A few hundred thoughts went through Maddi’s mind as she looked at him. Her first thought was anger at ’Ring and his brother for playing such a trick on her on the mountain. The two of them pretending to be robber and victim, with her the innocent bystander. Later there had been that little play they’d put on, pretending to fight. No doubt that was when they’d planned their rescue of Laurel.
Aside from her anger, she was looking at this man and remembering that Toby had said that ’Ring was the ugly one.
Jamie had curling black hair; thick, black spiky lashes over brilliant blue eyes; a chiseled nose; a full, sensuous mouth over a square jaw; and a cleft chin. Not as tall as ’Ring, “only” about six foot, but as broad and as strongly built.
Maddie turned to look at ’Ring. “You are the ugly one.”
Jamie laughed at that, a rich, deep laugh. “Brains as well as beauty. You’ve done well, brother.”
’Ring didn’t seem in the least bothered by her pronouncement that his brother was better-looking than he was. In fact, he kissed her neck. “She does have brains, at that,” he said, and there was pride in his voice as well as a bit of astonishment.
Jamie gave a jaw-splitting yawn. “You, brother, may need love more than you need sleep, but not me. If no one minds, I think I’ll take advantage of that tent. Is there a bed in there?” He addressed this last question to Toby, who was coming down the hill.
“Might of known one of you youngsters would turn up,” he grumbled. “Come on, I’ll get you some grub and see you get a bed.”
As Jamie walked past them he winked at Maddie.
Maddie sat still, holding Laurel, her head back against ’Ring.
“No lecture? No anger at me for leaving you?”
“None,” she said. “I’m just glad that you’re safe, that’s all.”
“No questions about how my brother came to be here? Nothing?”
She adjusted Laurel in her arms. “Tomorrow I shall sing for you. Just you.”
He tightened his arms around her, and for a moment they sat in the growing darkness without saying a word.
“Did you wait here by these trees for me while I was gone?” he whispered.
“I was scared the whole time you were away.”
He kissed her neck. “Your hellion of a little sister was perfectly safe. The men had left her in the care of an old woman in a falling-down cabin in the mountains. They thought she was a city-bred child and that she’d be terrified by the woods.”
Maddie gave a snort. “Not Jefferson Worth’s daughter.”
“True. When Jamie and I got there, she’d escaped the old woman and two men were tracking her. She was difficult to find.”
“She would be,” Maddie said with pride. “Did Hears Good follow you?”
“I think so. We never saw any sign of him, but a couple of times I thought I heard him.”
“Then he meant for you to hear him.”
“Maybe so. Anyway, Jamie and I
found her.”
“And she didn’t want to go with you?” Maddie was beginning to smile, now that she knew that both of them were safe.
“A dragon,” ’Ring said with some awe in his voice. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone fight so hard. I was truly tempted to wring her little neck.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. Now, I think we should get her to bed. I think both of you are exhausted.”
’Ring started to say that he wasn’t, but he was nodding off asleep as he rested against her. Neither he nor Jamie had had much sleep in the past few days. “Maybe you’re right.”
It was a bit of a struggle getting all of them up and walking toward the tent. ’Ring started to take Laurel, but Maddie insisted on carrying her, so ’Ring put his arm around Maddie’s shoulders and they walked back to the tent together.