“I’ll be sure and write down your words of wisdom for posterity,” Nate cracked.
“It’s nice to see you can still make a joke.”
Nate sighed and glanced at his friend. “Do you think I’m in the wrong?”
“Who’s to judge? I do know she can’t understand why you’re so upset. To her it’s the normal course of things. It’s like eating and sleeping. Just has to be done.”
“What have I gotten myself into?” Nate queried rhetorically.
“Ain’t love grand?” Shakespeare responded, beaming.
“Love,” Nate repeated softly, still immensely disturbed. But he did love her. That was the whole problem. He loved her so much, cared for her with all of his heart and soul, and he couldn’t bear the thought of her being harmed in any way. Especially when he possessed the power to prevent it. And he’d tried. He’d really tried. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep his eyes on her 24 hours a day.
“We should be at the rendezvous in three hours,” Shakespeare mentioned.
Nate nodded, then slowed the mare so his wife could ride alongside him. He smiled and stared at her, feasting his eyes on her loveliness.
Winona eagerly returned the smile.
Straining his self-control to the limit, Nate forced himself to keep smiling as his gaze drifted lower until he was looking at the strip of hide wrapped around her left hand, the hide that served as a bandage, the hide she had secured to staunch the flow of her blood after she chopped the tips off two of her fingers.
What had he gotten himself into?
Only time would tell.
Lure of the Wild (Wilderness, No 2) Page 16
