Khari'na Made (Muse Book 1)

by Jean Winter

  The girl suddenly quieted. “Why?”

  “Because he is a big, clumsy, hungry quirl sloth that will not get his breakfast if he doesn't.”

  “Papa, that true?” She looked at her father, whose forehead creased.

  “Well, 'clumsy' is going a bit far—”

  “Yay! I help?” Jos'lie didn't wait for an answer. She forced her way out and trotted away to get dressed.

  With a chuckle, J'Kor gazed down at Lyra. “Really. Are you feeling better this morning?”

  “Yes,” Lyra said, suddenly quite shy. It was very disconcerting that she wasn't instantly repelled by the intimate nature of his posture over her. He was all muscled shoulders, a broad, inviting chest, and easy, masculine charm for the taking.

  “You will have an eager shadow all day today,” he said, his grin holding some apology.

  “She will be a welcome bit of company, my lord, I assure you.”

  The eyes clouded over. J'Kor turned away and sat up on the edge of his side of the bed

  Oh, shoot! “I didn't mean it like that, my lord. I'm sorry, I … I honestly didn't.”

  “It is all right. I understand what you meant.” But his tone couldn't quite match the assurance.

  He stretched and rubbed at one of his shoulders as if it were bothersome and Lyra suddenly blurted, “Would you like me to try to work that out for you?”

  It was a long pause. “Are you sure you will no' feel uncomfortable?”

  Throwing off her covers, Lyra crawled over. “Loosening a tight muscle? That is no problem.” She knelt behind him and pressed the heel of her palm firmly against his upper left trapezius, right overtop the tattoo. “Right here?”

  “Aye,” he breathed, relaxing.

  It was a white lie. Laying hands on him like this was uncomfortable, but it was the discomfort of her scruples at work. She was seeing him in a new light. A devoted father. Someone willing to harbor a traitor on principle. And his musculature beneath her fingers, the rolling contours under the skin when he moved, his cute, mussed up hair, the light freckling across the top of his shoulders, it was nice.

  You are beginning to like him. The realization nearly made her jump, but Lyra forced herself to continue the massage.

  Ack, slow down! He'll notice.

  She sucked in a few slow breaths and relaxed again. It couldn't be true. It MUST not.

  Of course, it wasn't true. Just because she didn't loathe him anymore, didn't mean that she automatically liked him. Not in that sense. That was impossible. She was just a widow of a few weeks still pining for her beloved Jon! She could never love anyone else again like she did him. But—

  STOP. She really should move her brain on to a different subject. “My lord, why did you choose the oscekhiss for your tattoo? Yesterday morning, when you told me about it, it sounded like you had a specific reason.”

  “Aye,” he replied. “When I was a boy, our family vacationed once in the southern isles and I happened across some by accident—a pair with three kits. When they saw me, the pair nudged their babies back into their nest then stood side by side outside, guarding the entrance until I finally went away. I suppose I liked the idea—the two sticking together, helping each other.” He went silent a moment, then craned his neck around to look at her. “Did you know that the oscekhiss mate for life?”

  It was that look again—the one she could feel penetrate through her and swallow her up if she let it. “I think—maybe I remember something …” Her heart began to race. Lyra heard the faint bumping around of Jos'lie in her room. A sheep bleated somewhere.

  Suddenly, J'Kor turned away, shrugging off her hands. “Lyra, I think you had better go now,” he said, his voice low.

  “Yes, my lord.”

  Lyra couldn't crawl off the bed fast enough. In the closet, she slipped her work frock over her head, yanked on her boots, and was out the door in record time. She left him, still sitting quietly.

  Jos'lie's pounce this time in the hall was welcome. It got Lyra's mind off the smoldering hot Caldreen'n in the bedroom. The girl was in high spirits following Lyra from the bathroom to the kitchen, cradling her new doll happily against her chest, and she needed a bit of gentle persuasion before she would set it off to the side in preparation for cooking. Jos'lie bubbled randomly disconnected stories about school and people and teachers which continued unabated as Lyra put her to work before the mixing bowl. Today they would prepare another family favorite of Lyra's: “pop tarts,” as they were known.

  The delicate nature of this singular treat, in which bicarbonate of soda was combined with the dried, fleshy leaves of the zippora plant ground into a fine powder, made the tart's filling rather volatile in the oven if the proportions, thickness of the crust, and cooking temperature were not just right. However, when it was done right, the sweet pastry was heaven in the mouth. Which was just what Lyra needed to remind J'Kor how much he wanted to keep her.

  In the spirit of helping his daughter have a great time cooking, however, Lyra had to let go a little. She needed to keep things upbeat and interesting. Keep Jos'lie's enthusiasm for the project going.

  “Miss Jos'lie, would you like to hear a funny song about the pop tart? My … friend and I made it up several years ago.” My very special friend.

  # # #

  Blast it all! Why did she have to keep affecting him like that? It was downright embarrassing.

  Kade plopped backward over the bed's unmade surface and lay there, staring blankly upward. She had initiated the contact, not him, and she had been so close that the air between them was warmed. The only thing that had saved Kade, in fact, from uttering some insincere apology before cradling her head in his hands, introducing his open lips to hers, and making love to her on the spot was the sure knowledge that Jos'lie could be back at any moment. It would have happened, otherwise. He knew it.

  Lyra was finally feeling more comfortable with him, he could tell, but it was too soon—too fast for the Believer woman from the mountains. She needed more time to see that physical closeness and affectionate touching were not bad things—not a necessary evil.

  Stick to the plan. Investigate. Understand. Lead her along gently.

  Kade finally rolled from the bed to his feet. Well, he couldn't keep lying around here like—what had she jokingly called him—a sloth?

  Jos'lie and Lyra were chattering happily to each other in the kitchen. They'd been doing that for some minutes, and Kade couldn't help but reflect how amazing the woman was being with his princess. How could he let someone like that go?

  He started to dress, and suddenly registered singing—Lyra's singing. Oh, no, not again.

  … Better re-,

  Respect the recipe,

  Handle me,

  Me, oh, so carefully and …

  It was an amusing, spirited melody and Jos'lie, surely, was loving it, but—Bloody moons!—he had to shut that woman down. He couldn't have Lyra singing anymore. Not after Nim's revelation! Setting his jaw determinedly, Kade left the room.

  “Good morrow, ladies,” he said crisply, formally. Interrupting.

  Lyra quickly turned with a bow of her head. “Good morrow, my lord.” Her glance at him was tentative, but Kade put on his blank face as he walked toward the pair.

  “Papa!” Jos'lie cried, holding flour-caked hands out to him. “Mama Lyra is teach' me make pop tarts!”

  “Mmm, ambitious.” At the stove, he dipped a finger into the fruit filling that was being brought to a boil. Delicious! “Not bad.”

  That got Lyra to relax again. “It will be about twenty-five more minutes, my lord.”

  “That is fine, just, please keep the noise down, 'Na Lyra. It is too early for such boisterousness in the house and I would like to listen to the morning news on the voicebox in peace.”

  “Of course, my lord, um, sorry.” She went back to helping Jos'lie cut out pastry rounds, clearly embarrassed. Good.

  Then Kade moved behind her, resting his hands lightly on her hips and brushing his lips ever
so slightly against her cheek. “But, thank you,” he murmured, “for doing this with Jos'. It means the world to me.”

  Lyra lost focus on her task. “You are welcome, my lord. It is my pleasure to work with such a willing helper.”

  “Papa? D' you love, Mama Lyra?” Jos'lie said as she enthusiastically rolled the pin over the leftover dough scraps Lyra had given her. “'S that why you mehrried?” Lyra went stiff against him.

  “Er, Princess, remember what I told you? 'Na Lyra is Papa's helper and friend. We are joined, no' married.”

  Jos'lie studied her rolling job matter-of-factly. “No. You need marry Mama Lyra, so she love you, too.”

  Lyra skirted round to Jos'lie's far side. “Hey, Sweetness, let me help you smooth that out so we can finish up now.”

  Kade was happy to change the subject, too. “Well, you two keep doing a great job in here. Remember, the big, clumsy, sloth is still ravenous.” He gave Jos'lie a pat on the head. He wasn't about to hug her. The girl was covered in flour.

  “What means 'rav'nus,' Papa?”

  Kade leaned in close to his daughter's face and ventured a wicked grin. “It means hungry only angrier.”

  Jos'lie's joyous shriek had Kade's ears ringing as he strode into the hall to knock on Breht's door.

  “Breht! Time to get up now if you want to have time for friends later.”

  A laborious groan rose up, like the final death throes of a diseased whorlock. Annoying fatherly wake-up call accomplished. Check. Kade retreated to his chair for the news.

  The morning's reports were centered again on the bloody skirmishes taking place along the northeastern border. A rosy picture was painted about the progress being made there, but Kade knew from his own personal sources that the two largest city-states in that area, Tangun and Rho, had recently joined forces and were not going down as easily as the citizens were meant to believe. There were a lot of good soldiers dying up there in the name of national security. Kade just wondered if, when the dust cleared, the high cabinet's decision would be deemed worth the cost.

  Lyra continued her labors alone in the kitchen now. Jos'lie had finally lost interest was lying on her stomach on the floor between the great room and kitchen, drawing in the new coloring book Mother had given her, her new doll propped up to watch. She softly sang the letter song to herself—quite monotone and out of key, as was her habit—as she went.

  Presently, her paper was lifted for Lyra to see. She'd drawn a bunch of J's in different colors. “J is my fav'rit be-cause that my name!” she proclaimed to which Lyra responded with appropriate enthusiasm and praise. “Mama Lyra, what you fav'rit letter?”

  “Oh,” Lyra said, pretending to think hard, “I guess it would have to be L, for my name.”

  “L!” Jos'lie started drawing one large, thick L that took up a whole sheet.

  Smiling to himself, Kade went back to listening to the news until he heard, “Papa? What your fav'rit letter?”

  “R, Princess,” he said. He cast a sidelong glance at Lyra and saw that she had caught his reference to their first meeting in the book store. The bright blush proved it.

  “R?” Jos'lie looked confused. Then she brightened. “Oh! Be-cuz we have rabbits!” Her head bent in concentration once more to form the slightly more complicated letter.

  “Sure, baby,” he responded. Let her believe that.

  When Lyra called everyone for breakfast, Kade was grinning at Jos'lie arguing with Ahskr. The dog was licking at her fingers and her drawings where the residue of her earlier baking had gotten transferred.

  “Ahskr, no. Ahskr, my R!” she scolded, pulling the paper out from under his tongue.

  With a laugh, Kade helped her clean up and everyone eventually ended up at the table—even Breht who had finally condescended to join the world of the living. He tried to not look too interested in Lyra's cooking. He did, however, notice that Lyra was being invited to sit with the family. An eyebrow was raised which Kade returned with a look that reminded the boy he was head of this house and could decide how to handle the social norms within it however he chose.

  During breakfast Kade got to hear more about the children's week. Both of them were excited about the end of the school year approaching. Kade was looking forward to it, as well. With the new contract from Highwurt Enterprises to fulfill, he was going to need the extra help from them in the care of his flocks, especially the lambs. He couldn't afford to lose any more this season.

  A couple of the tarts had bubbled over. Those were the ones Jos'lie had especially had a hand in making, but whether the filling was on the inside or out, Kade assured her that they were still delicious. Lyra kindly added that it took a whole year for her to learn how to get it right and that they could practice making them again next week if she wanted. Jos'lie eagerly agreed.

  The office wire rang just as he finished, and Kade offered his final compliments to the chefs as he left the table. He also directed Breht to meet him out in the barn in five minutes, ready for work.

  This time, it was Sal on the wire, ready with a bright greeting through the crackly receiver. “Sorry to bother you this early in the morning and before the week is up, brother,” he said, “but I figured with the kids home you wouldn't be staying in bed as long today, anyway.”

  Here goes nothing. “Aye, we are all up and just finished morning repast.” Kade settled at his desk and waited for the inevitable next question.

  “Sooo,” Sal said in a very leading voice filled with anticipation, “how is your little tart doing?”

  Kade couldn't help but laugh at Sal's coincidental choice of words. “Well, brother,” he began. He didn't like the idea of lying flat out. Your mother was one thing, but your best friend—that was sacred ground. “The experience with her this week has been … much more than I ever imagined.”

  Sal's exultant exclamation was so loud Kade had to pull the receiver from his ear. The man eventually toned things down to a more mellow shout. “Details, mate! Give me details! Tell me about your first night. Was she shy? Aggressive? Did she like the candles? Tell me she swooned at the candles. Anyone who goes to such lengths as you to impress a woman as all that deserves a good response.”

  “Oh, it was intense. Aye, pretty intense, for both o' us. Things progressed from the room to the closet, then to the bed—”

  “Go on.”

  “Er …” Kade scratched his head. “A few nights were like that, actually—rather intense—and a couple days, too. She spent two days practically in bed the whole time waiting for me to come back in between necessary jobs and, you know, 'check' on her.” He winced. Would he buy it?

  “Ha, ha! You dog!” Sal's triumph was evident. “And here I thought you did no' have the stamina anymore.”

  Sal's next question, however, made Kade bristle slightly. “Ah, no comment, and please do no' feel free to ask such details o' her again. I reserve the right to keep some things about my life private—even from you.”

  “Kade.” Sal's disappointment dripped across the electronic signal. “Why so sensitive all o' a sudden? Your tongue has been loose enough in the past—”

  “No, Sal. I know, but that was under other circumstances and about other women. Lyra is no' like them—any o' them. You are just going to have to get used to no' knowing everything about my sex life from now on, okay?”

  There was silence on the other end. Then Kade heard a low whistle. “Wow, you are still completely smitten with her.”

  “No. No, I am no'.”

  “You are, brother. I just kept assuming that night that it was all about your anticipation to finally get laid again, but I can hear it all over in the way you talk. You are unequivocally falling for her.”

  “No, she is—I just feel that she is a sophisticated woman that, I think, deserves a little more respect. That is all. So back off.”

  “Okay, mate. I can understand you wishing to keep certain intimacies to yourself. I mean, I never told you about that weekend I had with your cousin Sadareen.”


  “What?”

  “Nope. My lips are sealed. She made me promise.”

  “Sal!” Kade shook his head. “Sady? Really? You know what? Never mind—I really do no' want to know.” The man was hopeless, but at least they reached an understanding.

  “No more questions for you,” Sal promised. “I will just have to glean what details I can from the kids.”

  “You are sick. Do you know that?” And Sal's hearty laughter carried loudly through the ear piece. Kade went on, “And your privileges as 'Uncle' to my children are now revoked. Now, did you really call just for a personal recap o' my recent bedroom rendezvous or was their something o' actual import you wished to discuss?”

  “As a matter o' fact, brother, I need a favor.” The man's tone turned businesslike. “I lost a bet to Upghim the other day, you see, and now I find myself unfortunately obligated to entertain certain o' his relations for an evening. He canno' stand his mother-in-law, or his sister-in-law—well, he canno' stand any o' them, when it comes down to it—and they have been merrily overstaying their welcome for nearly a month. Naturally, he knows that I throw great parties and has had me invite him and his company over while he conveniently comes down with the flu at the last minute for a night o' peace and quiet in his own home. Now, all I want from you is to be a good man and come help me out.”

  “And just when is this event o' yours happening?” Kade sighed. Sal made it a regular part of his schedule to accidentally land himself into interesting predicaments.

  “Tonight.”

  CHAPTER 7

  “Tonight!” Kade exclaimed. “Sal, the kids are home and Lyra is just getting to know them, and, well, tonight is just no' a good night.” Kade suddenly noticed Breht and Jos'lie standing in the open doorway, listening. He had forgotten to close it.

  “Is that Uncle Sal?” Breht said, finally showing a spark of life. “Is he having another party?”

  Blast! How long had they been standing there?

  “Papa, what is rond-ay-voo?”