the air, reflecting tiny rainbows in every direction.
Odin was dripping wet, his hair hanging in a black waterfall down his back. He would have been shockingly gorgeous if his face hadn’t been a study in abject fury.
Gadabout was also wet. But she looked less angry about it. As Liberty watched, the ox-yak stretched her neck to grab a bite of a flowering shrub just off the path.
“What happened?” Liberty asked.
“The storm hit us and burst,” he replied, as if it should have been obvious.
“Why is the rain floating?” she asked.
“Same trick of gravity and pressure,” he said. “It’s not really floating, it’s just falling very slowly.”
She watched a droplet carefully. He was right, it was drifting down like the leaves after harvest season back home.
Colton cooed and squeezed a drop in his tiny hand.
“Rain,” Liberty cooed back to him.
“Let’s get out of here,” Odin said, offering her his hand again.
She stepped through the drifting raindrops to take it. Though she was prepared for the incoming wave of desire this time, it still shot through her like a jolt of electricity, making it impossible to think of anything else but his touch.
Surely she would get used to him soon, and this unbidden need would release her from its clutches.
8
Liberty
A few hours later, Liberty looked around the hillside farm as the cart finally came to a stop.
A wooden sign that read Clark was affixed to a post under a lush tree, whose branches hung low under the weight of large yellow globes she imagined must be fruit.
“Welcome home,” Odin said gruffly, leaping out of the cart and offering her his hand.
She took it, making sure to cradle Colton securely in her other arm first. The little one was much more active today, peeking out of his blanket and smacking his lips at her.
Two strapping men approached the cart as she stepped down.
“What ho,” the taller one called out in a jovial way. He had a long blond ponytail and a broad, happy face.
“Ho, there,” the other one added. He was similar to the first fellow, but with dark hair instead of light. “I’m Raspin and this is my brother Crispin.”
“Odin and Liberty,” Odin responded, offering the man his arm. “You’ve been looking after the place?”
Raspin grasped Odin’s arm, skillfully managing not to touch the scales on Odin’s forearm.
“We have indeed,” he replied.
“Indeed,” added Crispin, offering his arm, which Odin dutifully grasped.
“And that’s the wee one,” Crispin said, smiling at Colton, his blue eyes twinkling.
“It is,” Liberty said proudly, showing off her son.
“How is the herd?” Odin asked.
“The flock is fine,” Raspin replied, as his brother made a series of funny faces for Colton. “Seventeen head, every one of them plump, with a fine coat. They’ll do you well.”
“And the set up?” Odin asked.
“Well enough,” Raspin allowed. “You’ll want to upgrade the water troughs in time, number three is a little leaky, so keep an eye on it. And the shed roof could use a fresh layer of moss.”
“Noted,” Odin said.
“So you work here on the farm?” Liberty asked Crispin.
He stopped crossing his eyes at Colton and straightened.
“We’re hired hands,” he said, brushing his hands off on his jeans. “We work independently.”
“Well I appreciate what you’re doing here,” Liberty told him.
“Aw, shucks, madam,” Crispin replied, literally kicking the dirt at his feet.
Embarrassed, Liberty looked away, just in time to see Odin narrow his eyes.
Was he… jealous?
“The house is just this way, madam,” Raspin said politely, with a slight bow. “Do you need us to show you around?”
She was about to reply when Odin stepped between them.
“We can take it from here,” he said firmly.
“Alright then,” Raspin said. “You can call on us any time you’re going to be away and need hands.”
“Or anytime you need a babysitter,” Crispin added. “My oldest, Cora, is dying to get her hands on a babysitting gig. She’s very skilled. She has more certifications than a Baltrak lawyer.”
“That she does,” Raspin agreed.
“We’re no more than a transmission away,” Crispin added, giving Liberty a wink.
“Wait, you’re leaving?” she asked.
“This is your farm, little lady,” Crispin said. “You don’t need us.”
She gazed out over the hillside in horror.
Liberty had downloaded a book on agriculture, but she had no actual experience or feel for it. She couldn’t even keep a potted figmax alive on a temperature-controlled vessel.
With her lack of knowledge and the baby to care for, Liberty was certain to wreck this farm inside a week.
But with the limited stipend she received for the baby’s care, she probably couldn’t afford