Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Without a word, Knox lifted Dru onto the saddle, then swung up behind her. His arms bracketed her as he took the reins, and she was keenly aware of the warmth radiating from him.
Only when they were moving did he finally break the silence. “What did you find out? And what did the old man have to say? And it better be the truth.”
Dru arched a brow. “Sounds like we still have a trust issue.”
His arm around her waist tightened slightly, just enough to remind her she had little room to wriggle out of answering.
“Tell me all of it.”
She sighed dramatically. “Well, if you must know, I gave Albert an apple. He has good teeth, in case you were wondering.”
Knox’s eyes flared with annoyance. “Dru.”
She smirked but relented. “I asked him about Autumn. He told me what you likely already know, same with Hennie—Torrance hired a mercenary to find her. A big fellow… you.” She cast him a glance, but he remained unreadable. “Hennie also mentioned a healer who befriended Autumn’s mum, if that matters, and I heard whispers that some believe Autumn is dead.”
Knox’s grip on the reins tightened. “Anything else?”
“This news came as a surprise… there’s someone else searching for her, but Albert didn’t know who or why.”
Knox was silent for a long moment, the steady rhythm of the horse’s hooves filling the space between them.
“That troubles me,” he finally said.
Dru twisted slightly in the saddle to glance up at him. “Because we don’t know who it is?”
“Because if there’s more than one party hunting her, then we’re not the only ones who see value in her.”
Dru frowned. “But why? Autumn isn’t exactly a prize.”
Knox didn’t answer right away, his gaze locked on the path ahead. “She is to Lord Torrance. If someone else finds her, a price can be demanded for her. If that’s not the case, then we’re missing something.”
“It makes sense that other mercenaries might be hunting her—more coins to be made.” Dru chewed at her bottom lip in thought. “Unless…”
Knox waited, but impatience finally had him demanding, “Unless what?”
She sighed as if she was still wrestling with her thoughts. “Someone may intend to use Autumn in a different way.”
Knox fell into thought, then his eyes darkened. “Revenge.”
Dru nodded. “Lord Torrance’s father, Lord Randall, was a brutal man, but some say Lord Torrance is far worse. It seems the sins of the son far outweigh the sins of the father.”
“We need to stay vigilant,” Knox warned.
She grinned. “I’m vigilant. I heard you loud and clear back there.”
Knox flicked a glance down at her. “Heard me say what? Where?”
She batted her lashes playfully. “When you told Seth, ‘She’s mine.’”
As if the notion was absurd, Knox let out a laugh. “I said no such thing.”
“You did. Loud and clear.” She patted his chest, solid muscle, reminding her of his strength. “No shame in it, Knox. I’m rather fond of you myself.”
His laughter faded into something more serious. “Fond enough to make this marriage permanent?”
Dru almost hesitated. Almost. But she caught herself and laughed. “Not on your life.”
“The feeling is mutual,” Knox confirmed, though he had noticed the slightest pause, as if she’d actually considered it.
She cleared her throat. “There’s a croft where many travelers stop for food and drink. We might learn something there or at least learn who recently passed through.”
“Dugan’s place,” he said.
“You know it?”
“I’ve stopped there a time or two. We’ll see what Dugan can tell us. Then we’ll go to where Autumn and her mum lived, see if we can find the healer who befriended her.”
She shrugged. “Haven’t you been there already? It’s the first place I would have started my search.”
“You are as observant as you claim and it is the reason I chose to search for you first,” Knox admitted, then his voice hardened. “Why did that man chase you through the market? And I’ll hear nothing but the truth from you.”
“When are you going to trust me, Knox?”
“Never.”
Dru clutched her chest in mock pain. “You wound me, Knox.”
She couldn’t blame him. Trust wasn’t easy for her either. Her past had seen to that.
“Tell me why he was chasing you.”
She tilted her head, curiosity sparking in her eyes. “I will tell you if you tell me something about yourself first.”
Knox’s gaze narrowed. “What do you want to know?”
“When did you join the mercenaries?”
“I didn’t join them. I was sold to them when I was eight years.”
“Who sold you?” she asked softly almost as if she didn’t want to know.
She imagined him as a lad—perhaps large for his age, or maybe small and skinny, handed over to ruthless men. Her heart squeezed with pain for him.
“My parents,” Knox said without feeling. “There were eight of us. Too many mouths to feed. The mercenary leader, Phelan, offered good coins for me. It was the last time I ever saw any of them.”