Read Challenging Saber for Free Online Page B

pink?” He asked with a grimace of distaste.
    “Nope, I changed it,” she admitted. “How do you feel about purple? It’s supposed to be the color of royalty, you know. Here’s a picture of it.”
    She laughed when Saber groaned at the hideous, dark purple color. He was definitely going to hide the painting wand when he returned. She had no doubt about that. Ever since she discovered that all she had to do was point it at a wall, choose a color, and it would change, the inside of his house had been a virtual color wheel.
    “I’m not sure I care for that color,” he finally admitted. “I hate to say this, but the pink was slightly better.”
    Taylor released a sigh. “I thought so, too,” she said.
    “I see that you still have the curtains up,” he commented. “They are very… womanly.”
    “You should see the garden! The Gnomes are multiplying like rabbits and have taken over the patio area,” she warned, sending him another picture.
    “You are right,” Saber reflected. “They are nasty looking little creatures. I’ll make sure I return home with all my weapons fully loaded.”
    “When are you coming home?” Taylor asked in a voice filled with longing. “I’m only working on the stuff I know how to do. Scout and Bronze have been helping some as well. I’ve got most of the garden cleared out.”
    Saber leaned back against the shelves. “Hunter, Dagger, Edge, and I are leaving for the planet tomorrow. If all goes well, I should return by the end of next month,” he explained before he pursed his lips together. “Our time is up.”
    “I know,” Taylor whispered, looking at the timer. “Be careful.”
    “I will,” he promised.
    “Oh, and Saber, I want you to know…,” her voice faded and she bit her lip.
    “What is it, Taylor?” Saber asked, a frown creasing his brow.
    “I just want you to know that I love you,” she whispered just as the signal cut off. “I love you, old man.”
    Rolling on the bed again, she held the tablet to her chest. She wasn’t sure if he heard her confession of love. She hoped so. If he hadn’t, well, she’d tell him again the next time she talked to him.
    “Yep,” she whispered, staring up at the ceiling. “You’re mine, big guy.”
     
    *.*.*
     
    The next day, Taylor stood in the shadows of the kitchen, listening to the man who had come to the house. She could hear Jesse’s soft denial and Shana’s voice trying to soothe her. She couldn’t hide any longer when she heard Shana mention Saber’s name. Stepping around the bar in the kitchen, she walked over to stand next to Jesse and Jordan.
    “If you would all have a seat, I will update you on the information I received on the way over,” the man said.
    Taylor reached down and gripped Jesse’s left hand. She didn’t want to sit down. She wanted to yell and scream. They had lost so much in their lives already. There was no way that life could be so cruel as to take the men that they loved away from them. Hadn’t losing their mom and dad been bad enough? Hell, they had lost their whole world!
    But, we found a new one, Taylor thought as she gazed around the table. And a new family. Please… Please, don’t take it away from us.
    “Unexpected fighting broke out in an area previously thought to be secure,” the man said.
    Taylor listened as he explained what happened. Deep down, she refused to believe any of them were dead. They couldn’t be, especially Saber. She had just talked to him the night before. She had told him that she loved him. He couldn’t be dead. He just couldn’t. She glanced at Jordan before looking down at Jesse’s pale face.
    “What of Dagger?” Jordan asked in a barely audible voice.
    Taylor glanced at Jordan again when the man answered. A searing numbness swept through her. She was wrong. Once again, Death had come to visit her family.
     
    *.*.*
     
    Taylor sat on the swing outside. Her foot barely touched the ground, but it was enough to give her a small push as she