Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 362(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“For you.”
Aliss turned around.
He held out a yellow wildflower and cringed when he saw that in his rush he had yanked out root and all.
She smiled, laughed, and took it from him. “Thank you.”
That she was gracious in accepting his mistake made his heart soar even more with love for her and he stepped forward. “One kiss,” he murmured. “I have missed kissing you. Just one—please?”
She looked from him to the flower then to him again and with a tender smile stepped close and kissed his cheek then stepped away.
“I had more than that in mind.”
“You asked for a kiss and I gave it. You gave me a flower and I accepted it.”
She was right. She had accepted his gift freely and gladly, root and all. He owed her the same.
“No root next time.”
“No cheek next time.”
She entered her cottage sniffing the flower, her green eyes sparkling, and Rogan smiled as he turned and walked away.
The night brought with it a thunderstorm and a fever to Teresa.
Rogan knew his wife would remain by Teresa’s side until the fever no longer threatened her. Anna would not be there to assist; Aliss had insisted it was not necessary.
He brought supper to his wife but she was too busy to eat. She gently cooled the young woman’s body with wet cloths while assuring her in a soft voice that she would be all right, and she meant it.
Rogan had watched her carefully when he had first brought her to his clan. He had heard of her unique healing abilities, but he had not been certain if they were tale or truth. Her talent seemed almost too mythical to be true, but he had learned differently.
He had learned that she possessed the heart and touch of an angel and the determination and strength of a warrior. Her presence alone had the capability of bringing relief to the ailing. Even now as the young woman’s fever raged, Teresa lay calmly in bed, relaxed by Aliss’s tender touch.
There was no point in disturbing the two, so he took his leave quietly, hoping Aliss would find time to eat when Teresa slept.
He returned to the keep and spoke with the few men and women in the great hall whose cottages were not yet ready for occupancy. Then as the night grew late he made his way to his bedchamber and climbed into an empty bed.
He lay there thinking of Aliss as he did most of the day. She forever invaded his thoughts, and without her here beside him she continued to haunt his mind. He forced his eyes closed and before long they drifted open and he found himself staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.
A strange thought came to him. He would spend many nights here staring at the ceiling and it would be a good idea to have it painted with an interesting scene. Then he would have something to gaze at while waiting for his wife’s return.
He laughed to himself. He was planning a future with Aliss and it felt so very right. He turned on his side and looked at the pillow where Aliss rested her head. In a very short time, he had grown accustomed to having her there beside him. He would not want to sleep without her and would not want to wake without her there.
He threw off the blanket, pulled on his shirt, his plaid, and his sandals, and hurried out of the room. He would go to Aliss and wait for her no matter how long it took.
Rogan entered the cottage quietly though Aliss turned her head and acknowledged him with a nod as he closed the door. He took a seat in a wooden chair near the fireplace and settled in to wait for his wife.
He was snoring in no time.
Aliss heard the familiar sound and smiled as she bathed Teresa’s forehead with a cool cloth. The fever lingered though it raged no more and she was certain that in a couple of hours it would be gone completely.
She dipped the cloth in the bowl of water to rinse the heat from it and caught the sight of her husband, legs stretched out, arms folded across his chest and his head lolled to the side, sound asleep.
She smiled as she recalled his earlier gift. In his haste to offer her a token to prove his love, he had plucked a flower out by the roots. His thoughtfulness had touched her heart and the exposed roots made her think of their own love that had been carelessly uprooted and discarded without care.
Should she give him a chance in his quest to prove his love? Or was he simply doing it to keep what meant more to him—the isle.
Aliss returned her attention to Teresa. Finally, three hours before dawn, her fever vanished and she rested comfortably.