Read Online Loved By a Warrior by Donna Fletcher - Free Book Online Page B

“Stay put until I get rid of them.”
    Jacob nodded, slowly cupping his elbow in his hand.
    Reeve grew more annoyed seeing that the old man had suffered far too much and for no reason. He withdrew his sword and began poking the soldiers as they starting coming to with groans.
    â€œGet up!” Reeve yelled repeatedly, as they struggled to get to their feet. The one whose jaw he had broken had the most difficulty standing. “Go help the idiot,” Reeve ordered the first man who finally made it to his feet, and poked him with the tip of his sword to get him moving.
    â€œYou’ll suffer the consequences for this,” another said as he stumbled to his feet.
    â€œThe only ones who will suffer any consequences are the four of you if you don’t leave MacAlpin land immediately. And if you don’t understand consequence, let me enlighten you. I will see you all dead by morning if you do not take your leave of MacAlpin land now !”
    â€œThe king owns all land,” one soldier shouted.
    â€œThe king owns nothing. He owes everything to his people,” Reeve said. “Now be gone with you before I regret how lenient I’ve been.”
    The four leaned on each other as they hobbled to their horses.
    A thought struck Reeve. “Leave one horse.”
    The soldiers looked angry and argued among themselves over who would lose his horse, until Reeve ordered, “Leave the gray mare.”
    They did, riding off mumbling.
    â€œCowards the lot of them,” Jacob said, and spat.
    Reeve agreed with a nod, then turned to Jacob. “Are you all right?”
    â€œNothing that won’t heal,” Jacob assured him. “You’ll be staying the night at least, won’t you?”
    â€œI had hoped to since I have a woman with me who needs tending, and we could do with some food.”
    Jacob had trouble getting up off the bench, but he brushed away Reeve’s offered hand. “My bones may be protesting, but that’s too bad for them. They’ll be doing what I want, or I’ll not give them a lick of rest. Now go get your friend and bring her here. Willow will see to her, and she already has a tasty stew cooking.”
    Reeve did as ordered and went and got Tara. He was pleased that she had waited where he had left her. He scooped her up though she protested and had her inside the cottage to find Jacob struggling to lift the door to the root cellar.
    Reeve quickly set Tara on a chair and lifted the door before Jacob could object.
    â€œIt’s all right, Willow, you can come out now,” Jacob called down.
    A slim woman of medium height, with fiery red curls piled wildly on top of her head and a lovely face, though unfortunately marred by a thin scar that ran across her left cheek, practically leapt out of the cellar.
    â€œAre you all right, grandda?” she asked, going directly to him though acknowledging Reeve as she did. “Glad you came along, Reeve.”
    â€œYou both truly need to move to the village, for a while at least,” Reeve said. ”The king’s soldiers are suddenly showing a strong presence in this area.”
    Willow carefully examined the old man’s injuries. “Grandda will not leave his land, and I will not leave him.”
    â€œNo more of this talk,” Jacob ordered. “We have a guest who is injured.”
    Willow looked to Reeve, then to Tara. “What is wrong?’
    â€œA sprained ankle, no more,” Tara said. “See to your grandda first.”
    Willow ignored the old man’s protests that their guest be seen to first and went and filled a bucket with snow and sat it on the hearth to melt and heat. She gathered stripes of clean cloth and grabbed a handful of herbs that hung in bunches from the ceiling rafters.
    While Willow was busy tending her grandda, Reeve helped Tara out of her cloak. His hand went to her arm, her elbow, her back as he moved her around to slip it off her. When done, he