In The Beginning by Gail Daley (top 100 books of all time checklist .TXT) 📕

village with a Trade Station attached, Rebecca brought out one of her grandfather’s soft, homespun shirts, a green bandana and a large soft hat like the ones worn by herdsman and handed them to Andre.

"Your clothes make you look too much like a hired fighter," she said. "These will help you blend in better on the way through town."

He turned them over in his hands, looking at her thoughtfully. He noticed both Rebecca and Catrin had changed their usual attire this morning. Instead of the better-quality blouses they usually wore, both girls had donned faded homespun shirts and large, soft hats. In addition, Rebecca had used something to darken her porcelain white skin to make it seem tanned.

"Who are we hiding from?" he asked as he unlaced his shirt.

She hesitated, distracted by the muscled torso he displayed as he pulled the shirt over his head. When she didn’t answer, he met her eyes, enjoying it as she turned bright red at being caught staring.

"Like what you see?" he asked, smiling. Stepping in closer, he slid a hand around her neck to bring her mouth up for a kiss.

Up close, his body gave off a warm musky scent and she was surprised to find she wanted to touch those smooth muscles. When his mouth closed over hers, she brought up her hands to rest on his chest, enjoying the slightly prickly feel of his sparse chest hair under her palms. As he sensed her response, his hand slid down her back pressing more of her body against his. Things might have progressed even further if there hadn't been an interruption.

"Ouch!" yelped Owen, as he dropped the hot pan he was using to heat water for breakfast.

Rebecca gasped and stepped back from Andre, who let her go. Several encounters like this had convinced Andre his girl wasn’t cold, she was just shy, so he was satisfied with the progress he was making.

"Rebecca," he reminded when she started to back further away. "Who are we hiding from?"

She took a deep breath. "You might as well know there is a wanted flyer out on the four of us. Grandpa saw it in the last town we passed through."

" You mean a wanted flyer On you?"

She nodded. "When you see it, you may not want to travel with us—"

Andre made a rude noise. "Do you have a copy?"

Rebecca climbed up inside the wagon, brought back the flyer and handed it to him.

Andre read it, a heavy frown gathering on his face. "None of you are violent. This guy Lazarus did something, what was it?"

Instead of answering, she bit her lip and turned her back, her hands covering her face.

Her reaction told him everything he wanted to know. Andre was silent while he mastered the black rage that had risen. He knew better than to let it out; giving in to anger had caused him plenty of trouble in the past. He looked at Rebecca’s shaking shoulders and closed his eyes.

"Rebecca," he said, gently turning her to face him, "It’s alright. He won’t touch you again, I promise."

To his dismay, she burst into tears, burying her face in his chest. Not knowing what else to do, he simply held her and rubbed her back until the storm of tears subsided.

"What’s the matter with Rebecca?" demanded Lewys, coming around the wagon.

Silently, Andre handed him the flyer.

"Oh, she told you, did she?" inquired Lewys. "Well, I suppose you had to know."

"I asked her what we were running from," Andre said.

Lewys sighed regretfully. "I should have made sure that animal was dead, but it would have been murder. I wanted to get my family away from there before they raised a lynch party."

He handed Andre a handkerchief to give to Rebecca who had stopped weeping.

"Breakfast is almost ready," he said, "Go and wash your face girl, so your brother and sister don’t see you’ve been crying."

He motioned Andre to step out of hearing of the wagon. "I suppose you want to know what happened, don’t you?"

Andre shrugged. "I can guess. How bad was it?"

"Not quite as bad as it could have been. We were getting ready to leave. Owen had gone to say goodbye to the Trade Stations daughter he was sweet on, and I’d gone into Joppa to pick up some stuff for the kid's I'd already paid for. The girls were about to harness the unicorns so we could leave when I got back. I guess you’re aware some folk have peculiar ideas about Travelers. When Lazarus showed up, Rebecca told Catrin to get inside the wagon and stay there. He had Rebecca down on the ground when Catrin hit him with a shovel. Owen and I got there a few minutes later. I should have made sure he was dead, but I wanted to get my family out of there before we were arrested."

Andre flicked the flyer scornfully. "So, this is because they blame you for defending yourselves?"

"Looks like it." He shrugged. "The Trade Master warned me to leave as quickly as we could. Lazarus is a rich man who pulls a lot of weight around the area. Travelers are always easy marks though. Even before this happened we always made it a point to look as ordinary as we could when we pass through a strange village."

He looked over at the younger man. "You’ve been good for Rebecca. It broke my heart to see her flinch whenever Owen or I accidentally bumped into her. She’s never done it with you and she's easier with us too. I want to thank you for that if nothing else."

They drove through Coverville without incident, although many of the villagers stared at them curiously. They stopped a few miles outside of it at one of the Trade Stations the Shahen required be set aside for travelers and trade caravans.

The Trade Stations had been created to cut down on friction between the Travelers and town merchants. Although travelers were welcome to purchase items in the villages, the Stations usually had