The Tree Shepherd's Daughter by Gillian Summers Read Free Book Online Page B

You can let go of my cloak now. I swear,
I thought you'd choke me to death on the bridge."
    "I'm telling you, I heard someone say `Heartwood."'
    "Probably someone making out under the bridge."
    And saying her name? That didn't seem likely. Unless it
was her father under the bridge with some woman.
    The campground was a mixture of store-bought tents
of all sizes, pop-up campers, big RVs, and fantastic custom
tents. They passed a tall, long tent glowing white from
within. A stylized wooden dragon topped the front pole.
    This must be Tarl's tent, she thought, then hurried past
as she heard the female moaning coming from inside. As
she rushed past, a man's silhouette appeared on the tent
wall, potato-shaped and obviously naked. Keelie had been
hoping to score some food at the party, but now her appetite was gone.
    "The party's in the last tent on this row. The tents are
arranged in a circle, and then there are rows making streets
inside of the circle."
    They stopped in front of a medium-sized Coleman
tent. Laughter and light greeted them as they pulled aside
the front flap and entered. A cloud of sweet blue smoke
rolled out.
    She'd smelled pot before at parties, but never so much of it in one place. The inside was lit by pillar candles on
dishes, and the floor was covered with oriental carpets and
big pillows on which the party goers lounged.

    "Hey, Raven. Who you got there, girl?"
    "This is my young friend Keelie."
    Keelie waved at the greetings that rose around her, hating Raven for calling her young. She took her cloak off
and put it in the pile of wet garments by the front door.
    A smiling pirate with Johnny Depp eyeliner patted the
carpet next to him. "Sweet Keelie, bide here a while."
    She slipped out of the boots as Raven had done.
    "Sit over there by Aviva," Raven said, pointing toward
a dark-haired girl in a belly-dancing outfit.
    The Johnny Depp lookalike grinned and patted the
pillow next to him. Flattered, Keelie lowered herself, only
to jump up again when his hand cupped her backside. She
glared at the pirate.
    "Sorry, sweetling. I thought you had printed instructions on your booty."
    "Ha, ha. No." She sat down and arranged her skirts
so that no handprints showed. She needed different garb,
pronto.
    She listened to the conversation, sitting up, very aware
of the man next to her. He edged a little closer.
    "You're shivering, lass. Snuggle up to Captain Randy
and I'll keep you warm."
    How old was he? She didn't want to scoot away like
some scared child. If she were poolside at a friend's party
back home she'd know just what to do.
    Raven had settled in across from her, leaning on the muscular chest of a wild-haired drummer, his drum abandoned at his feet. She seemed comfortable.

    Keelie experimented with leaning back a little. The pirate put an arm next to her, allowing her to cuddle against
his shoulder. It felt warm and nice.
    Her pirate took the bottle that was being passed around.
"Mead," he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her.
"Sweet as honey. Try it."
    Keelie eyed the unlabeled bottle suspiciously. Not that
they'd be passing around antifreeze, but it didn't seem safe.
She rubbed the mouth of the bottle with her cloak, then
took a sip. It was good. Captain Randy laughed as she
took a long swallow.
    "Warms your tummy, doesn't it?"
    "It sure does."
    He took the bottle from her and put his lips to it, not
bothering to clean it off. Apparently it didn't bother him
to share her germs. He winked at her as he drank, and her
heart fluttered.
    She hoped he couldn't feel the little trembling that had
started up in her shoulders and neck. She couldn't figure
out if she was scared or excited or both.
    His breath blew across her neck and she shivered. His
arm went around her waist, steadying her.
    "Hey Raven, dance for us!" The cry was echoed by
others, and the drummer reached lazily for his drum and
started a heartbeat-like rhythm. Raven stood and moved
to the beat, belly