Chapter 12
Bree was glad of the silence when they first continued their journey.
She had a lot to think about. Not the kiss, she would think about that later.
She didn’t have time to spend flirting with the handsome knight—she had to understand what Horland had told her.
She glanced at Horland and little shivers ran over her body at the memory of the kiss.
He was so gentle and oh help me, he tasted wonderful.
She gave her head a small shake. Stop it.
She reined in her emotions and set about contemplating Horland’s story. From everything he had said, Bree realized she had had travelled back to the past only about a year after her father left her in the care of her grandmother.
How could Uncle Mark and Aunt Di let her go back to her father as a young man?
There was no way he would believe she, a twenty-seven-year-old woman, was his daughter.
As far as he was concerned, he’d left a six-year-old child a little more than a year ago.
He would believe she was seven years old, not twenty-seven.
She examined Horland’s coat. Maybe she could steal the orb back, return to the future and reset both orbs so she could arrive twenty-one years later into Horland and Garlain’s futures. She smiled inwardly. That could work.
She peeked at Horland again and bit her bottom lip. That would make him nearly as old as her father and whatever that kiss, the kiss she didn’t want to think about, meant would be gone. He wouldn’t know her as she was now; he would probably be married with a tribe of kids of his own.
Bree silently smacked herself. Why would that matter? It wasn’t as if I should care. I was going to go back to Garrett and Laura anyway. No. Horland means nothing to me.
Once she’d decided to get the orb back, Bree’s head cleared and the ache in her temples dissipated. She tried chatting to Horland, hoping to keep him amenable until she got her chance to grab the orb and go back to the future.
She thought she and Horland were finally getting along while he told her about her mother and father but no matter what she talked about, what questions she asked, he all but ignored her.
Oh, sometimes he deigned to grunt an affirmative or negative to one of her questions, but there had to be a reason he gave her the cold shoulder.
She sucked in her bottom lip. And that reason had to be the kiss. He must be regretting kissing me. Maybe he didn’t feel what I felt; maybe his chest didn’t explode in passion like mine did. She shrugged. Maybe he just wasn’t into me.
She snorted. Why did she want him to act differently?
No, it was better that they both just ignored the kiss and everything it might have meant in another time and place.
Bree had to leave him and when she returned, he wouldn’t remember her or the kiss.
The last thing she wanted was for him to have feelings for her when she came back.
She sighed. Or me having feelings for him.
Because of his keenness to get to the ruins, they walked longer than Briana thought they would.
The night had fallen so quickly, and if there was a moon in the sky above the canopy it must have been enshrouded in clouds, because not one moonbeam penetrated the forest roof.
Bree had to fall back behind Horland and hang on to his shirt or she would have lost him in the total darkness. The girl held on to Bree’s cloak and had to trot to stay connected.
“Slow down, Horland, the little girl can’t keep up.”
He did, but still didn’t stop completely. In fact, she believed he would have kept going throughout the night if he didn’t walk straight into a tree.
Bree couldn’t help a giggle escaping her lips. She couldn’t see his expression but felt the wind as he snapped his head around to face her. He’s glaring at me.
They stopped where they stood among the trees and undergrowth.
“There will be no fire,” Horland said. “Sleep and we will continue when the sun rises on the morrow.”
That was the most he’d said since their last rest stop and although Bree couldn’t see his expression, she knew by his tone he wasn’t in the mood to talk any more.
He sat down and material rustled. Bree figured he was covering the girl with her coat.
Bree felt around until she touched the girl and lying on the cold hard ground, she pulled her cloak over her and slept.
She awoke with a start. The girl was shaking her shoulders, her eyes wide with fear.
“What is it?” Bree looked for Horland but couldn’t find him anywhere. “Where’s Horland?”
The girl pointed into the forest and Bree squinted, trying to see through the dim morning light.
A wolf’s howl echoed around them, another wolf answered and still a third joined in the chorus. Bree gave the girl a one-armed hug. “It’s okay, sweetie, they’re a long way off.”
Bree stood up. “Come on, let’s go find him.”
The girl held tightly to Bree’s hand and they pushed their way through the undergrowth into a small clearing. The whispering of a running creek floated to Bree’s ears and she hurried forward, but stopped abruptly and gasped at the expanse of naked flesh in front of her.
Horland was pulling his tunic over his head but stopped still at Bree’s cry gasp. He peered out through his arms and set his jaw.
Bree couldn’t take her eyes off his muscled chest. His pecs rippled as he tugged the tunic down, slowly concealing his body.
Bree raised her eyes to his and was sure a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he frowned, and his eyes went cold as he looked at her.
She turned her attention to the stream. It was narrow and shallow, not even wide enough to break the trees’ canopy. It was more of a brook really, but a beautiful sight to see. Deciding to ignore Horland’s bad mood, she beamed at him. “Mind if we have some privacy for a bit?”
He scooped up his coat. “Not at all.”
And with that, he turned his back to them.
“Um, I meant, could you leave us?”
A wolf howled.
“No.”
Bree was about to tell him where to go but the girl yanked on Bree’s sleeve and shook her head.
“Okay,” Bree said. “But don’t turn around.”
She and the girl quickly washed what skin they could without taking off any clothes. Just washing her face and feet made Bree feel better.
“Okay, you can turn around now.”
Horland knelt close to the water’s edge, filled the water bag, and strode back to the path.
Bree grabbed the girl’s hand. “Come on.”
They walked all morning and Bree didn’t even try to engage Horland in conversation. In fact, she sulked so much that even though she knew her bottom lip dropped low, she couldn’t help it. She stayed behind while the girl held Horland’s hand and walked with him.
Bree glared at his back but couldn’t help smiling as he paced his steps to the child’s. She shook her head. There’s nothing to smile about, he’s a beast.
They didn’t stop for a midday break like they usually did, and Bree’s legs were feeling the strain. She liked to think she was fit and would often walk the long mountain trails just because she could, but she never walked for days on end.
At least Horland let the girl climb on his back again—she was too small to walk all day.
Thankfully, they stopped in a small clearing before nightfall, but not having eaten all day, Bree’s stomach was just about eating itself.
Horland fished in his sack and came out with a full loaf of bread.
He broke it into three and handed a piece each to Bree and the girl.
Bree eyed it and was surprised when she couldn’t find any mold on it.
She nibbled the crust. It was stale but still tasty.
They shared the water bag and for a few moments, Bree was content.
Horland was attentive and seemed to know when she needed another drink.
He finished his bread first and stood up.
“I’ll see if I can find something more substantial for supper.”
Once he’d left, Bree offered the rest of her bread to the girl, who had already finished her piece.
She held up her hand, palm out, and shook her head.
Bree smiled. “Go on, you have it. I’ve had enough and I’m really not that fond of stale bread.”
The girl smiled widely, took it, and ate with gusto.
Wondering if Horland would find anything to eat, Bree took in her surroundings. Even without direct sunlight, it was lovely, really. If it had the stream they stopped at earlier, it would be a perfect camping spot. She took in a deep breath of sweet, clean air.
A vision of Horland, shirtless, sprang in her mind.
He was a stunner, that was for sure, but she couldn’t wrap her head around why he was giving her the silent treatment.
She thought they’d gotten closer when he told her about her parents, although of course he didn’t know he was talking about her parents.
She sucked in her bottom lip. Maybe their kiss had sparked a memory for him, and he just had to work through whatever he was feeling by himself.
She felt bad for him. He obviously liked her parents, a lot, and he was close to them, so much so, he thought of Garlain as his brother.
Bree guessed it would have hurt that they hadn’t confided in him—not that he knew they had anything to confide in him about, but he must have sensed they were keeping something from him.
And they were. Maybe she should tell him the truth, but she wasn’t sure how he would take that.
He would probably think she was mad. From what he’d said about Garlain, he thought her father was quite mad.
From what Horland heard from Simone, Garlain’s sister, he didn’t think Garlain was normal any longer.
What was normal? Bree never saw herself as what others perceived as normal.
Everyone she met thought she was mildly eccentric, at least that’s what her neighbors had called her.