Princess of hearts, p.10
Princess of Hearts, page 10
CHAPTER 19
Kaylee didn’t know what to do. Her head wasn’t bleeding as badly now that she’d pressed her hat against it, but she couldn’t get out of the carriage. She looked around for some sort of tool she could use to continue to break out the wall, but there was nothing in the carriage that could help her.
Kaylee turned her attention to the other two sides of the vehicle. She might be able to kick out the area behind the seat she’d been sitting on or the area across from her, which would’ve been beneath the seat that the driver was on.
Neither of those choices was ideal because of the way the seats were installed; she wouldn’t have much room to maneuver and could easily end up kicking the seats instead of the wood.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try, though.
Deciding that the back seat was probably the easiest one for her to kick at from her current position, Kaylee spun around and slammed her boot into the wood above the carriage seat. It was difficult going, and she could only kick with one boot at a time. After several hard kicks, nothing was happening. The wood didn’t splinter at all, and she was growing tired. The urge to cry was overwhelming, but once again, she reminded herself that it wouldn’t do her any good to let her emotions take over.
She decided to take a rest and get her energy back up again. She really could’ve used a drink of water about now. Outside, she thought she heard the groaning of the carriage driver and wanted to shout to him to see if he was okay, but she also didn’t want to hear him say that he wasn’t. With no way to help either of them, she felt completely helpless.
Lying there on her back in the carriage, looking up at what should have been the side of the vehicle, Kaylee couldn’t help but think about how badly she’d messed up again this time. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Her head was bleeding, her feet ached, and she was pretty sure the poor carriage driver was injured far worse than she was. He’d lost his horses, and his carriage was in shambles.
Now, it was just a matter of time until the Ketchelians or someone worse came across her and yanked her from the carriage to assault and kill her. Either that, or no one would come, and she’d die of dehydration or starvation.
Or an animal would get her--a wolf or a bear.
Those damned tears were back in her eyes again. She couldn’t help it. Why had she been so impulsive? Why couldn’t she have just gone home and asked her father for help?
Just as Kaylee was about to let her tears turn into sobs, she heard the sound of horses’ hooves approaching. Holding her breath, she waited, praying that whoever it was would just ride right on by. She didn’t know how far away from the road the carriage had fallen, but she didn’t think it had tipped too far from the road. The chances of the riders not seeing the carriage were slim to none.
There was a murmur of voices as the horses’ hoofs stopped down the road. They were male, and they seemed to be coming closer. Kaylee didn’t know what to do. She heard three or four distinct voices, and they all sounded angry.
“Is he dead?” she heard one of them call. The footsteps were coming closer. Kaylee stayed perfectly still and listened, trying to figure out whether or not these people could be trusted.
“He’s not dead, but he sure does have a blow to his head.
“What the hell happened?” another man said.
“Where’s the princess?”
That voice sounded familiar. Kaylee sucked in a deep breath, contemplating whether or not to take a chance and let them know she was there or remain quiet and try to get her way out on her own.
The decision was made for her. A rapping on the portion of the carriage she’d been trying to kick through drew her eyes. “Kaylee? Are you in there? Are you hurt?”
“Rafe?” she called, unable to believe her ears. Had the king come looking for her?
“Yes, it’s me. What happened?”
“I, uh.. don’t know,” she lied. “Can you do something to get me out?”
The men began to talk amongst themselves, apparently debating as to whether or not they could right the carriage without any sort of tools. In the end, they decided to break through the already splintering side of the carriage. “Close your eyes and cover your face!” Rafe shouted to her.
Kaylee turned away from what was now the top of the carriage as Rafe began to slam something hard into the wood. A few pieces of wood rained down on her, but a few moments later, she heard wood breaking and wanted to look up. She kept herself from doing so until she felt the sunshine on her face and heard Rafe say, “Kaylee?”
She lifted her face, the sun almost blinding her at this angle with it glowing right behind his head. He looked like an angel with a halo, staring down at her.
“Rafe?” she said, not sure what else she could say. He was going to have questions, and she was going to have to tell him what happened. Unless she lied. But then, if the driver recovered, which hopefully he would because she didn’t want to be responsible for the driver’s death, he would tell Rafe the truth.
“Let me make this a bit wider so we can get you through,” Rafe said.
“How wide do you think I am?” she countered.
He sighed. “I don’t want you to impale yourself on one of these spikes striking out. Finn, hand me that large branch over there on the ground,” he said to someone behind him.
Kaylee covered her face again as Rafe used the end of a thick tree branch to knock a few more pieces of wood out of the way. As soon as he said, “All right, Princess. Stand up, and let's get you out.”
Kaylee turned back toward him, wiping small pieces of wood off her shoulders and shirt. It bothered her that Rafe had blown her cover to the other men that were with him, but she had to assume that they were all under his command and wouldn’t say anything to anyone if he ordered them not to.
He was right to move the larger pieces of wood out of the way. Even now, some smaller ones poked out through the hole, so when she stood up and tried to push herself through the opening, some of them caught on her clothes. If they would’ve been any longer, they might’ve poked her skin.
Rafe had her arm, and as soon as she was out up to her waist, he her up and lifted her out. Carefully, she dragged her legs out of the opening, her hands on Rafe’s shoulders, trying not to look him into the eyes or inhale that musky scent that was uniquely him.
Setting her on her feet, Rafe didn’t let go of her. “Are you well, Princess?”
“I’m fine, thank you,” she said. “Why did you… come this way?”
“We have some business on this road, later in the day,” Rafe explained. She seemed to recall talk of a coach coming through later, one he intended to rob. “I certainly wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“How is the driver?” Kaylee asked, steering away from any questions about what happened.
“How is he, Winslow?” Rafe called.
“Got a big knot on his head and a few broken ribs, I think,” a short, stocky man with dark hair and a long mustache replied. He was standing over by the driver who was sitting on the ground beneath a tree looking lost, his head bleeding. “But I think he’ll be all right. Coach is a tough son of a bitch.”
“Coach?” Kaylee repeated. “The carriage driver’s name is Coach? I thought his name was Frederick.” She’d heard a carriage called a coach before and thought that rather odd.
“His name is Frederick. But the men call him Coach,” Rafe explained, letting go of her. “What took place to send the carriage toppling over? And how did the damage to the side that‘s up in the air occur?”
Kaylee looked back at the damaged carriage and then at Frederick, who looked lost and confused. “Uh… I don’t recall,” Kaylee lied. “I might’ve hit my head as well.”
Rafe’s expression told her that he didn’t quite believe her, but whether it was because he had learned it was best not to argue with her or because he simply didn’t see the point, he didn’t press the issue. “Well, I’m thankful we came across the pair of you and were able to render aid.”
“Yes, I am also grateful for that. Thank you,” Kaylee said with a nod. “I do believe that this is just further proof that I am not intended to make it back to Arteria.”
Turning his head to the side, Rafe said, “What’s that now? Are you saying you’re back to that again, not wanting to return home?” His eyes went to the mess of a carriage for a moment, and the question he’d forgone a moment ago was back in his eyes. “You’re certain you don’t know what’s happened to the carriage?”
“I honestly can’t recall,” she said, her chin in the air. “I realize you do not want me to continue my quest, sir, but I can assure you, I know in my heart it’s the only thing I can do. I simply cannot abandon my cousin in her predicament.”
“So you’d rather join her in death, if that is indeed what has or will become of her?”
Kaylee cleared her throat. “Aren’t you the same man who assured me that she wouldn’t be killed but merely held for ransom?”
“And aren’t you the same woman who promised me she’d go back to Arteria?” he countered.
Kaylee folded her arms beneath her chest. “I believe the word ‘promise’ is rather a stretch,” she said, turning to the side slightly. “I don’t believe I wrote the statement in blood and swore to it.”
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t have time for your nonsense right this moment, Princess.”
“Oh, that’s right. You have a carriage to rob.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile. “I wouldn’t want to get in the way of that.”
Rafe ran his hand down his face, pulling at his chin in thought. “All right, well, seeing as though we don’t have any extra horses, I suppose we’ll have to double up. Gould, take Frederick with you. You’re the smallest. Place him before you so that you can ensure he doesn’t fall from the horse.”
Gould didn’t appear to be too pleased with this proposition, but the small, thin man with a rather long, pointy nose, went over to Frederick and helped him up with the assistance of a few of the other members of Rafe’s clan.
Kaylee looked around for a moment, wondering just how long of a walk it would be back to the village. She didn’t have any money to purchase a horse to go after her cousin, nor did she have any coin to stay another night at the inn, should she have chosen to do that. What she needed was a horse. Since Rafe had already announced he had none to spare, she wondered if she might be able to locate those that had broken free from the carriage--or her noble steed that she’d lost the day before.
“All right then, Princess,” Rafe said, motioning for her to follow him as he headed back to his horse. “You shall be coming along with me, then.”
“With you?” Kaylee echoed. Her feet were moving along behind him, but she had no intention of actually doing what he’d said. “Why would I do that? I don’t wish to have any part in your highway robbery.”
Rafe let out an exhausted sigh. “Well, it’s not as if I can simply let you meander around the forest on your own. Have you already forgotten what a disaster that was just yesterday?”
Kaylee should’ve known that arguing with him would do no good. At least now that she knew he was a monarch, his bossiness and inability to be reasoned with made perfect sense. “Your Majesty,” she began, “if I ride with you, where shall we go? That is, after you’re done holding up the coach?”
“Well, after we claim the contents of the carriage that is illegally passing through this territory without paying the highway taxes, I will claim the coach for my own and use it to deliver you to your father’s kingdom,” Rafe said with the air of someone who could justify any crime.
It wasn’t her preferred plan, but arguing was getting her nowhere. She may as well agree to it and then do her best to get away from this band of rogues once she had an opportunity to take one of their horses.
“Very well then,” she said. “Let’s get on with it.”
Rafe gave her a look that said she’d better not try anything, so Kaylee smiled at him the same way she smiled at the princes who asked her to dance at royal balls, the smile that meant, “I have to be nice to you because my father is watching, but I’d rather light my own hair on fire than place my hand in yours.”
He seemed to be familiar with that sort of smile. “Don’t try anything, Princess. It won’t work.”
“I have no idea what you mean!” She pressed a hand to her chest and feigned innocence. Rafe only narrowed his gaze.
CHAPTER 20
Riding along on Rafe’s horse with the saddle horn between her legs and his body pressed up against hers, Kaylee was certain that, if her father were to discover what she was up to, he’d commit regicide against the King of Norterly. It was a most inappropriate way for a young lady to behave, but then, so was wearing trousers and parading around as a young man. Not to mention, they’d shared a room at the inn the night before--not that anything had happened. Yet, her reputation was already compromised.
It was nothing compared to poor Jenna, though.
Rafe smelled like a spring rainstorm, not the forest or the sweat one might expect to stink of after the physical exertion they’d been through recently. Having his arms around her, her back pressed to his chest, his legs on either side of hers was… interesting in a way Kaylee had never experienced before. As they rode along, she had to constantly remind herself that this was not where she wanted to be, that she was trying to escape.
Why would anyone want to escape a man with biceps as hard as rocks and an abdomen to match?
She shook her head a few times to rattle those ideas loose. At one point, Rafe had asked her, his breath caressing her cheek, “Is there something wrong with your head, Princess?”
Kaylee had cleared her throat and said, “Well, I did hit it rather hard.”
Even with the additional weight of the princess on its back, the horse was quick, and it wasn’t long before the group of marauders was pulling to a stop in a thick area of the forest where the road was narrow and made a blind turn. The coach would be coming along this road at a slower pace because of the curve, and the driver wouldn’t be able to see the robbers around the corner until it was too late.
Rafe’s men got into position without him having to say a word. It was clear they’d done this many times before. They split into groups, some going behind and others in front, on either side of the road. Most of them got off their steeds and tied them to trees a good distance away from the road so they wouldn’t be seen or heard. A few stayed on horseback in case they needed to track the carriage down.
Rafe dismounted and then reached up to help Kaylee down. For a moment, she thought this was her chance. She’d just take his horse, but he still had the reins in one hand.
With a sigh, she slung her leg over the horse and slid off, right into Rafe’s arms.
He caught her around the waist, his hands sliding up a bit too far to stop right beneath her breasts. Her breath stuttered in her throat as her eyes widened slightly. She was looking into his eyes, and she was fairly certain she’d seen a bit of a reaction from him as well. The tingles that flittered through her body were unexpected and unusual, but she couldn’t say that she didn’t like the way his touch made her feel. Feeling her cheeks flush red, Kaylee dropped her eyes as Rafe pulled his hands away from her.
Part of her wanted to grab hold of him and pull him back to her, but that was ridiculous. He had a coach to rob, and she had an escape plan to hatch. “Do you want me to hold the horse’s reins?” she asked.
Rafe snickered. “Do you really think I’m so stupid as to fall for something that blatantly obvious?” he replied.
Kaylee tried to look as innocent as possible, widening her eyes and letting her lips part in shock. “Why… I don’t know what you’re suggesting, sir, but I assure you that I am just trying to offer my assistance.”
He only shook his head. “What I’d like for you to do, Princess, is move over there to those trees and stay put until I come back for you. Trust me, we already have someone to watch our horses.” With those words, Rafe handed his reins over to one of his men who already had control of the other six horses. A myriad of colors, from black to a stunning white, the horses were all very well behaved, standing still with only the twitch of a tail now and again as they awaited their owners’ hasty return.
Kaylee marched over to the trees Rafe had pointed out for her, but only so that he’d leave without thinking there was any chance of her causing trouble. A moment later, Frederick was delivered to sit next to her. He had a massive lump on the top of his head and several gashes in his pale, pasty skin.
Kaylee felt terrible for causing that.
But… that wasn’t going to stop her from doing whatever she needed to do to get control of one of those horses and make a second escape.
The man was muttering to himself in a low voice that Kaylee couldn’t understand. She did her best to tune him out and concentrated on the horses.
She knew that the white one was fast. She’d seen the stallion near the front of the pack. Of course, it had only carried one rider, not two, like the one Rafe and she were on, but the fact that the horse was white made her decide against that one. He would be easier to spot amongst the trees.
What about a black one? One was larger than the others. She couldn’t recall that horse being particularly fast, but then, she was a good rider. Perhaps she could push it to go faster than the man who’d been atop it during the ride.
A gray mare was the most restless. Her tail twitched back and forth as she stood near the male horses, likely waiting for one of them to be a typical man and try to mount her. The man holding the reins bounced on his feet from one to the other as if he were itching to get into the fight himself. Kaylee still didn’t hear the approach of the carriage or any movement from the other men who were now out of sight.
A sorrel stallion stood the furthest away from the man holding all of the reins in his fist. The horse was wandering just a bit, its feet leading it off to the right of the rest of the group. He still had hold of it, but Kaylee wondered, if she could sneak around the other side of the horse without him noticing, maybe she could pull the horse away before he knew what had happened.
