your sleep,” she promised.
She turned to go back home but Jonas caught her by the wrist and pulled her into his arms. “I have missed you, Your Highness.” He dipped his mouth to her and kissed her.
Chapter 21
Caleb stretched, winced, then rolled out of bed. He looked down at the breeches he still wore from the day before and smiled to himself, faintly remembering his talk with Willow about delivering a baby and a bath. And she’d massaged him. He smiled remembering and made his way to the kitchen. He reached the nearest chair and sank into it holding his head.
“I feel like my head is going to explode,” he told Shauna, who was cooking breakfast. She glared at him and slammed a pot down on the stove.
Caleb tossed her a scowl. “Please. My head is killing me, Shauna.”
“I’m sorry,” Shauna said sweetly as his plate crashed to the table.
He glared at her. “What now?”
“I’ll tell you what now, you lovesick twit!” she shouted. He brought his hands to his head again. “You promised her you wouldn’t kill her father. How could you do that?”
“It’s my decision to make,” he replied through his teeth. He didn’t want to have this conversation now. He didn’t want to have it at all. No one hated Baltrasard more than Caleb did. But he loved Willow more.
His sister stared down at him in stunned disbelief then threw her hands up in exasperation. “Caleb, we are talking about Baltrasard, for goodness sake!”
“I know that.” He didn’t look up. Her voice was like a hammer coming down hard on his head. “Please Shauna, I don’t want to talk about this now.” He picked up his fork and stared into his plate, but the sight of his breakfast suddenly churned his stomach.
“Do you actually think I’ll allow that pig to remain king, brother?”
“I’ll take care of him,” Caleb insisted.
“No…no you won’t because you’re too afraid of what she’ll think of you,” Shauna began to shout again. “Does it sound familiar? You are as bad as I was with Ermile. What about all the people who have died because of her father? Do they matter less now because of her?”
Having heard enough, Caleb slammed his fists down on the table and stood up, towering over his sister. “I said I will take care of him.” His voice roared through the cottage, shaking the very foundation. Even Shauna stepped back, never having heard her brother so angry before. When she looked up, Willow was standing in the doorway. Caleb followed his sister’s gaze, then threw his head back and sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“No you’re not.” Shauna stormed out of the room, passing Willow on the way.
Caleb met Willow’s panic-stricken gaze for a moment before he turned away and sat back down. He had no idea how much of the conversation she heard, all he knew was that if he was living in Silvergard right now, Shauna would be in the dungeon.
Caleb closed his eyes and bent his aching head into his hands. “I don’t want to discuss this now, Willow.”
“Nor do I.” She went to stand behind him and lifted her fingers to trace along his temples. He leaned his head back against her and sighed.
Shauna was angry about his promise to spare Baltrasard’s life. He understood. They’d always talked about him hanging for his crimes. But Caleb hadn’t counted on the king’s daughter stepping into his life through no fault of her own and knocking down a few walls. He wouldn’t go back on his word.
“I brought back some water for you.”
Caleb opened his eyes and smiled up at her. “That was thoughtful of you. Thank you.” For a moment he simply stared at her, amazed that she chose to stay with him. “What do you think of gardens?”
Her eyes lit up a little, answering his question. “We have beautiful gardens at the palace in Beldar. They were some of my favorite places to be before....”
“Before?” he asked, sitting up.
She came around him and sat beside him. “Before I saw your wheat fields. They are the first fruits of this Eden.”
His smile on her deepened. “You’ve been reading the Word.”
“Yes. I told you I began in the beginning,” she quirked her mouth, then continued, “then went to Matthew, then we read John. And I just felt as if I should go back and read about God again. And I’ve come to love the stories, though He still frightens me.”
“Don’t be afraid. Jesus paid the price for all the times