Champion

by Marie Higgins

What’s going on?”

  Mary shrugged. “Apparently, he wants the house.”

  Payton swung toward her friend and gasped. “Are you kidding? I thought Phillip was happy with his bachelor life in his condo.

  So did I. He called during our first little break. That’s why you thought I looked upset.

  What did he say?

  He doesn’t want to own half of the house any longer. He wants to buy out my share.”

  Payton laid her hand on Mary’s arm. “He can’t do that. Can he?”

  Mary ran her fingers through her straight black, shoulder-length, hair. “It was stated in the divorce that we could. However, he had told me during the divorce that I could have the house for our business. He knew I couldn’t afford to pay him half for it, either. So why he’s suddenly become interested in it, I don’t know.

  He can’t force you to give up your half can he?

  No.” Mary shrugged. “However, he can make it miserable for us until I do.

  Well, we won’t cave. We’ll fight him every step of the way.” Payton stood and paced the floor. “If I have to try and take out my own mortgage, I will. This house is the perfect place and the perfect location for our business, so I’m sure I could get a business loan, too.

  Payton, no.” Mary stood. “I don’t want us to go into debt any more than we already are.”

  She stopped her pacing and huffed, folding her arms across her chest. “How much money do you need to buy him out? If he knows we won’t budge, then maybe he’ll give up and try and find another house to live in.

  It would be too much money, Pay.” Mary rubbed her forehead. “We’d have to come up with a good two-hundred thousand dollars, and that’s even saying he’d take it. By the way he sounded on the phone, he wanted us to move out so he could own the place.

  Ridiculous.” Payton threw her hands in the air. “We won’t let him bully us.

  You know, he tried to convince me that we couldn’t afford to live here. He mentioned the problems in the garage that we had when we were married. He also said something about the plumbing issues we’ve been having lately.”

  Payton crinkled her brow. “How does he know about the plumbing?

  I don’t know, unless he’s just guessing because we sort of had problems with it before the divorce.

  Well, whatever you do, don’t tell him about everything we did to increase the value of the house.”

  Mary shook her head. “I definitely won’t.

  Unless, of course,” Payton paused as a grin sneaked on her face, “we tell him the house is full of problems, and then he might not want to live here at all.”

  Mary laughed. “I doubt that will work the way we want it to. You remember Phillip. He was very controlling, and he always had to have his own way.

  Don’t remind me.” Payton took her empty glass off the table and put it in the sink. “I couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him for more than ten minutes.”

  The floor in the hallway creaked, and she snapped her attention toward that direction. Calvin stood near the entryway, leaning against the wall. Payton fisted her hands by her side, but bit her lip. She’d wait to see what he wanted first before she voiced her thoughts.

  “You didn’t take very long to sleep it off,” Mary told him.

  “I wasn’t tired, and I wasn’t hung over, either.” He walked into the kitchen, closer to Payton. “I just wanted to apologize. I’m sorry I was so forceful downstairs. I just...” He shrugged. “I just didn’t like the way that guy kept looking at you...like he wants to own you.”

  Payton arched an eyebrow. “Really? If I remember correctly, that was the way you used to look at me a few months ago. So now that you have moved on, why can’t I?

  Pay, you don’t even know this guy.” He stepped closer. “You don’t know what he’s really like. He could be a serial killer for all we know.”

  She leaned back against the sink and folded her arms. “And you could be the same. You are not the man I thought you were. Looks can be deceiving.

  Exactly. So don’t trust him.

  All right, you two.” Mary walked between them. “Can you put your feelings aside so we can go downstairs and take some incredible pictures?

  I can,” Payton quickly answered. “I’ve been doing this for a while now.”

  Calvin lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Yes, I can too.

  And can you play nicely with the other models?” Mary asked him.

  He grumbled. “Yes.

  Good.” Mary clapped her hands once. “Let’s get back to business and make some money.”

  FIVE

  After another exhausting shoot—mainly because she felt jittery around Calvin, and didn’t trust herself around Archer—she retired to her bedroom and closed and locked the door. She didn’t want to be disturbed. There was too much thinking that needed to be done, and unfortunately, sleep wouldn’t come easy until she could figure out the confusion in her head.

  Although she didn’t want to believe Archer was Robin Hood, it was hard not to. Even the others who talked to him today commented on his accent and his different way of talking and thinking. What else could Payton conclude except that he was Robin Hood?

  She’d seen all the movies and read most of the books about the fictional character, but she wanted to know more, much more. Especially so she could ask him questions about that era just to see if he really was the renowned hero.

  Sitting at her desk, she booted up her computer to do some research. Within minutes, she looked up Robin Hood. According to the internet, Robin’s real name was Robert Loxley. She shrugged. So far that fit with the man she’d met last night in the bushes. This particular article also stated that Robin Hood was an excellent archer as well as a highly skilled swordsman. Well, that definitely fit with the movies she’d seen about him.

  Archer didn’t like to be called Robin but he said nothing about Hood. Of course, she knew the legendary folklore hero was given this last name to strike fear into the people because back in those days, hood meant someone who was an outlaw. According to Archer, he had been working as one of the sheriff’s guards before she brought him to her world, which told her that he hadn’t yet been deemed an outlaw at this time.

  Groaning, she scratched her head. A small pounding began in her base of her skull, threatening to ruin her night. Yet, being confused didn’t help, either.

  As she continued to read, she came across Robin Hood’s other helpers; Little John, Will Scarlett, Friar Tuck, and...Maid Marion. Payton grinned. Already Archer had referred to her as a maiden. Too funny. Since he hadn’t met Maid Marion yet, could she be that woman?

  Laughing out loud, she pushed away from the computer and stood, threading her fingers through her hair. What was she thinking? She couldn’t be Maid Marion no matter how much she’d wanted—wished, she reminded herself—a real life fairy tale hero.

  A soft knock at the door startled her, and she jumped. Who would want to see her this late at night? It had better not be Calvin, that’s for sure.

  She moved to the door, but stopped before opening it. “Who is it?

  It is I, Archer.”

  Her heart jumped in an irregular rhythm. She’d realized earlier today that being alone with him was not a good idea. Swallowing the lump forming in her throat, she cracked the door open. “What are you doing awake?

  Forgive me if I’m bothering you, but I need to speak with you.”

  She really shouldn’t, but his gaze nearly melted her heart. How could she deny this man anything? Nodding, she opened the door and motioned her hand for him to enter. When he did, she closed the door.

  His attention swept over her. “Why are you not in your night clothes?

  I couldn’t sleep.

  Neither could I.” He frowned. “I fear there are so many unanswered questions running through my mind that I knew I must find some answers in order to rest.

  I know that feeling well.

  Since you told me that folklore story about Robin Hood
, I have not been able to get it off my mind. I want to know how a story could be about my life and things I have done—or will do—when I don’t even know about it.” He walked to the window and looked outside. “It is very difficult to believe that I am this person.”

  Chuckling, she sat on the edge of her bed. “Yes, it’s very hard for me to believe you are this person, however your story and Robin’s story match.”

  He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Except for the fact that I do not know those people.

  You know the Sheriff of Nottingham.”

  Humor quickly left his face and he heaved a sigh. “Indeed, I know him, but it’s still hard to believe.”

  She hesitated in showing him what she’d found on the computer. She didn’t know how to explain technology to him. But suddenly, she recalled having a book from when she was a child, and because it had been her favorite, she brought it with her when she moved in with Mary.

  She hurried to her closet and opened the sliding door. There were shelves in the closet that she kept odds and ends—things she didn’t need a lot. The book stood out amongst the others, and she exhaled a relieved sigh. Trying to tell Archer about how the internet worked wasn’t something she wanted to do.

  As she passed him, she motioned with her hand for him to join her on the bed. She plopped down on the edge of her mattress, and he sat next to her.

  “This is one out of the many books written about a fictitious man named Robin Hood.” She handed it to him. “For centuries, this story has been famous.”

  He studied the front and back cover before opening to the first page. “But they aren’t true stories, correct?

  Well, from my research, they were stories created after a real person with the name Robert of Loxley, but how true they were is not known.

  I shall definitely read through this and see.” He flipped open to the first page before lifting his gaze back to hers. “Another thing has been plaguing my mind.

  What is that?

  If by some incredible chance that I am this man Robin Hood, how did I arrive in your world—a place that has such different contraptions, and a different way of dressing and talking. How was it that I came to be here?”

  Heat crawled up her neck to her face again. For Heaven’s sake, could she really confess to bringing him here? He’d think she was the one insane. Then again, if she wasn’t, then he was.

  Groaning, she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. One way or another she had to answer his question, even if he looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.

  “My explanation for how you arrived might be even harder to believe than traveling through time.” She looked at him. “You see, the night you popped up in the bushes, I was outside staring at the night sky. I had been pondering my life, and wondering why I have always gotten stuck with bad men. They could not respect me. They could never love me for myself. They were always so self-centered and they didn’t have room in their life for someone as plain as me.” She breathed a defeated sigh. “I had been hoping to see a falling star so I could make a wish—even though I figured my wish wouldn’t come true, anyway.”

  He nodded. “But you saw a falling star and made a wish?”

  She chuckled. “Yes. I had made my wish quickly, knew the star would soon disappear. So I wished...” She paused, not daring to tell him. But the way he looked at her made her believe that he wouldn’t laugh or think her crazy. There was such seriousness in his deep blue eyes, she suddenly had the urge to tell him everything about her life.

  “What did you wish for?” he asked.

  “I’d wished for a fairy tale hero who would love me forever.” For the few brief seconds of silence, she studied his expression. It didn’t waver. So far, it didn’t appear at all that he thought she’d gone daft. She flipped her hand. “I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I was feeling sorry for myself in the moment of time and made a silly wish.”

  He placed his hand over hers that rested on the bed. “Your wish wasn’t silly at all. I believe most women want a man to love them forever.

  Yes, I’m sure they do, but most women in my world don’t wish for a fairy tale hero like I did.”

  His smile widened. “Am I your fairy tale hero?” He glanced down at the book. “Or more specifically, is Robin Hood your fairy tale hero?

  I must admit that growing up, Robin Hood was my favorite fairy tale story, but I never figured one would suddenly appear before my eyes out of thin air.

  Then do you think I am your hero?”

  Her heartbeat flipped crazily. The warmth from his hand covering hers made her insides turn to mush. And his dreamy gaze only made things worse. “I don’t know what to think, Archer.

  Tell me, Payton, in your opinion, what makes a man heroic?”

  For years, she’d had her idea of the perfect man—a true hero. Now that she had the chance to voice her thoughts, she hesitated. Would he think her silly? Then again, he hadn’t thought she’d lost her mind when she told him she’d wished him here. “Good question.” She nodded. “Too bad most men didn’t ask me this before.

  I’m asking now.”

  She licked her suddenly dry lips. “My idea of the perfect man would be someone who respects me, someone who cares about my feelings, and someone who doesn’t mind not only being the love of my life but my best friend, as well. He’s someone who will work on a relationship and a commitment. He’s someone who’ll protect the woman he loves. He’ll treat me like I’m more important than his friends, his cell phone, or his sports.”

  Memories surfaced of all the men she’d ever dated. None of them could fit into this role, so why had she even wasted her time with them? They had all hurt her terribly. They had all decided she wasn’t good enough for them and moved on to the next bombshell model-type woman. They hadn’t wanted a woman who could think for herself or voiced her opinions. In the end, she was left miserable with a broken heart, and lonely.

  He moved his hand toward her face. She thought he was going to caress her cheek, but instead, he brushed away a tear sliding from her eye that she hadn’t realized was there.

  “Perhaps you will find this man soon,” he whispered. “I’m sorry you have been hurt before.

  Yes, well...” She pulled away from him and tried to stand, but he grasped her hands and held her still.

  “Please don’t go. I rather enjoy sharing this moment with you.”

  Her cheeks burned from the awkward situation. He really needed to leave her room before something happened that she might regret later.

  Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “Your company has been very nice, Archer, but I think I need to be by myself to think. And you,” she pointed to the book on his lap, “have some reading to do.”

  His gaze held hers for the longest time as though he wanted her to change her mind. Although the idea tempted her, it really was best that he leave.

  “Then I suppose I should leave now.” He stood and walked to the door, but he stopped before opening it. He turned and looked at her. “Will you be taking pictures tomorrow?

  Actually, no. Why do you ask?

  I was wondering if you can walk with me through town. I am very interested to see what is outside of this strange building.”

  She laughed. “I think you’re going to find much stranger things outside this house.

  Would you take me, anyway?

  Yes, I will.” She ran her gaze over his clothes. “But I think we’ll need to find something else for you to wear.

  What is wrong with these?

  Men don’t wear clothes like this, unless they are models doing it for pictures.”

  He smiled. “Then I shall leave my attire in your capable hands for tomorrow’s event.

  Good choice.” She winked. “I’ll see you tomorrow.

  Yes, you shall.”

  ARCHER SLEPT ANOTHER restful night.

  Well, at least his body had. His mind, however, was something completely different. He’d read the short children’s story about Robin Hood, and
it had stuck in his mind all night. The fictitious hero was him...or at least, very similar. There were so many resemblances between him and the book character, and the realization was startling.

  Was he this hero Robin Hood who had been pulled from another dimension? As impossible as it seemed, he really thought he was. Payton told him she had wished him here, and once more, he couldn’t help but believe her. How else could he have gotten to this strange world without a bit of magic?

  He couldn’t wait to spend time with her today. Just the two of them. He wanted to prove to her that not all men were like the ones who’d hurt her. He also wanted to make her smile and laugh. Her eyes twinkled and her whole face lit up. The rare times she’d done this had softened his heart.

  She had been wise to send him out of her room last night. She was vulnerable, and he could have enjoyed holding her, and yes, even stealing a kiss. Unfortunately, the time wasn’t right. He still suspected she didn’t trust him fully. He hoped to change that fact today.

  Payton had left him some other clothes, but he didn’t like the feel of this coarse material against the skin of his legs. He’d noticed a few of the other models wearing this, and they acted as if it didn’t bother them. So he would have to toughen up and deal with the difference. Yet, as he walked around his room, he realized these odd leggings didn’t give him the mobility he needed.

  With an irritable sigh, he changed back into the leggings Payton let him wear yesterday. Much better.

  The new shirt wasn’t as loose as the other had been, but at least the material was comfortable against his skin. This, he would be able to wear without complaint.

  When he left his room and wandered to the dining area, another heavenly aroma attacked his senses and made his stomach grumble. Definitely one good thing about being in this world was the tasty food. If he ever returned to his world, he would certainly miss this type of food.

  Instead of Payton, the other woman, Mary, stood at the stove. When she looked at him, she smiled.

  “Good morning.” Her gaze skimmed over his attire and a frown claimed her face. “Are you going to wear that during your outing today?”