come to care for the fragile creature at his side, but also because he had bested his childhood rival, Merick, yet again.
They had been walking for quite some time when they came to a fallen log and he suggested they sit awhile.
"Channa Leigh?"
She turned toward the sound of his voice. "Yes, Ronin?"
He cleared his throat. "In this past fortnight, I have come to care for you..." He cleared his throat again, glad that she could not see the blush staining his cheeks. "What I mean is, I think I love you, Channa Leigh. Will you marry me? I swear I'll make you a good husband. You'll want for nothing."
A soft sigh escaped Channa Leigh's lips. She was not in love with Ronin. He was a kind man, a good man, and she knew he would care for her and provide for her. But she did not love him. She did not love anyone. She thought fleet-ingly of Merick, the baker's son, but he had never shown any interest in her, and she feared he never would.
"Please, Channa Leigh," Ronin murmured.
"Ronin..."
He lifted her hand and she felt the brush of his lips on her fingertips. "Say yes, Channa Leigh."
Why not say yes? It seemed no one else wanted her. She was far past the age when most girls were married. But would it be fair to marry Ronin when she did not love him?
"Channa Leigh, what say you?"
Honesty compelled her to say, "Ronin, you know I am fond of you, but I dinna love you."
"But you may come to love me, in time."
"Perhaps."
"You'll marry me, then?"
She sighed, a soft sigh tinged with resignation. "Aye, Ronin, I will marry you. In the spring." She lifted a hand to his face, let her fingertips trace his features. She had seen him only once since childhood, and that very briefly the night the wolf appeared in the village square. Ronin was a handsome young man, with light brown hair and brown eyes and, yes, a cleft in his chin, she recalled, running her finger over the gentle dip in his skin.
"Channa Leigh." He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Might I..." He swallowed hard. "Might I kiss you?"
She nodded, her heart pounding with trepidation. She had seen two and twenty summers and never had she been kissed by a man.
His lips were warm on hers, his touch as light as dandelion fluff. It was pleasant, she thought, quite pleasant.
"Come," Ronin said, suddenly exuberant. "Let us go back and tell yer kinfolk."
Dugald and Mara were pleased by the news of their daughter's betrothal. They had long hoped for just this match for their daughter, for Ronin was a kind man, one who would be patient with her affliction. As he was a strong hunter, she would never lack for meat at her table.
"Aye, you'll make a beautiful bride," Mara remarked, beaming.
Dugald brought out a flask and they toasted the young couple. Ronin stayed to take supper with them, and they made plans for the wedding. Mara would begin weaving the material for Channa Leigh's dress on the morrow; Ronin would begin looking for a suitable place to build their house; Dugald would gather the best of his flock for her dowry.
Later that night, still caught up in the excitement of the evening's events and unable to sleep, Channa Leigh gazed sightlessly into the darkness and wondered where the wolf had gone and if he would ever come to her again.
Part One CHAPTER 4
He heard of Channa Leigh's betrothal, as he heard of everything that happened in the village. He had shunned her presence and now she was betrothed to another. Stricken by the news, he shut himself away in his castle. He felt the changing seasons in the chill within the castle's cold stone walls, saw it in the changing color of his eyes as fall's brown turned to winter gray. He had ever hated winter. Below, the villagers gathered their children close. Huddled around their cozy hearth fires, fathers told and retold the ancient stories and legends of their people, while mothers sang songs and lullabies.
Sometimes, when it seemed the long winter nights would never pass, when the loneliness grew more than he could bear, he took on the wolf form and ran with the pack that dwelled high in the mountains behind the castle. They accepted him as one of them, and he found solace in their company.
Often, he felt compelled to go to Channa Leigh, but it was too