Page 39 of Searching for her Heart
I shake my head and laugh. “Why am I not surprised, Sugar?”
“Well, whoever she was, she was entered in the mating hunt. That’s where I was when I arrived. I got out of there as fast as I could.”
“You didn’t like the idea of the strongest men fighting for your hand?” I ask curiously. Many women saw it as a great way to find the best protectors.
“A man fighting another man to claim me, a woman they’ve never met and don’t even know, as their prize? No, thank you. A man fighting another man to protect me because he cares for me? Sign me up!”
“So it’s not the fighting you’re opposed to? It’s the reason for it.”
“I just want to be wanted for me, you know?”
“Yes, I’m afraid I do.”
She’s silent for a minute before she speaks again. “Indiana?”
“Just Indy.”
Even though I can only see the back of her head, I swear she smiles at my response.
“Whatever woman looked at you and saw you lacking should have her eyes checked. I’ve known you all of an hour and I can already see what an amazing man you are. Any woman should be honored to have you as their husband.”
“Was that a proposal, Sugar?” I can’t help but tease her, trying to ignore how accurate her assumptions are. It was a rather painful encounter with a woman that had changed the course of my life, separating me and my brother for the past five years.
“What? Oh, uh… Indy…”
“Just teasing you, Sugar,” I lean forward and whisper in her ear, inhaling her fragrance, she smells divine.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
PENNY
What is wrong with me? I’ve somehow already landed the two most perfect guys I’ve ever met, but no matter what I keep telling myself I can’t help but want Indy too. I’ve always had a thing for silver foxes, and the fact that he’s more attractive than Indiana Jones is just the icing on the cake, he even dresses like him.
I wonder if Ria is having the same trouble with men that I am? What happened to her when she arrived? Was she thrown into a mating hunt and ended up marrying the first men who found her? I couldn’t imagine that going over well with her. She loves adventure and wouldn’t want to settle down with some… cave dwellers.
Actually, that was probably quite a rude assumption to make. I had no idea where people lived in this world. The tents when I first arrived, and Brax’s cave, are the only parts of any civilization I’ve seen.
“Hey, Indy?”
“Yes, Penny?”
“I was just wondering, what’s your home like?”
“My home?” he questions.
“Yeah, like, what does it look like?”
“Well, I work on a ranch, taking care of the horses and training them. And I sleep in the loft in the barn.”
“Really? But you look so… clean.”
He lets out a small laugh. “Just because I sleep in the barn doesn’t mean I don’t have good hygiene.”
“Good to know,” I mumble to myself. “What do homes here look like? In general? Are they made of wood or stone?”
“Most homes are made of wood. Sometimes stones are used to aid in the design or in high-traffic areas like the front steps. People with more wealth would use stone to build the entire structure.”
“Interesting,” I say as I try to picture it. I wondered if they were all one-story homes? I couldn’t help but picture historical tv shows and wonder if that’s what they would look like. “I guess I haven’t actually seen any homes in this world besides Braxton’s mountain cave, but I’m guessing not many people live like that.”
