A Warrior's Heart (Shields) by Donna Grant Read Free Book Online Page B

with everything going on, wanted to make sure that Jayna wasn’t part of the evil.”
    “I’m sure you spoke with her.   What did you discern?”
    “Nothing.”   Hugh sighed.   “She claims to be a commoner, but I don’t think she is.”
    Gabriel glanced over his shoulder at her.   “Just look at the way she sits and you can tell she isn’t.   Nay, she’s no more common than I am royalty.”
    “She also claims to be a traveler.   She ran away from a drunk, abusive uncle some years ago and been on her own ever since.”
    “What do you think of that?”
    “I think she’s partly telling the truth, but I think there’s more to it.”
    “You want me to keep a close eye on her?”
    “Aye,” Hugh said with a half smile.   “We all are, but if I ask one of the others to keep close to her, there just might be some jealous wives.”
    Gabriel chuckled.   “Nay, I’ll do it.”
    “You’re a good man,” Hugh said as he walked to the dais.
    Gabriel found it quite easy to make his way to a table that he wanted to avoid most days.   It was odd to find that he was looking forward to a bit of a mystery to solve.   There was definitely something about Jayna that sparked his interest.
    If it was somehow related to his thinking he knew her, or the fact her story had huge flaws in it, he didn’t know.   But he most certainly was going to find out.
     
    * * * *
     
    Jayna struggled to keep the smile on her face as Gabriel walked toward her.   It had been an unexpected surprise to find that she would be seated next to him.   She fingered the dagger up her sleeve, the one she would use to end it all.
    She waited for him to recognize her, to call her a fraud and make her attack.   She slid the dagger out so the pommel fit into her hand.   Her legs were poised to jump up and strike as soon as he opened his mouth.
    “You must be Jayna,” Gabriel said with a polite nod as he took his seat beside her.
    Jayna could only stare.   She couldn’t believe he didn’t recognize her.   Or maybe he did and he was biding his time, much like she was doing.
    Being this close to him made her remember the Gabriel she’d once known, the Gabriel that she had given her heart to.   The Gabriel that had smiled and charmed and wooed her like no other.
    “Are Mina and the others taking good care of you?”  
    She blinked at his conversational tone.   His deep voice had always made her heart skip a beat, and to her horror, it was doing so again.   How could someone she hate so much still affect her in such a manner?   It didn’t seem fair.
    “Aye,” she finally answered.   “Lady Mina has been an exceptional host.”
    “Mina is one of the finest ladies around.   So are Elle, Shannon, and Nicole. Hugh tells me that you might be staying for a few days due to the storm.”
    She nodded and glanced at him before turning her attention to putting the dagger back up her sleeve without him noticing.   “Lord Hugh assures me that the storm will be fierce and that neither he, nor Lady Mina, could, in good conscience, let me leave.”
    “I agree with them,” he said and turned so that he half faced her.   “Tell me, how have you survived on your own?   I find it extremely difficult to comprehend.”
    Jayna inwardly grimaced.   She had to say just the right thing without revealing herself, all the while trying to determine if Gabriel was playing her.   “Fate has been kind to me, in a way.   Women aren’t safe to travel alone, which is why I learned to use a bow and arrow as well as a dagger very effectively.”
    “Impressive.   Where are your weapons now?”
    She turned toward him and let her eyes roam over his handsome face.   “My dagger is never far.   However, I’ve also learned from past experience that whenever I come across a village or castle, they don’t like seeing a woman with a bow and arrow.”
    He grinned, his eyes crinkling at the corners.   “Ah, you hide it before entering a castle or