Red Roses Mean Love

You must learn to rely on yourself. The world is filled with dishonest people who will try to take advantage of you or hurt you.' Or kill you.

Nathan scooted closer to Stephen, until their knees bumped. 'Hayley would never let anyone hurt us. She takes care of us.'

'Yes, she does,' Stephen agreed, 'but once you're a man, then you'll need to take care of her. Pamela and Callie, too.'

Andrew's face collapsed into a frown. 'I don't have to attend Callie's tea parties, do I?'

'By 'take care of them' I meant be kind to them,' Stephen clarified. 'Respect them. Do things for them without complaint. Protect them from harm and dishonest people. Believe me, not everyone is as kind and generous as your family, so you need to watch out for yourselves and each other.' He hesitated, then added, 'And of course, there's the matter of… girls.'

Nathan snorted. 'Girls? By jingo, I don't like girls. They play with dolls and don't like to get dirty.'

Stephen ruffled his hair. 'You'll feel differently in a few years.'

'Is that when I'll need to shave?'

Smothering a grin, Stephen said, 'Yes, Nathan. That's pretty much the order of things. You realize you like girls, you shave, then you're a man.'

Understanding dawned in Nathan's eyes. 'That's why Andrew has whiskers! It's because he likes Lizzy Mayfield!'

'I do not!'

Anxious to forestall an argument, Stephen laid a hand on each boy's shoulder. 'Enough, gentlemen. Nathan, do not tease your brother. You'll understand why when you're fourteen. And Andrew, there is nothing wrong with liking a girl. It's simply a part of growing up.' He shot the boy a conspiratorial wink. 'The best part.'

A shy smile tugged at Andrew's lips. 'Thank you, Mr. Barrettson. I-'

'There you are!'

Stephen turned and saw Hayley, Pamela, and Callie striding through the tall grass.

Nathan jumped to his feet. 'I'm going to fetch the armor from our secret hiding place before they get here.' He dashed off through the trees.

'It appears our man-to-man talk is over,' Stephen said.

'Man to man?' Andrew asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

Stephen nodded. 'Man to man.' He held out his hand. Andrew's gaze shifted between Stephen's face and his hand. The boy swallowed visibly, then clasped Stephen's hand with a firm grip. The gratitude shining from the boy's eyes swelled Stephen's insides with pride.

'Look at the castle!' Callie yelled, clapping her hands together, running toward the new structure.

Hayley and Pamela both inspected the wall, and declared it an architectural wonder. They then joined Andrew and Stephen on the grass.

Leaning back and propping himself up on his elbows, Stephen indulged himself and looked at Hayley. His gaze moved to her face and his heart speeded up when he saw her attention riveted on his half-unbuttoned shirt.

He instantly imagined her touching him, running her hands over his chest, across his shoulders, down his back. An ache tightened his loins and he abruptly sat up, a frown pinching between his brows. Jesus! The woman made him hard just by looking at him. If he didn't get back to Londonand visit his mistress soon, he was going to lose his mind.

'Where's Nathan?' Pamela asked, looking around the meadow.

'He went to retrieve our armor from our secret hiding place,' Andrew answered.

'I'll find him,' Callie said, bounding toward the forest. 'I know where the secret place is.'

'How do you know?' Andrew shouted after her.

Callie just giggled and headed toward the forest.

'Is it far?' Hayley asked, watching Callie run across the meadow.

'No. It's just past that group of trees,' Andrew said, pointing to a dense copse of oaks.

'So, Mr. Barrettson,' Pamela said, smiling at him, 'how did Andrew and Nathan convince you to help them build Camelot? At breakfast you mentioned losing a wager?'

Stephen cast a sidelong glance at Andrew. 'Andrew bet his sister could best me at chess. I didn't believe him, though I should have.' His gaze found Hayley. 'I was on the receiving end of a tail-whipping at the chess table. Building Camelot is the price I pay for losing.'

'It's too bad you didn't make a wager with Mr. Barrettson, Hayley,' Andrew said with a laugh.

'Oh, but she did,' Stephen said with a slow smile, unable to resist teasing Hayley. He thoroughly enjoyed the bright red flush that stained her cheeks. 'I've already paid my debt to your sister,' he said to Andrew, never taking his eyes from Hayley's flushed face. 'She's not nearly the slave driver you and Nathan are.'

Andrew looked at him with interest. 'What did Hayley have you do?'

'She made me-'

'Goodness! It's getting quite late,' Hayley broke in, her voice filled with a combination of outrage and desperation. She cast a warning frown at Stephen. 'We really must get back to the house.'

Before Andrew could ask another curious question, the group's attention was caught by the sight of Callie running from the forest, frantically waving her arms.

'Hayley! Hayley! Come quick!'

Alarm filled Hayley at the wild-eyed look on Callie's face and the panic in her voice. She ran toward the child, leaving Andrew, Stephen, and Pamela behind.

When she reached Callie, she dropped to her knees and smoothed curls away from the child's frightened face. 'What is it? What's wrong?'

'It's Nathan,' Callie panted, her eyes huge. 'He's fallen, I think from a tree, and is hurt. I heard him groaning, and found him, but when I spoke to him, he didn't answer me.'

Hayley's stomach crashed to her feet. 'Show me where,' she ordered, trying to keep her voice calm.

'What's wrong?' Stephen, Andrew, and Pamela all asked in out-of-breath unison.

'Nathan fell from a tree and is hurt,' Hayley said tersely. 'Take us to him, Callie.'

The group followed Callie into the forest. She lead them past a group of tall oaks and pointed. 'There he is. Under that tree.'

Hayley ran and several minutes later found Nathan lying in a crumpled heap under a tree, a sack clutched in his arms.

'Dear God,' she whispered, her heart tripping on itself. A small trickle of blood ran down Nathan's temple, and his face was deathly white.

'Is he all right?' Stephen asked anxiously, dropping to his knees beside Hayley.

'I … I don't know,' she whispered, barely able to force words around the hard knot of fear lodged in her throat. Reaching out, she placed her fingers against the side of Nathan's neck, praying she'd find a pulse. When she felt the beat against her fingers, steady and strong, she nearly fainted from relief.

'His pulse is normal,' she managed to say.

'Thank God,' Pamela said. She held Callie and Andrew each by the hand and allowed Hayley to examine Nathan.

With Stephen's help, she examined the boy for broken bones. 'As far as I can tell,' Hayley said several minutes later, 'he has no broken bones. It appears he's merely hit his head.'

'Maybe he's bleeding inside,' Andrew said, his eyes round with fear.

'I don't think so,' Hayley said with a calmness she did not feel. She wanted to scream, rip out her hair, but she couldn't fall to pieces and frighten the others. Turning to Stephen, she asked, 'Can you carry Nathan back to the house? I'll run and fetch the doctor.'

Stephen nodded. 'Of course.' He reached out and gently picked the boy up in his strong arms. Nathan emitted a soft groan.