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happen. She was never wrong.
    Alex glanced down at the girl, still on her side, and still sound asleep. He stood there quietly, listening to the soft sounds of the few animals in the barn; nothing was amiss. But Alex couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
    When he glanced up at the holes in the roof, he saw that it was hours before daylight, which meant he’d had little rest. Something inside him said that he needed to get the horses out. When the danger came, he knew that he and the girl would have to leave quickly, so he needed to have their horses ready.
    Quietly, Alex went to the stall where his horse was and ran his hands over the back of the animal. It wasn’t one of the racehorses he was used to, nor the sturdy Highland ponies of his youth, but the animal was a good choice for carrying the equipment that T.C. knew Alex would need.
    In a soft voice, Alex apologized to the horse as he began to put the gear back on him. The animal had not had enough time free of its burdens, but under Alex’s gentle, knowledgeable hands, the horse didn’t protest.
    Next, he moved to the girl’s mare and ran his hands down its flanks. He had an idea that this animal was probably the best T.C. had in his stables. The mare fidgeted, but Alex quietened her with his whispered words and his gentle hands. She was young, and he had an idea that she could run fast enough to leave others behind. As he checked the mare’s hooves, he couldn’t help smiling as he remembered the girl’s riding. She’d been taught well and was as at ease on horseback as if she’d been raised in the Highlands. At that thought he smiled broader. No doubt she’d tell him that any Virginian could ride as well as any Scotsman.
    Slowly, silently, Alex began to saddle the mare with the pretty English saddle the girl used. It had no bags for carrying things and was therefore useless, but it was certainly lovely. Alex was glad to see that the girl hadn’t ridden sidesaddle—even though he knew she probably usually did.
    When the horses were saddled, Alex went to the big barn door and cautiously opened it. He heard nothing, saw no one. Silently, he led the animals out, then walked them the half mile or so to the big oak tree and securely tied them there. If it didn’t rain, they’d be all right, but he knew they’d miss the comfort of the barn. After an apology to them, he made his way back to the barn.
    He bolted the door behind him and went to the girl. She was still asleep, still in the same position he’d left her. Obviously, she’d had a lifetime of safety where there was never a need to stay alert even during the night. Alex moved about the barn, his hands running over the dark walls and searching. The only door was the one in front, but Alex felt that they might need another way to escape. There were four loose, rotten boards toward the back, and it was easy to remove them. He closed the wide gap by leaning the boards over it.
    When he at last felt safe again, he went back to the girl. She rubbed her nose in her sleep, making him smile. Nate had once sent a tiny sketch of his little sister, drawn by their mother, and Alex had kept it by his bed for years. When Lilith saw it, she’d almost been jealous.
    At the thought of his wife, his smile left him. Now all he seemed to have in his mind was the image of her in a pool of blood. Her death, her leaving, had at first taken away his will to live. It was T.C. who’d given him the idea of clearing his name.
    “Go to Florida with Grady,” T.C. had said, his voice low so the guards wouldn’t hear him. “A few months on a flatboat in such splendor will give you time to think and to remember.”
    “I don’t want to remember,” Alex had said.
    “I know what it’s like to lose the person you love most in the world. I lost mine twice, first when her father made her marry someone else, then again when she died. I know it doesn’t seem like it’s possible, but time does