The Rebels of Cordovia (20 page)

Daniel saw the challenge in her eyes and he
grinned. She was excited and he could hear it in her voice.

Thirty minutes later, Robin and Hanna were ready
to go. They walked the horses to the lake instead of riding them,
so they would be fresh when the race began. Daniel saw a log laying
in the path, a few low growing shrubs, and a small stream that led
into the lake. It was perfect. They would have to cross it as
another obstacle, also.

Hanna stood at the starting line and waited.
They decided to go on the count of three.

Robin smiled as she climbed upon her horse. She
noticed the
large fluffy clouds that were casting
shadows on the ground. The sun had just hidden behind them for a
moment.
She felt the fresh breeze and gazed at the beautiful
lake. This was a perfect place and time of day to race. She also
noticed the family whom they had met the day before. They were
standing off in the distance. Daniel had taken the time to tell
them about the race so they would know what was going on. They were
excited and decided to watch the entertainment.

Robin leaned over and patted the horse’s neck
and whispered in its ear.

As Daniel watched, he grinned and asked, “What
are you telling him?”

She laughed. “Just a bit of enticement. I told
him if he wins this race for me, then I’ll brush him down good.
He’ll love his back rubbed.”

Daniel chuckled as he climbed upon his horse.
“Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

Hanna put her hand in the air and said, “Get
ready! One…Two…Three!”

As she said “three,” Hanna swung her arm down
and the horses took off at great speed, galloping as they went.
Each mound, stone, and small bush vanished
beneath the horse’s hooves as it ran in a steady gallop. When they
came upon a log, each horse jumped it with ease. As they approached
the stream, the horses naturally slowed down to cross it. Then they
quickly picked up speed again.

The soft breeze felt cool upon Robin’s cheeks.
She was elated when she noticed how her horse was gaining speed and
catching up to Daniel. She could see a very low-hanging branch
protruding from a large tree in her pathway. Quickly she ducked
down, leaning against the horse’s neck as she passed under it.

The family cheered when they raced by. After a
few more yards, they each passed the finish line for the first time
around. Hanna cheered and waved them on. When Robin caught up with
Daniel, she gave a whoop and kicked her horse for more speed. As
she passed him, Daniel laughed and gave a kick to his horse,
likewise.

After jumping the log the
second time around, Robin was beginning to feel more
confident
when
she realized she was ahead. As she came upon the stream once
again, she slowed down to cross it, which helped Daniel to catch
up. But he did not slow down as she had expected.

Robin’s eyes widened as she saw his horse jump
the stream instead of crossing through it as she did. Daniel gave a
whoop as he passed her, just as she had done to him. Giving a kick
to his horse, he sped toward the finish line.

When Robin saw how Daniel had jumped the stream
instead of slowing down to cross it, she was upset. She furrowed
her brow and kicked her horse in the flanks for more speed. But
instead of running faster, the horse whined and jumped into the air
just as she came to the low hanging branch. Robin’s eyes widened as
she saw it coming right toward her. Before she could react, the
branch hit her in the chest. She quickly grabbed hold of it as the
horse bucked and took off toward the finish line without her.

As she clung to the tree, she felt
mortified. This was not the way a person lost a race. Robin groaned
as she saw Daniel pass the finish line.

Hanna cheered
and congratulated him. Daniel felt elated. What a
race! When he turned around and saw Robin’s predicament, his eyes
widened with surprise. He grinned and trotted toward her. As he
pulled his horse to a stop, he looked at her legs dangling from the
tree. He then looked up at her disgruntled expression and
chuckled.

“It’s not funny,” said Robin with an indignant
tone.

“How did you get up there?”

“I don’t know,” she said with frustration. “I
just kicked him so I could go faster and ended up here.”

Daniel shook his head with amusement as he rode
beneath her. “All right. Just drop down in front of me. I’ll help
guide you onto my saddle.”

Robin nodded.

Daniel gathered her skirt and petticoat together
and then held onto her legs to steady her. As she gradually let go
of the branch, he pulled her onto his horse.

“Are you all right?”

She nodded, feeling too prideful to tell him
that her ribs felt bruised.

Daniel grinned as he said, “You did good. I
really thought you were going to beat me.”

When Robin turned and saw his smile, she
narrowed her eyes and said, “You could have jumped that stream the
first time, couldn’t you?”

He nodded as a smile played at the corners of
his lips. “That’s right. When racing or just riding for fun, you
need to understand your horse’s capabilities…what he can do and
what he can’t. Some horses are cautious when it comes to jumping a
ditch or high objects and others jump them with ease. If you know
their abilities, then you know how far to push them. Otherwise, if
you try to jump something too high or too wide and they aren’t
ready, then they’ll send you flying off your saddle. I knew my
horse could jump that ditch, so I did it.”

Robin listened and finally understood what made
him such a good horseman.

Daniel gave a nudge to his horse and it began
trotting toward the finish line.

Robin groaned as the horse jostled her.

“Are you all right?” he asked with concern.

“My ribs hurt.”

Daniel shook his head. “You’ll be sore for a
while. I’ve got some liniment you can put on it.”

“Thanks,” she said with a more humble
attitude.

“No, I should thank you.”

She raised her eyebrows curiously as she said,
“For what?”

“For the race and all the fun we’ve had. I’ve
enjoyed this time together. I hope you have, too.”

Robin smiled and then winced as the horse
trotted toward Hanna. She was holding the reins of Robin’s horse
and waiting.

As they approached her, Daniel said, “You ride
that one back, Hanna.”

She gave a perceptive smile and nodded. Then
Hanna climbed upon the horse and took the lead.

Daniel clicked his tongue and the horse
meandered along. “This is our last day here. Tomorrow is Saturday,
the big day we’ve been waiting for.” Daniel sighed. “But let’s not
think about that. Let’s enjoy our ride back.”

As they headed toward the shack, Robin could
feel Daniel’s arms around her, feel his warm breath against her
neck, and all she wanted was to be with him forever. She could not
wait until the grand meeting was over and then she could begin a
new life with Daniel. Robin’s eyes widened and she felt panic rise
within her. What if he didn’t feel the same way and marriage wasn’t
in his plans? How did he feel about her? The concern within her
didn’t last long, though.

When she felt Daniel’s lips touch the back of
her neck, she sighed. He then pulled her close to his chest and
gently hugged her. As he kissed her neck a second time, warmth
spread over her like a warm blanket and happiness overtook her. She
knew she was in heaven and didn’t want to come back down to earth
again. His arms were strong and protective around her and she felt
safe.

When Robin felt his warm hand move her tresses
away from her neck, she wondered if her heart would ever stop
pounding. He then rested his hand on her waist and began spreading
delicate whispering kisses along her neck. Chills spread over her
arms and down her spine.

The message she was receiving with each tender
kiss was one of adoring love. As her heart picked up speed, she
wondered why she had doubted his feelings for her. When he kissed
her next to the ear and whispered to her, Robin bit her lip and
sighed. All she could think about was what delicious pleasure it
was to be in love.

As Robin lay in her bed that night, she
contemplated her relationship with Daniel and their time together.
It would end the next morning. They would be taking Hanna to the
outskirts of Charlottesville and hopefully end the tyranny of King
Rupert.

She tossed and turned, trying to sleep but
couldn’t.

Finally Hanna whispered, “What’s wrong?”

Robin sighed. “I hope everything goes well
tomorrow.”

“Me, too. I’m putting my life out there for
Rupert’s soldiers to take.”

“Oh, no,” said Robin. “Daniel’s right. He said
that hundreds of people would be crowded around to hear you speak.
It’s just a meeting of the people. It won’t appear as an uprising.
The soldiers wouldn’t dare break this up because everyone would
wonder why and what secret Rupert is trying to hide.”

Hanna nodded as she listened.

“Besides, Daniel will have his men there, all
two hundred and fifty rebels plus my twenty-five, and they’re going
to keep the peace and protect you.”

Hanna sighed. “Your right.” After a moment, she
smiled and poked Robin as she said, “You’re in love with him,
aren’t you?”

Robin hesitated and then asked, “Is it that
obvious?”

Hanna laughed. “It is. It’s in your eyes. Every
time you look at him, they shine. Not only that, you tend to smile
when you watch him work.”

“I do?”

She laughed again. “You sure do,
sweetheart.”

Robin creased her brow curiously and asked, “Do
you think Daniel notices?”

“Of course,” said Hanna with conviction. “Why
wouldn’t he? You’re almost like an open book and he can read you so
easily. You haven’t had much experience in hiding your feelings,
have you?”

Robin was stunned. She never realized that about
herself. Her father had often said that he could see how she felt
about certain things by her expressions, but she figured that was
only because he was her father.

“By the way,” said Hanna. “Daniel told me that
Miles is going to bring your parents here tomorrow before going to
the meeting.”

Robin’s eyes widened with pleasure. Daniel
hadn’t told her what their plans were for tomorrow. She was elated.
With that kind of good news, she started to relax. After a while,
she gradually fell asleep.

***

The following morning, Robin quickly washed up
and got dressed. After a hardy breakfast, she waited outside for
the arrival of her parents. When she finally saw them coming
through the woods, she hopped up from the porch and ran toward
them. As they slid off their horses, Robin hugged them and asked
how everything had been since their separation. She was concerned
that it might have been hard on them to live in the woods like they
had.

Andrew laughed and said, “It was great. Daniel’s
men were wonderful. They gave us their beds and fed us like
kings.”

Miles laughed. “That’s right. We even played our
music in the evenings and everyone danced. Your parents even sang a
few songs with us.”

Martha smiled as she said, “Miles asked me to
dance. He’s a real good dancer, too.”

Miles grinned and then turned to Daniel and
said, “Before going to the meeting, we have to take Andrew and
Martha back home. They want to get washed up and change their
clothes. They’ll meet us later.”

Daniel nodded his agreement.

Robin turned to Daniel. He was preparing the
horses for riding. Feeling concerned, she asked, “Do you think it’s
safe?”

He nodded. “Yes. The king is now focusing on the
outskirts of Charlottesville. I’m sure that every one of his
soldiers will be there. They don’t know about Hanna and her
testimony. I haven’t said a word about her. All that everyone knows
is that we have evidence of foul play.”

“Don’t worry,” said Miles. “We’ll be cautious as
we approach the house. We can never be too careful.”

While Daniel was busy, Martha walked up to her
daughter and said, “You look lovely today. Where did you get such a
beautiful dress?”

Robin smiled shyly as she looked down at it and
smoothed the skirt with her hands. She saw Daniel glance over at
her, as if he had heard her mother’s comment.

Biting her lip, she answered, “Daniel bought it
for me.”

“He did?” asked Martha with surprise. “Why on
earth would he buy such a lovely thing for you?”

Robin took a deep breath, wondering how to
answer her mother’s question. She glanced over at Daniel and saw a
smile playing at the corners of his lips. She was right. He had
heard her mother’s question.

“Well… uh…”

She glanced at Hanna for an answer. Her eyes
were pleading for help. Hanna smiled and then stepped up to Martha
and whispered in her ear. Martha gasped and held her hand over her
mouth. After a moment, she began laughing and so did Hanna.

Robin turned several shades of pink. All she
could think about was being caught in her rosy corset and chemise.
How embarrassing! She glanced at Daniel and he was grinning from
ear to ear. She couldn’t wait to mount her horse and get out of
there.

Miles gave Hanna a minister’s uniform and told
her to wear it. She needed to be in disguise. She pulled on the
black robe and then tied a white cloth around her neck, allowing
the ends to lay smoothly in the front. She then placed a black hat
on her head to cover her bun.

After everyone was ready, Hanna climbed on the
horse behind Robin. Then everyone took off through the woods. When
they finally got to the road, Robin noticed that it was packed full
of people heading toward Charlottesville. She had never seen the
road so busy. The way was slow because many citizens were crowding
the roadway. Were they all headed for the meeting that had been
advertised so well?