes as he tried to get a foothold. Again he gave her his hand. "Come," he told her. "I'll help you." She placed her hand in his, but he slipped and so did his grip on her hand.
Down they went again. He grabbed a bush and only fell to his knees. He heard a shriek and looked behind him.
She hadn't been so lucky. She was lying facedown in the thickest pool of mud in the ravine. Very slowly she pushed herself up.
Two bright and surprised yellow eyes stared at him from a brown face dripping in mud.
He burst out laughing. Her eyes narrowed and she sat back, resting her arms on her knees. He watched the mud drip from hair, nose, everywhere.
"You look like a sow," he told her honestly, not realizing that this was a stupid time for male honesty.
The mud ball hit him square in the face.
"What the hell did you do that for?" he roared and swiped at the mud.
She gave him a honeyed smile and threw another handful. Now she was laughing, laughing hard and flinging mud at him so quickly he would never have thought she could move that fast.
"Here!" she shouted. "Catch!" She hit him square in the forehead.
He sprang from the hillside and tackled her. They rolled together in the mud, Linnet shrieking while he tried to rub more mud in her face.
A few minutes later they both lay on their backs in the mud, a truce called. She was still laughing. "You didn't play fair, William. You're stronger than I." She slapped a muddy hand on her chest and gave him a wide-eyed stare. "I am a puny and weak woman."
He snorted. "Puny and weak. Ha! We could have used you at the siege of Acre, Linnet. I would have put you in charge of the catapult."
She smiled. "That is the first time you have ever called me by my name."
He hadn't realized he'd done so.
She reached over and touched him on the shoulder. "I prefer Linnet to sow."
He grinned, then stood and eyed the hillside. A second later he swept her into his arms and carried he through the ravine, heading for a place where the hill side wasn't so steep.
"William! Put me down!"
"Stop squirming and let me carry your 'puny' self."
He tossed her and grinned when she shrieked. Finally, she wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.
And he liked it so much that he carried her all the way up the hill...the long way.
He had never laughed with a woman like he had with Linnet. ‘Twas a strange feeling to call a woman friend. But that was how he felt about her. Aside from her beauty, aside from her charm and the odd hold she seemed to have over him, aside from the passion she could spark in him with only a touch or a look, William actually liked her. He liked being with her.
They spent the next few nights staying in inns, each in their own room, a place where Linnet could have the comforts he should have thought of to begin with, baths, clean beds, warm food.
And he was loathe to admit it but he had missed her at night. He missed sleeping next to her, missed her piling enough covers atop her to thaw Hinterland, missed her punching the pillows and tossing and turning until he had to talk with her if he ever wanted to get a wink of sleep. He missed her incessant chatter about the night sky and stars and the shapes they form. He missed waking and watching her sleep.
He didn't miss the cats. That was his one peaceful thought. Some of the animals were with her, some were boarded at the inn's stables.
They were two days ride from the abbey when he heard of the fair. 'Twas midsummer's eve and the town of Noddington was having a fair—a grand event if all they had heard was true.
He had one day and one night left to win her.
So he took her to the
She looked everywhere but at him. They were covered in mud and briars and damp grass.
He started back up the hillside, gripping onto the bushes as he tried to get a foothold. Again he gave her his hand. "Come," he told her. "I'll help you." She placed her hand in his, but he slipped and so did his grip on her hand.
Down they went again. He grabbed a bush and only fell to his knees. He heard a shriek and looked behind him.
She hadn't been so lucky. She was lying facedown in the thickest pool of mud in the ravine. Very slowly she pushed herself up.
Two bright and surprised yellow eyes stared at him from a brown face dripping in mud.
He burst out laughing. Her eyes narrowed and she sat back, resting her arms on her knees. He watched the mud drip from hair, nose, everywhere.
"You look like a sow," he told her honestly, not realizing that this was a stupid time for male honesty.
The mud ball hit him square in the face.
"What the hell did you do that for?" he roared and swiped at the mud.
She gave him a honeyed smile and threw another handful. Now she was laughing, laughing hard and flinging mud at him so quickly he would never have thought she could move that fast.
"Here!" she shouted. "Catch!" She hit him square in the forehead.
He sprang from the hillside and tackled her. They rolled together in the mud, Linnet shrieking while he tried to rub more mud in her face.
A few minutes later they both lay on their backs in the mud, a truce called. She was still laughing. "You didn't play fair, William. You're stronger than I." She slapped a muddy hand on her chest and gave him a wide-eyed stare. "I am a puny and weak woman."
He snorted. "Puny and weak. Ha! We could have used you at the siege of Acre, Linnet. I would have put you in charge of the catapult."
She smiled. "That is the first time you have ever called me by my name."
He hadn't realized he'd done so.
She reached over and touched him on the shoulder. "I prefer Linnet to sow."
He grinned, then stood and eyed the hillside. A second later he swept her into his arms and carried he through the ravine, heading for a place where the hill side wasn't so steep.
"William! Put me down!"
"Stop squirming and let me carry your 'puny' self."
He tossed her and grinned when she shrieked. Finally, she wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder.
And he liked it so much that he carried her all the way up the hill...the long way.
He had never laughed with a woman like he had with Linnet. ‘Twas a strange feeling to call a woman friend. But that was how he felt about her. Aside from her beauty, aside from her charm and the odd hold she seemed to have over him, aside from the passion she could spark in him with only a touch or a look, William actually liked her. He liked being with her.
They spent the next few nights staying in inns, each in their own room, a place where Linnet could have the comforts he should have thought of to begin with, baths, clean beds, warm food.
And he was loathe to admit it but he had missed her at night. He missed sleeping next to her, missed her piling enough covers atop her to thaw Hinterland, missed her punching the pillows and tossing and turning until he had to talk with her if he ever wanted to get a wink of sleep. He missed her incessant chatter about the night sky and stars and the shapes they form. He missed waking and watching her sleep.
He didn't miss the cats. That was his one peaceful thought. Some of the animals were with her, some were boarded at the inn's stables.
They were two days ride from the abbey when he heard of the fair. 'Twas midsummer's eve and the town of Noddington was having a fair—a grand event if all they had heard was true.
He had one day and one night left to win her.
So he took her to the
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