Warrior's Moon A Love Story Read Free Page A

day, she seemed to somehow come to terms with what had happened to her and her family and she suddenly became a different child.  She smiled for the first time since they’d found her and began to chatter and take an interest in the family life that was going on around her.  She was markedly partial to Peyton, although she would still snuggle gently into the bed next to her mother.  But then at other times she would run and laugh and squeal just like any healthy three year old little girl.
    Strangely, life after the cart wreck settled into a routine of sorts.  The other villagers had gathered up the goods from the cart wreck and had stored them all behind Peyton’s parent’s cottage, had hauled off the dead horse and wreckage and had helped to bury Chantaya’s father and baby sister.  They were wonderful to either come into the Wolfgar cottage and help or to at least bring in meals and help with the choring that was being neglected as the Wolfgars fought to save Chantaya’s mother. 
    Peyton and Tristan still had their own responsibilities and Chantaya tagged along with them as they harvested the garden, cared for the farm animals and cut peat for the fire.  She had a wonderful intrepidness about her that made her take everything they did in stride.  It actually made her a little indignant when they intimated she was too little to try something or said girls didn’t do certain things.  ‘Twas quite endearing, honestly.  She was absolutely sweet and the boys affectionately shortened her name to Chani.  They adored her and she worshipped them, especially Peyton.  
    After she became healthy enough to carry on a conversation, Chantaya’s mother hadn’t said a great deal except to tell them her name was Isabella Kincraig and to thank them profusely for helping her and her family.  She truly wasn’t up to much and had only told the Wolfgars that her family had been traveling in the middle of a horribly stormy night, with everything they owned in a little wagon, to protect her and her daughter from the unwanted advances of the younger Lord Rosskeene.  The young Lord’s heinous reputation was growing and the Wolfgars didn’t fault the Kincraigs for their flight, even into the face of the furious storm.  ‘Twas only a pity that their flight had resulted in such tragedy. 
    Peyton didn’t truly understand what Isabella meant by “unwanted advances”, but he understood enough that he wasn’t surprised to be told in the village one day that there was a man there looking for a young couple with a dark haired little girl.  He brought the news home with worry in his eight year old heart.  Then he was even more worried when his mother said to his father that she hoped the villagers had the presence of mind not to tell the stranger about Chantaya and her mother.
    The villagers must have been discreet to a certain extent, because it wasn’t until nearly a month later that the man showed up at the cottage.  Peyton was afraid of the aggressive stranger, but he was proud of his mother when she stood up to him. 
    The man came into the yard where his mother was boiling her laundry and roughly demanded to speak to Kalder Kincraig.  Rose Wolfgar straightened to her full diminutive height of just over five feet.  “Kalder Kincraig is long dead these past weeks, but you’ve my blessing to go straight to Hades, if you’ve a mind to speak with him.  Sir.”  She added this last word on almost sarcastically and then turned back to her washing and for a moment the harsh stranger seemed so outraged at her answer that Peyton wondered if he was going to do her bodily damage.
    Instead, he snapped, “Then I would speak with Isabella Kincraig.”
    Still a bit defiantly, Rose said, “Isabella Kincraig was nearly killed in the wicked cart wreck that killed her husband and isn’t up to visitors.  I’m so sorry, m’lord, but you’ll have to come back next spring.  If she pulls through at all that is.  She’s near