All too soon the holiday vacations ended and school resumed. Bruce continued to pick Amber up every morning and drive her to school where they parted company until lunch. They still looked forward to having lunch with each other and spending the afternoon together in different classes. It was difficult not to stare at each other during the classes they shared, but they found the strength to resist. The rumors concerning w...

Christmas had come and gone and soon it was New Year's Eve. As Bruce and Amber had surmised, both their parents had parties that they were going to attend, so now all they had to do is figure out where they would spend the evening together. Now he had to work, but would be done around 6:00 PM.It was about two days before New Year's Eve that Allison told Amber that she had been invited to a party and had accepted the invit...

Brother Sebastian stood on the porch of Carpenter's ranch house and uttered a silent prayer to God that all his years of research and interpretations of the most ancient texts were correct. As the sun rose further in the sky, he watched the beams of light, as they moved slowly across the yard toward the house, illuminating everything in their path.. It reached the porch and slowly moved up the two stairs falling on the he...

It was now Christmas Day and both families were up at their normal workday time instead of sleeping. They wanted to enjoy a leisurely breakfast, while they discussed the plans of the day, before they opened their presents. Amber's parents admitted to themselves that shopping for her had been trickier than in years gone by. She had less than two months of her pregnancy left, so maternity clothing was out of the question, a...

As he watched the Captain make his way into the dark woods, he prayed that his journey would be safe one. He was not really worried, the Captain was a warrior and woe unto the highway robber that crossed his path. It was then that his acute hearing picked up some new sounds. From his hiding place in the bush Carpenter could see the guards carrying torches and walking the top of walls around the castle and stopping occasio...

Christmas Eve had finally arrived. After work Bruce raced home to shower and change before he headed to Amber's house to spend a few hours. Amid the festive atmosphere was talk of his agreeing to be Amber's labor coach and attend the birthing classes and what that entailed. The mood became serious and so did the look on everyone's face. Ally decided to break up this serious mood and slipped out of the room unseen to don o...

Carpenter let out a scream of rage as the Princess slowly slumped to the floor with an arrow in her chest. A large patch of crimson was darkening the front of her silky nightgown. He fell to his knees and gathered her up in his arms and held her to tightly. Tears filled her eyes as she found the strength to speak in a low whisper, "This is probably for the best, my beloved," she said as she reached up and stroked his face...

Bruce just sat there with his mind still reeling. He didn't mind pretending to be the father of her child if it saved them both the non-stop questions from their classmates, but this was never discussed. He had seen enough television programs of females giving birth and there was always a great deal of screaming. Was he ready for that? He looked over at the stunning blond across the table from him, truly loved her and he...

School had finally let out for the Christmas break. Bruce's plans on sleeping in on that first Monday were derailed as he had promised Amber that he would show up for breakfast. He was not that upset about losing out on some sleep as it would give them some time alone. Amber woke Monday morning as though she was going to school. This would allow her time to shower and do her makeup as she not allow Bruce to see her as she...

Carpenter left long before Sunrise which allowed the Monk to return to his research. He double and triple checked his findings and each time the answer he arrived at was the same. "There is only one way to test this theory, but if I am wrong I fear it might prove fatal," he said to his reflection. Back at the ranch Carpenter found Holly waiting for him. She embraced and kissed him as soon as he stepped through the door. S...

Amber and Bruce both had a restless nights sleep due to the recent events. Each agreed and swore that if questioned they would respond with the answers they had rehearsed. If asked if he was the father he would say yes, and Amber would respond the same way. If she was questioned about her one time affair in Greece she would admit to it though she hoped it would not be brought up. Both had slow starts come morning and it w...

The young Prince followed his old mentor along the long twisting passage ways to the secret door to the treasure room. The secret door to this room was also hidden behind a tapestry, but it was different than all of the others. It was much smaller and closer to the floor and one was forced to crouch down to enter. Once satisfied that the young Prince could enter and exit Felsar returned to his chamber Prince Karl entered...

Bruce stayed at Amber's house for quite a while going over the answers they would need if questioned about the story she told. Neither one was well adept at telling lies so this would take some effort on their parts to be believable. Amber retrieved the calendar from her room and they went over it week by week. From the time she returned home from Greece to the day she found out that she was pregnant. They had to pick a t...

Once in their car and headed home all the emotions that Amber had struggled with to keep inside began to take its toll. "Daddy, pull over. I'm going to be sick," she said quickly. Her Father quickly curbed the vehicle as Amber opened the door and threw up in the street. When she finished they continued home and once there she raced to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She returned to the kitchen and discovered her Father h...

Back in Sinking Wells: The blacksmith known as Stiles had made great strides with his training. He could ride and rope with the best of the cowboys and his skill with the knife, bullwhip and pistol were better than average. He was considered a loyal and hardworking employee by the owner and was liked by the local folks.He would occasionally request a few days off to attend to family business and his employer always grante...