Free Chase the Wind by Cindy Holby - Wind 01 - Chase the Wind

gray to better scan the earth around the dock. It was nearly dark, and the rain was picking up. The shack that housed the ferry master looked empty, and he could only surmise that the man had already crossed the river. It was too dark to see if the ferry was docked on the other bank. Ian wanted to make sure, so he went to knock on the door. The door was unlatched and he pushed it open, cautiously sticking his head into the one room shack. He caught the flash of some projectile and raised his arm to block a pewter pitcher that was aimed at his head. He launched his body into the corner from which the weapon had come and crashed into a body. He tried to find a purchase on his squirming attacker and found his hand curved around a soft breast.
    “Faith?” he asked the darkness. He heard a small intake of breath and sat back on his heels. The body moved away, and he heard fumbling across the room. A lantern came to life, spreading a small circle of warmth in the dreary shack. She walked up to him, carrying the lantern, and held it up to his face in the darkness. The hair had fallen across his eyes and he pushed it back. Her face went from bewilderment to joy in a matter of seconds, and she flung herself into his arms, dropping the lantern in the process. Ian held her to him, then instantly shoved her away and began stamping out the flames that were dancing across the floor from the broken lantern. When they were out, he found her again and drew her within the circle of his arms.
    “What are—” she began, but he put his finger to her lips.
    “We’ll talk about it later; we must be away before they find us.”
    “I never stopped loving you,” she said in the darkness.
    “I know,” he replied. “Let’s go.” He pulled her out the door, giving her a second to scoop up her bag. He mounted the gray and pulled her up behind. He hooked the bag on the horn as she wrapped her arms around him. Her cheek settled against his shoul der, and he caressed her hand as he gathered the reins.
    “I hope you don’t mind going west,” he said as they went up the embankment to the road.
    “As long as we’re together, I don’t care where we go,” she said against his shoulder.
    “We will be, I promise.” He kicked the gray into a canter. “We’ll go north and take the ferry across.”
    “But that will take us by the Masons place.”
    “I know. They’re all at your house now.” She laughed at that, a laugh that bubbled up from within and made Ian’s heart leap.
    The streets were mostly deserted due to the rain that had now increased in tempo. They were both soaked through, but neither seemed to care. They had soon passed through the town and were on the road to the north. The rain was getting worse, with the wind picking up again, and the far-off rumble of thunder could be heard. Ian slowed the gray on the road; it was almost impossible for him to see and he couldn’t risk the animal stumbling.
    “Is there any place around here where we can take shelter?” he asked Faith over his shoulder. She raised her head to get her bearings. He heard her talking, but the wind snatched the words away before he could hear them. She finally pointed to a cutoff to the right and he took it. The path led them into a tunnel of trees. The rain let up a bit, but the wind howled through the passage with a vengeance. The limbs above them swayed and creaked, and the gray danced a bit when a wayward branch landed on his rump. The path opened into a clearing, and Ian made out the remains of a barn when a bolt of lightning lit the sky. He dismounted and led the gray to the leaning structure. One wall was completely gone, causing the other three to lean in at odd angles. He led the gray into the opening. Faith having to duck down over his neck to make it safely in. Ian reached up to help her down, and noticed she was smiling when another bolt of lightning ripped through the sky.
    “What is this place?” he asked above the roar of the rain.
    “My