eyes. “I see you’ve made yourself at home.”
“Agathe and Bern have been wonderful hosts. They speak highly of you, although I’m not sure why.”
His lips quirked. “You have your doubts about my worth?”
She stepped closer and thrust the squash, carrots and hangreet into his arms. “Hardly. You are without a doubt valued at more credits than most men on this planet or mine. But as I’m a woman and not a bounty hunter, I’m swayed by other factors.”
“Like communication, I’m guessing.”
“Got it in one, aren’t you a quizmaster? Take those vegetables to Agathe, I’m going to keep shopping for a bit.”
“I’ll stay with you.”
She scowled at him and he wanted to kiss her pouting lips until she laughed and threw her arms around his neck. Someday we’ll be free to do that . “Really not great at reading the womenfolk, are you?”
“You want some alone time to process my arrival and how best to be cold and standoff-ish toward me?”
“Precisely.” On closer inspection, her scowl didn’t really reach her eyes.
“Fine. I’ll see you there.”
“Fine.”
He stepped back and clicked his tongue for his horse to follow. He walked backwards, waiting for Ashleigh to turn away first. She didn’t, and by the time he got to the corner, his grin was pretty damn big for a man who’d just been told off by the woman he loved.
Agathe and her husband Bern lived on a small farm on the edge of the village. They had a large house with extra rooms, once filled with their five children who’d since grown and moved into homes of their own. And they’d been thrilled when he asked them to host Ashleigh’s team. He knew their home well, having stayed there himself the first few times he came to Aulbjerg for his university practicum placement.
When he’d built his own farm out here, knowing he’d need to travel back and forth, it had been with their approval and support. Their youngest son, Jannick, had even taken the job as his foreman.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he thought of Agathe as a second mother. So when he found her waiting for him in her garden, arms crossed and lips pursed, he knew he was in trouble. He hitched his horse to the fence and slowly approached with a grin. “ God morgen ,” he said in greeting, ducking down to kiss her plump cheek before leaping out of reach of her light slap on his chest.
“Barely. It’s almost noon. And five days after we were expecting you. What happened?”
“I had work to do.”
“Last week you said this was the most important thing for you, convincing the Earthlings of the value of our community and others like it.” Her voice was gentle but her words carried a serious thread of worry.
“It still is. Life got a bit complicated. And did you not see me walking down the lane and still come running out?”
“Only for the armful of vegetables you carry.”
“Ashleigh asked me to bring them back.”
Agathe stopped walking and gave him a raised eyebrow. “Ashleigh?”
Instead of answering her, Reinn stepped over the raised threshold into the comfortable common room. The cooking fire was outside today, as it was most of the summer, and the room was cool and dark. Comforting. “Is Bern around?” he called out.
“He’s readying the boats at the dock. Jannick brought yours over, in case you want to sail home tonight.”
Reinn turned, touched at the thoughtful gesture. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. You just dumped those poor people here with nothing more than their briefing reports on what to expect.”
“It looked like they were fitting in just fine. You sent their leader vegetable shopping.”
“She insisted.”
That made him smile. “Good.”
“Who is she to you?”
Right. They needed to move on this betrothal as soon as possible. They were totally transparent. Instead of answering, he dug in his pocket and handed over a special packet of batteries and data sticks. “I brought you a present.”
Agathe gasped
“Agathe and Bern have been wonderful hosts. They speak highly of you, although I’m not sure why.”
His lips quirked. “You have your doubts about my worth?”
She stepped closer and thrust the squash, carrots and hangreet into his arms. “Hardly. You are without a doubt valued at more credits than most men on this planet or mine. But as I’m a woman and not a bounty hunter, I’m swayed by other factors.”
“Like communication, I’m guessing.”
“Got it in one, aren’t you a quizmaster? Take those vegetables to Agathe, I’m going to keep shopping for a bit.”
“I’ll stay with you.”
She scowled at him and he wanted to kiss her pouting lips until she laughed and threw her arms around his neck. Someday we’ll be free to do that . “Really not great at reading the womenfolk, are you?”
“You want some alone time to process my arrival and how best to be cold and standoff-ish toward me?”
“Precisely.” On closer inspection, her scowl didn’t really reach her eyes.
“Fine. I’ll see you there.”
“Fine.”
He stepped back and clicked his tongue for his horse to follow. He walked backwards, waiting for Ashleigh to turn away first. She didn’t, and by the time he got to the corner, his grin was pretty damn big for a man who’d just been told off by the woman he loved.
Agathe and her husband Bern lived on a small farm on the edge of the village. They had a large house with extra rooms, once filled with their five children who’d since grown and moved into homes of their own. And they’d been thrilled when he asked them to host Ashleigh’s team. He knew their home well, having stayed there himself the first few times he came to Aulbjerg for his university practicum placement.
When he’d built his own farm out here, knowing he’d need to travel back and forth, it had been with their approval and support. Their youngest son, Jannick, had even taken the job as his foreman.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that he thought of Agathe as a second mother. So when he found her waiting for him in her garden, arms crossed and lips pursed, he knew he was in trouble. He hitched his horse to the fence and slowly approached with a grin. “ God morgen ,” he said in greeting, ducking down to kiss her plump cheek before leaping out of reach of her light slap on his chest.
“Barely. It’s almost noon. And five days after we were expecting you. What happened?”
“I had work to do.”
“Last week you said this was the most important thing for you, convincing the Earthlings of the value of our community and others like it.” Her voice was gentle but her words carried a serious thread of worry.
“It still is. Life got a bit complicated. And did you not see me walking down the lane and still come running out?”
“Only for the armful of vegetables you carry.”
“Ashleigh asked me to bring them back.”
Agathe stopped walking and gave him a raised eyebrow. “Ashleigh?”
Instead of answering her, Reinn stepped over the raised threshold into the comfortable common room. The cooking fire was outside today, as it was most of the summer, and the room was cool and dark. Comforting. “Is Bern around?” he called out.
“He’s readying the boats at the dock. Jannick brought yours over, in case you want to sail home tonight.”
Reinn turned, touched at the thoughtful gesture. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. You just dumped those poor people here with nothing more than their briefing reports on what to expect.”
“It looked like they were fitting in just fine. You sent their leader vegetable shopping.”
“She insisted.”
That made him smile. “Good.”
“Who is she to you?”
Right. They needed to move on this betrothal as soon as possible. They were totally transparent. Instead of answering, he dug in his pocket and handed over a special packet of batteries and data sticks. “I brought you a present.”
Agathe gasped
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