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Willa darted to my side, and we both groaned under the weight. Even if that bookshelf didn’t crush us when it fell, the noise would bring Father Benedict running.
“Mind if I help?” a deep voice asked cautiously.
Was he kidding?
Please do, I nearly yelled.
But Willa only croaked out a reluctant, “If you must.”
That was Willa, all right.
The weight instantly eased from my straining arms and the bookshelf creaked back to upright. A huge man dusted his hands and pinned Willa with a stern look.
“We had it under control,” she grumbled.
“Clearly,” he murmured.
Despite the words, their banter had a loving tone. Still, I kept a hand on my dagger. “Who are you?”
He pointed to Willa. “I’m with her.”
Willa touched my arm. “He is. That’s John. My…um…er…”
Friend? Lover? Mate? The way their eyes glowed when they looked at each other told me all three applied.
I stared for a moment. Well, well. I don’t want and will never need a man Willa had found someone who changed her mind.
Then my eyes went wide, because my nose had just processed something in her scent.
Shifter. Bear shifter was my best bet. Both of them.
I shouldn’t have been surprised that Willa hadn’t just found just any man, but a big, hulking bear shifter with the arms of a lumberjack and legs like tree trunks.
“Oh.” I stepped back. “Hello.”
He raised an eyebrow in the direction of the bookshelf.
“Just in case,” I explained, pointing to the other door. “Don’t go near there either. Oh, and don’t touch that chair…or that candelabra…or that rug.”
His jaw fell open, and I nearly rolled my eyes. Yes, I’d booby-trapped them all. Did he think I would sit around twiddling my thumbs while waiting to be rescued?
“Tuck sent us. We came as quickly as we could. Oh, Marian!” Willa threw her arms around me.
I hugged her back, and we hung on, rocking from side to side.
“So good to see you’re all right,” I said, fighting away tears of relief.
Willa was my best friend, my sparring partner, and my co-conspirator in countless childhood escapades. More recently, I’d had no choice but to send Willa on a dangerous mission to deliver my family’s greatest treasures for safekeeping with Robin Hood.
“You made it. You did it,” I congratulated her.
Willa grinned, touching her partner’s arm. “I had some help.” Then her expression fell. “Oh — what about Beverly? Did she make it home safely?”
I grinned at that reminder of my sweetest, dimmest lady-in-waiting. “Yes. She’s probably designing outfits and hairstyles for me as we speak.”
We both laughed.
“So, you’ve met the elusive Robin Hood,” I said, a little jealous. “What’s he like?”
