Read Online Journey in Time (Knights in Time) by Chris Karlsen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Chris Karlsen
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jealous."
"He hasn’t anything I’m envious of. Wanna see?" Alex wiggled his brows.
"What an intriguing offer. Sadly, since you seem to be in a hurry, I’ll have to decline," she said and faked a sad face. "Ready when you are."
They took a different path than the previous day. This one led into a hilly area surrounded by a dense wood.
Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed in horizontal shockwaves in the distance. Above them, fluffy clouds passed in an otherwise blue sky, leaving a trail of wispy streaks.
"Think there’s a storm en-route this way?"
"I doubt it," Alex said.
"Good. I’d hate to cut our ride short." She scrutinized the rough terrain that bordered the road. "What a perfect place to lie in wait. If this were a hundred years ago, a highwayman would be a fat rat in no time."
Alex gave the woods a cursory scan. "To a stranger I guess the area seems pokey, lots of places to lurk. I know my land. A person would have to be pretty clever to go undiscovered by me."
“I bet I can hide where you won’t find me,” she challenged. “Close your eyes. Give me five minutes lead time and I’ll give you five minutes to search."
Alex’s brows lifted a notch, "Really?" He shifted and leaned closer. "What do I get when I find you, and I will find you?"
"I'll make dinner for you tonight."
"Not good enough. How about, if I win, you spend the rest of the week here, with me." She hadn’t anticipated the bold counter. He prodded further. "Or, are you afraid of losing?"
Tempted to take the bet and lose, she considered the pros and cons. A week with him here or anywhere to her besotted mind was a major pro. If she stayed, forget keeping things platonic. She’d live her Alex centric fantasy. But, Alex never indicated he wanted more than a short term affair, her logical self cautioned. Besides the obvious professional con, therein lay the other big con. If he dumped her afterward, she’d be crushed.
The low, constant growl of thunder continued and scarlet tinged the eastern sky. On the horizon, miles away, a lightning bolt crackled and exploded downward. The purplish streamer was almost white against the ruddy background. Smaller bolts branched out then faded.
She watched the display of nature’s power and continued to weigh her options. Her mind swam with the wager’s possibilities while Alex patiently waited for an answer. She chose the safe route and decided to blame her work, which served her well in the past. Today, the decision gave her no comfort.
"I'm not afraid of losing. But, on the off chance I do, I couldn't stay here. What about my job?"
"Tell them your client is demanding your full attention. After all, mine is a high profile case."
She ignored Alex’s “tic, tic, tic,” as she vacillated. If she thought about it too long, she'd make herself crazy.
Alex stopped his ticking. "Well, yes or no, no or yes? You did throw the gauntlet down first."
"All right, and when I win, you give me six more jousting lessons, in addition to todays."
"Agreed. Your five minutes starts now." He grinned and closed his eyes.
Out of sight and earshot, she crossed a small stream and descended a modest slope. Eyes on the ground, she picked a path over the wettest leaves so the damp cushion muffled her course.
The trunk of a large oak concealed her while she dismounted. His ears pricked high, Eclipse snorted in a rapid series, the heavy puffs interspersed with loud nickers.
"Shh," she scratched his withers and edged forward. She planned on using the natural cover of the forest to find the best spot to track Alex. She tugged on Eclipse’s reins. He snorted louder and refused to budge. She gritted her teeth and tugged again. He still wouldn’t obey. Instead, the big gelding jerked and tried to dance away. She shortened the reins and in the name of expediency used the bridle as a control technique. She slid the fingers of one hand under his cheek piece and pulled. Poor horsemanship she knew but at the moment
"He hasn’t anything I’m envious of. Wanna see?" Alex wiggled his brows.
"What an intriguing offer. Sadly, since you seem to be in a hurry, I’ll have to decline," she said and faked a sad face. "Ready when you are."
They took a different path than the previous day. This one led into a hilly area surrounded by a dense wood.
Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed in horizontal shockwaves in the distance. Above them, fluffy clouds passed in an otherwise blue sky, leaving a trail of wispy streaks.
"Think there’s a storm en-route this way?"
"I doubt it," Alex said.
"Good. I’d hate to cut our ride short." She scrutinized the rough terrain that bordered the road. "What a perfect place to lie in wait. If this were a hundred years ago, a highwayman would be a fat rat in no time."
Alex gave the woods a cursory scan. "To a stranger I guess the area seems pokey, lots of places to lurk. I know my land. A person would have to be pretty clever to go undiscovered by me."
“I bet I can hide where you won’t find me,” she challenged. “Close your eyes. Give me five minutes lead time and I’ll give you five minutes to search."
Alex’s brows lifted a notch, "Really?" He shifted and leaned closer. "What do I get when I find you, and I will find you?"
"I'll make dinner for you tonight."
"Not good enough. How about, if I win, you spend the rest of the week here, with me." She hadn’t anticipated the bold counter. He prodded further. "Or, are you afraid of losing?"
Tempted to take the bet and lose, she considered the pros and cons. A week with him here or anywhere to her besotted mind was a major pro. If she stayed, forget keeping things platonic. She’d live her Alex centric fantasy. But, Alex never indicated he wanted more than a short term affair, her logical self cautioned. Besides the obvious professional con, therein lay the other big con. If he dumped her afterward, she’d be crushed.
The low, constant growl of thunder continued and scarlet tinged the eastern sky. On the horizon, miles away, a lightning bolt crackled and exploded downward. The purplish streamer was almost white against the ruddy background. Smaller bolts branched out then faded.
She watched the display of nature’s power and continued to weigh her options. Her mind swam with the wager’s possibilities while Alex patiently waited for an answer. She chose the safe route and decided to blame her work, which served her well in the past. Today, the decision gave her no comfort.
"I'm not afraid of losing. But, on the off chance I do, I couldn't stay here. What about my job?"
"Tell them your client is demanding your full attention. After all, mine is a high profile case."
She ignored Alex’s “tic, tic, tic,” as she vacillated. If she thought about it too long, she'd make herself crazy.
Alex stopped his ticking. "Well, yes or no, no or yes? You did throw the gauntlet down first."
"All right, and when I win, you give me six more jousting lessons, in addition to todays."
"Agreed. Your five minutes starts now." He grinned and closed his eyes.
Out of sight and earshot, she crossed a small stream and descended a modest slope. Eyes on the ground, she picked a path over the wettest leaves so the damp cushion muffled her course.
The trunk of a large oak concealed her while she dismounted. His ears pricked high, Eclipse snorted in a rapid series, the heavy puffs interspersed with loud nickers.
"Shh," she scratched his withers and edged forward. She planned on using the natural cover of the forest to find the best spot to track Alex. She tugged on Eclipse’s reins. He snorted louder and refused to budge. She gritted her teeth and tugged again. He still wouldn’t obey. Instead, the big gelding jerked and tried to dance away. She shortened the reins and in the name of expediency used the bridle as a control technique. She slid the fingers of one hand under his cheek piece and pulled. Poor horsemanship she knew but at the moment
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