Read Online Healer's Touch by Deb E Howell - Free Book Online Page A

travelling to another country, another land, to marry a man she had never met, when all Llew wanted was to have her parents back and to curl up in her mother’s arms. She supposed that if they were still around, she might have wanted to get away from them by now, too. But it was hard to imagine.
    The boys were clearly revelling in Anya’s giggles and delight. Alvaro waved Llew over but she shook her head, content to observe and listen. She didn’t feel as though she had much to add to their light-hearted comparisons of happy childhoods. Hers had been good while it lasted, but she didn’t feel like steering the conversation down the path of the lost mother and missing father.
    After a while, Jonas stood up, and Llew watched him dig something from his saddlebag and disappear into the trees.
    Aris watched him go, and then resumed conversing with Emylia in muted tones, though his eyes kept returning to where Jonas had disappeared.
    Llew sat for a few moments more, then got up and began gathering the dishes from the evening’s meal. She needed this group for this leg of her journey, and knew that if she didn’t get things squared away with Jonas, she would forever be on her guard.
    Aris joined her by the fire as she collected the pot. “Get Jonas to help you. He needs the distraction.” Llew nodded, glad of the opportunity to make herself useful again.
    She made her way through the trees, stepping over low ferns and looking for signs of his passing. She found him sitting with his back against a tree, facing the creek at its widest point where it appeared black and almost stagnant under a layer of tiny silver and grey leaves. By daylight those same leaves had been fire red and gold. Here the soil was dark, damp and scattered with autumn detritus and the air was heavy with humidity.
    Jonas was sharpening his big bone-handled knife, flicking a stone along the edge of the blade in quick, deft sweeps. He held the knife up to inspect it and moonlight flashed on the silvery metal. A log lay on the ground before him, so Llew put the dishes down nearby and took a seat.
    He must have heard her approach through the leaves but didn’t acknowledge her arrival, instead remaining focused on his task, only pausing briefly to put the stone down, pick up a small bottle and take a swig. He balanced the bottle on the ground and reclaimed the stone.
    Llew watched him a while. There was a sadness about his eyes as he slid the stone along the blade, then inspected the edge once more. Anger, too. But then, that emotion never seemed far from the surface in his case.
    Deciding he had ignored her long enough, she enquired, “Want to talk about it?”
    “No.” He swept the stone along the blade with greater force.
    Llew nodded. After a while she leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. The sound of her moving brought Jonas out of his reverie and he looked at her blankly. She couldn’t be sure, but his eyes seemed to glisten. “Why are you still here?”
    “Well, I thought our friendship had a bit of a rocky start and–”
    “We’re not friends.”
    Llew stopped cold. She knew he didn’t like her, but she thought they’d made headway after the highwaymen. And even the sword fight hadn’t gone so badly. Maybe he was just plain unfriendly. No wonder Alvaro didn’t like him.
    “Okay.” Llew stood and bent to gather the dishes again. “Well, I hope you won’t let that stop us working together because I plan to continue travelling with you as long as Aris will have me and–”
    “Stop.”
    Llew froze, still bent over, metal plates in the crook of an elbow and the handle of the pot in the other hand.
    “Sit,” he said. Llew let go of the pot handle, returned the plates to the ground and reclaimed her seat on the log. Maybe not entirely unfriendly, then. Either that, or he just liked giving commands and seeing them obeyed.
    “Here.” He picked up the bottle and held it out to her.
    She took it and threw back a mouthful.
    Her