Free Hidden Dragons by Bianca D'Arc

didn’t let her out of his arms. She drew back,
looking up at him, searching his gaze. Her cheeks were flushed and
she had a dewy look in her eyes that made him want nothing more
than to kiss her again, but he knew he shouldn’t rush
her.
    “ You are amazing, Isabelle,” he
whispered, wanting her to know just how special she was.
    Her gaze widened and any insecurity he had seen
there disappeared. That she needed his reassurance, touched him
deeply. She was innocent. Unsure of her own value. That was
something he would do his best to change over the course of their
relationship. He would tell her and show her every day, he vowed,
just how special she truly was.
    “ I’m not used to—” she began, but
he stilled her words by placing one finger gently across her
lips.
    “ I know. I’m sorry I rushed things.
My only defense is that I’ve been wanting to take you into my arms
since the first moment I saw you. I’ll respect any boundaries you
set, Isabelle, but please don’t ask me not to at least try to kiss
you every time you give me the slightest chance.” He smiled, hoping
she understood the teasing nature of his words.
    He mentally held his breath until she returned
his smile with a shy one of her own. She seemed more stunned than
alarmed, and he took that as a good sign. There was hope for them
yet.
    Robert stepped back. There was much to do today
and he had pushed her far enough for one morning.
    “ Shall we see to your new flock of
chickens?” he asked playfully, hoping she would want to work with
him instead of letting him go off on his own.
    Excitement lit her eyes when she remembered the
feathered cluckers in the barn.
    “ Bear said he would build a coop,”
she said, recalling Bear’s earlier words.
    “ He did, but there’s no reason we
can’t give him a head start. He’s not the only one familiar with
the care and feeding of your new feathered friends. Plus, he’s
bound to be tired when he returns and I’d like to help. What do you
say?”
    “ Why not? The sooner we get them
settled in their new home, the happier they will be,” she agreed
and they headed for the door together.
    The rest of the morning was spent deciding how
big and exactly where they were going to place the coop. Robert
kept in touch with Bear through the dragons and he knew Bear was
fine with Robert helping get the project started. In fact, he was
thankful. The winds aloft were fierce today and Bear was having to
expend a lot of energy just to stay on Tilly’s back. He would be
wrung out by the time he got back if that sort of weather kept
up.
    Robert let Isabelle decide where to place
things, only having to give her guidance a couple of times to set
her on the right path. She decided on the style and shape of the
coop and he built it while she played with, and pet her new
chickens. They weren’t the friendliest of creatures at the best of
times, but Isabelle seemed to have a way with the
critters.
    She fed them and tried out names for them,
finally deciding to call them Henrietta, Jazzleberry and Bob. He
laughed when she explained that the rooster was named—in a way—for
both Bear and Robert.
    By noon he had the bare bones of the structure
set up. Bear would be able to put his touches on the inner workings
of the place. The hens would need nesting boxes and whatever
comforts Bear had in mind. Robert had already installed a watering
system that would allow Isabelle to use her kitchen window to feed
cups of water down a little chute that led directly to a shallow
vessel from which the chickens could drink. The water dish was kept
near enough to the hearth bricks that the water wouldn’t freeze
over in the deep winter, as long as Isabelle kept the kitchen
hearth warm.
    Which reminded him of his plan to cut some wood
for her this afternoon. They shared a quick lunch of bread and
cheese with some of the fruits Bear had brought that morning, and
then went on a little jaunt through the woods with Growloranth to
help drag a