Enchanted Cottage (Avador Book 3, Books We Love Fantasy Romance) Read Free Page A

leaning his head against the wood. Spots danced in front of his eyes.
    Drawing on his last bit of strength, he turned the knob and pushed the door open. After a few steps, he fell sprawling onto the floor. The sword clattered at his side. Darkness closed around him.
     
    * * *
     
    On the shore again, Alana squeezed the water from her hair and shift. She perched on the stump, letting the breeze and sunshine dry her hair. She wished she could stay here forever, forget her worries, pretend life was as it had been before the illness had taken her parents. She smiled, thinking of all the happy times with her mother and father and her brother Duncan before he’d married and moved away.
    She stared off to the tree-studded hills. Had the old man returned to his home there? She wondered if she would see him again and hoped she would. His kind words had offered hope and comfort when she needed them most.
    She sighed, well aware she couldn’t stay here forever. Among her provisions at the cottage, she’d found oat flour, yeast, and salt, all she required for making bread, except milk, but water would have to do. A loaf of freshly-baked bread sounded good. Her wet shift still clung to her, but she couldn’t linger. She slipped her dress on, struggling to pull it over her drenched undergarment. She headed back to the river to dip the bucket for water. Stepping into her sandals, she headed home. Strange, she mused as she followed the rocky path back to the cottage, that she would now think of this place in the wilderness as her home.
    Climbing upward, she neared the house as bright sunshine lit the clearing. The chickens squawked and scattered, but she stepped past them. She approached the front door and gasped.
    The door stood open.
     

 
    Chapter Three
     
     
    Alana pressed a hand to her fluttering heart. She stood still, at a loss to know where to go, what to do. Fear froze her stomach, but indignation overrode all other emotions. Someone had invaded her sanctuary! In desperation, she looked around for a weapon but saw none. She smiled grimly. If robbery was his motive, she had precious little to steal—except her gold bracelet. No, he mustn’t have that! And if he had a darker purpose? She’d fight him with everything in her. Then she saw the knapsack outside her door. So, he planned to stay?
    She couldn’t remain outside all day. With a deep breath for courage, she moved closer to the door and stepped inside, setting the bucket down. The most Goddess-awful stench assailed her. A man lay on the floor. Dead? With cautious steps, she approached him and saw the rise and fall of his chest. Just look at his arm! The poor man suffered with an infection and would lose his arm if she did nothing to save it.
    Grabbing a pair of scissors from the counter, she rushed outside to the herb garden. She snipped off the petals from a calendula plant and hurried back inside. Her breath came fast, her hands shaking as she crushed the petals in a mug and poured boiling water over the petals. Time! She must hurry, yet she needed several minutes for the infusion to steep.
    While she waited, she moved about the cottage, putting dishes away, making her bed. Back in the front room, she saw the man’s sword. Was he a soldier, or did he carry the weapon for protection? She slipped the sword from the scabbard and set it against a chair. It appeared to be expensive, made of the finest steel. Perhaps he was an officer, but Avador had been at peace for years. If not fighting for Avador, then where? She retrieved the knapsack from outside and set it by the sword.
    Then she noticed his belt. Made of metal, its design revealed intricately intertwined animals and was studded with garnets. Only a man of wealth would own such a belt.
    She heard him moan and mumble in his sleep. His head moved restlessly as he shifted his position. He had harsh features, as if cut from granite, and thin lips. Unruly dark hair fell past his neck. He wore a dark brown tunic and