Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 274

Chapter 274: Time to go (again)
The morning came early, and Mia, glad that they didn’t consider leaving her behind, was getting ready to go before the others. She was much better packed this time, with a split riding skirt and other clothing designed for travel.

She looked around her room, memorizing every detail. On her wall hung an embroidered scene of a bluebird perched on a tree branch, made by her grandmother as a birthday gift several years ago. The memory made her smile.

Her furniture was made mostly by her grandfather, painstakingly by hand. She ran her fingers along her wooden bedframe, the same color of wood as the rocking chair on the porch that was designated for her use.

She moved to the washbasin, an heirloom from a great grandparent, and gave herself a thorough scrub. Soon, she felt cleaner than she had since she’d left home in the middle of the night.

That was doomed to change rather quickly on the tough journey she’d foreseen. There would be no inns or comfortable stops.

A longing glance at her pillow punctuated her last moments in the room. After baking most of the night, her sleep had been too short. She would miss the comforts of home dearly. Her mother and grandmother’s images, she would have to carry in her mind for the longest she’d ever been away from home. A comfortable sleeping place would be sooner forgotten.

Although, she admitted to herself, the soft bed had not quiet been successful in banishing the ill dreams.

Her cousins and her aunt had slept in the same room across the hall, as they had apparently since her departure. Without their father, the boys wanted to be closer to their mother all the time.

That plunged Mia deeper into guilt, but she continued to push it aside. Solving the problem. Rescuing her uncle. That was what to focus on. That would alleviate her shame.

Straightening her clothing, she left her room with her pack and headed to the barn. She could get them saddled and ready while the others prepared themselves for the journey. Working hard and pulling her weight was the least she could do after all the trouble she’d caused everyone with her lack of patience and wisdom.

The sun wasn’t yet up, so she took the candle from her room and used it to light the main lamp in the barn. The horses, happy to be home after days away, flicked their ears warily as they roused from their sleep and watched Mia. One snorted when she began to get the saddles and saddle blankets ready.

“I’m sorry,” She told the beast, ducking her head. “This journey’s going to be quite a long one, I’m afraid. Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you along the way.”

Wondering exactly how far “the way” would be, she realized she should check what direction from home would make for the most direct route.

She closed her eyes and began to concentrate, but something caught her attention before she could look for the path to Uncle Trace.

The secondary pull was back.

She hadn’t noticed it immediately when she’d awoken, having been distracted by a dozen other thoughts, but with her attention on her magic, she blinked at it now. It had been so obviously there!

A mix of pleasure and trepidation flooded through her, and she followed it without a thought… to the back of the barn.

In an empty stall, larger than the others and typically reserved for injured animals that needed treatment, she recognized a horse that did not belong here.

Denholm’s.

It stood regarding her with a watchful eye, shaking its mane and snorting. Her mouth fell open slightly.

It munched on some hay, and she reached out to stroke the creature’s forehead. She’d groomed and fed the gelding several times over the days the men had spent digging at the cave entrance, and the beast sniffed at her pockets, looking for a treat.

She’d brought a carrot for her own horse, but she broke it in half now to give some to him. He chomped gratefully as her gaze slid past him and further into the stall.

Breathing deeply, Ford was sitting in the back corner, slumped over in his sleep.

A pleasant sort of flutter ran through Mia’s stomach as she took in the sight of him. He must have been following them this whole time.

She suppressed her excitement. He knew his way home from here, perhaps he had only followed them to get back to the road that would lead him home.

There was no reason his presence needed to be about her whatsoever. After all, he was in danger just being in this barn when more than one member of her family had great reason to be furious with him.

“Ford?” She asked softly, not wanting to startle him. The horse backed up slightly, and she flinched. She didn’t want him to get stepped on!

Slowly, she led the horse out, tying his lead to a hook nearby. She was impressed that Ford could saddle and unsaddle the animal after watching her do so only a handful of times.

It spoke to what a quick learner he was.

Moving into the stall where Ford slept, she reached out to touch his shoulder. Hesitating, she looked at the way a dark lock of hair had fallen over his forehead. He looked almost peaceful. She reached out to brush the hair back, not quite sure why she wanted to.

As soon as her fingers brushed his skin, he jolted awake, startling her to fall back on her behind.

“Ford,” She whispered, “What are you doing here?”

He stared at her with his dark eyes so long that she began to feel uncomfortable. Had she done the wrong thing? Should she have pretended she never saw him at all?

The man swallowed, and before Mia’s eyes, disappeared, along with the secondary pull he held on her. She blinked, and her eyes narrowed.

“You can’t avoid talking to me like that,” She told him. “You know I can find you anytime.”

Silence. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the wooden corner of the stall.

“That’s really childish, Ford. Just reappear and tell me what you’re doing here.”

The sound of the barn door opening made her heart sink.