Free Tapestries 03 - Woven Dreams by N. J. Walters Page B

the path. He strained his ears, but all he could hear was the faint rush of the river.
    “Go.”
    He jerked his head back toward his brother, not quite sure he’d heard him properly.
    The look of understanding on Garrik’s face rattled him and he shook his head. “It is better if you go first.” He raised his left hand to his face and absently rubbed his scar. “I don’t want to frighten her.”
    Garrik snorted. “Genny didn’t seemed to be afraid of you last evening.”
    “That was because it was dark,” he growled. “It is light this morning and there is no hiding my disfigurement. You are whole and handsome. You should be the one to take her first.” It burned his gut to think of any other man, even his beloved brother, taking Genny’s virginity. To be the man she honored with such a gift was indeed a treasure worth fighting for. The only thing keeping him from fighting for the privilege was his concern for her.
    Garrik scrubbed his hand over his jaw. “I suppose if it doesn’t matter to you…”
    “Don’t push me,” Jarmon muttered as he glared at his brother.
    “So it does matter,” Garrik taunted. His grin slowly faded to be replaced by an expression of understanding. “If she cannot accept both of us, then she is not the right woman.”
    Jarmon’s emotions were in complete turmoil. Usually he had no trouble keeping them in check, but somehow Genny had gotten under his thick skin and was making a mockery of his control. The scar on his face throbbed as he clenched his jaw. He stared into his brother’s face and what he saw there humbled him. “You will give her up if she cannot accept me.”
    “Of course.”
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    Jarmon hung his head. Those two words said it all. Of course. The bond between them, the sheer love he felt for his brother, was overwhelming. How could he have kept his brother at arm’s length for almost a year? It shamed him how selfish he’d been.
    He felt Garrik’s hand on his shoulder and reluctantly raised his head to meet his brother’s fierce gaze. “We are brothers. Nothing will ever change that or come between us. Besides.” He slapped Jarmon on the back. “Perhaps she will choose you and then I will be the one scratching at your door.”
    He snorted in disbelief but grinned as Garrik had intended. “That is not likely.” Garrik’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “So I have your promise that if you are chosen to be husband, I will get more than one night a week in Genny’s bed?” Jarmon didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.”
    Garrik’s smile faded. “I will not hold you to that.”
    “I will.” Jarmon spun on his heel and stalked toward the path. He didn’t think that it was even an issue worth discussing, but he’d wanted his brother to know just how much he valued him.
    Jane and his older brothers had taught him the value of a strong, accepting marriage. She was married to Zaren, but her love for Bador was evident. True, she rarely, if ever, spent a night alone with him, but it mattered not because Bador shared their bed at least half the nights of every week. It made the bond between all of them strong.
    He did not expect the same thing if Genny married Garrik though. As long as she accepted him, he would content himself with his one night a week. That was enough. It had to be.
    Taking a calming breath, he unclenched his hands that had curled tight by his sides.
    Shoving aside all thoughts and worries for the future, he crept toward the edge of the trees. It was all moot if Genny didn’t accept either of them.
    He heard her before he saw her. The sounds of the waterfall and the flow of the river faded into the background until all he could hear was Genny. She was humming and every now and then she would sing a word or two. He felt himself smiling as the soft sound of her voice swept over and around him.
    Parting the branches in front of him, he stepped out onto the banks of the river.
    Sucking in a breath, he froze. Never had he seen such a beautiful sight.