by Gavin Green
Chapter 18
Practiced, gloved hands spread the fertilizer around the plant stems in the garden. Liadan stood back up as she brushed her hands together and took a moment to take in the bright and clear dawn. The air was crisp, full of the scents of morning dew, equines, and rich earth.
The property - the Lynch cottage - was well-kept and aesthetic, with paddocks mostly to the north and south of the kept grounds. Only one of the fields, the one at the front of the home, had no lake access, but all were in fine form. Any repairs Liadan would make were minor, and she thought her time at that location might be short.
She had only taken a few steps back in the direction of the enclosed compost when she happened to notice movement at the house. The man, Lynch, had stepped out the back door as his dogs streamed out around him. The house was still dark, so the lady of the home must still have been in slumber.
Liadan watched as the big man strolled around the nearby property, but kept the dogs separate from the donkeys. When he went for a jog back and forth along the lake shore with the dogs loping along in tow, the brownie resumed her chores.
Humming a tune, Liadan was packing daub into the larger gaps of a stone wall when she saw Lynch approach her general direction. He went into the far side of his open shelter where he kept more work-out equipment, next to a stack of peat logs. The wheat-colored dog stayed with him; the other two had since returned to the cottage.
The little fae glided airborne nearby and watched Lynch as he lay back on a padded bench and began lifting the weights with ease. He soon locked more circular loads onto the bar, and had to exert some force to lift the ponderous weight. After other similar exercises, Lynch walked back out to the other stone shed in a far paddock, receiving a bray of greeting from one of the donkeys along the way.
Lynch was a large human and well-developed, but Liadan didn't see the proud arrogance in him that she might in most warriors. To her, the big man seemed calm, self-possessed, and only took pride in his simple labors… at least, thus far. She had only been on the property for a few short hours, and was still in the process of evaluation - Lynch included.
Until more time was given to gauge him and the McCarthy woman for their temperaments, Liadan would keep herself hidden. She had to remind herself that hiding from the woman's sight meant actual, literal concealment, which she never needed to do before. It might be a bit of a challenge, but it wouldn't have to last long.
A light came on in the house, and the lady Kate soon after made her way outside. Liadan, erring on the side of caution, ducked around a field wall and poked her head out to watch. The McCarthy woman was a slender lass, but with obvious feminine curves. Radiant dark red hair shone in the morning sun, swaying as she hurried to greet Lynch lovingly, and then more tenderly made her way to each donkey.
After the two humans gained more trust with the animals by offering handfuls of oats and an apple for each, they walked hand in hand back indoors. Even through shut windows and closed doors, Liadan soon detected the aromas of bacon and toast.
If first impressions carried, the pair appeared to be quite content and highly enamored of each other, which might serve Liadan well. The presence of one with the other might reign their tempers, rather than fuel them, when they came to find yet another fae in their midst. Less relaxed humans would be quicker to offense, and she hoped to play to the couples' sense of reason before any dark feelings took root.
As Liadan wiped her hands on her apron, she saw a line of dark clouds approaching from the west, and tried not to see it as an omen.
