Page 99 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
He pulled something else out, laying it between us. “Stone-spiced grain roast. It’s my mother’s recipe. We make it for celebrations.”
I went quiet. That he’d packed this for me… This wasn’t just any old lunch. It was trust. Family.
Next came a little jar of pickled crabroot.
“Careful,” he said, handing it to me. “This one’s spicy, and it has a bite.”
I opened the lid and popped a piece into my mouth, immediately coughing, my eyes watering. “It’s got a biteanda kick.”
He laughed, handing me a napkin to dab my eyes. Then he pulled out a stack of flatbread with wild greens baked right in.
After that, a chilled glass jar of soft golden liquid.
“Endally spritz,” he said. “I brewed it myself.”
I took a sip and blinked. “That’s dangerous. It tastes like fruit, but I feel it in my throat.”
He grinned, clearly proud.
Then came the tin. When he opened it, I gasped, admiring the willadon cakes, their honeyed crusts glossy in the sun, each one edged with careful carvings. Little mountain peaks, jagged and beautiful.
I looked up at him, knowing my heart must be in my eyes. “You did this?”
He nodded, his ears darkening. “I hoped you’d notice how much care I took with the things I packed in my basket.”
Next he pulled out and handed me a folded piece of paper.
I opened it and read.For the love of my life. May all our days be sunny.
My heart stuttered. “You knew I’d bid on your basket.”
“I hoped you would.”
I stood up fast, full of too much all at once, and launched myself at him.
He let out a soft woof as I bowled him backward onto the blanket. I landed half on his chest, my hair a mess in my face, both of us laughing.
“You’re so sweet,” I whispered, then kissed him.
This male who was my world wrapped his arms around me.
“You’re stuck with me now,” I said against his jaw.
“Good, because you’re stuck with me.”
It was a while before either of us remembered the food. Eventually I rolled off him, breathless and giddy, brushing blades of grass from my dress. “Let’s eat before I decide to remain on your chest forever.”
With a laugh, he served us both, pouring the spritz into little wooden cups.
We ate cross-legged, bumping knees. He nudged a piece of flatbread toward my mouth. I fed him a bite of willadon cake in return.
We laughed about Max reenacting the showdown last night after dinner. My boy was everything, and I couldn’t love him any more than I already did. When Sel mimicked Max’s stern face, I laughed so hard I almost dropped my cup.
Halfway through eating, I paused, my fork still in the grain roast. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been there.”
Sel looked up from his plate. “You were brave. You didn’t need me. You and Max proved it. You challenged him, Holly, and you won.”
“I did, didn’t I?” I said with an almost giddy sigh. “Per your teaching, we should’ve run away, but I couldn’t. You understand, don’t you? I had to prove he had no control over us any longer.”
