emotions that festered inside him, Sawyer returned to the trail in the woods that led to the cabin.
Zafiro traipsed along right at his heels. “You would disobey God?” she demanded, speaking to his back. “He sent you to—”
“Look,” Sawyer said, spinning around and stopping so quickly that Zafiro ran straight into him. He grasped her shoulders and aimed his gaze straight down into hers. “I—”
“You are a heathen, Sawyer Donovan, that is what you are! To ignore heavenly orders—”
“Heavenly orders?” Sawyer rolled his eyes.
“You are a sinner of the worst sort!”
“And only last month you were going to commit coldblooded murder.”
For a moment, she felt taken aback, unable to dispute his reminder. “Well… Horses come in different colors.”
He had to think for a second. “That was a horse of a different color?”
“Si. That is what I said. I was going to kill you for good reason. I believed you were going to hurt us. But your refusal to help us is selfish and mean. You have been chosen by the highest power to—”
“Chosen? For God’s sake, all I did was chase you from the convent when I thought you’d stolen—”
“Meeting and chasing me was meant to be!”
“Really? And did God also mean for me to be half-killed by Mariposa?”
“I am sure that is the only way He could think of to get you inside La Escondida. And do not forget that He did not allow you to die.”
“Oh, of all the…” Sawyer rammed his fingers through his hair. “All right, fine. Okay. If I get a sign from heaven…some sort of holy proof that I’m your …your knight in shining armor, then I’ll stay and perform every chivalrous and valorous deed you ask of me.”
“How long will you wait for the sign?” She prayed for God to hurry up. He could be so slow sometimes in her opinion.
“Five minutes.”
“What? But—”
“God made the whole world in only six days. Do you think He can’t get some silly little sign to me in five minutes? Actually, He could probably give me my sign within the next few seconds, but seeing as how it’s God I’m dealing with, I’ll be generous and give Him the full five minutes. After all, He might be busy right now, sending more knights in shining armor to other damsels in distress.”
When Zafiro fell into silence he realized he’d finally beaten her. She knew as well as he did that no heavenly sign was going to arrive within the next five minutes. Assured of his victory, Sawyer turned back around and quickly followed the trail out of the forest.
He’d leave that very afternoon, he decided. True, his leg continued to ache and he wasn’t strong enough to ride a great distance, but surely he could make it to some small town or village.
Because there was no way in hell that he was going to stay at La Escondida and take care of Zafiro and her feeble-minded friends.
That thought in mind, he quickened his pace through the forest. As soon as he stepped out of the glade, he stopped.
Stared.
And couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“ Santa Maria,” Zafiro whispered, she too, stopping and staring at the sight in the yard. “Your sign. There it is. You are my warrior dressed in sparkling steel, and there is your weapon to prove it! What do you say now, Sawyer Donovan?”
Hoping the vision would disappear, Sawyer blinked his eyes several times.
But the dazzling apparition remained.
Its tip stuck in the ground, its jewel-studded hilt pointing toward heaven, a magnificent silver sword shone in the bright sunlight.
Chapter Five
“I don’t care what you say, that dumb sword is not a I sign from God.” Sitting in a rickety chair at the table in the kitchen area of the great room, Sawyer threw Jengibre off his lap and glared at the ancient blade in Zafiro’s hands. “You act like it fell straight out of heaven and landed in the yard.”
“It—”
“Look, Zafiro, you said yourself that that blade is one of the convent’s treasures,
Zafiro traipsed along right at his heels. “You would disobey God?” she demanded, speaking to his back. “He sent you to—”
“Look,” Sawyer said, spinning around and stopping so quickly that Zafiro ran straight into him. He grasped her shoulders and aimed his gaze straight down into hers. “I—”
“You are a heathen, Sawyer Donovan, that is what you are! To ignore heavenly orders—”
“Heavenly orders?” Sawyer rolled his eyes.
“You are a sinner of the worst sort!”
“And only last month you were going to commit coldblooded murder.”
For a moment, she felt taken aback, unable to dispute his reminder. “Well… Horses come in different colors.”
He had to think for a second. “That was a horse of a different color?”
“Si. That is what I said. I was going to kill you for good reason. I believed you were going to hurt us. But your refusal to help us is selfish and mean. You have been chosen by the highest power to—”
“Chosen? For God’s sake, all I did was chase you from the convent when I thought you’d stolen—”
“Meeting and chasing me was meant to be!”
“Really? And did God also mean for me to be half-killed by Mariposa?”
“I am sure that is the only way He could think of to get you inside La Escondida. And do not forget that He did not allow you to die.”
“Oh, of all the…” Sawyer rammed his fingers through his hair. “All right, fine. Okay. If I get a sign from heaven…some sort of holy proof that I’m your …your knight in shining armor, then I’ll stay and perform every chivalrous and valorous deed you ask of me.”
“How long will you wait for the sign?” She prayed for God to hurry up. He could be so slow sometimes in her opinion.
“Five minutes.”
“What? But—”
“God made the whole world in only six days. Do you think He can’t get some silly little sign to me in five minutes? Actually, He could probably give me my sign within the next few seconds, but seeing as how it’s God I’m dealing with, I’ll be generous and give Him the full five minutes. After all, He might be busy right now, sending more knights in shining armor to other damsels in distress.”
When Zafiro fell into silence he realized he’d finally beaten her. She knew as well as he did that no heavenly sign was going to arrive within the next five minutes. Assured of his victory, Sawyer turned back around and quickly followed the trail out of the forest.
He’d leave that very afternoon, he decided. True, his leg continued to ache and he wasn’t strong enough to ride a great distance, but surely he could make it to some small town or village.
Because there was no way in hell that he was going to stay at La Escondida and take care of Zafiro and her feeble-minded friends.
That thought in mind, he quickened his pace through the forest. As soon as he stepped out of the glade, he stopped.
Stared.
And couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“ Santa Maria,” Zafiro whispered, she too, stopping and staring at the sight in the yard. “Your sign. There it is. You are my warrior dressed in sparkling steel, and there is your weapon to prove it! What do you say now, Sawyer Donovan?”
Hoping the vision would disappear, Sawyer blinked his eyes several times.
But the dazzling apparition remained.
Its tip stuck in the ground, its jewel-studded hilt pointing toward heaven, a magnificent silver sword shone in the bright sunlight.
Chapter Five
“I don’t care what you say, that dumb sword is not a I sign from God.” Sitting in a rickety chair at the table in the kitchen area of the great room, Sawyer threw Jengibre off his lap and glared at the ancient blade in Zafiro’s hands. “You act like it fell straight out of heaven and landed in the yard.”
“It—”
“Look, Zafiro, you said yourself that that blade is one of the convent’s treasures,
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