Tears were running down Victoria’s face, you have given me such honor sir. It is more than
enough, thank you so very much.
Jake chuckled, Go now and enjoy the feast that has been prepared. We honor several people this
night, all of which, like you, have served without being asked. Jake now emphasized, you must
meet those we honor this night, Lady Victoria.
Kate and Daniel came over to her and led her out of the Hall. She was still a little beside herself at all that had just happened.
“Why don’t you come with me Lady Victoria; you can rest and calm yourself,” said Kate
sweetly. “I know you must be filled with questions and the like.”
Victoria nodded and followed Kate down the mountain scarcely aware of her surroundings.
Kate led her into her sitting room and put on a pot of tea for them both. Oreo came out of the
back room; now that Kate had returned, her babysitting duties were over. She walked straight
over to Victoria and rubbed herself against her purring loudly. Her presence snapped Victoria
out of her bewilderment and brought her back to her surroundings.
“How beautiful you are my sweet,” Victoria scratched Oreo’s head and ran her fingers thru
her silky coat. “My, my, you are an attention-getter! I should love for you to meet my friends
Duke and Samson,” she said as she kissed her large head. Oreo purred even louder.
Kate watched as she doted on the large feline. She seemed nice, genuinely thrilled at meeting
Jake, a very down-to-earth type person. She was an attractive woman, about 5’7”, tall and
lithesome, but very fit. Her legs were taut and muscular, as were her tanned arms. Her hands
were rough and callused; she was no stranger to hard work. Her face was attractive, angular
in shape with a pair of hazel-gray eyes that were quite striking; all framed by curly short pitch-black hair. She guessed she was in her early thirties. She hoped that Jake’s little plan worked.
She could tell that this was a strong woman; and she had a feeling that Joe would like his
women strong. Oh Jake, matchmaking is so much fun!
Kate brought over a tray with a steaming teapot and two cups on it. “She loves the attention
Vicky, may I call you Vicky? She’s a great babysitter; little Billy loves to play with her.” Both women sat and relaxed, sipping their tea.
40
“How do you do it Lady Kate? How do you handle all this,” Victoria waved her hand about
indicating Dragons Hill, “and remain so calm and in control? You are amazing!”
“Daniel and I share leadership of Dragons Hill,” she answered sweetly, “and Jake takes care of
the rest. Are you married Vicky, do you have a family in Sandstone?”
“No Kate, I lost my family in the original burning,” she answered softly, “actually, I hadn’t
even thought about it till quite recently.” Vicky squirmed around in her seat, as if deciding
something.
“Kate, I’ve ... oh hell! Look, I’ve been having the strangest dreams lately; and there is this man in them. He’s so familiar and yet I’ve never seen him before.” She looked at Kate with a
furrowed brow, “I think that maybe it might be wishful thinking. But these dreams are so real!
Oh I don’t know, maybe it’s nothing.”
Smiling Kate told her quickly, “Vicky, dreams like that just mean that there is someone out
there for you. We have found to just accept the dreams and in due time their meaning is
revealed.” Kate got up and took their cups and placed them on the bureau behind her. “Now
come with me down to the Hall. Everyone will be there this evening; I understand that we will
even have music, which means there will be dancing. Daniel and I love to dance. This is a time
for celebration; you’ll have a good time, Vicky.”
Vicky rose smiling, “oh that really sounds wonderful, I can’t remember when I last heard
music.” Together they both left the cave and headed down to the Hall.
Oh this is so wonderful; I don’t ever want it to end, Vicky thought to herself, and Kate is so down
to earth. This is where I want to live.
Below in the Hall, Joe was in deep conversation with Daniel and Steve and Jerry. “Jerry, I
hear that there is nothing you can’t fix. Well, if you promise to come to Evansville, I’ll give you a real test of your skills. Our water plant refuses to come on line. We are having a devil of a time with it and since none of us are engineers, we seem to be making the problem worse.”
“Sounds interesting Joe, I have commitments right now, but two days from now I am free. I’ll
come over then; say, how about I bring Steve with me? If we can’t fix your problem, no one
can!” Jerry boasted loudly.
Peter came into the Hall with Michael and Andrew, “son of a gun,” said Joe excitedly. “Is that
Peter? Damn, what a change in his appearance!” Joe was continuously amazed by the strange
mystical powers of the dragons. He considered himself blessed to be in such company.
They were all laughing when Kate and Vicky walked into the Hall. Joe’s back was facing them
and Daniel quickly took over the conversation and had Joe enthralled with some of the tales of
their adventures. Kate took Vicky to the back of the room and introduced her to Sam and
Lucy. Then they went to a table where the female riders were gathered. Introductions were
made all around.
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Lady Ashley caught Vicky’s interest right away. “Lady Ashley, may I ask how many horses
you have here?”
Ashley smiled, “There are three geldings, and five mares. I only wish we had a stallion.” She
quickly added, “Then we could breed the mares.”
“I may be able to help you in that area Lady Ashley,” Vicky said excitedly.
“Please Vicky,” Ashley said sweetly, “just call me Ashley, we’re all family here.”
“Thank you,” she said quickly smiling, “I may be able to help your cause. I have a stallion in
Sandstone; he’s almost 2 years old, and in dire need of a few mares. Maybe we could help each
other out?”
“Oh, I think I am being set up; but you know what,” she laughed, “I don’t care if it means I can
breed those mares! Yes, we can help each other out. And, if he gets all the mares pregnant,”
she held up her finger, “if, mind you; you may have your choice of one of the folds. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” both women shook hands on the deal.
“You have no idea what this will mean for us.” Vicky explained to Ashley, “we have three
geldings, but no mares. I found the stallion when he was just a baby, nursed him back to health
in hopes of increasing our herd. This is wonderful!”
Kate thought about how Oreo took to her so quickly, this would explain it. She had a natural
affinity for animals. “Was that one of the friends you mentioned to Oreo, Vicky?”
“Yes Lady Kate,” she replied smiling, “I named the stallion Samson; he’s a beautiful copper
color, stands about 15 feet high. He’s quite beautiful and we’re the best of friends.”
“And the other,” Kate asked, “is he a horse too?”
“No, no,” she chuckled and said flatly, “Duke is a grey wolf.” Both Ashley and Kate looked at
each other in surprise. “Apparently Samson and Duke’s mothers had serious run-ins with the
black dragons; they were both killed protecting their young. I couldn’t leave either of them to
die; they were so small and helpless. So I took them both with me and raised them together;
they’re the best of friends and fiercely loyal to me. Which comes in handy every now and then,
I don’t mind telling you, when unwanted advances come my way.”
Both Kate and Ashley looked at each other and laughed. “I bet that’s a sight to see!”
All three women chuckled heartily.
Vicky was feeling a strong kinship with these women. They were like her; strong, take charge
types. Not a bunch of whiney, fearful creatures afraid of their shadows. She almost hated the
thought of having to return to Sandstone. She was the only one who thought for herself; made
decisions without consulting the men; and was not afraid to speak her mind. She saw no reason
to constantly consult them about every move she made.
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The women there deferred to the men on every thing. In the beginning when she returned with
the horse she had to fight long and hard with them over the care and feeding of the animal.
And their fear and prejudice of the wolf was still on going. It had gotten so bad that she had
moved to the outskirts of the town to avoid them, and kept mostly to herself. Needless to say,
the women of Sandstone were not overly friendly with her. But when something happened,
when they were threatened with something that affected them; well now, it was she they came
to for help.
Kate spied Sam and he nodded to her. She got up and announced that the tables had to be
moved and set up for the feast. Everyone pitched in making the tables in a large arc and
leaving a large open space in the center of the floor.
“For dancing later on,” Kate explained with a wink.
People began to arrive for the celebration feast and take their places in the great Hall. Kate
and Daniel took their seats at the head table. Kate called Vicky to come and sit beside her, a
place of honor. Peter, enjoying his new status as dragon-rider, sat with James and Vail at the
second table. The Hall was filling up with many people. Vicky was chatting with Kate when
she saw Joe make his way over to the table and sit down next to Daniel. Vicky stopped and
stared at the large man as he sat down.
A smile began to form on her face and she whispered to Kate, “who is that man? He seems
very familiar… oh my gosh! Kate, he’s the man in my dreams!””
“Are you sure Vicky,” Kate asked feigning surprise.
“Oh yes, I’m sure; those eyes, that face, and his swagger is not to be forgotten.” she watched as he took his place beside Daniel. “Who is he Kate; where does he come from?”
Daniel leaned forward and smiled at Vicky in his best charming manner,
“Lady Victoria, have you met Joe?”
Vicky stared at Joe, eyes wide in surprise. Joe leaned forward and smiled, and then he too
stared at her in surprise.
Daniel continued, “Joe’s from a neighboring town, Evansville. He did us a great service, like
you; and we are honoring him also this evening.” Daniel made the introductions.
Vicky recovered quickly and replied, “I’m pleased to meet you, Joe. Is it possible that we met
before somewhere; perhaps before the burning?”
“My dear lady,” purred Joe in a deep voice standing, “if I had met you before, I can assure you
that I would have remembered.” Joe bowed slightly.
Vicky blushed and laughed out loud eyes flashing, “Well now, you’ve certainly got a real good
opening line there!”
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Joe liked the sound of her laugh. “Very good, I can see you are no wallflower madam, not
afraid to speak up for yourself. This new world of ours needs strong women like you.”
“Your flattery does you well sir, I am sure that your wife is just as strong,” Vicky replied
brusquely.
“Ah, sorry to say I am married only to my work at present.” Joe looked to see if she would
take the bait.
Kate quickly interrupted, “Ah here’s Sam with the food.” She stood and loudly urged
everyone, “please everyone, take your seats for the Blessing.”
Sam led the large group in a prayer of thanksgiving and called for the servers to bring in the
food. Tables were soon filled with large platters of chicken, pork chops, and steaks. There
were steaming bowls of mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and green beans. Of course biscuits
and honey flowed, being scooped up as fast as they reached the tables. Great pitchers of water
and ice tea were placed on the tables for everyone.
Vicky had not seen a table laden with food like this in a very long time. Times had been very
lean in Sandstone, and this was almost too much to take in. She smiled and shook her head at
Kate, “Lady Kate, this feast is fantastic! I may have to be rolled away from the table.”
Kate chuckled, “Oh don’t worry, when we start dancing we’ll burn off every calorie.”
Kate kept pace with the interaction between Vicky and Joe. She noticed that he sneaked looks
her every chance he got; he was definitely curious. And Vicky kept pace with him; both were
definitely interested in each other. Jake?
Yes my friend, you called?
Kate filled Jake in on the mutual attraction of Joe and Vicky for each other. Jake when you get
it right, you really get it right. I can already see the two of them plotting to see each other again.
Good, good. Their pairing would produce a strong line, they are both very strong willed. With
Lady Victoria’s plans to breed horses, and Joe’s breeding plans for his herd, I would say that the
future is looking good. Jake chuckled; I shall leave you to your schemes Lady Kate.
When the meal was finished the tables were quickly cleared, and Vicky jumped right in helping
where she could. The tables were moved back and the chairs placed around the room. Several
of the young men went to the alcove and returned with guitars, and a fiddle, and one man even
had a saxophone. Music began to fill the Great Hall.
Many couples took to the dance floor and began to dance; Vicky was enjoying watching them.
Kate and Daniel danced and shouted, and everyone joined in. When they were finished a slow
Waltz began, and Daniel came to Vicky and asked her to dance. She accepted quickly, she
loved Waltzes.
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Kate asked Joe to the floor also. He was every bit the gentleman, and took Kate in his arms
and swung her around the dance floor in time to the music. He was light on his feet, surprising
for so large a man.
Halfway thru the dance, Daniel came by and switched partners and whisked Kate away before
anyone protested. Joe took Vicky in his arms and continued dancing without missing a step.
She was thoroughly enjoying herself, moving around the dance floor as fast as Joe could swing
her. He enjoyed her unabashed enthusiasm.
The band began to pick up the pace and go faster; Joe kept time with them and increased his
steps gaily swinging Vicky around the floor. Vicky threw her head back and laughed loudly as
Joe swung her around; it had a very profound effect on Joe. He decided then and there that he
must get to know this woman; she was full of life, and very appealing.
Couples began to drop out and pretty soon there were just three of them on the floor. There
were loud shouts, and the people began clapping their hands and stomping their feet in time to
the music. They danced till the music stopped and then everyone clapped and shouted loudly.
“Whew, that was amazing woman!” Joe shouted as he looked at her grinning, “I couldn’t
believe we kept up with them. I could use a cold drink, would you care for something?”
“Anything cold would be greatly appreciated,” Vicky told him breathlessly.
They sat out the next dance and talked about nothing in particular. Then Joe asked her where
she was from, what town. She told him and quickly changed the subject to him; she asked him
what his town was like.
“Evansville, it’s just a bit west of Dragons Hill. It was originally a cattle ranch. After the
burning, as people started to come in, we sort of began building houses around the main ranch
house and before we knew it - it became a town. The original owner, Josh Evans, had been my
friend for years; he was killed, like so many others, and I named the town for him and his
ranch. We’ve started to breed cattle again, and hope to have a good sized herd this spring.”
He stopped suddenly, “sorry, I don’t mean to bore you with all this…”
“Oh you’re not boring me, it’s very interesting,” she said looking deep into his eyes. “I have
found that since the ‘Burning’, everything has changed. It’s good to see that some people are
trying to begin anew.” Her brow furrowed suddenly and she continued with an edge to her
voice, “In Sandstone they scoff at any attempt to improve. To begin a new project of any kind,
you have to get the permission of the town leaders. I have to fight the fools on everything. I
have a stallion, raised it myself from a young colt. I thought it would be a good idea to breed
him with the mares here at Dragons Hill. They wouldn’t hear of it, ‘too dangerous’,” she said
imitating them, “and ‘not feasible’ was what they said. They weren’t interested until I told
them that breeding Samson with the mares at Dragons Hill would put us in good favor with the
dragon riders.” She shook her head, “they’re a pack of fools; and something even worse -a
bunch of scared rabbits. My worst fear is that someday someone would come in and take over
the place right under their noses.” She looked at him and said, “I just may move to your
town!”
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Joe smiled at the possibility of her being close, “you would be most welcome I can assure you.
We prize people with new ideas and the get-up-and-go to get things done.”
She smiled and grabbing his hand, pulled him on the dance floor again. “Again!” was all she
said and Joe slipped his arm around her waist and twirled her about the floor, all the while
enjoying her laughter and the feel of her in his arms.
“Daniel my love, I believe he is smitten,” Kate whispered to her mate across the room. They
both watched as the couple danced about the floor.
“He may be, but I am not so sure about her.” Daniel watched them for a bit and then grinning,