Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 114917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114917 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
She slipped under the blanket, curled into a tight ball and prayed for sleep, desperately needing a respite from her troubling thoughts.
Rannick entered the cottage relieved to see Bliss asleep. He secured the board in the latches and, soaked from the rain, dried himself with the cloths stacked on a chest. He watched her sleep as he rubbed himself dry. She was curled tight as if attempting to protect herself… from him?
He knew so little about her. She claimed to be a healer and from what he had seen so far that appeared to be true. But healers—good healers—were always welcome in a clan. And she had talked about speaking with many women, so why had she left her clan. Or had she no choice? That led to more questions. If the clan cast her out, then why?
Again, he was reminded of how little he knew about her. He had accepted her far too easily and quickly. He needed to learn more about her… and yet? He wanted her there with him. He did not want to let her go, especially after enjoying her touch so much. Never had he found such pleasure in a woman’s touch as he had with Bliss, and he wanted more from her.
It was good that her only interest in him was that of a healer. It made things easier, and yet he could not help but think what it might be like if things were different and he could allow himself to care, to feel, to love.
He climbed into bed with her, eased himself around her, and settled peacefully. It would be a good winter with her to warm his bed and satisfy his needs and nothing beyond that. He closed his eyes waiting for sleep and as he drifted off, he wondered why a strange ache settled around his heart.
Though the sun sparkled in the sky, the air remained crisp. Bliss threaded a needle with the thread she had managed patiently to salvage from her torn shift as she sat enjoying the sun, that probably would not last long, while she attempted to mend the garment. She had worn Rannick’s shirt and tunic long enough. She needed her shift repaired before winter set in. She wished Elysia was there or at least nearby. She would stitch it for her or stitch a whole new garment.
She wondered how Elysia was doing. Had she paid heed to her word and wed Saber, a bear of a man, but a gentle soul, who worked a croft not far from the village. She could tell by the way he had looked at Elysia that he cared for her, and she was sure Elysia felt the same about him. If she had wisely wed Saber, he would keep her safe and that was what Bliss wanted more than anything—her two sisters safe.
Rannick was busy sharpening his daggers with a rock not far from where she sat. He had made no mention of last night and either had she, and when she woke in his arms this morning, he had quickly left the bed, dressed, and left the cottage.
Her stomach churned when his silence ended, and he asked her an unexpected question.
“What clan were you a healer to?”
“I remained with no particular clan. I made my home in a lone cottage in the woods and people from different clans came to see me,” she said, thinking of Cumina, the wise woman who women from all around visited when in need of a potion or charm.
That seemed reasonable enough to him, though he wondered, “Why did you leave?”
“It became unsafe,” she said, recalling the stories Kendesa, the old healer she had replaced, told her about.
“How so?” Rannick asked, intending to learn all he could about her.
She repeated what Kendesa had told her. “When illness strikes a clan, the healer is usually blamed, and she is often driven off or killed. I learned from watching what happened to other healers and I have taken my leave when such times have threatened.”
Bliss recalled how pleased Kendesa had been to remain with Clan Loudon for the last ten years of her life. She had learned much from the old healer.
It was easy for Rannick to believe that. He recalled his father sending their healer away because he felt she had failed the clan. He had thought differently but his father was too stubborn to listen, and he had not cared enough to argue with him.
He did not like to think of Bliss going off on her own to be left vulnerable once again. When winter was done, he would see what could be done to keep her safe.
Rannick’s hand suddenly gripped the dagger he worked on and ordered, “In the cottage now!”
Bliss was about to rush to her feet when Lawler stepped hesitantly out of the woods with his horse tagging along behind him.