Page 24 of Heart of the Hunter (Band of Bastards #3)

A nora was terrified.

And exhilarated.

She had won the argument and here she was, on the open road to Shrewsbury with Hunter as her escort.

They were to meet with Madam Ruby to discover if she’d sold jewels to other goldsmiths that matched the description of the brooch she made, or the pieces her father made that were stolen more than a decade past. Then they would continue on to Hawkspur, where Hunter would report what he’d discovered about the baron, and together they would decide on a plan to bring the baron low.

It had not taken nearly the amount of convincing she expected for her father to agree to let her accompany Hunter and continue her quest.

Or for Hunter to acquiesce to her presence on his mission.

Granted, she’d had to compromise. She’d wanted to find the brooch on her own and show Edmund Payne that she did not need to depend on him for her protection, nor was she afraid of him.

The harrowing escape from the castle had shown her exactly how vulnerable a woman alone could be, and she no longer believed Edmund would be tolerant of her exploits if he caught her trespassing.

She’d had to accept the protection of Hunter and reap the benefits of his skills and knowledge in order to partake in the mission, but it was a small sacrifice if it meant she would not wait helplessly at the shop with her father while Hunter fixed her problems for her.

Anora slid a sidelong glance at Hunter. He rode with a rigid posture and stared straight down the road ahead. He’d not spoken to her since they’d left Oswestry, but she hadn’t let that bother her. She knew Hunter didn’t want her with him and that he would travel faster without her.

“We do not have to travel at a walk,” she said after they’d been plodding along for an hour. “I know how to sit a horse.”

“Not necessary.” His gaze continually swept from the trees to the road.

Sometimes, he looked behind them to be sure they weren’t being followed, but he’d yet to look at her.

She’d been concerned that fighting her attraction to Hunter in order to stay focused on the mission would make the journey together difficult.

Based on his current disposition and blatant disregard of her presence, that would not be an issue.

“You do not appear very happy,” Anora said, unable to tolerate the silence any longer. She smiled as she spoke because she sincerely did not want to provoke Hunter. She merely wanted to converse. “I mean, you appear more unhappy than usual. Are you ever not unhappy?”

She felt the familiar zing of triumph when she saw him close his eyes and clench his teeth until the muscles in his jaws rippled.

Banter and teasing, she’d learned, were the best way to draw him out of whatever dark place he went to when he was silent.

She suspected he feigned his annoyance with her because the longer they bantered, the more the tension eased from his shoulders.

“Yes.”

Anora waited, and when he said nothing more, she prodded, “When are you happy?”

“When I’m alone, unhindered by others.” He slid a narrow-eyed gaze her direction.

She laughed at his grumpy tone and furrowed brow, but she’d made him look at her.

“If I am a hindrance, you can be on your way,” Anora said with a light shrug.

“I won’t tell my father. After I meet with Madam Ruby, I will continue on my way to Hawkspur to present my case to Lord Hawk and visit Galiena.

” She’d not seen her dear friend since she’d given birth to twins six months prior.

“If I join a group of travelers and keep my face hidden,” she pulled up the hood of her brother’s mantle as she spoke, “everyone one will think I am a moody traveler, like you, and leave me alone. I shall be safe enough.”

“We have an agreement,” Hunter grumbled after huffing out a frustrated breath.

She really should quit teasing Hunter, but the tedium of the ride was making her restless. “In truth, I did not expect you to agree to this arrangement.”

“You left me with no choice,” he said with a glare. “You’ve already proven yourself to be reckless. I fully believed you when you said you planned to find the brooch with or without my help, and your father would never forgive me if I let you go alone and something happened to you.”

“As I said before, I can be very persuasive when needed,” she said with a smirk.

He grunted in response, but Anora couldn’t tell if it was because he agreed, or because he disapproved.

“Have I told you how much I like wearing breeches? It is so much easier to ride a horse when you don’t have a kirtle and chemise getting twisted and pulled in every direction while trying to sit in the saddle.

” When he didn’t say anything, she continued on, “I am much better prepared should we get confronted by bandits and have to fight them off.”

“You won’t be fighting anyone. If anything, I will be fighting because you are wearing those damn breeches.”

“Do I look so threatening?” She pushed her hood back as Hunter’s eyes raked from her head, where her hair was tucked into another of Baldwin’s caps, down the length of her trousered leg to her booted foot resting in the stirrup.

The perusal was thorough and completely unsettling.

Her skin tingled with awareness as if she had been touched.

“You are far too shapely and graceful to be a man,” Hunter said, his eyes narrowed in disapproval.

“You think me graceful?” She laughed at the obvious blush that colored Hunter’s cheeks.

“I think you do not move like a man.”

“What do I need to do to move like man?” She was genuinely curious.

He flitted a quick glance her direction. “Straighten your legs more and don’t stick your…your…”

“My what?” She could guess what he was trying to say, but she enjoyed his discomfort.

“Your backside,” he said quickly. “Tuck it under more. It will reduce the curve from your back to your…hips.”

She ignored the obvious strain in his voice and did as he said as she settled into the saddle with her new posture. “Is this better?”

He turned his head, his eyes flitting quickly down her back, then just as quickly turned his attention back to the road again. “Better.”

“Thank you, Hunter,” she said, with a satisfied smile.

“Also, quit smiling.”

She pressed her lips together in a thin line and scowled in her best impression of Hunter. “Is this better?”

He looked at her briefly then shook his head. “Your nose is too fine, your lips too pink, and line of your jaw too elegant. You will never pass for a man. At best, and from a distance, you might be mistaken for a boy.”

She waved her hand dismissively at him, though she couldn’t help but be flattered by his assessment of her. “It is only because you know me that you cannot envision me as a man. Anyone else will just see a thin, unthreatening man.”

“You talk too much to be a man,” he drawled.

“Not all men are as tight-lipped as you, Hunter,” she said, crinkling her nose at him to soften the rebuke.

“I think you get as much satisfaction from our verbal swordplay as I do. In fact,” she continued, holding up a finger to stop the response that was forming on his lips, “I think we make a good pair, you and I, and I’ll wager when this mission is over, you will see the value in our continued partnership. ”

His eyes widened in shock, and he looked like he’d swallowed a lump of coal.

“Hear me out,” she said with enthusiasm as she warmed to the idea.

“I could do the talking, and you could do the strong-arming. You hate talking to most people, but often the best way to gather information is by asking the direct question. You’d be amazed how much people open up to me and say much more than they ever intended just because of a simple question and a welcoming smile. ”

He scowled. “What about the shop? I thought goldsmithing was your dream.”

“It is the perfect cover. We can travel anywhere without raising suspicion. It is not unusual for my father and me to go to a nobleman’s home to discuss work to be commissioned.

We are often traveling to make deliveries or attend markets in other regions.

No one will think to question us if they believe us to be traveling merchants.

And I could be your lookout while you do your business. ”

He sighed. “What is it you think I do?”

“I think you are Hawk’s spy. You prowl around in the dead of night and steal information.”

“That’s not too far from the truth, but it is not the only thing I do.”

“What else then?” she asked, not only from curiosity but because she knew it would annoy him, which was the only fun to be had on this journey.

He pressed his lips together as if he’d said too much. “ Not your business.”

“Ooh, I am intrigued. Another mystery about you for me to solve.” She lifted her chin, “But not to worry. I will learn all of your secrets while we are working together.”

“I work alone,” he grumbled.

Anora was not deterred. “Do you not work with your liege, Lord Hawk? Or Red? You were with Red when Galiena sought refuge from my father after being chased through the streets of the village by an assassin.”

“That is different. I am duty bound to my liege. And Red? His ass just requires saving at times.”

She laughed at that. “You are his keeper, then? He will be so pleased to hear that is how he rates.”

“He may not be pleased,” Hunter said, with a tip of his head as though seriously considering the situation. “But he will not be shocked.”

“That I believe. I imagine he knows as well as any that your arrogance knows no bounds.”

He completed the scan of the road ahead and behind, and the forest on either side, then leveled a steady gaze at her. “It is another trait of men.”

“Arrogance?”

He nodded.