Dark Lord of Kismera: Knights of Kismera (49 page)

“I’ve told you that sad, puppy dog look just doesn’t work for you. Yes, I will go with you. Do you have a notepad anywhere?”

“Yeah, in my desk. Look in the extra room by yours. I made that into an office of sorts. Should be one in one of the drawers.”

They met back in the kitchen a few minutes later and headed for Drace’s
truck. When they pulled out of the drive and turned onto the country road Maggie cleared her throat nervously. “Can I ask a favor?” she asked quietly.

“Sure,” Drace said, shifting gears as the truck increased speed. He shifted once more and then settled to the speed limit.

“Could I sit close to you? I know you’re committed to Ki, but could I have…?” Maggie didn’t finish her sentence; she couldn’t. She wasn’t even sure what it was she wanted really.

“You’ll take as much as I’m willing to give?” Drace finished for her, sliding a glance at her and then focused back on the road. He came to a stop sign at the main highway. He beckoned her with a hand. “Come on over, Maggie. I just don’t want to disappoint you if I can’t give you everything you might want.”

“I know. I just want to be close to you today.” She scooted to the middle of the front seat next to Drace. “You’ll be gone soon and I’ll be….” She almost said, ‘all alone’ “Well, I’ll be here. I don’t think the mail travels that far.”

A horn sounded behind Drace, startling him. He checked traffic and made his turn towards Charlottesville. Once up to speed, he took his hand from the gearshift and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her against him. Maggie smiled with pleasure and laid her head against him.

She worked on Drace’s lists as they drove to Charlottesville and they spent most of the day shopping, checking things off as they went.

Drace purchased several wooden trunks at a couple of home stores and then went to a men’s clothing store and bought fifty pair of the boxer briefs he preferred in various dark colors. He also purchased fifty pair of socks to wear under his boots and another fifty pair in a heavier weight for winter. The sales clerk wondered about the large quantities and he gave her an off hand explanation about moving to a country where it was very hard to find the quality of these items.

From the men’s store, they stopped for lunch at a small café and then went to a large chain department for sundries such as toothpaste and toothbrushes along with several packages of boxed matches and black elastic hairbands. He bought journals and ink pens with refills, a couple of decks of cards, and several items for first aid kits for both humans and horses.

While browsing through the store, Drace wandered into the baby section. He stared at some of the small clothes on the shelves and stood in dejected silence. He felt Maggie’s hand on his arm and looked down at her. She was holding a soft blanket in a pastel blue color. She smiled up at him with encouragement.

“I’d bring some things for the baby with you, as well, Drace. If you’re wrong about it, there will still be children later.”

Drace took the baby blanket from her, idly stroking its softness with a calloused thumb. He grinned at her and dropped the blanket into Maggie’s cart. He added several of the sleep gowns that looked similar to some he had seen on babies in Kismera along with a wooden rattle and a stuffed frog. Maggie silently held up a tube of diaper rash ointment.

“Better make that three,” he said with a chuckle, and two more followed that one into the cart.

Once back at the farm, Maggie helped him unload the trunks and put them in his office. He packed his new clothes after removing the packaging, adding all but a few pair of his existing underwear and socks. He added three pair of pajama pants, all his thermal underwear, a couple of his favorite college logo t-shirts, and half a dozen of his favorite heavy sweaters that he thought would fit in with the clothing at Kismera. The baby’s gifts and the journals and some of the other things he had bought filled two of the trunks along with his clothes. Two more trunks were filled with all his horse books, and some of his favorite books of fiction along with a few classics from his youth and all the new books from his trip to Europe. He added a Scrabble game and a set of dominos that had been his dad’s. One more trunk was packed with photos of family members and horses. Some of his more special show ribbons and awards were carefully packed on top along with the horses’ papers, pedigrees, and health records.

The toothpaste and toothbrushes went into the last trunk for his personal belongings with room to add things before he left. Two more large trunks remained that he would take down to the barn later to pack up all of his horse tack, except for the saddles, which he would put in covers and lay on top of the trunks when they packed the wagons. Anything else he decided to take that wouldn’t fit in a trunk would go into a plain cardboard box that he would destroy after unpacking before too many people saw it. Somewhere in the wagon he would carefully pack the two cases of Scotch he had bought in Scotland.

When Drace and Maggie finished, he stood lightly rubbing at his chest.

“Let me see,” Maggie said, seeing the gesture.

Drace obediently raised his shirt and showed that no stitches had been pulled. He was sore though. He lowered his shirt when she deemed him okay. He sent her off to do whatever women do before a date and went to his own room.

While Maggie was in the bathroom showering, Drace set a small wooden chest of keepsakes on the bed. He dumped the contents and repacked it carefully as he checked each item. There were various things from his parents and grandparents; a pocket watch, a few military medals from his granddads, a locket with his grandparents’ pictures inside from his mom’s side, his mother’s Celtic cross necklace, a pocketknife, a few old coins, newspaper clippings, a
lock of hair from the mane of his first pony, and a few other mementos, along with the dragon’s tear and the gold chain that held the mate to the lion ring he wore. He’d make a thorough search of the house tomorrow for any last minute items.

He heard Maggie go into the guest room and he closed the lid on the wooden box, putting it aside for the evening. He went into the bathroom and came out a short while later, dressed in a pair of khaki slacks and a black Calvin Klein sweater. He went to his room to put on clean socks and his Dockers and then met Maggie in the kitchen.

She met him dressed in a black turtleneck sweater, a knee length leopard print skirt that emphasized the gentle curves of her hips, and black high heeled pumps. She had her hair in a sexy up-swept do and a stray curl lay softly against her temple.

Drace’s mouth went dry when she came in and he had to turn to face the sink, feigning getting a glass of water to hide his body’s response.
I am in some serious trouble if she’s set on seduction.
He was not totally immune to Maggie Shaffer, no matter how he felt about Ki. He wished he knew the best way to handle the power she had to affect him that way. For a second he wished he had let her go back to D.C. and then felt guilty for his thoughts.
If not for Maggie, I would not have been successful in finding a solution to going back to Kismera—at least not this soon. I can handle this.
Besides he had some things to discuss with Maggie and a favor to ask of her as well.

“Drace, is something wrong?” Maggie asked, when he did not turn back from the sink right away.

Drace set his glass in the sink and closed his eyes with a mental question to Arahtok.
Is this one last test?
He took another cleansing breath and turned. “No, Mag, nothing’s wrong. You look amazing,” he said and meant it. “You packed that as a prayer outfit, or for camping?”

“A girl packs for any occasion. I always pack a skirt, even when I go to a site. I never know when I need to sweet talk some hard nose official. It pays to be able to dress well.”

Something protective rose up in him. “I hope you don’t ever go anywhere with a strange man without someone else with you.”

“Of course not, Father. I take Nick. He’s a huge black guy with a gold tooth. He looks like he eats cars for breakfast, and was a football player when he was in college. He is sweet as can be, but a very good bodyguard. I’ve never had any problems.”

“Where did you get him?”

“I ordered him from J. C. Penney.” she teased, and then said seriously, “I hired him, or rather the museum hired him, after the problems with Ted. You’ll be surprised to know that Nick has a masters’ degree and is working on his doctorate in my field. He is a good colleague and a good friend. Don’t worry, I’m in capable hands.”

“Good. You said Ted is working in New York?” he asked casually, helping her into her coat.

“Yes, New York City Historical Museum, antiquities department.” She gave a little curl of disgust with her lips.

Drace pulled on his own dress coat and tucked an envelope into the inside pocket. “Ready?”

“Yes. I’m starving. Tell me again why you bought two cases of toothbrushes and three cases of toothpaste?”

“Because they beat the hell out of a twig and course salt, which is the alternative. I’m just stocking up.”

They rode in silence, both lost in thought, until they were almost back in Charlottesville. Drace took her to a Japanese restaurant where the meal was fixed in front of them. Maggie had relaxed and was enjoying herself.

As Drace watched her, he hoped with all his heart that she found someone to love with the same passion and consuming love he felt for Ki. He thought of a man worthy of her.
That’s not possible,
he concluded.
Somewhere out here is a perfect match for her.

After their meal, they walked for a while. “What would you like to do next? A movie? Coffee?” Drace asked.

Maggie looked up at him as they walked, enjoying the feel of his arm around her shoulders. He had her tucked against him, both protectively and affectionately.

“I hear music down the street. Can we check it out?”

I did promise her a night out.
“Sure. Let’s go, my lady.”

Several men appeared interested in Maggie, but Drace’s size and a fierce glare, not to mention how close he kept to Maggie all night, kept anyone from approaching her.

It was too loud to discuss anything serious so he chose to wait for a better time.

As Maggie was returning from the ladies room, she saw him touch at his chest. His lips tightened. His wound was starting to hurt and she felt a pang of guilt for keeping him out so late. She sat at their table and feigned a small yawn. “I’m getting tired. Would you mind if we left?” she asked

“You sure? We can stay if you want.”

“No, I’m wilting, I’m afraid.”

Drace stood and went to pay their tab. He had stuck to sodas but Maggie had slowly sipped wine all evening.

They were soon headed home and, although Maggie had been using tiredness as an excuse to leave, she actually drifted off in the comforting warmth of Drace’s side. She woke when he moved his arm to shift gears as he turned off the main road.

Drace took her hand on the way into the house and lead her into the living room. He turned on a lamp on a side table but left the rest of the house dark. He
excused himself for a moment, taking their coats down the hall.

When he came back he stopped in the kitchen and took a beer from the fridge. “Do you want anything?” he called to her.

“Water would be fine,” she answered as she slipped her shoes off.

Drace handed her a cold bottle of water and sat next to her. “I’ve wanted to talk to you about something all evening,” he said seriously.

“Uh oh,” Maggie sighed, noting an envelope he had been holding earlier.

“No, it’s nothing to ‘uh oh’ over. I was hoping it might make you happy.”

She nodded for him to continue.

“When Cerise was old enough to have her own place, Dad deeded the guest house and the acre it sits on to her. It’s separate from the farm now. If she ever wants to be rid of it, it goes back to the farm. He did the same for me when I went to college. The trainer’s house was deeded to me when I graduated. Unfortunately, neither of my parents lived to see that but Dad had it all in order. The farm is mine as well, but I don’t have any wish to live in the main house. That’s why I leased the farm to Lorrie and Dave. This house belongs to me outside of the farm. I can’t sell it but I can give it away.”

Maggie looked at him, puzzled. “Why are you telling me this?”