Only then did Cree lift off her and not entirely so. He shifted his weight and lay partially draped over her, his hand remaining firm at her waist.
Worry, anger, and was that a touch of lust she saw in his dark eyes? He lay there staring at her and it did not take long for him to grimace in disgust. She was aware she looked a fright with her tattered garments and bruised face. Not to mention the quiver that refused to stop running through her body.
“Are you all right?”
She was a bit startled by how concerned he sounded… almost as if he truly cared about her. She nodded and patted her chest to let him know that she was fine, though her confirmation did not ease the deep crease between his eyes.
She furrowed her brow and shrugged.
Cree was amazed by how her gestures appeared much like a voice. A shrug and a wrinkle of her brow was basically a question and it was easy to understand in this situation what she was asking. She wanted to know what had happened.
“Someone took aim at you with an arrow.”
Her eyes widened, she shook her head, and shrugged again.
“You wonder why, as do I.”
She gestured as if drawing back an arrow in a bow and shrugged.
“A good question. Who would want to harm you?”
She stared at him. Most of the villagers simply ignored her. Some would acknowledge her with a nod. Then there were those who would amuse themselves by making fun of her like Dorrie. But serious harm? What reason would anyone have to harm her?
She shook her head letting him know that she had no answer.
His eyes roamed over her with annoyance, though lust still lingering in them.
He fingered her worn garments. “Don’t let me see you in these rags again.”
With that he stood, held his hand out to her and when she took it, he slowly eased her to her feet.
She swayed a moment, still a bit disoriented from him tackling her to the ground or had it been the way he had protected her with his body, keeping every inch of her covered with no concern for his own safety. The thought still startled her. No one had ever protected her so gallantly. And gallant was not a word anyone would use to describe the infamous Cree.
His hands went instantly to her waist. “Take a moment and regain your strength.”
She nodded attempting to gather and make sense of her confused thoughts and the best place to do that was alone in her cottage. Her cottage? How she wished she could go home to her small cottage. She had found comfort there. More so when her mum had been alive but even now it had been as if her spirit lingered there watching over Dawn and it made her feel safe.
“Are you all right, Dawn?” he asked lifting her chin with one finger.
She had not realized that she had lowered her head, but then it had been weighted with too many thoughts and no doubt had sunk on its own. Though she was not sure how she felt, she nodded.
“I want the truth, not what you think I want to hear,” he chided.
So he wanted the truth? She threw her hands up in frustration. Was that a smile? It had been brief but she thought she caught a smile tempt the corners of his mouth.
“You need a washing, clean garments, food, and rest.”
And time to herself, she added silently.
Cree was suddenly issuing orders and some of the warriors that circled them formed a line on either side of them. Another order had the circle parting and forming a line facing the woods while Cree and her kept pace with the warriors shielding them.
It wasn’t lost to Dawn that Cree kept her tucked close against him with his arm around her waist. He held her with the ease of familiarity. And why? Simple. They had become more than familiar with each other while in that hut, and it hadn’t stopped.
Dawn was never so relieved to walk into her new home, though she stopped abruptly once inside the door. The table was laden with food and her stomach gurgled with joy. Then she saw that the table was arranged for two people and her heart sank. She had hoped to be alone, have a chance to think, to make a modicum of sense of all that had happened to her in such a short time.
Cree gently nudged her forward so that he could shut the door. He slipped off her cloak and went and hung it on the peg. He then eased her down in one of the chairs at the table.
“I was going to join you but first I must see to this incident.”
How could she feel relieved and disappointed at the same time? She wanted time alone and here she was sorry that he was leaving.