“Yep. I’ll make sure of it, miss,” he replied with a nod of his head, his cheeks flushing red.

“Thank you, Owen.”

“You’ve got our young master Owen wrapped around your little finger, I see, Miss Hargreave. Don’t you think you should let him know you’re taken already? Spare the boy his poor heart from unrequited love?”

“Oh? But… am I taken?”

“You most certainly are.” He raised a stern eyebrow at me.

“Hmm. I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mr. Everley. As usual, you’re speaking to me in riddles and mysteries I don’t understand at all. If I were taken, as you say, then don’t you think I’d know his name?” I could tell this was going to be fun.

“You don’t know his name?” He stalked toward me slowly, backing me into the nearest empty stall.

I shook my head at him and tried to keep a straight face. “I do not.”

“I know his name, Miss Hargreave.” He nodded wickedly now that he’d backed me right up against the far wall of the horse stall, where he proceeded to crowd me with his big body until he’d caged me in completely by his arms on either side of my shoulders.

“What is it?” I whispered innocently, completely captivated by the wolf about to pounce on me.

“My… lord,” he growled before taking both sides of my face in his hands and holding me very firmly, “is his name.”

“I do know him. He makes me feel so special, like a princess, and I don’t know why he does it.” I brought up my hand and reached out a finger to trace around his lips. “I just know I don’t want him to stop.”

“He does it because he’s fallen in love with you and he’s not able to stop.”

I smiled and tried to hold back the tears that wanted to spill out of my eyes. “Will it help my lord to know he doesn’t ever have to stop, because I’ve already fallen in love with him?”

He closed his eyes and held them closed for a moment, looking almost pained but then an expression of relief, and even joy, when he opened them again… to me. “I’ll be needing to hear you say that again and again, kitten.”

“All right. I’ll say it all the time if it helps you to believe it’s true.” I tucked a piece of his hair around his ear and then did the same to the other side.

“Say it to me now.”

“I love you, my lord. My Lord Rothvale.”

The End of Part II

Next Up: Heart & Arrow

THE ROTHVALE LEGACY III

So by now you know we’re not done with Ivan and Gabrielle. Not even close. There’s so much more coming for these two. I’m hard at work on the third part of the Rothvale Legacy, Heart & Arrow now, and the good news is you won’t have to wait another six years for it. LOL (You won’t even have to wait six months.)