Forever Her Champion by Suzan Tisdale Read Free Book Online Page A

of experience at such things — she had no good idea how they came to be. Any inquiries would have to wait until he woke.
    Believing he was as clean as she could get him, she retrieved a blanket from her own possessions and covered him with it. Folding one of the blankets from his mount, she carefully tucked it under his head.
    It would have been easy to simply sit and stare at him until he woke, but her stomach protested against such foolish notions. Leaving him, she retrieved the hook and string and went to the stream to fish.

    * * *
    P ulling the hem of her dress betwixt her legs, she tucked it into her belt and knelt beside the stream. Washing her face and hands as best she could, she did not tarry long, for the water was far too cold.
    Back along the bank, she dug for worms to use as bait. Fortune seemed to remain with her, for she quickly found a few long worms hidden deep in the mud.
    Soon, she was sitting on the bank, ever hopeful of catching at least one decent fish to eat. She nibbled on a few nuts and pieces of dried beef to help assuage her hunger. ’Twas as quiet an afternoon as she could ever remember. The breeze tickled playfully through the trees, whilst birds chirped and sang and flittered about. Allowing her mind to wander, she thought back to her childhood, to times spent with Aiden Macgullane.
    Such a kind boy he had been. It had been Aiden who taught her how to fish, to catch rabbits and squirrels. He had told her stories, comforted her when she was worried about her father and what might have become of him. He had listened to her endless stories of the man she could not remember but idolized just the same. Idolized almost as much as she had Aiden.
    She did not possess many fond memories from her childhood. But those she did have always involved Aiden. It didn’t dawn on her until that very moment that he was one of the main reasons she had not married. There hadn’t been a young man she’d ever met who could hold a candle to him, though she hadn’t realized it at the time.
    If she were ever to marry, the man would have to possess the same strength, the same sense of honor, and the ability to make her laugh as much and as hard as he had in their youth. Any potential husband would also be required to assist her in helping to find her father.
    To date, she had not met anyone who could live up to those high standards.
    When she thought of the man currently passed out from too much drink, she wondered if even he could meet those high expectations. Was there a man alive who could? ’Twas doubtful. Mayhap it was time for her to set those silly childhood dreams aside and face reality.
    When she looked at her current predicament she had to release a heavy sigh. Nine and ten summers old and she was still searching. Searching for her father as well as a husband who could meet her less-than-reasonable expectations.
    Home.
    That was all she ever truly wanted. A home to call her very own. A family she could be proud of. A loving husband and children. Was that too much to ask for? She didn’t think so. ‘Twasn’t as if she were praying for a grand castle to call home. She never prayed for riches or fine silk dresses or servants to do her bidding. Nay, none of those things would ever make her truly happy. She didn’t want things. She wanted to love and be loved. ’Twas that simple.
    But if it were that simple, why was it so hard to attain?

    * * *
    N ight fell across the tiny glen where she’d been forced to make camp. Because she could not move Aiden from where he’d fallen, she had built a fire near him. In life, one must choose their battles wisely. ’Twas easier to build around him than try to move him.
    He slept still, even though she had tried numerous times to wake him. The man slept, barely moving; all the while she had made the fire and cooked the fish she had caught. Nary a flinch from him. Daft man.
    A heavy mist filled the cold night air, chilling her to the bone. While the fire blazed, it