Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 104340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104340 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 522(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 348(@300wpm)
“I am not a patient man.”
Dawn nodded and began. She patted her chest and then pressed her hands together as if in prayer, tilted her head and rested her hands to her cheek, then made a gestured as if she knocked on a door.
“Someone knocked on your door late when you were asleep?”
She made the same sleeping gesture but shook her head.
“You were getting ready to go to sleep?”
She nodded.
“You were still in your clothes?’
She nodded again.
“Who was at the door?”
Dawn hesitated fearful for Dorrie but then Dorrie had not cared what happened to her.
“Was it a man?”
Dawn shook her head.
“A woman, though certainly no friend.”
Dawn nodded her head slowly.
“You will point her out to me. Continue.”
Dawn moved forward in the chair and gestured with a raised hand that she wanted to stand. Cree stood moving the small bench out of her way and stepped aside. Dawn hunched over and pretended to walk slow, curling her fingers as if gnarled and old.
“Old Mary?”
Dawn put a hand to her stomach and frowned.
“Of course,” he said understanding. “This woman told you that Old Mary was ill and asked for you. She knew you would not hesitate to go help her. But did you not think for once it might be a ruse?”
She nodded and walked her fingers along in the air.
Cree nodded as well. “That’s right, Old Mary leaves a bit further in the woods. You realized after a while that it could be a trap,” —he scowled— “but you could not be sure and worried for Old Mary so you continued on.”
She nodded and then shivered.
“Someone jumped out of the woods and attacked you.”
She gestured how she fought the attacker and how he hit her and how she fell and she brought her hand down on top of her other hand to show how he had landed on her and she could not stop herself from shuddering.
Cree was at her side in an instant, his arm coiling possessively around her waist. “Did he—”
She shook her head knowing what he would ask and not wanting to hear it, not wanting to recall just how close she had come to having Goddard have his way with her. She hadn’t realized that she had rested her head to Cree’s chest and when she did, she lifted it quickly to stare into his heated eyes.
“You are telling me the truth, Dawn?”
She nodded.
“How did you get away from him?”
She slipped out of his arms and went to the fireplace and patted one of the stones and fisted her hand as if she held one, then swung it at her head. She then pumped her arms.
“You knocked him out with a stone and took off running.”
She nodded and did something she questioned afterwards; she returned to his side, his arms going around her once again.
“Confirm for me again that he did not take your virginity.”
Dawn shook her finger from side to side in front of him, tapped his chest and then tapped her own.
“I’m the only one who has ever touched you.”
She nodded and she thought for a brief moment that he smiled and for some reason it warmed her heart.
There was a knock at the door and Cree walked Dawn over to the chair and had her sit and before he bid the person to enter, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. And it soothed her more than she ever thought possible.
Sloan entered first and stepped aside for Elsa to precede him and behind her came Lila who flew past them both and headed straight for Dawn.
“Good lord, what happened?” Lila asked bending down in front of Dawn and reaching out to hug her. “Elsa was at the cottage checking on Thomas when a warrior came for her with news that you were injured. I left Thomas with one of Elsa’s helpers and came with her. Why didn’t you come to me for help?”
“Silence!”
Lila realized her mistake and immediately sought to rectify it. She stood and turned to Cree, her head bowed. “Please, my lord, forgive my disrespect for not acknowledging your presence and asking permission to speak with my friend. I was so worried about her that I foolishly gave thought to nothing else.”
Fearing Cree would punish Lila, Dawn stood at her friend’s side and began gesturing fast.
“Dawn says that I speak much too often when I shouldn’t, but that I am her dearest friend and she would appreciate it if you would forgive my bad manners. And that since I am here you should take advantage of the fact that I can understand her better than anyone.”
Dawn was not happy to see Cree’s scowl deepen.
“Since you understand her so well, Lila, ask her if she knows her attacker and who the woman was who came to her door last night and told her that Old Mary was not well and had asked for her,” Cree said annoyance edging his voice.