Mudminnow River Stop for nothing

The idea of letting a man climb on top of her—even one as trusted as Gavriel—made Wildfire's heart hammer and stomach clench. But she knew she would do whatever it took to have children. And she knew the guardian would be as swift and gentle as possible, if he agreed at all. She hadn't really thought of the possibility of him declining it, yet there was a teeny, tiny, horribly irrational part of her that wanted him to refuse her so she wouldn't have to go through the motions.

He turned to look at her even as Freyja shouted, breaking the tension building in Wildfire's slim body. "On the way home," she repeated, unwilling to disrupt the girl's tracking expedition. As she spoke, she turned and trotted eastward along the riverbank to join Freyja, saying, "You're right on target, Frey," in a praising tone of voice.