Strands of Love (2 page)

The tires kicked up dirt as he sped away and Sam was alone
once again. Arrow trotted up to sit beside her. “Here to protect me now that
the threat is gone, are you?” She stood there until the dust settled. Still,
she made no move to go to work.

Sam was tired. Tired of being the strong one, the one to
hold things together. She needed someone to lean on and all she had was a disreputable-looking
tomcat. There was work waiting, but there was always work on a farm, less now
that the animals had been sold, but she was still one person trying to do
everything.

“To hell with it.” Sam walked toward the fields, not
bothering to detour for the tractor. She wanted to walk the land, to feel the
heat on her face, to smell the dirt and vegetation. This was still her land and
she wanted to enjoy it.

She set out, her long strides leaving the house and her
problems behind. It was just past ten in the morning, but it had already been a
hell of a long day.

* * * * *

Jace Hunter shook hands with Radnor Craddock. “We have a
deal.” The trade was a fair one and he was now the owner of the massive
gray-and-white stallion currently munching on some feed in the stall behind
them.

Radnor slapped him on the back. “Good. You’ll share a meal
with us before you set out for home.” It was more a command than an offer. Jace
glanced toward his brother, not surprised when Darian shook his head. As usual,
they were in accord.

Jace turned back to his host. “Thank you for the offer, but
we need to be on our way. Looks like there’s a storm brewing and we want to
make it home by nightfall.” They’d only been at Craddock Keep a matter of
hours, having camped just beyond, up in the mountains the night before.

A light step came toward them and Radnor’s face broke into a
smile. Jace knew who was there even before he turned around and she was part of
the reason he didn’t want to stay. Roxanne Craddock was a tapestry bride. One
of those rare creatures brought to Javara by the magic tapestry to be a bride
to some worthy men.

He faced her and bowed in greeting, noting his brother did
the same. She was pretty enough with her black hair and gray eyes, but when she
smiled at her husband, she positively radiated beauty. Jace swallowed hard,
ignoring the ache in his chest. He was thirty years old and felt each of those
years. It was hard not to covet what the Craddock brothers had found.

“These are the Hunter brothers.” Radnor put his arm around
Roxanne and pulled her close. “Jace and Darian.”

She smiled and offered her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Jace glanced at Radnor, getting his unspoken permission
before reaching out to shake her hand. No need to offend his host. Some men
were very possessive over their women. They were rare treasures and very
protected. “It’s a pleasure,” he assured her.

Darian stepped forward and took her hand. “My lady.”

Jace could feel the tension constricting his chest. “We need
to be going.”

Radnor nodded. “We’ll come in a week to collect the
agreed-upon spices.”

“That’s fine.” Hunter Keep might not be as large or as
prosperous as some, but they did well enough, mostly with spices and plants
used in cooking and medicines. Some were very rare and grew only in the
mountainous region around their home. Some were deadly unless harvested
properly, and those at Hunter Keep kept that knowledge a carefully guarded
secret. They also had an abundance of salt, which everyone needed to some
degree. It allowed them to trade for what they could not produce themselves.

Sednar, the other Craddock brother, joined them. He had the
saddle from Jace’s gelding cinched on the stallion in a matter of minutes. Jace
thanked him and mounted the massive horse, bringing him quickly under control.
He was a spirited beast and suited Jace well.

“Until next week.” Jace led the way. Darian came behind him
leading the horse Jace had ridden here. Neither spoke until they were well away
from Craddock Keep.

“That went well.” Darian came up alongside him on the path
as he spoke.

“It did.” Jace quickly calculated what was left of this
season’s spice crop. “We have enough to barter for some new lambs to expand the
herd.”

“I heard Carn sired a litter of pups.”

Jace knew his brother wanted one of those pups to train.
Carn was a massive wolfhound owned by the Dannon brothers and was one of the
best protectors a man could have for his home and his flock.

“If they’re not wanting too much for them,” Darian
continued, “I think we should claim one of them if they’re willing to sell.”

As elder of the two by three years, Jace’s word was the
final one when it came to what happened at Hunter Keep. But he always listened
to his brother’s counsel.

“He’d be a prime bloodline to breed more pups,” Darian
pointed out.

His brother was right and, as usual, they were thinking
along the same lines. It was the same reason they’d dug deep into their coffers
and paid the price for the horse he was riding. If they could breed the
stallion with some of the better mares they already owned, they would likely
get some fine colts to fill their empty stables.

They’d spent the last five years since their father’s death
trying to make their home more self-sufficient. The old man and his two
brothers had almost driven the place into the ground before they’d been killed
in a freak hunting accident, buried beneath a deadly landslide in the
mountains.

Jace glanced up at the darkening sky. “We can send word to
Dannon Keep as soon as we get home. I don’t want to leave again so soon.” His
mother was in charge while they were away and, while he didn’t doubt her
capabilities, he hated to put that burden on her.

They rode for a few more hours, but Jace knew from the
ominous clouds gathering above them, they weren’t going to beat the storm home.

“The wind is really picking up.” Darian glanced toward the
woods at the base of the mountains. As if on cue, a bolt of lightning struck
the ground, illuminating the world in a brilliant flash of light. A boom of
thunder rocked the earth. Fallen leaves and debris kicked up, swirling around
them. The horses shied and his new stallion tried to bolt.

Jace held on tight to the reins and wrapped his thighs
around the beast. “We need to take cover.” A sense of urgency filled him. Out
in the open was no place to be in a violent storm.

The skies darkened further and rain began to pound down,
stinging his skin. Jace cursed the weather. He’d hoped they’d be home long
before the storm was upon them.

“This way,” Darian yelled above another boom of thunder. His
brother led the way to a small outcropping of rocks sheltered by some trees.

When they were close, Jace dismounted and tethered the horse
to the trunk of a tree. He didn’t trust the branches to hold beneath the might
of the creature.

His hair and clothes were dripping by the time he stepped
beneath the outcropping with Darian. His brother was in the same shape, his
long, blond hair hung in hanks around his face. The difference was, his brother
was smiling. Even now, he found the joy in the power of the storm.

“It’s really coming down, but should blow over quickly.”
Darian swiped a lock of hair out of his face.

Jace started to answer, but froze when the air in front of
them began to shimmer.

“What is that?” his brother asked.

Jace cursed the fact his sword was still lashed to his
saddle, but quickly drew the knife from his boot. It wasn’t as powerful a
weapon as his sword, but the blade was six inches long, extremely sharp and he
knew how to use it. Darian moved up beside him, his knife in his right hand.

The shimmering solidified and a tapestry hovered in the air
in front of them, the rain seeming not to touch it. It was about two feet wide
by three feet long and the picture on it changed repeatedly. He’d seen it once
years before at Castle Garen. It was the magic tapestry, the one that brought
potential brides to Javara from other worlds far away.

“Is that the tapestry?” He could hear the disbelief in
Darian’s voice. “Doesn’t it bring a woman with it when it comes.”

They both peered through the thick sheets of rain coming down
around them, but there was no one there. The horses whinnied and trumpeted
their displeasure as the storm continued unabated.

Jace squinted at the tapestry, watching the image on it
change. There were no stone castles or keeps on it. No huts with thatched roofs
and no horses. Instead, there was a vast, dusty land with a white structure in
the distance.

He leaned forward, drawn to it, wanting to see more.

“No!” his brother yelled. He felt Darian’s hand wrap around
his arm and then Jace was falling into darkness, into nothingness. He heard his
brother cry out and reached for him. Then the world went black.

Jace’s eyes snapped open and he sprang to his feet, knife in
hand. Where was he? Where was Darian? He looked around and his heart skipped a
beat when he saw his brother lying in the dirt at his feet. He fell to his
knees. “Darian.” He shook his brother, grateful to see the slow rise and fall
of his chest. He was breathing.

He shook him again, keeping one eye on his surroundings. He
had no idea where they were, but it didn’t look familiar. Stalks of dry brown
wheat stood still, the hot air thick and unmoving. Above him, the sky was clear
and blue.

What had happened to the storm? The horses? And why was his
clothing dry instead of wet? How long had they been here?

“Darian.” He tapped his brother’s face, maybe a bit harder
than was necessary, but he’d feel better about the situation if Darian was
awake and on his feet.

His brother’s eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, barely
stifling a moan as he grabbed his head. “What happened? Where are we?”

“I don’t know.” Jace slowly stood and had to squint against
the brilliant sunlight. As far as he could see there were no people or homes,
nothing beyond the sea of grain.

Darian slowly came to his feet and brushed the dust off his
leather pants and vest. “The tapestry. What happened to it?”

Jace couldn’t see a single thread of the tapestry and
swallowed down his rising anger. Were they stuck here, wherever here was? “I
don’t know,” he repeated. He hated not having answers.

“One thing for certain. We’re not home.” Darian turned in a
full circle. “Any idea which direction we should head.”

Jace went with his gut and pointed off to his left. “That
way.”

They walked in silence, both of them on their guard, knives
in hand. He had no idea if the people here were hostile or what kinds of
animals they might encounter. It was hard to come to grips with the idea, but
the tapestry had not brought a potential bride to them. Instead, it had ripped
them from their home and taken them somewhere unknown.

Had they offended the gods in some way? The sorceress who’d
created the tapestry?

What would happen to their mother, their people and Hunter
Keep when they did not return home? Thankfully, no one would miss them for a
day or two. If the tapestry worked as it normally did, it would return within
three days and they could go home. Until then, all they had to do was survive.
He refused to consider any other outcome. Once again, he wished he had his
sword. Unfortunately, it was back in Javara with the horses. They had no food,
no water and no idea where they were.

“This happened once before, didn’t it?” Darian broke the
silence. Jace could tell his brother had been mulling over the same things he
had. “Marc Garen got pulled away to his woman and then brought right back to
Javara.”

That was the only time in their history that such a thing
had happened. Jace didn’t know what was going on here. Why they’d been taken.
But the tapestry was gone and they appeared to be stuck here for the time
being.

Jace heard a rustling and then the brittle snap of
vegetation being trod on by a boot. He grabbed Darian’s arm and dragged him
down until they were both crouched among the stalks of grain. It wasn’t much
cover, but the brown of their clothing and their blond hair helped them blend.

“Damn bank.” A disgruntled female voice reached them and
Jace glanced toward his brother, who raised his eyebrow in silent question. He
shook his head, indicating they should listen a bit longer before revealing
themselves.

“And who does George Rawlins think he is, sniffing around my
land?”

It was obvious the woman was upset. Her voice was deep and
husky and Jace wanted to see her, to put a face to the voice. He eased up just
enough to catch a glimpse of a tall woman wearing some kind of pants and
extremely short tunic. He frowned. The tunic clung to her breasts like a second
skin and it was more than obvious she had an ample chest.

Her hair was obscured by a strange covering of some kind,
the brim blocking the top half of her face from view. He needed a better angle.

Suddenly, she froze, her gaze shooting around and landing
right on him. Her eyes widened and she took a step back. “Crap,” she muttered.

Jace slid his knife back into his boot and slowly stood,
hands open in front of him. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her.
She didn’t appear to be armed and she was a lovely creature.

Her face was lightly tanned, her lips full, her nose
straight. Dark-blue eyes narrowed and anger snapped in them. “Who are you and what
are you doing on my land?”

Her land? She must be wealthy indeed if she owned land. And
where was her man? Her father? It was unheard of for a woman to be alone in
their world.

Darian stirred beside him and stood. Fear flashed over her
face before it was quickly covered by anger. She straightened her shoulders and
he felt pride at her courage. He wished her head covering was gone so he could
see her hair more clearly.

Jace took a step toward her and she held out her hand. “Stop
right there, mister. Start talking or I’m calling the sheriff.”

Sam’s heart was racing and her palms were sweating. What
were these two enormous men doing in her fields? Both of them were tall, well
over six feet. Their clothing was identical—leather pants, moccasin-style boots
and open vests, which exposed a vast amount of tanned, muscled flesh. There
wasn’t an ounce of fat on either of them.

She wanted to swallow but dust and fear had made her mouth
too dry. Two sets of pale-blue eyes watched her. She felt like a mouse about to
be pounced on by a hawk. Make that two hawks. Even their faces were hard and
their jaws looked as though they were hewn from granite.

The one who’d stood first had a skinny braid on either side
of his face. Both had hair so blond it was almost white.

“I am called Jace.” At least she had a name for the one with
the braids. His nose had a slight bump in it, as though it had been broken at
some point in his life. A white scar, about three inches long, bisected his
left cheek.

Vikings. That’s what they reminded her of. They were even
wearing bronze arm- and wristbands. They looked as though they should be on the
cover of a romance novel, much like the ones she kept under her bed. All they
needed were swords to completely pull off the look.

“Jace what?” She was pleased with how calm her voice
sounded. She slowly pulled her phone out of her back pocket and prayed she
could get service from here. It wasn’t always reliable.

“Hunter.” It was the other man who spoke. He was slightly
shorter than Jace, but no less intimidating. “My name is Darian. Darian
Hunter.”

He smiled and it made him less intimidating. He looked
remarkably like Jace, who was obviously his brother, except his hair was
longer, falling to halfway down his back. Jace’s hair hung to just below his
shoulders. None of the men around here would wear their hair that long, but it
certainly didn’t detract from their masculinity. If anything, it added to it.

“Why are you here?” They didn’t look like crazed killers.
And they’d made no move to attack her. In fact, they seemed to sense her unease
and were keeping their distance. Sam relaxed slightly, but kept her phone at
the ready. She had the sheriff’s office on speed dial, considered it only
practical since she lived and worked alone.

Jace shook his head. “We’re not sure.”

Okay, what exactly did he mean by that? “I’m Sam Calloway
and you’re trespassing. This is my land.” Maybe they worked for one of her
neighbors and had gotten lost. It was easy enough to do if you weren’t familiar
with the land and these two boys certainly didn’t look local. “Are you lost?”

Darian nodded. “Yes, lost.”

Sam sighed, knowing she just couldn’t leave them here, not
in this heat. They didn’t have any supplies with them, no water at all. A body
could die of heat stroke if he wasn’t careful.

“Who are you working for? Adams? Cutler?” Those were her two
closest neighbors. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple and she took off her
hat and rubbed her arm over her forehead before pulling it back on again.

The men exchanged glances. “We are not working for anyone.”

Great, just great. They were drifters. Just what she didn’t
need. “Well, you’re out of luck with me. I’m not hiring. And there’s no money
to steal back at the house. I’m dirt poor.” Hopefully that piece of news would
get them moving along quickly.

“You might try the feed store in town. They always know
who’s hiring.” She pointed off to her right. “Road is about two miles that way.
Go left when you hit it and it’s about twenty miles.” No way was she going to
feel guilty for not offering to drive them. She couldn’t afford to waste the
gas.

Both men stiffened, but it was the tough one who spoke. “We
are not thieves.” Jace propped his hands on his hips and scowled at her.

She mirrored his stance and scowled right back at him, her
patience almost shot. “I’m not accusing you, I’m just laying out the facts.”

“We mean no offense.” Darian offered a smile. Damned if he
wasn’t just about the most handsome man she’d ever met. Both of them were, but
Jace was a little more rugged, less pretty than his brother.

A tingling sensation low in her belly caught her off guard.
Oh hell, not that, anything but that. She was attracted to him, to them. Crap,
she was attracted to both of them. Okay, so they were handsome in a rugged way
with muscles that looked as though they’d been sculpted by the hand of God, but
she didn’t need that in her life right now. She had enough troubles without
adding a man to the mix.

“Look, you guys need to go.” Cursing herself, she knew she
couldn’t simply boot them off her land without at least giving them some water.
“You can follow me back to the house and I’ll get you some water. After that,
you can be on your way.”

No way was she offering them anything to eat. It didn’t
appear as though either of them had missed a meal. They were both filled out
nicely.

Stop it
, she admonished herself.
No noticing how
sexy they both are
. Of course, her hormones paid her no attention and both
her nipples stood at attention. She fought the urge to hunch her shoulders,
hoping they wouldn’t notice.

“Follow me.” Making her decision, she turned her back on
them and strode toward the house. It would take at least twenty minutes to get
there. She cursed herself for not taking the tractor, for allowing George to
upset her.

She’d get rid of these men and then figure out what she was
going to do about her situation. Sam glanced over her shoulder and was relieved
to note that they were keeping a good distance between her and them.

Then she realized they were talking and wished they were
close enough for her to hear what they were saying. She raised her phone and
was pleased to see she had service. Should she call Sheriff Pritchard? Her
finger rubbed the button but didn’t press down. She didn’t feel threatened but,
then again, she didn’t always have the best judgment when it came to men.
George was a case in point.

She hurried, lengthening her stride. The quicker they got
back to the house, the quicker they’d be gone. She ignored the slight pang in
her chest at the thought of being alone again. That was her life now and she’d
just have to get used to it.

Darian did his best not to watch Sam’s ass as she walked,
but it was impossible. The clothing she was wearing emphasized her small waist
and curvy hips. His gaze went up her slender spine, noting the black braid that
hung just below her shoulder blades, but then it went back to her swaying
behind.

“What do you think?” Jace asked, keeping his voice low.

“I want her.” His cock was semi-erect and he wanted to make
a place for himself between her firm thighs and fuck her until she screamed
with pleasure.

Jace cursed. “Besides that?”

Darian dragged his gaze away from Sam. Jace was staring at
him, his expression a combination of anger and need. There was no doubting Jace
wanted her too. Good, that meant he’d fight for her. With both of them trying
to convince her, maybe they could sway her mind and have her agree to belong to
them.

He had no idea how things worked in this world, but he was
willing to learn. He was also counting on the tapestry returning in three days
to take them home. He didn’t want to think about what they would do if that
didn’t happen.

“Why is she alone?” Darian glanced around. “Where are all
the people?”

Jace shrugged. “I don’t know, but we can’t let her send us
away. The tapestry brought us here for a reason. Sam is obviously alone. Maybe
she needs us.”

Darian turned his gaze back to Sam’s straight spine and her
delectable behind as he considered his brother’s words. The tapestry usually
brought a woman to Javara, a woman who could fit into their world, one with
little to leave behind. But that wasn’t the case here. Sam said she was poor,
but that wasn’t quite true. She was obviously wealthy if she had land. How much
of it was hers? And would she want to leave it?

“For the first time, I feel great empathy for the women who
have been brought to Javara by the tapestry. I am in awe of their courage. To
lose everything familiar.” Darian gave an uneasy glance around. “It is
disconcerting.”

And that was an understatement. They didn’t know the land or
the customs or what to expect. At least they had each other to depend upon. The
women who were brought to their world had no one.

A building came into view. It was small, but tidy. Darian
was struck by how desolate and alone it was.

Sam turned and motioned them forward. “You two wait on the
porch and I’ll get you some water.”

Darian tried not to appear too curious, but he had no idea
what the metal structure on wheels just beyond the house was. How did it move?
Was it drawn by horses? It didn’t appear to be very efficient.