Lone Star Magic (2 page)

Maybe she could scrape together some sort of
reward. She had some money put aside in the cookie jar. Okay, if he
could get TM into the stallion stall, she’d pay him. Then he could
leave. Without talking about anything. Maybe she just didn’t need
to know, or want to know. She didn’t really care anyway.

“Um, would you mind leading him into the barn
for me?”

“Of course not.” He stepped aside so she
could move past him. Which she did. Suddenly nervous, she tried to
remember the self-defense moves she’d learned in that fitness class
back in college, but couldn’t. So she settled for reassuring
herself a man as gorgeous as this one would have no interest in a
woman like her.

Still, that didn’t explain what he’d been
doing earlier, with the strange and scary fireball. Or the way he’d
seemed to fly through the air. Or heal what had looked like severe
burns in a matter of hours.

Resisting the urge to rub her eyes, she
marched off, letting him follow. They made it to the barn without
incident, TM trailing docilely after as though he were gelded.
Kayo, traitorous beast, ran up to them without even barking,
wagging his tail furious as though the stranger was his long last
friend.

The man noticed her frown and smiled, making
his amazing brown eyes twinkle. “I told you, I have a way with
animals.”

Kayo, gazing up at him with adoration and
panting happily, seemed to agree.

“Whatever. TM goes in there.” Pointing toward
the reinforced stallion stall, she shrugged. “I think he’d hurt
himself if it weren’t for the padding.”

The stranger looked intrigued. “An ingenious
idea.” He led TM over to the stall, turned the latch on the door
and motioned for the horse to go in. As Carly watched in amazement,
TM lifted his head, sniffed the air expectantly, and did exactly
that. Without a bit of trouble. No snorting or whinnying, no
attempt to bite or kick or rear.

That in itself was a fandangled dang
miracle.

“How did—.” She had to bite the side of her
cheek. The guy would think she was an idiot if he found out she
couldn’t handle her own horse. “Never mind. Thank you.”

“You are most welcome.” His rich voice made
her shiver. Then, while she stared, he held out his hand. “I’m
Alrick.”

Still dazed, she took it. His large fingers
engulfed her smaller ones, and he could have hurt her if he gripped
too hard, but he only squeezed once, then raised her hand to his
lips, and kissed it. She snatched her hand away before he could
release it. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

Kayo looked on. Carly could have sworn the
dog was grinning.

“No.” He shook his head, sending his dark
hair swirling. “I’m not.”

“I see.” Now she supposed she needed to
broach the subject of a reward. She didn’t have much to spare, but
he didn’t know that. What would be a good number? Ten dollars?
Twenty?

“You have a beautiful horse.” Alrick’s deep
voice reflected his pleasure.

“Thank you.”

“What breed is he?”

“TM’s pureblooded Arabian. He’s a three year
old. My husband bred him.” She spoke without thinking, with
unconscious pride. “He is – was – Liam’s favorite.”

“Liam?”

“My husband. He died in an accident a year
ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.” For the first time in forever, her
throat didn’t close up when she said it. “I’m sorry too.” Damn, she
shouldn’t have told him that. Now he knew she was alone. He’d
probably react just like the obnoxious cop had that morning.

“Do you ride him?”

Startled, she blinked. “What?”

“The horse. Do you ride him often? Such a
high spirited animal should have a lot of exercise.”

Good God. Even if she knew how to ride, TM
wouldn’t let her anywhere near him, never mind with a saddle. “He’s
not broke.”

“Broke?”

“Trained. He’s not trained. I, er, haven’t
had the time.”

Alrick cocked his shaggy head, as though he
knew she was lying. “He’s never carried a man – or woman – upon his
back?”

“No.”

“That’s a shame.”

“It is.” Time for him to move on. “Now, how
much?” she blurted, hating feeling so awkward.

“How much what?”

“I want to give you something. Money. A
reward.”

“A reward?” He looked at her as if she’d said
something strange.

“Cash. Something. For bringing TM home. But
don’t expect too much. I’m pretty broke.”

“Coin? I have no use for your money. I need
work.” He glanced around the padlock and beyond, to her untended
and overgrown fields. “You have a lot here for me to do.”

Carly frowned. “I don’t need help.” Lie
number one. She hesitated, then decided to go for the gusto with
lie number two. “I have a crew that comes by every afternoon.
Several high school boys. They’re all the help I need.”

He looked around again and smiled politely.
“I can train your stallion. Make him more manageable.”

“No.” She crossed her arms. “And since we’re
talking – against my better judgment – I still want to know what
happened earlier today with the fire thingee.”

“You wouldn’t believe me.” He smiled again,
that dazzling display of white teeth and dimples.

Carly noted with amazement how even his brown
eyes sparkled. It was like some kind of toothpaste commercial, for
Pete’s sake. “Try me.”

His smile slowly faded, replaced by an aloof
look. “It’s a long story,” he warned. “And one that might seem
unbelievable, sort of like a, er, fairy tale.

Which to her meant his story would be a
fable. One big, fat, honking lie.

“Fine, then go.” She sighed, letting the
familiar despair settle around her shoulders. Even his intense
masculine beauty couldn’t take that from her. “I don’t really want
to know anyway. Nice meeting you, Alrick.”

She turned to head back to the house, where
she could lock the door and return to the grind of her daily
chores. This ranch had been Liam’s dream and she had known next to
nothing about farming or ranching when he’d died. Sometimes she
missed Liam so much it felt like a she was moving through clouded
water.

“Wait.”

Though she stopped, she didn’t turn around to
look at him. His masculine beauty only reminded her of what she’d
lost. Though no cover model look-alike, Liam had been everything to
her. And more.

“If you want to pay me, what I really want is
a – job.” He stumbled over the last word like it was
unfamiliar.

“A job.” She couldn’t help turning
around.

“Yes. Please. His long-lashed eyes appeared
to glow. Damn he was beautiful. He made Carly, who’d never even
picked up a brush, wish she knew how to paint.

Concentrate
. She forced her mind back
on track. “Then tell me the truth. What happened here this morning?
What was that thing in the sky?”

Clearing his throat, he held her gaze. “I
will tell you, if you really want to know.”

“Yes. I do.”

“The truth is – someone is trying to kill
you. I’m here to protect you.”

Of all the things he could have said,
that
was not what she’d expected. She gaped at him and said
the first thing that came into her head. “Why? Why would someone
want to kill me?”

“Because you’re important.”

Kayo stood, tail wagging, tongue lolling from
his mouth as he looked from one to the other.

“Important.”

“Yes.”

Right. Everyone was important, in their own
way. With his non-answer, she found she could breathe again. That
settled things. He was even crazier than she, and she was the one
with the reputation. “Look bud, you’ve got to go.”

He didn’t move. “You don’t truly understand.
Your life is in danger.”

“Riiight. Anyways, thanks for helping with my
horse. And,” she waved her hand towards the door, “with the
fireball thingee this morning. Bub-bye.” Spinning on her heel, she
took off again.

He kept pace. “I’m not jesting.”

Maybe it was his odd choice of words, or
maybe the thread of fear she heard in his tone, but she stopped.
Again. Almost in the house, where she could lock the door and keep
him out. Almost to safety. And she stopped. Pure stupidity.

Either way, with one hand on the doorknob,
Carly stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. Kayo, her
traitorous pet, stood by his side. “Are you on drugs?”

His amber eyes looked clear, unclouded.
“Drugs? Of course not.”

“If you aren’t insane, and you aren’t on
drugs, then…” She shook her head. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. Utterly.”

What did he take her for, an idiot? Did he
really think she’d buy his “you need me to protect you” story and
let him stay on her ranch? She wanted to throw up her hands. “Why
would anyone want to kill me?”

She continued without waiting for his answer.
“Look, whatever you’re after, I don’t have it. I seriously don’t
have any money.”

“And I seriously have no need for coin. Let
me stay and help protect you. I will work. A roof over my head,
food to eat, wine to drink. Those are the things I require.”

Strike two for him. At least she understood
his angle now. From panhandling to outright mooching. She’d just
bet he intended to work. “Hell no, you can’t stay in my house.”

“Why not?”

She gaped at him. “Because, because…”

He strode across the grass towards her. “You
need me.”

“I do not.”

“Look around this place.” There was an odd
gentleness to his tone. “Your fences are falling down, the barn
needs painting and repairs, your fields—.”

“Stop. I know how crappy I am at running this
place. My life has nothing to do with you.”

“You need my help.” At least he didn’t look
at her chest when he spoke to her. She liked that in a man.

What the hell was she thinking?
He was
nuts, certifiably insane, possibly dangerous, and she was
alone.

“Never mind.” She crossed her arms. “You
can’t stay here. The place looks bad because I’m a widow. My
problem, not yours. I work alone. I like it that way.”

“Your cannot possibly like,” he waved his
hand towards her barn, “to live like this.”

Before Liam died, she might have felt hurt.
Now, she simply didn’t care. “You know what, Alrick? You’re not
only pushy, but rude. Thanks for helping with the horse, but you’ve
got to go. Now.”

“I apologize. I meant no discourtesy.”

“And you talk weird.” Petty, she knew, but
she felt the need to strike back, no matter how small.

He laughed, a rich masculine sound that made
her chest ache. “You don’t like the way I talk?”

“You sound like a bad actor.”

“I forgot I wasn’t at court.” He took a step
closer. “Now, you can use my help. Where else will you find such
inexpensive labor?”

He had a point, but Carly held her ground. At
least he wasn’t going on about people trying to kill her. “No.” His
amazing looks might have temporarily stunned her, but she hadn’t
totally lost her mind.

“I’ll train your horse, help out around
this,” he continued on as if he hadn’t heard her. “farm. In return,
you’ll let me sleep in the barn and let me protect you.
Agreed?”

Agreed? What the hell? Bemused, she stared up
at him. “I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone or something. Is
there a camera hidden somewhere?”

“A camera?” He squinted at her as if she was
the crazy one.

“Fine.” She sighed. “What’s this about
someone trying to kill me?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve come to protect you.”

“Delusions of grandeur, I see. Protect me
from what?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know.” She could tell that
bothered him. Hell, she supposed it would bother her, if she
believed him. “You don’t know who’s trying to kill me.”

“I know who. I don’t know what form the
attacks will take. I know only that they will be magical.”

“Magical. This doesn’t sound magical to me.”
She thought for a moment. “Ok, I’ll bite. Who? Who’s trying to kill
me?”

“The Warlord. He’s from the future.”

“The Warlord from… This just keeps getting
weirder and weirder.”

“I’ll defend you.” He repeated. “So I have
sworn.”

An actor. She told herself not to soften.
“You don’t even know me.”

“So?” His expression softened, the impatient
arrogance fading from his face. “I’ll look after you.”

Right now she needed to get rid of him. “I’ll
have to think about this. I need some time. Alone. To think.”

“Very well.” He reached down and petted Kayo,
to the Border collie’s delight. “Will one hour be long enough?”

“One hour?” Even if she called 911 again, it
would take the police nearly that long to make it out here.

“Two?” At her scowl, he sighed. “Why don’t
you tell me how long you will need to decide?”

Right now she just wanted him to go. “I don’t
know. At least a day. Possibly more.”

“You many not have that long.”

She took a step back. “Are you threatening
me?”

“Not I. The Warlord.”

“The Warlord. Of course. I need at least to
sleep on it. I’m not budging on that.”

Alrick nodded once and turned to go. Shaking
her head, Carly looked at her dog. Kayo gazed mournfully after the
man, as though he might never see him again.

“You sure as hell seem to like him,” she
groused. Kayo wagged his tail in agreement.

ALRICK COULD feel the woman’s green eyes on
his back as he forced himself to saunter away. Leaving her, even
though every instinct told him Carly Roberts was still in danger.
Grave danger, if the Mage of future Rune had foreseen
correctly.

He felt oddly at home in the human world,
though he’d previously made only a few, short trips here. Ever
since Rune had started fading, traveling across the veil became
more difficult. These days, the Fae mostly remained in Rune and
left the humans alone.