I said, “Okay, fine.”

He winced as he undid the fine silver stag brooch with one hand and let his cloak fall to the ground. He deposited the brooch into the round leather bag on the front of his belt.

“What kind of fur is that?”

“Tis wolf fur.”

“Oh, interesting, I never saw wolf fur up close before — do you want a soda and a sandwich, do you like mayonnaise or mustard?”

His brow drew down. He looked like he didn’t understand the choices, then he answered, again, “Aye, Mistress Lexi.”

I turned and stalked back to the house, thinking to myself,What the hell is wrong with me? Now I have a big hulking, strange, homeless trespasser on my property, and I just offered to make him a sandwich.

I lockedthe door behind me, went through to the kitchen, and looked out the window. Torin was sitting in the same spot, rubbing his shoulder.

I got a bottle of Tylenol from the pantry and poured a couple of pills out onto a plate. Then I built him a ham and cheddar sandwich with lettuce and both mayo and mustard. Then I got a bottle of Diet Coke from the fridge. I put it all on a tray and the gun beside the plate, doing this weird calculation as I carried the food out: If things went south, as they say, I’d have to put down the tray to grab the gun. That wouldn’t be easy. But also, if things were fine, I would still have to deposit the tray and get the gun at the same time.

I couldn’t let Torin get my gun.

He was huge.

He was also already armed.

A rivulet of sweat rolled down my face.

This all sucked.

On my way across the lawn, I yelled, “Don’t move, Torin, I mean it!”

“Dost ye need my assistance, Mistress Lexi?”

“Nope, I don’t want any help!” The coke bottle tipped over just then, making it seem like I was lying.

I yelled, “I’m still armed by the way!”

He nodded. “Tis a good thing.”

I placed the tray down on the grass about six feet from him, grabbed the gun, and jogged a safe distance away. I turned around with my gun pointing at him. I blew the hair off my forehead.

He didn’t move.

I said, “There, you can eat.”

He knee-walked to the tray and then sat on his heels and looked down on my offerings. “Och, this is verra good, Mistress Lexi, I thank ye.”

He continued tae look at it, blinking.

I said, “The pills are Tylenol for the pain. I assume you didn’t get any from the hospital?”

He looked around and under the rim of the plate then picked up the two pills. “Tis this?”

“Yes, those pills, Tylenol, for pain.”

He nodded looking down on them in his palm, kneeling in front of the tray.

I said, helpfully, “You can use the Diet Coke to wash them down.”

He cocked his head.