two weeks later Sitting outside the orphanage, she leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes. She could hear Tanner chasing the kids and a smirk captured her face. Just hours ago they were working on the final touches on the interior set up. Kara had finally decided to paint the windows in the upstairs office. All the bedrooms were ready for the children and the school supplies finally arrived this morning. She opened her blue eyes and watched the children interact. The positions of teachers and a manager of the orphanage were suppose to be filled by the end of the week. Her body welcomed the break. Her ribs had gotten more painful but she had kept it hidden the best she could. The barking stopped and her thoughts came to an end. She looked over at the children and found them watching someone ride up. Slowly Solomon came to a stop and Trevor took the reins. He smiled up at the rider and the man swung to the ground. Eve saw some of the other girls stop playing and look up at him. All the children stared at him. Either they looked dazed or in awe. She didn't know if having children staring like so was worse than grown adults or not. He opened the saddle bag and pulled out a few packages. Silently he turned to the children and Trevor pointed her out. His brown eyes slowly located her and she heard the girls giggle as he approached. She didn't move and waited as he stopped next to her. The wind was playing with his brown hair and his dark clothing showed off his deep skin tone. She watched the navy shirt ripple with the wind and kept her eyes off the black pants he usually wore. "These came for you." He handed her the packages and she slowly took them. Their fingers touched and she felt the jolt slip up her arm. Putting the packages on her lap, she took a deep breath and looked up at him. "Thank you." He watched her unwrap the first one and saw an envelope with some fancy writing on it. She set it aside and opened another package. Two folders slid out and had confidential written on them. Finally she opened the last package and he was surprised that it wasn't some sort of document. Instead he found her looking at a framed sketch taken while they were working on the orphanage. It contained Trevor helping his sister and the children wearing big smiles. She smirked and put the photo away. He watched her gather the packages and stand up. Her moves were slower but she didn't grab at her side. She met his studying gaze and he followed her back to the orphanage. "I can put them back in the bag." She stopped next to Solomon and looked back at him. He wanted to know what the documents were for but kept quiet. She nodded once and looked back at the children. Taking a deep breath, she handed the stuff back to him and gave a single whistle. The children came running from everywhere and looked up at her. "Off to bed." Whining began and she closed her eyes. Rubbing her temple, she took a calming breath and opened her eyes again. The children grew silent and she glanced back at Johnathan. "Oh no." She sent him a knowing look and he let out a sigh. The woman led the group back into the orphanage and he found himself following. He counted about thirty children as they moved upstairs and understood why she wanted some help. The boys followed him as he moved down the hall and watched them slip into their assigned rooms. When the last door shut, he let out a sigh and ran his hand through his hair. He saw Eve leaving the other side of the hall and watched her descend the steps. She walked outside and found Trevor and Kara waiting with Tanner. "Let's get going." The two nodded and she glanced back at him. He shut the door and walked over to his stallion. "Can I ride?" He glanced at Trevor and found the boy staring up at Solomon. Catching a look from Eve, he caught the boy and lifted him into the saddle. Trevor laughed and he led Solomon by the reins. The four headed back through the town and stopped when they reached the gate. Carina gave a soft call and her rider soon joined her. She ran her hand along the mare's face and soothed her. He watched her lift Kara into the saddle and pull herself up behind the child. The girl laughed as Eve took the reins and looked back at him. He swung up behind Trevor and nudged Solomon on. Tanner trotted alongside and they moved up the hillside. The horses began galloping across the hill and he glanced over at the black mare's riders. Kara was looking around with bright eyes and her partner was focused on the path up ahead. They slowed the mounts as they moved down the gravel path and reached the stable. William came up to them and held the reins as the two swung to the ground. Eve lowered Kara to the ground as Trevor was dropped off. "I'll see to them." She looked back at Johnathan and nodded. Rubbing the mare's neck, she led the children back to the castle and Tanner followed. He passed them when they reached the door and darted down the hall. The two siblings laughed as they ran after the door and she closed the door behind her. Letting out a sigh, she walked down the hall and chased the three into the kitchen. She found them both sitting on the stools and Oric laying two plates down. He shot her a smile when he saw her and laid the bowl down for Tanner. Feeling the soreness growing inside her, she walked over to the counter and the cook handed her a glass. Over the last week he had been keeping her going with these drinks he created and she despised the taste. She drank the stuff slowly and watched the children finish their dinner. They hopped off the stools and disappeared back into the dining hall. She watched the door swing shut behind them and closed her eyes. "I hear the orphanage is pretty much done." She nodded and walked over to the nearest stool. Sitting down, she ran her hand along her neck and took a slow breath. "You look beat, Eve." She smirked and looked up at the old man. He kept his worry to a minimum around her but she knew even he was worried about her. "Are those helping?" "They keep me running." He shook his head and said "Go on up and take a nice bath. I'll send some fresh food up." She finished her drink and he took the glass. The man put the dirty dishes into the sink and she moved to the door. Tanner finished his dinner as she left the room and trotted after her. The dog walked with her through the castle and up the stairs. They heard the children as they entered the West Wing but moved into her room. Closing the door, she watched the golden dog hop onto her bed and walked over to her wardrobe. She pulled out a clean night shirt and walked into the bathroom. Shutting the door, she loosened her hair and slid off her boots. Her clothes pooled on the floor and she climbed into a warm bath. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. Every inch of her was screaming in pain and she looked at the bruise on her ribs. The color had gotten darker but it wasn't moving. She took her time washing her hair and skin, making sure to remove any dirt left over from the day's work. Grabbing her towel, she stood up and wiped her wet skin off. She wrapped her robe around her and fastened it as she stepped out of the tub. Grabbing her towel again, she worked on drying her hair as she moved back into the main room. Hanging her towel over a chair, she grabbed her brush and moved to the windows. Sitting on the window sill, she ran the brush through her hair and listened to the waves. A knock came from the door and she stood up. Dropping her brush back onto a table, she moved to the doors and pulled one open. Her pulse jumped when she met the brown gaze and she slowly stepped aside. The man carried the food in and set it on the table. Wrapping her arms around herself, she watched him rub Tanner's ear and glance back at her. "He said to eat it all up before you go to bed." She smirked and felt his eyes lingering on her too long. He couldn't fight the pull she had on him and seeing her like this was too tempting. It had been a week since he had kissed her and now that was all he was thinking about. He watched her slowly cross the room and step into the bathroom. She came back out with her clothes bundled up and laid them in the basket by the door. "Thank you for bringing the food up." He watched her slowly face him and held his tongue. Her eyes were bright with the setting sun but he could see the exhaustion. She moved to the table and lifted the cover off the food. He saw her barely wince at the amount of food and caught her shaking her head. "I can't eat all of this." He watched her cover the food back up and let out a sigh. She ran her hand along her neck and glance back at him. He could read her uneasiness and moved back to the doors. "Johnathan." He stopped and looked back at her. "The packages?" "I took them to my room so no one would get into them." "Thank you." "Do you want me to get them?" She shook her head and said "I will. Just let me get changed." He watched her grab some clean clothes from her wardrobe and shook his head. "I highly doubt retrieving packages requires a change in clothes." She stopped at the bathroom door and looked back at him. His tone was close to teasing but she wasn't sure if he was being serious or not. "It's proper." "Since when have you been proper?" She smirked at the comment and said "I guess you're right." He watched her put the clothes back and he opened the doors. She followed him silently into the hall and down the wing. They moved quietly in the calm evening and crossed the stairwell into the East Wing. She felt her body growing hesitant as they approached his room and her energy slipping away again. He opened a door for her and she slid into the room. He left the door open and walked over to the table by the window. She saw the three packages waiting for her and moved to them. Her legs were shaking inwardly when she touched one and he watched her stop. "Eve?" "Just need a minute." He saw her rest her hand on the chair and tighten her grip on it. She looked pale in the sunset and he caught her shoulder. The jolt barely registered but she did look up at him. "You're exhausted." "I know." His usual scowl returned and she wanted to laugh but it took too much energy. He guided her over to the bed and had her sit down. She felt her nerves jumping as she sat on the master bed but kept still. "Give yourself some time to recover before you head back." She watched him move back to the packages and look over them. "They're from an adviser." He looked back at her and left the table. She watched him move to the window and look out at the sunset. Her pulse was slowly settling down and she felt some strength returning to her legs. The ache in her side didn't change and continued to throb. She carefully laid a hand over it and tried thinking old chants. Her concentration was broken when she saw the man glance back at her. The sunset rested in his dark hair and brought out the wave running through his hair. She could see the small flicker of light in his brown eyes and felt it leave her body relaxed. "How are you feeling?" She smirked and said "Better." He looked out the window again and she glanced around the room. She had only been in here once and that was quite a while ago. She had only seen the bed and the man thankfully. Now she could see how little decorated the room was. It reflected the cold armor the man wore down to the core and she glanced back at him. He kept his gaze out the window and she felt a yawn trying to escape. Closing her eyes, she forced it down and stood up. Her eyes opened as her balance wavered and two strong arms caught her. She looked up into his brown eyes and felt her body humming. "Liar." She smirked and said "I had to try." His gaze lingered on hers and she felt his hand running through her damp hair. Her pulse jumped and she felt everything growing bright.