Dominic placed his warm hands on her shoulders, and drew her even closer to him, enveloping her in his warm embrace. "Did, I hear you right? Did you say yes to me?"
She raised her head and opened her eyes looking directly into his hypnotic eyes of the man she had allowed herself to fall in love with.
"Yes, Dominic my answer is yes." She said with a beaming smile. For the first time in five years she finally felt like she had a chance at true happiness.
A great big, broad smile errupted over his face, he jumped up took her hands in his and pulled her up to him. With excitement in his voice said, "now then let us go home and tell the others immediately of the wonderful news."
Alannah's face turned beet red at the prospect of facing his mother, wondering what her reaction might be. Dominic laughed as he got to his feet, and scooped her up in his arms. "Come now, where is the little spitfire that I met not too long ago? The one that has a hot temper and the tongue of a snake? The girl who speaks her mind and dares stare down men twice her size when she is angry, hmm?"
Alannah giggled at that as they started walking back to her small buggy. Suddenly Alannah stopped, she had a felling that they were being watched. Alannah's grip tightened on Dominic's hand, she looked around, but couldn't see anything, still she couldn't shake the feeling.
Unseen by either of them, Eraldo and his crew were hiding in the shadows of the trees intently watching them, waiting for Alannah to be alone. When Alannah stopped suddenly Eraldo thought that their cover had been blown. With their horses had been tethered some distance away so Eraldo had chosen to hide here in the darkness of the forest .
"We should have brought the gun E. We could have taken him out and then it would have been mcuh easier to grab her."
"Not yet Troy - we stick to the plan."
"The old man did say I get to play with her right?" Troy said with lust in his voice
"Don't even think about it Troy or I will personally bash your face in. That is my sister you have your eyes on."
"But the old man said…"
"I don't give a damn what the old man said." Eraldo said, grabbing Troy by the collar of his shirt, "if you even lay one finger on my sister I will kill you, do I make myself clear?"
"Ye…yes sir"
Turning his attention back to his sister and the man with her, the two men hiding in the bushes watched as they finished their preperations to leave and then ride off.