Page 135 of Halfling
The thought of her handsome halfling reminded her that she needed to speak to Connor about making them a new bed, one big enough to fit Orek comfortably. Although, she hadn’t quite figured out yet where they’d put this big new bed. Her room was far too small for anything larger. The turret room was a bit bigger, though drafty and didn’t have a fireplace.
He’s always been good at keeping me perfectly warm.
She’d have to speak to her mother then about opening up the room to air it out, and added dusting the space and showing it to Orek to her mental list.
This all raised the question, though…where was he?
Sorcha looked up from where she’d been leading one of the horses through an easy trot to find she couldn’t spot his wide shoulders anywhere. When he hadn’t returned by the time she finished training for the day, she went in search of him.
The sound of laughter drew her to the south field.
She found a gaggle of kids, made up of some of her younger siblings and a handful of her father’s squires, chasing a leather ball around the field. Calum dribbled the ball around with his feet, trying to avoid Blaire who kept darting in front of him. The other children chased them—all except Keeley and another girl, who sat off to the side, braiding grass into crowns.
Calum kicked the ball, sending it sailing—
Directly into Orek’s chest. It bounced off with asmack,and the children froze, waiting for his reaction. He blinked back at them and nudged the ball to Blaire, who quickly darted off with it, the others giving chase.
Sorcha jogged in his direction, more than a little shocked to find him playing goalkeeper to their game. Across the field, Niall dove and missed Blaire’s shot on the other goal.
“Did Blaire rope you into this?” Sorcha called from the imaginary sideline.
Orek shrugged his big shoulders. “She needed a goalkeeper.” The word sounded strange in his mouth, like he’d never had to form it before.
“He takes up the whole goal!” Blaire crowed, trotting up to them.
“Which is why we agreed,” interjected Calum, “we switch goalkeepers next time. To keep things fair.”
Blaire rolled her eyes and ran off in search of the ball again. For being quiet and sensitive and a lover of poetry, she had a vicious competitive streak in her—she loved nothing more than crushing her older siblings in games.
“Would you like another player?” Sorcha asked Calum, already taking off her heavy coat.
Her brother’s brows arched in surprise. “You?”
She scoffed in offense. “Yes, me. I’ll have you know I’m the best player this family has, no matter what lies Connor and Niall tell you.”
When Keeley saw that Sorcha had entered the game, she came running to hug her around the legs. “You never play with us!” she exclaimed. “I wanna be on Sorcha’s team!”
Her heart squeezed.That’s not true. I play with them…sometimes…
“Then it wouldn’t be even,” argued Calum.
Sorcha shot him a look that shut him up. And then she proceeded to prove to him and everyone else exactly why she was the best player in the family. Blaire didn’t get her ruthlessness from nowhere.
She and Blaire engaged in a duel of striking feet, jostling the ball awayfrom one another. They ran around the field all afternoon, Keeley and the other younger kids running behind with squeals of laughter.
She lost count of how many goals each team made—that wasn’t true, her team managed to get three past Orek’s bulk and Blaire scored another for hers—but by the time the sun dipped below the trees, the air turning uncomfortably cool, Sorcha was smiling wide as she gulped down air.
Blaire gave her a mock bow. “Until we meet again,” she said before flouncing into the house to wash up.
Keeley hugged her legs again. “I like it when you play. You make Calum and Niall shush.”
“They have to listen to me. I’m their big sister.” And she leaned down to kiss Keeley’s cheek.
“Will you play again tomorrow?”
“I’ll try, bug. Go on in and wash up.”
She watched Keeley scamper into the house, rubbing her hand over her chest where her heart tugged painfully tight.
