She felt tiny as he looked down at her. She had to tilt her head back because he was nearly two heads taller. The breadth chest was two of hers, maybe more. Maybe it was the curve of his lip, or the straight line of his white teeth, but something about his smile was nagging her. The knowledge of something was there itching to get out. Had she met him before this? No, she thought. She would have recognized such a tall handsome beast. Stop thinking he’s handsome. He’s killed thousands of people! And he just chucked you over his shoulder like a hay bale. “A hay bale…”
“Help me with this, please.” Laura tugged on an especially large bale and tried to shift it, but to no avail.
“Move over.”
She stepped aside and watched, with her hands on her hips, as Donovan gripped the strings and lifted it over his shoulder with barely a grunt. “Where did you want it?”
“Uh,” She looked around at a hole that had appeared after the horses last feeding. Too many more feedings and someone would spot his fort. She pointed at the gap. “Right there.”
“What was that?” His eyebrows lifted playfully interrupting her thoughts.
“Nothing.” She hadn’t realized she had said it out loud. Straightening her back she focused. She needed to leave here. “Look. Thank you for helping me heal, but I really should be going on my way. I could leave in the--”
“No.”
She folded her arms across her breasts and narrowed her eyes. “I thought you said I wasn’t a captive.”
“You aren't but I would like to ask you to help our people with something first. Before you make your decision to stay or leave.”
“Your people,” she corrected. Laura wanted nothing more than to march out those front doors and find her shack, but she needed to be smart about leaving. If she were to leave right now, she would freeze to death within a few hours. As her eyes raked up his form she realized that while he may be dangerous-- in more ways than one-- he didn’t seem to want to kill her, and that was exactly what the winter weather would do.
The thought of helping the very people that had overtaken her village and stolen her home wasn’t sitting well with her. Though, had she managed to get away from Mr. Havenson and the others she would have had to fled her town anyway. Her home wouldn’t have been her home, and Charles would still be dead. Her father would still have been missing. If they had slaughtered her villagers, they were villagers that hadn’t cared about her and would have rather seen an innocent woman burn to death than find out the truth.
“There’s a condition.”
“Anything.” He said as though he could give her the world.
“Don’t toss me around any more. I am not a doll.”
He nodded his head once. “I will try my best. I am not used to having someone butt heads with me at every turn. I usually get what I want.”
“I can tell.” Laura kept it to herself that she also was used to the same. “Fine. I am only doing this out of thanks for my life.”
He smiled broadly and waved his hand forward. “I will discuss what we need help with after dinner. Let’s get some food in us.” A nagging bit of information began to rattle around in her head again, but she couldn’t grasp it.
He led her to a dining area she had seen earlier in the day. The room was massive with grey stone floors like the rest of the building. Long banquet tables lined the room with benches to match. Both ends of the room had a roaring fire, but the far wall had a large stage looking structure a few feet higher than the rest of the floor. On it was another table with chairs facing the rest of the room. Slaves were placing food along the length quickly and efficiently.
