by Cara Lyle
“I’m leaving.”
“If you’re well enough to ride, then you’re well enough to get on that plane with me.”
“I told you—I am not going home until I’m done with this.”
“And I say you are!”
“I say I’m not. But if you force me, Griff, I’ll make your life hell until you throw me off the place.”
She turned on her heels. But his mother moved to intercept her and after some quiet words, she brought her into the library.
“May I suggest an alternative?” the captain said.
“An alternative to what?” Bridget demanded.
“To your solitary trek.”
“It’s what I want!”
“But you’re not likely to get what you want.” Least of all from me.
“What can you possibly suggest that I would accept?”
“That you remain the guest of my mother. That the two of you continue with your adventure.” He knew his mother traveled armed with pistol, rifle and her trusty companion, Gomez, a reincarnated Amazon. “She could show you places…like where Don Juan of Austria earned his reputation.”
Bridget hesitated and considered the hero of the Battle of Lepanto. She shook her head and muttered about wanting to do this on her own.
“Brie, listen to him. Not even your hero Irving did this alone. He had a sidekick, remember? A gypsy fellow, wasn’t it?”
Glancing at her brother, the captain saw stubbornness in her eyes but also mutiny.
“Much as I appreciate the offer, captain,” she said avoiding his eyes. “I would still be under someone’s thumb.”
She then stepped to the door. He observed Loudoun tensing and fighting himself to not go after her.
“Y-you aren’t really leaving, are you?” Loudoun asked. His voice may have been hard but its tone was pleading.
Bridget halted. “I am,” she said. “I came to thank both Captain de Saa and his mother for their kind help and concern. I had not expected to find you here.”
She walked away and was in the act of closing the door behind her when Loudoun swiped his hand over his face. Took two long steps and he caught the edge of the door.
“Brie, honey. Don’t go off like this. Don’t do this to us. Accept their offer.”
She hesitated. Glanced at him, her expression—worried.
“You would let me stay?”
Bridget held her breath. They knew. They knew what her question implied. That she teetered on the edge. The captain and her brother were both right. It was dangerous to go on alone. Yet she was stubborn and so hated being thwarted that all she wanted right now was to march out of the house. Leave them all. But her brother’s plea…well…
Then she felt a tug at her mind. She knew whose tug it was and tried mightily to resist. Yet it—his will she just realized—was stronger than hers and in the end, she gave it up. She sighed, resigned to the inevitable. And felt disgust with herself.
What does he want of me?
She raised her eyes. And caught her breath and slowly let it out as she took in a wonder. The captain…or whatever he was…seemed fractured. Breaking apart…the edges shimmering. He was shrouded in gold and red—and his shape—well, it was like that dragon she had seen.
“Uh…señora?” Bridget asked eyes wide and not sure of what she was seeing—and very much doubting her sanity. “Uh, what—what would happen if I refused his offer?”
The lady turned to her son. She looked at him for some moments as though studying him. Does she see what I see?
“Why do you ask?”
“Uh…um…I’m curious to know what would happen.”
The older woman turned back to her.
“I would think that the more pertinent question for you to ask, mignonne, is whether you are up to the challenge.”
Bridget’s hackles rose. The implication? That she was not ready. She glanced at the captain, the dragon man—pushing aside its impossibility. Then glanced at her brother who was oblivious. So the vision had to be in her head.
“Well?” the lady asked.
Bridget felt the prod. Was she up to it? The answer came in a rush of blood, stirring ambition, wanting that heady feel of success. And in the midst of this, she caught an image of flying to the stars.
Oh, my…what nerve he has to have shown me that!
She stepped fully into the room and flicked a glance at the captain who was back to being just a man in a uniform. An interesting man, she reminded herself.
“Señora…does your son have another name besides captain?”
The lady glanced at him. She chuckled, turned back to her.
“He does,” she said with a sly cast in her eyes. “We call him Drago.”
About the Author
Cara Lyle began life in the Pacific Northwest where a branch of her Virginia-based family settled in the 1870s. She attended school in Switzerland, Ireland and Hawaii, where she earned degrees in Business and Accounting. She has traveled extensively in Europe, Turkey and the Caribbean.
For fun she crewed on sailing vessels around the British Isles, the Caribbean and the Atlantic (where gales and broken equipment ruined more than one perfectly good cruise). Apart from little hiccups like a hurricane off the Virgin Islands, and the occasional engine fire, Ms. Lyle believed she had it all…
Until the day she ran into a man on an Idaho ski slope—literally ran into him. One broken leg later, she married that skier. While she no longer skis, she and her husband do travel. Now back in the Northwest, she hopes to entertain her audience with vignettes as well as descriptions of the romantic places where she worked and played.
Cara welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and e-mail address on her author bio page at www.cerridwenpress.com.
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Also by Cara Lyle
World of Love 1: Heart on Hold
World of Love 2: Spanish Sonata
World of Love 3: His Golden Dancer
Cerridwen , the Celtic goddess of wisdom, was the muse who brought inspiration to storytellers and those in the creative arts. Cerridwen Press encompasses the best and most innovative stories in all genres of today’s fiction. Visit our site and discover the newest titles by talented authors who still get inspired—much like the ancient storytellers did, once upon a time.
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