by Conn, Phoebe
Erik stared at his pretty companion, amazed she would make such an assumption in light of the subject of their two disastrous conversations at her house. *'No,'' he denied. "This was Freya's idea."
''Really?" Berit licked her lips suggestively as she moved closer to his side. "That was very sweet of her."
"Berit," Erik pleaded with a low moan as she leaned closer still. He knew he ought to get up and start gathering everything so they would be ready to go when Dana returned with the children. His body, however, refused to obey such a sensible command.
Berit reached out to caress his cheek, and knowing exactly what she wanted most, she dropped her hand to his shoulder and pulled him forward. "Come here," she whispered seductively. Their lips met, and she sighed softly, immensely pleased to feel him slip his arms around her waist rather than draw away.
Erik thought himself pitifully weak where Berit was concerned, but for the moment he wanted only to enjoy himself. He savored her first kiss, and then another, and soon the taste of her was so delicious he had lost count of how many times his lips had received a sweet response from hers. Her perfume was a delicate floral fragrance that blended perfectly with the fresh scents of the sunlit afternoon, and he began to worry that he might never have his fill of her enticing afl'ection.
Dana followed the sounds of the boys' voices and Thora's high-pitched giggles. They were running to and fro, still playing tag as they dashed in and out of the trees. She called out to them, but they were so absorbed in their game they didn't hear her.
Brendan didn't hear Dana either, but when he caught sight of her approaching, he hid behind a tree. While he hadn't joined in the children's games, he had been enjoying watching them and was in a decidedly playful mood. When
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the lithe redhead reached his hiding place, he stepped out and caught her hand.
"I didn't have a chance to thank you properly for providing me with one of the most splendid meals I've ever had the privilege to eat," he began with a ready grin.
While he had startled her, Brendan's mood was so light-hearted Dana was neither frightened nor offended. *'You must have had some very bad meals then," she responded at the same time she tried to withdraw her hand from his, but he didn't release her. Instead, he not only tightened his grasp, but drew her near.
Brendan watched as Dana's lashes fluttered slightly. She had the most incredibly lovely eyes he had ever seen, and he knew the rest of her delectable body was just as beautiful. He dared step no closer, for his desire for her would have been shockingly plain if he pressed against her. '*Don't forbid me to repay you in the only way I can," he ordered firmly, but his smile was charming rather than threatening.
Enveloped in the warmth of his easy embrace, Dana had only a split second to decide she liked Brendan's smile ever so much better than his frown. His mouth covered hers, and when she tried to protest, his tongue slid between her lips to muflBe the sound. He kissed her the same way Jarald always had, with a fierce possessiveness that both appalled and repelled her. Rebelling against such unwanted domination, she reached for her knife, but Brendan's hand locked around her wrist before she could free it from its sheath at her belt.
"I'm too valuable to kill," he scolded as he released her from the near suffocating kiss, but he continued to grip her hand tightly. "How could you have forgotten that?" Brendan's expression was far from charming now. He was staring down at her, a scornful sneer twisting his handsome features into a mask of hatred.
"How dare you be angry with me?" Dana exclaimed. "How dare you?"
Brendan considered the question absurd. "I only wanted to kiss you. You needn't have tried to kill me," he shouted right back at her.
"I was not trying to kill you!" Dana shrieked, and then fearing the children would overhear their argument, she
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lowered her voice to a discreet, if still belligerent, whisper. "You are not supposed to kiss me, and most especially not like that."
"What angered you most? That I kissed you, or the way that I did it?" Brendan relaxed his hold on her wrist, but when she only glared at him he didn't release her. "Must I wait until you want to kiss me to learn what you like?"
"That will be an exceedingly long wait," Dana hissed through clenched teeth. "It's time to go. Call the children."
The sharply voiced order was like a slap in die face, and Brendan reacted just as negatively. "Call them yourself. I'll see to the horses." He dropped her hand and turned away, but the sound of a scream stopped him cold. Certain it was Thora who was shrieking hysterically, he sprinted oflF toward the sound.
Dana grabbed her flowing tunic to keep from tripping over the hem and followed right after him. Brendan ran with the same fluid coordination that marked all his motions, and while she couldn't begin to keep up with him, fortunately they didn't have far to go.
The more talkative of Grena's twins, Olaf, saw Brendan dashing toward them and ran to meet him. "Thora climbed a tree to hide from us, and now she can't get down. Soren went up after her, and that's when she started screaming. She's afraid he'll drop her if he tries to carry her down."
Brendan was glad to see that Soren cared enough about his little sister to make such an effort, but it was as obvious to him as it was to Thora that her brother wouldn't be strong enough to bring her down the tree safely. They were perhaps fifteen feet oflF the ground, a distance he knew must seem enormous to the stranded child. "Come down, Soren, and I'll go up and get her."
Soren opened his mouth to argue, but when Thora began to wail even louder, he was so insulted he gave up his attempt to rescue her. "You stay put, you hear?" he told the frightened child before swinging himself down to a lower branch.
When Soren reached the ground, Dana drew him into an aflfectionate hug before scolding him. "You were supposed to keep an eye on your sister. What happened?"
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Soren mumbled the same explanation Olaf had given, then pulled free of Dana's arms. His face showing disgust at the situation his little sister had gotten herself into, he went over to stand beside the twins.
"Don't worry," Brendan boasted confidently to Dana. *'ril bring her right down."
"Wait, ril go and get Erik," Dana insisted, and she reached out to grab Brendan's arm.
"I can do it," the slave assured her. He brushed her hand away, and with an agile leap he started up the tree.
By the time Brendan reached her, Thora's screams had lessened to mere whimpers, but tears were still streaming down her cheeks. Her resemblance to Dana was so striking he couldn't help but wonder if she had also been such an adventuresome child. Deciding she must have been, he reached out to pat Thora's knee sympathetically, wishing all the while that he might someday have such a good excuse to touch Dana.
"Don't cry, little one. Do you think you can put your arms around my neck so I can carry you down on my back?"
Thora sniffed loudly before she spoke. "Yes, but I should have been able to get down all by myself."
"Going up is always easier than getting back down. I don't know how many times I got stuck up in a tree before I discovered that."
"You got stuck in a tree?"
"Had to sit there all night one time." Brendan kept talking, embellishing his tale as she clasped her tiny hands around his neck. Taking a firm grip on her arm so there was no danger that she might fall, he continued to recount the horrors of that unfortunate night until he at last reached die ground.
Erik stepped up to take Thora, but the spirited child insisted on having Brendan carry her back to the horses. Pleased that she felt so secure with him, the slave looked back over his shoulder and called to Dana, "You can thank me later for saving your sister's life."
Because she knew exactly how he would like to be thanked, Dana's cheeks flooded with a bright blush. "Come
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on, boys, let's go," she called brightly, and hoping they wouldn't notice the depth of her embarrassment, she qu
ickly followed Brendan.
When Soren and the twins had walked by them, Erik bent down to give Berit one last kiss. He had never thought merely kissing a woman could be so enjoyable, but he was grateftil Thora's screams had interrupted them before he had been tempted to lead the affectionate blonde any further.
Berit, however, thought it a terrible shame that she had had so little time alone with Erik. Brightening at the thought of the evening that lay ahead, she slipped her arm through his and took care not to trip and fall as they left the woods.
When they returned home, Dana cautioned the children to keep Thora's mishap a secret from her mother and aunt. Then she and Berit entered the house to help with the preparations for supper. Soren and Erik busied themselves with the falcons, and Brendan was left to care for the horses. He loved roasted pheasant as much as the rest of them, but after his latest argument with Dana, he wasn't sure she would send him any supper, let alone some of the scrumptious game bird.
Dana, however, had no way to deprive Brendan of a fine n^al without revealing that the arrogant slave had kissed her, and she was far too embarrassed to admit that. She had to bite her tongue when Berit described to Grena what a help the Celt had been in supervising the children that day. Dana knew Brendan was very helpful at times, but in her opinion he continually created far more problems than he solved.
*'You're not sorry that he's here dien?" Grena asked Freya, her expression tinged with a hint of doubt.
"Why, no," the delicate woman assured her sister. "He's a very agreeable sort. He's been no trouble at all."
Dana couldn't bear to hear another word of praise for the slave she considered insufferably conceited and demanding. She moved into the kitchen to watch the pheasants roasting on the spit and saw that half of the first one was placed on Brendan's tray. Again insisting Moira carry his meal, she left the house determined to introduce the petite servant
properly that evening. Unfortunately, when they reached Erik's house, they found it empty.
"Wait a moment, Moira," Dana insisted. "Maybe Brendan hasn't finished grooming the horses. You wait here while I check the stable."
"I'm needed in the house, mistress," Moira complained apprehensively. She was relieved to find the Celt gone and didn't want to have to wait for him to appear.
"Wait here," Dana commanded firmly as she hurried out the door. She made her way to the stable, but when there was no sign of Brendan inside, she walked around to the back to check the pasture. At that point, she was happy to find the tall blond man standing out with the horses, but before she could call to him, she saw one of the mares sink to her knees. Even from that distance she was certain it was Light of Dawn.
Alarmed, Dana dashed to the gate, flung it open, then slammed it shut behind her and ran through the tall grass to her mother's mare. The gray horse raised her head and gave a feeble whinny when she recognized Dana, but clearly the horse was in pain. Kneeling by her side, the redhead patted her neck with long, reassuring strokes.
"I know it's best to leave the mares alone when they foal, but Light is so precious to us I don't want to take any chances with her."
Brendan watched Dana's graceful gestures, wishing all the while she would show him that same kind of tender concern. "I'll stay with her all night if I must," he assured her. "You can go on back to your guests."
Dana turned to look up at him. "You've watched many a birth?"
Brendan nodded. "A great many."
Dana cast a worried glance over the gray mare. She thought it likely Brendan would know what to do should anything go wrong, but still she couldn't leave. "No, I want to stay. Your supper is waiting for you. Go on back to Erik's and eat. Introduce yourself to Moira, and tell her I said it was all right for her to go back to the house."
Dana had dismissed him again, given him a carefully worded order just as she would a servant, but Brendan
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refused to go. "My supper can wait." He knelt by her side, and while he did not want to see the mare suffer unnecessarily, he hoped they could pass the entire night together. '*How many foals has this mare given you?"
Dana was too distracted to realize Brendan had not done as she had asked. "Dawn's Kiss, my mare, was her first." She hesitated a moment, counting in her head. "There were three others, then the one we lost. That makes this number six."
"She knows what she's doing then," Brendan remarked softly, but he didn't like the way the mare looked either. Her labor had been under way when he had come out to check on her and Spring Blossom, but he had no way of knowing when it had begun.
As they remained side by side, so close their shoulders were touching, Dana found Brendan's presence more comforting than she had thought possible. Rather than pester her with his usual taunts, he spoke only to Light of Dawn, his voice low and soothing, and the mare actually seemed to grow more calm.
"I think she likes you," Dana remarked hesitantly.
"Horses always do," Brendan replied with a shrug.
Dana turned slightly to peek at the Celt through the fringe of her half-lowered lashes. The sun was still hovering on the horizon, and there was light enough for her to see his expression clearly. It was his enormous confidence that was so unsettling, she thought to herself. He was his own man, regardless of the fact J0m owned him. J0m, of all people, she scofiFed silently, for the handsome thrall had far more intelligence and initiative than his owner any day. Because that had to be an intolerable situation, she couldn't help tut feel guilty despite the fact she had had no hand in the transaction that had made him her cousin's property.
As they waited in the meadow, her attention remained more focused on her companion than the mare, but Dana knew his status was not something they could safely discuss. When J0m returned, she would ask if he planned to allow Brendan to earn his freedom, and if he didn't, well, she would just have to convince him that he would have to allow it. If for no other reason than she simply couldn't bear
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to think of Brendan causing owner after owner the same endless problems he had caused her, she wanted him to have his freedom. That she might have a more personal interest in him was not something she dared admit.
With a sudden lurch, Light of Dawn struggled to her feet, but when she tried to take a step, she nearly fell. Brendan gave Dana a hand to pull her up, then pushed her aside out of his way. ''Something's wrong," he advised with a frown.
"Go and get Erik then."
"No, I don't think there's going to be time." With the mare standing, Brendan had no difficulty examining her, and just as he had feared, the foal was in the wrong position, with the forelegs bent back rather than extended. "Take the mare's head and talk to her so she doesn't get frightened."
"Just what are you going to do?" Dana grabbed Light of Dawn's mane. She couldn't see from where she stood, yet she had no doubt Brendan meant to assist the horse.
"I'm just giving nature a bit of a help, is all," Brendan called as he struggled to push the foal back far enough to allow him to straighten out the forelegs. The head had been in the right position, and once he had realigned the forelegs, the birth proceeded rapidly. Tiny hooves appeared first, then a soft white nose.
Brendan removed his kirtle to wipe off his arms, and allowed the mare to do the rest of the work without further assistance. The horse stood until the withers had appeared, then lay down to expel the rest of the snow-white foal. With Dana kneeling by his side, Brendan used his stained kirtle to dry oflF the foal, whose legs appeared far too long for his diminutive size, but his eyes were bright as he took his first look at the world.
"Isn't he a beauty?" the Celt exclaimed proudly.
Dana wanted to agree, but tears choked her throat and she could only nod.
"What's the matter?" Brendan inquired. "Didn't you want another stallion as fine as his sire?"
Dana used the front of her tunic to dry her tears as she tried to explain, "I always cry," she sobbed. "Every last
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time. Lambs, calves, puppies, watching all our animals being born always makes me cry."
Brendan leaned over the newborn colt to pull the tearful redhead into his arms. Cuddling her cheek against his bare shoulder, he felt the same sense of wonder and joy that had overwhelmed her, but he only wanted to shout with glee rather than weep as she was. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the softness of her flowing curls as he stroked her hair lightly. For one brief moment he thought the world perfect and didn't hesitate to whisper his request.
'*Show me how you like to be kissed," he murmured as his hps caressed the damp curve of her cheek.
As entranced with him as he was with her, Dana lifted her lips to his without a moment's hesitation. She raised her hand to his nape to keep his mouth molded to hers as she opened her lips slighdy. Displaying the grace of the most practiced temptress, she shd her tongue between his lips, and with a captivating insouciance created the most menK>-rable kiss he had ever received. It was filled with die delicious flavor of true affection and left him breathless when all too soon she drew away. Brendan could only stare at her in awestruck silence when he saw by the bright color in her cheeks that the emotional splendor they had just shared had also affected her deeply.
Dana had been stunned, for Brendan had just shown her a gendeness she had not suspected he possessed. The colt stirred then, eager to get to his feet, and the loving mood which had enveloped them came to an abrupt end.
**rve got to go and tell the others," Dana exclaimed as she rose to her feet. **This has been such a perfect day, and Mother will be thrilled to know Light of Dawn has give* us such a sturdy colt."
Brendan watched the flame-haired beauty who had just captured his heart race across the pasture with light, dancing steps, and prayed he would be able to find his voice by the time she returned with her family. He didn't know how it had happened, but even though he despised the Danes, he feared he had just fallen in love with the prettiest one he had ever met.