Love Inspired Historical March 2014 Bundle: Winning Over the Wrangler\Wolf Creek Homecoming\A Bride for the Baron\The Guardian's Promise (81 page)

Chapter Seventeen

T
he silent darkness plagued her with each step as tiny furry creatures scurried across her toes. It took all her reserve not to scream in fright with each passing, their sharp claws the only sound echoing off the tunnel walls.

Before they had left the well-lit cavern, the men had agreed it best if they travel without a lamp to guide them. They had emphasized the necessity for quiet lest their enemies came upon them. Her only comforts were Ari trailing behind her and Joash's small hand wrapped in hers.

The child squeezed her hand, and for a moment some of her anxiousness disappeared. Not much in her life had caused her fear. Wild dogs were one. Tama losing her babe had been another. At least with the dogs she knew how to behave.

With Tama, there had been nothing she could do. She had felt so useless, so helpless. And even though oil lamps had flickered, it had been the darkest night of them all. It had seemed as if the stars would never yield to the light of the day. Much like now. It had seemed as if the darkness would continue for everlasting. It was enough to make her weep.

Another animal ran over her foot. She swallowed her scream and squeezed Joash's fingers. Once again, as he'd done several times since their departure, he patted her hand. She wished she could give him her thanks, but then if she could do such, she'd scream down the mountain they currently traversed.

Why, Lord? Why must I be forced to endure my fears?

Silence clung outside the thundering of her ears. She hadn't expected a response.

One ray of light to rest her weary eyes from the darkness would have been welcomed even more than an answer.
Enough, Mira. You should be grateful in your circumstances,
she chastised herself as she closed her eyes. It was not as if she could see with them open. But then another critter scurried over her feet, and she flung her eyes open.

A sliver of light pierced the darkness. Her heart slammed into her chest. Were they about to be attacked again? Had her longing for light somehow cursed them to their deaths? Even though she couldn't detect tension from those around her, she removed her hand from Joash's and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

The ray became wider with each step forward. The air changed from cool dankness to warmth and salt and... She bowed her head and gave thanks to the Lord, for He had heard her prayer. Perhaps, He had even answered her question as to why she must endure her fears. Where she sought comfort, God sought her trust.

She stepped into the opening of yet another cave, but this time natural light filled the entire area. Heat from the midday sun radiated through the opening. Ari's father, one of his uncles, his mother, sister-in-laws and one of his brothers were already there. The older men sat on the plaster benches deep in prayer. Ari's brother Melchiah carried an earthen jug, as the women readied the area for a meal.

She released Joash and watched him as he neared the elders. Sitting beside them, he, too, bowed his head. Assured that the boy was well, she began helping with the meal. As she had done the night before, she untied the strap around the leather tables and laid them out.

In under a day's time with Ari's family, she had come to understand a great deal about them. They loved each other deeply, and they were not above teasing one another—they actually took pleasure in it.

Ishiah poured grain onto what looked like an altar. Ari's family also took their vows seriously, which she could only reason that Ari would do so as well, even if he had kept his priestly identity a secret from her and her family for many years.

She understood the circumstances required secrecy. It was vital for the good of Judah. She only wished there was another way. Wished Ari had been what he had pretended to be. Wished she weren't deformed and below Ari's status. But as she listened to the prayers of this family she knew there could never be anything between her and Ari. Just as God required perfect livestock for sacrifice, so, too, would Ari's family require him to marry a perfect, unblemished wife. It was decreed by the temple elders.

Ari entered the alcove. Her gaze met his as his sister Lydia offered him water. He drank deeply from the cup. And when he was finished he handed the cup back to his sister. His lips were shiny with moisture. She blinked as her toes curled at the remembrance of his lips touching hers. Did he recall with clarity the kiss they'd shared? Did the memory twist and turn his insides, too?

She tore her eyes from his and busied about with preparations. She would never last the trip to Jerusalem with him. She would constantly covet a life she could never have. Especially with his intense gaze following her.

One touch of his lips to hers, one small kiss, and she knew what it meant to desire something more than life itself. She had once thought she understood the looks passed between her parents when they thought no one could see. But after hours of traveling in the dark, with only the rustling of their clothes and the scurrying critters, with Ari's presence close behind her, she realized there was so much more to understand. A realization that dawned on her when the emotion swirling in his eyes tugged on her heart.

* * *

He wouldn't apologize for touching her with his gaze. He cared for her. And he would tell her once he'd made an offering to the Lord.

He moved toward his father and knelt beside him. He bowed his head and prayed silently.
Father God, thank You for our safe passage. I beseech You to grant us safety for the remainder of our journey. Bless Thy servant with wisdom, anoint Joash as he learns to walk in Your ways. May he help return Judah's heart back to You.

The whisper of Mira's movements drew his attention. He opened his eyes just as she lifted her gaze to his. The bowl in her hand hovered above the leather table. Color rose in her cheeks. She quickly dropped her gaze and continued with her chore.

For some reason she had the look of shame. Why was that?

He rose from his knees and dusted his tunic. He untied the bag at his side and prepared his thanks offering to the Lord. He added his grain to that of his father's and those of his brothers and uncles. If there had been too many more of them, they'd burn the mountain to ash.

All gathered around and watched as his father set flame to the grain. They muttered the blessing, and then they broke out in song. Even though the threat of their enemies continued to loom, and even though they shouldn't have, they did not quiet their voices as they lifted them in praise to the Lord, for He was their protector.

After a few minutes, their voices droned to a stop and then they discussed everything from the heat of the day to what they would do when this was all over. Lydia brought him another cup of water. Parched, he swallowed it in one gulp. “Do I look as thirsty as I feel?” he asked Lydia with a teasing tone.

She smiled, nodding. “Your lips are cracked, Ari. It looks uncomfortable.” She took the cup from him and moved away.

He lifted his fingers to his mouth, running them over the sharp, jagged surface. His gaze sought Mira's. Had he upset her when he'd kissed her? Was that why she had erected a shield between them? Was that why, even now, she avoided looking to him?

His sister returned and pressed the cup into his palm once again. “Drink, it will be of aid. And, here,” she said, removing the lid from a small pottery jar. “This will help. Your lips will soften in moments.”

Ari glanced at the purple-colored balm. It looked to be one of her salves. He would not put that on, and he was about to tell his sister so, too, but then he licked his lips and felt the harshness of his skin. Once again he looked to Mira. She bit down on her bottom lip, her hands at her sides where her fingers worried her tunic.

He shook his head, dipped his fingers into the thick salve and applied it to his chapped lips. He supposed he should be thankful that it tasted of pomegranates and not ashes.

“What is this?” Jesse asked. “
Abba,
your son is applying Lydia's lip balm.”

“Do not be a jackal, Jesse.” Lydia punched him in the shoulder. “His lips are dangerously cracked. He could sicken and die,” she exaggerated.

“Then I would be your favorite brother,” Jesse mocked.

“Lydia, child, you are one for dramatics, but you shouldn't call your brother names.”

“Yes, Mama.” Lydia tossed Jesse a sneer. “You could never be my favorite, Jesse. You think too highly of yourself.”

Ari listened as they bantered back and forth. He had missed this. Had missed them.

“You think I'm vain?” Jesse dropped his arms to his sides. He looked sorely wounded.

Ari almost said something to ease his brother's sensitivities, but Joash, in his too-wise-for-his-age way said, “You do tense your arms and chest more than anyone I have seen.”

“And have you seen many men such as I?” Jesse smiled, crossed his arms over his chest and inhaled, causing his tunic to stretch tight over the steely strength.

“Ari's arms are much bigger than yours,” Joash said with a twinkle in his eye, leaving Ari speechless. He had rarely seen the boy tease. It was good to see him do so.

“I think not,” Jesse argued lightheartedly.

“I do believe there is only one way to settle the matter,” Ari's mother chimed in.

Ari rolled his eyes knowing exactly what would follow. “But, Mother, I did not argue the point,” he added.

“No matter, my well-muscled sons. We need some entertainment.” She laughed. “After we break bread you will wrestle. We need to show Sh'mira and Joash we do more than argue.”

“But first, with your permission, Mother, I would show Mira the view.” As much as he had missed his family and enjoyed them, he wanted to spend some time alone with her.

“Is it safe?” Ishiah asked from his corner of the cave.

“I do not know why it would not be,” Elam answered.

“It should be safe enough,
Abba,
” Ari added.

“Then you have my permission. She has done all I need her to.”

He handed Lydia her jar and walked toward Mira. Her eyes widened like a cornered animal and he almost retreated. But he wasn't a warrior for nothing. He held his hand out to her. “Come, Sh'mira. I will protect you.”

Mira released a deep sigh and placed her palm in his and rose to her feet.

Chapter Eighteen

A
ri took her hand and led her out into the open. The view wasn't too unlike her home with the shadowy crags. But here, the great expanse of brine seemed to swallow them, leaving her breathless. The lapping of the waves as they crashed against the base of the mountain lulled her into a satiated peace much like when she played her music.

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Even though it had only been a day since their flight from the spring, it had felt like an eternity. The open air, even if it was thick with heat and salt, revived her from her time inside the dank and lifeless mountain.

She jumped when Ari pulled her against him, his arms about her waist like the girdle tied around her tunic. She tensed and prepared herself for the startling contact between them.

“Relax, Sh'mira. The ledge is narrow. I do not wish you to fall.”

Glancing at her feet, she sucked in a sharp breath. The tips of her sandals were near the edge of the cliff. She scooted closer to Ari until her back met his battle-honed chest. “It is breathtaking.”

“It is unblemished perfection. And very dangerous.” He tugged her closer, encouraging her to lean against him. He buried his face into her hair and inhaled. “I wish I could stay like this for hours. I'd much prefer it over being chased by ruthless villains. I am weary of being ever watchful over my shoulder.”

Mira didn't know what she'd expected him to say. Weary of his duty to God was not it? Perhaps, that he'd been weary of being subservient to a simple farmer. Even though she knew her father had been kind, the years as a bond servant could not have been easy, not when he loved his family as much as he did, especially since she'd been unkind to him.

If she could turn back the days...if she could stay within the strength of his arms, to feel his protective nature, to feel as if she belonged with him, but it was not meant to be. She had to consider her father and the people depending on her future husband. A man who could never be Ari, for Ari was destined to a higher calling, one that did not have room for a deformed wife.

She swiped a tear from her eye and then buried her hands into the folds of her tunic.

Ari pressed his lips to her temple. The firm pressure lingered, sending shivers over her arms. The light-headedness consuming her proved his kiss was anything but fatherly.

“Mira,” he whispered against her ear, eliciting another wave of chills. “I would like to kiss you.”

“No.” She shook her head against the longing building in her heart. “You should not.” He was not her betrothed, could never be her betrothed. It was useless to encourage. Useless to hope when there was none.

Ari turned her in his arms and gazed into her eyes. The unspoken promises written clearly on his face, promises he could never keep, shone brightly. His request for a kiss sent a hundred little butterflies fluttering along her skin. From her nape to her knees and down to her toes.

Tension built within her, thundering in her chest like a thousand horses. But his request brought sorrow to her heart. She wanted him to break their eye contact, to relent in the unspoken promise, yet she wished to believe it was possible. Possible Ari could care for her and take her as his wife.

She bowed her head as a tear fell to the rocky ledge beneath her feet. A kiss should be an intimacy reserved only for her betrothed, her future husband. A husband Ari could never be.

The torment was too much. The wanting. The knowing they could never be. It tore her apart little by little, shattering her into fragments like the pottery she'd broken only days before.

She needed air. Space. Away from him. Unable to remain in his presence any longer, she tried to move from the circle of his arms, breaking their bond. She stumbled backward. Rocks tumbled over the ledge, crashing into the sea. He grabbed her arm just as her foot slid.

“Mira,” he breathed her name. He yanked her against him, banding his arms around her waist. Their chests rose and fell. Hers was a little faster than his. He dropped his head to her shoulder. The weight heavy, firm, yet comforting. Ari sighed and spun her around. “You could have fallen.”

She gazed out across the horizon, this time noticing the more intricate details. The highs and lows of the mountain peaks were unlike anything she had ever seen.

“It is breathtaking,” she said once again.

The cavern of his chest expanded and released. “Yes. It is here, in this place that I first felt the calling God had for my life.”

She bowed her head. This place was sacred to Ari. Shame crept into her toes, rose to her limbs and up to her cheeks. She had just defiled this beautiful, sacred place with her longing for a man she thought she might love but could never have.

“God is faithful, Mira. All you have to do is trust Him,” he whispered near the cup of her ear. Severe pressure built within her chest, until it seemed as if it could expand no further, forcing tears to her eyes. It was as if her heart had been tied in knots like her mother's challah bread.

She looked up at him, words clung to her lips but she could not say them, for she didn't quite understand what Ari meant, although his caress and tone had been tender.

The Lord had been a part of her life for as long as she could remember, but she'd never had the same sort of intimacy with Him as Ari.

She turned in his arms and pressed the tips of her fingers to his mouth. The closest she dared to granting his request. “Lydia's balm worked. They are improved.”

“Is that so?” He smiled and brushed the pad of his thumb across her brow. He showed her his digit, revealing a smudge of purple. She inhaled a sharp breath. “Do not worry yourself, Mira. There was only the one smudge.”

The corner of his mouth curved upward, and something in her chest fought to break free and soar with the griffon. How was it that Ari's smile threatened to severe the bounds of her resolve to keep her distance? Every part of her being wanted him to kiss her once again, to feel as if she was cared for by someone other than her parents. To feel as if Ari cared for her, mayhap even loved her. But it was not to be, even if he did care for her—could love her—she could not allow it.

She relaxed against him and he leaned his head to hers, his lips hovering mere inches...

She twisted from his embrace and left him leaning against the rock fortress, along with her heart.

* * *

Ari clenched his fists. Were all women as hard to convince of affection as Mira was proving to be?

That was an answer he could not give since he'd never had a desire to woo a woman before. He'd never been free to do so. And now that he wanted to, she seemed to be running in the other direction, which left him confused. Their friendship and previous camaraderie should have made it easier. He raked a hand through his hair. She cared for him. He had no doubt in that matter. Perhaps even loved him. Why was she determined to ignore the affection growing between them? Mayhap because she didn't love him and he was only being fanciful that she might.

“All did not go well, then?” His father exited from the cave.

Ari did his best to school his emotions, but it was no use. His father had ever been perceptive. Besides he would never tell a lie beyond the life he had lived protecting Joash.

“I do not know where I have gone wrong,
Abba.
” He pushed away from where he leaned and crossed his arms over his chest. He released a heavy sigh as he looked out across the sea. “I know she has great affection for me.” He paused. “I can see it.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“She has had a shock, my son.”

“I know, and the blame can be laid at my feet, but...”

“You think she should accept the fact that you have hid from her who you are. She should accept the fact that you lied to her? That she's been dragged from her home, away from her family?”

Ari twisted his lips in thought. He had deceived her and her family, but she seemed to understand the reasoning. “I cannot help but feel there is more to her hesitation.”

“Have you told her?”

Ari furrowed his brow in confusion, for he hadn't told Jesse of the contract. “You amaze me,
Abba.
How did you know about the marriage contract?”

His father smiled in approval. “I did not know, Ariel. But I am pleased. She will make you a wonderful wife. But I take it even she does not know of it.”

“No. I will wait until my vow to Jehoiada is complete before I make another. If you did not mean the contracts, what did you mean,
Abba?
Have I told her what?”

“Have you told her you love her?”

The air rushed out of his lungs as if his father had swatted his staff across his midsection. His first thought had been to deny the very words his father spoke. Of course he cared for her, but love her? “I cannot tell her something I do not know myself and have her believe it the truth.”

Ishiah laid his hand on Ari's shoulder. “My son, there is nothing wrong with loving your wife. Your mother is the very air I breathe. I would perish without her.”

Ari placed his hand on top of his father's. “I know,
Abba.
I cannot deny that I feel something for Mira, and as strong as it is I'm still unsure of its origins.” He thought back to Caleb and his excitement at offering his daughter to him. “Is it possible that I only feel this way because her father has offered her to me? Is it possible I only feel here,” he said, thumping his chest with his fist. “Because I feel as if she is my responsibility? That is a truth I cannot live with. I want her by my side,
Abba,
but I want to be assured of love between us.”

“I cannot give you the answers you seek, Ariel. Although, I believe you have just done so yourself.”

Ari glanced at the vast landscape, so wild and so beautifully untamed, much like Mira. “Answers will do me no good if Mira does not feel the same.”

“I would not be so sure, my son. You would stand in awe at what speaking your heart to a woman does to her knees,” his father said with a knowing twinkle in his eye. He patted him on the shoulder. “We welcome her with open arms, my son, no matter what you decide.”

“My thanks,
Abba.
”

His father returned to the cave. Ari took a deep breath, confusion weighing heavy on his mind. He was pleased his family would accept Mira, but would they be as open when they discovered in order for Ari to marry her, he would have to reside with her father?

If he had been his father's only son, his considerations would have been different. But he had brothers, all of whom carried their father's legacy. Mira's father had no sons. Only Nathan, who had shown he would not care for Caleb's land. The thought of Mira at the mercy of him in the event of Caleb's death left a bitter taste on his tongue.