Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 42873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
“Tate will be staying with us for a while. See him to an empty cottage that he may call home while here and if he is any bother let me know,” Cree ordered, his glance falling on Tate with his last words.
“I will be no bother, my word on it, my lord,” Tate rushed to say.
Cree watched the man direct his horse to follow Flanna, the small cart rattling along.
“Make sure Beast is with you any time you are with him. He appears harmless enough, but one can never tell for sure,” Cree said, finally turning to his wife.
Her husband did not trust easily but then either did she. She had every intention of being cautious with the man.
“We walk to the new keep. There is something I want you to see,” Cree said, leaving her little choice since her hand remained clasped in his.
She did not complain. The brief walk would give her the opportunity to speak to him about her unease with the move and why he had kept his distance from her in bed lately. Before she could gesture, he spoke.
“It will not be long now, a few days at the most and we will be all moved into the new keep.”
CHAPTER 2
Dawn walked with her husband, her mind paying no heed to his chatter about the keep. She had not realized their move would be so soon. What was wrong with her? Why was she so hesitant about this move?
“Of course, there is more work to be done but it will be easier to oversee it once we are living there. The stone walls are nearly finished so we will have no worry of the children reaching the bluff where the watchtower stands, and the stone wall also extends along the side that runs down to the beach. The long houses I had built in front of them will house the unwed warriors and they will guard the door that leads to the beach below, keeping all the children safe.
There are a good number of cottages now, but more will be built as the clan grows and I broke some of the land up into crofts in the outlying areas for those who wish to work them. All are excited about this new start for Clan Carrick.”
Why wasn’t she, and how was it that Cree was so thrilled with it? Did it not bother him in the least to leave the place where they had begun their life together and had built so many wonderful memories?
Dawn continued to listen as Cree kept on talking until… they turned the bend in the pitted road and Cree turned silent, came to a stop, and smiled as he gazed upon their new home.
“Come, there is a surprise waiting for you,” he said and tugged her along eagerly.
Dawn had to admit the village looked amazing. Cottages dotted a good portion of the area and in the middle rose the castle and behind it, high on the tip of the bluff, you could see the top of the watchtower. With the height of both no one could approach without being seen.
She had watched the castle being built over the last few years but standing here now and seeing it up on a slight rise just down a short distance from the bluff, it appeared a towering structure that reigned over the cottages beneath. It was large and quite intimidating, but it also was beautiful, an achievement in itself.
However, Dawn had lived a good portion of her life in a small cottage with her mum. She had believed she had come from a humble background and when she discovered just the opposite, she had not been comfortable with it. It had taken time for her to grow accustomed to the keep she now called home. She did not know how she would ever get used to living in such a grand place.
“We will have a good life here, Dawn,” Cree said, gazing with pride on the castle.
She tapped his arm so he could see her gesture and remind him that they already had a good life.
“True, but the clan has grown, our family has grown, and both will continue to grow, and all have worked hard toward this,” Cree said, pointing around. “Everyone built this together and they will defend it with their lives as will I and all those who come after us.”
He was right. There was a contagious joy in the clan, everyone was excited, and she should let herself be susceptible to it. She did not have to force a smile, it came naturally. She felt her husband’s joy and pride in what he had accomplished for the clan, for their family, and she would not deprive him of it or leave him to celebrate it alone.
“Now for your surprise,” he said.