Blood Blade Sisters Series by Michelle McLean Page A

doesn’t…well, I will do as Brynne wishes.”
    The older man regarded him for a moment and finally nodded his head. “The girls are repairing a fence in the northern pasture. I’m sure they’ll be glad for the help. You can use Luna there,” he said, gesturing to an old black horse in the last stall.
    “ Gracias ,” Leo said.
    Miguel nodded and went back to mucking out the stall. Leo saddled up the mare and was after Cilla before his breakfast had settled in his belly.
    Just as he’d suspected, Cilla was less than happy to see him, though Lucy greeted him with a warm smile and kept up enough friendly banter that Cilla’s awkward silence wasn’t too much of a distraction. He caught Cilla’s gaze on him a few times and suspected her attitude toward him had more to do with the ample view of him she’d gotten that morning than anything else. Judging by the blush that stained her cheeks when he caught her watching him, she must have appreciated what she’d seen. He found he enjoyed getting a reaction out of her and went out of his way to be in her line of sight. It probably wasn’t the most gentlemanly way to behave, but it was amusing, to say the least. After everything she’d put him through, he didn’t feel guilty at her discomfort. His head still hurt where she’d hit him.
    They worked on the fence until nightfall, only stopping once for a short lunch break. The girls shared their meals with Leo. Since Carmen always packed them enough to feed an army, there was plenty to go around. By the end of the day, Leo was drenched in sweat and aching from head to toe. The girls kept up a pace that put him to shame, but he didn’t hear a word of complaint from either of them. Watching them inspired admiration for their strength and sorrow at the hardships they were obviously used to. They should be working on their needlework and daydreaming about beaus, not breaking their backs in the field doing the work of ten men.
    Even when they came in from fixing the fences, there was no pause for rest. Lucy went to help Miguel with the animals while Cilla tried to make a dent in the woodpile. Leo grabbed an axe to help. After twenty minutes or so of companionable chopping, Cilla stopped to wipe her brow. Her eyes roamed over the ranch house, the stables, and the pastures dotted with livestock that wandered among the grasses and trees.
    “You love your home.” It was obvious, but for some reason he felt the need to voice the observation.
    Cilla turned to him. “Yes.” It was a simple answer. But the weight of her heart was carried in that one syllable.
    Leo noticed they all had a deep love for their home. But Cilla seemed especially attached, working with a near-fanatic diligence. Leo couldn’t help the thoughts that flooded his mind. Brynne had obviously loved his brother, and Lucy didn’t look like she could hurt a fly. But Cilla…she was another story. He watched her swing an axe, bringing it down on a log with a ferocious grunt. Her fierce protectiveness of her sisters and property were apparent.
    Had she considered Jake a threat? Jake had initially gone after Blood Blade in order to capture him. He must have found out Blood Blade’s real identity. Even if he hadn’t, his marrying her eldest sister would have placed the ranch firmly in Jake’s hands. Had Cilla resented that? Enough to get rid of him?
    So many questions. Leo just hoped he’d like the answers when he found them. The thought of the intriguing woman in front of him having anything to do with his brother’s disappearance made his heart twist for reasons he really didn’t want to explore.
    They spent a quiet evening exchanging distrustful glances before Brynne finally had enough and told them to knock it off. Leo, his eyes so heavy he could barely keep them open, excused himself to go to bed. Cilla followed him to the foot of the staircase.
    Leo stopped. “You know, if you didn’t want me here, you shouldn’t have tried so hard to convince me to