Ignoring the local transportation service that she normally took for the short drive home from the train station, Sky decided to walk. It was a bright afternoon and there wasn’t a cloud overhead. Today should have been the answer to her problems. Instead, she would be officially out of work in two weeks.

No matter. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to stay employed with a firm that treated her so poorly. Even if she sued and won, her ancestral home would be gone by the time a settlement was reached. Plus, her reputation for being a troublemaker within the business world would be entrenched. Then again, there was no guarantee she’d recoup the losses for a lawsuit.

No, it was better to just turn in her notice, using vacation time to begin looking for another job immediately, and to clear out her office. She had to make a new start.

As the old, thatch-roofed cottage came into view, and the flowers of the surrounding garden misted the air with their scent, Sky felt her stoic control leave. Just as it had on the train. She stopped walking, turned toward the nearest fence and leaned against it to cry. “H-happy birthday to me,” she sobbed.

With her vision blurred, and her senses totally disrupted, she never heard Rowan’s approach. She was suddenly engulfed by strong arms and guided toward the cottage. Though she couldn’t make any sense of what he said at the moment, his low, strong voice had a supportive tone she desperately needed to hear.

Rowan guided her through the back door.

“Windy, Eartha!” he cried out.

When the older women hurried to his summons, Rowan led Sky into the kitchen and sat her in a chair at the dining table. “She needs some tea. Better yet, if you have some stronger spirits, that might be good. But only a wee bit.”

Eartha solemnly nodded and hurried to do as Rowan bid.

Windy sat on the side of the table opposite Sky.

“Dear girl, what’s upset you so?” Windy gently asked.

Sky shook her head, and straightened her slumped frame. To get her composure back, she took a deep breath, and let her briefcase fall to the floor.

Eartha returned with a small amount of brandy in a snifter. “Here, Sky. Drink a little of this.”

Sky sipped the heady drink and took another breath as the warmth of the alcohol flowed down her throat. “They passed me over for that promotion. I turned in my notice.”

From her seat opposite Sky, Windy sat up straight. “How could they do that? You’ve worked so terribly hard for that job.”

She simply shrugged and decided to leave out the details. There was no sense making anyone angry over something that couldn’t be changed. “They decided someone else would be better suited to deal with the clients in that division.”

“Well, it’s criminal if you ask me,” Eartha angrily announced. “I’ll bet no one else stayed and worked overtime the way you have. Just to make sure your clients were happy.”

Sky sniffed as Eartha plopped down in a chair at the end of the table. She had to be brave for her aunt’s sake. “It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. Obviously, I’m upset and angry. But that’s life. No one said it would be fair. I’ll get over it and go look for another position next week.”

With one arm still around her shoulders, Rowan tilted his head. “What is it you do?”

How could she explain, to a man from the Fairy Realm, what an advertising agent was? “Well, people come to me to sell their goods. Rather, they come to me to make their products seem more appealing than the next person’s goods. Do you understand?”

“In the Fairy Realm, there are marketplaces where goods are sold, and the merchants attempt to outdo one another for customers. They do this by decorating their wagons more brightly, or by offering better bargains. Is your job like that?”

“Yes. It’s very similar. It’s just that, in this world the decoration you place on a product is very much enhanced. More expensive.”

“I’m sure you can find another place to make your living. And very quickly too,” he assured her. “But it’s sad that those with whom you work have not recognized your intelligence. I’ve seen it in you after only knowing you for a short while.”

She smiled at him, then slowly frowned. “What are you still doing here? Why are you wearing nothing but a sheet? The better question might be, who got you to put something on at all?”

“We convinced him he should wear some kind of covering,” Windy chimed in. “I was afraid one of the delivery people would show up and see him nude.”

“I’m still here because I have no intention of going,” Rowan responded. “Especially not now that you’re in need of help!”

For a brief moment, Sky’s gaze locked with his and she knew this situation was going to be a monumental battle of wills. “How long do you think it will be before your queen summons you back, or you get tired of this place?”

Rowan shrugged. “As to my queen’s summons, I don’t know. Your pain is my concern right now.”

Sky sighed in frustration and sipped some more brandy. “Since you’ve agreed to wear something, I’ll go to the attic and see if I can’t find more clothing. Will you at least wear pants?”

Rowan thought for a moment. “All right. But you needn’t look in your attic. Your aunts have already put clothing on the porch for me. It will be difficult, but I think I can manage wearing garments.”

“Thank you,” Sky firmly said as she placed the palms of her hands on the table. Then, she turned to face her aunts. They’d have to know the entire truth, sooner than later. “I’m afraid losing that promotion is going to affect us adversely.”

“Oh, you’ll find another job that’s even better,” Windy gaily told her. “Why, any advertising firm in Barnsdale will want you.”

“Not at the salary I would have had if my promotion had come through,” Sky sadly announced. “I can’t make enough to keep this place and pay the taxes. There just isn’t any tactful way of telling you this…we’ll have to sell the cottage and our land. I-I’m so sorry. I’ve failed you both.”

The older women’s eyes teared up, even as they reached for Sky’s hands.

“This situation is absurd! You needn’t lose your home and property simply because you’re changing your place of work.”

“It’s a matter of money, Rowan. I simply don’t make enough. By the time I do, it’ll be too late. I’ll lose everything. It isn’t fair to my aunts that they shouldn’t know the extent of our predicament. I’ve crunched the numbers, and there just isn’t any way other than to sell everything, and find a more modest place to live.”

He fiercely shook his head. “It’s wrong. This shouldn’t happen. People who work hard shouldn’t lose their homes.”

Noting her aunts’ distress and the tears now falling down their weathered cheeks, Sky put a stop to the conversation. “That’s enough! My aunts and I will work out the details. There’s nothing more to be said. Please, Rowan, let it go.”

“I will not. You have good, fertile land…and beautiful woods. What if you sell your property to someone who won’t care for it the way you have? There are few enough spots of green left on your earth. I’ve seen the abuse of land through visions from my realm. It would be a wrong decision to sell when all you have to do is make the land pay for itself.”

Windy and Eartha glanced at each other.

“What do you mean?” Eartha asked as she scooted her chair closer to him.

“Today, I found a huge hive of honeybees deep within an old oak branch. That tree grows within your fences. You could sell the honey. And there are herbs in your garden that could be sold to local merchants, to season their food. You have a barn where you might keep a cow, and sell the fresh butter you churn. Then, there are fruit trees in the grove. They need tending, but their produce can be sold, or eaten right from your table. This land has much to offer. Your gardens can produce more than enough vegetables—”

“Enough!” Sky firmly interjected. “All that may work in your world, but we couldn’t possibly produce enough to cover costs.”

“But why not?” Windy quietly asked. “There’s a small gift shop in the next village that sells New Age items such as crystals and handmade candles. Why…Eartha and I have been making our own candles forever. We could sell them. From the advertisements, I’ve seen in the papers, we could get good money.”

“And we already make our own soap, shampoos, and bathing goods, too,” Eartha reminded her.

Sky angrily turned her attention on Rowan. “Look what you’ve started!”

He briefly touched her face. “Sky, if you’re so sure you’re going to lose your home anyway, why not try? What could be the harm? You said yourself that you know how to help others sell their goods. Why not help yourself…sell your own items?”

She tilted her head for a moment. There was an old farm in the next village that had set up a shop right in the front living room. She might be able to find money to have some display cases built. And while the money earned might not be much, it could help keep them above water, until she could get a better paying position.

“Just try, little witch. If your heart is in this, it will work. And I’ll help.”

“What can you do?” she asked.

“Unlike my lazy cousins, the Satyrs, I’ve been told that I’m quite a good worker. I’m a handy carpenter, and there isn’t a Faun alive who can’t grow things. All kinds of things. And we have a gifted ability with animals. If there are any that need tending, I’ll handle that chore. I’ll also take care of the firewood, and tending the trees and the gardens. I’ll mend the thatch on the roof since it needs it.”

Sky chewed on her lower lip and gazed at her aunts’ anxious faces. “I suppose we could try.”

Eartha stood. “I’ll get the computer. We have plans to make.”

“And I’ll get dinner on the table while we talk,” Windy offered as she moved toward the stove.

Sky looked at Rowan and raised one brow. “I hope you haven’t raised expectations inappropriately. This house and the surrounding land have been in my family for generations. If we lose it…I don’t know what we’ll do.”

“You won’t lose it! Together, we’ll work hard and everything will be all right. You’ll see.” He stroked her hair off her forehead and kissed her cheek.

She half smiled. “First, you promised to put some clothes on.”

He grinned and relented. “If I must, I must.”

He left to go find whatever clothing that her aunts had provided. Thinking there still might be some more in the attic, she took a key off the wall, and unlocked the door leading to the upper level of the cottage.

Ten minutes later, she was sorting objects in the attic; objects that might be sold or recycled. A sound alerted her to someone’s presence. She felt Rowan was right behind her. She knew it was him, without having to even look.

“The clothing might be on the small side, but it seems to work,” he smilingly told her.

Turning to view her companion, she was quite satisfied with the flannel shirt, old pair of jeans and the jacket he now wore. To complete his outfit, she reached for a pair of riding boots in the bottom of a trunk, along with woolen socks her great grandfather had probably worn. Rowan readily put these on and grinned. If he had issues with the garments, he never said so. Something told her that he’d be willing to do anything for the chance to stay. Up to and including wearing clothes.

He followed her out of the attic, but she didn’t lead him back down the stairs. In the hallway, she stopped and turned to him.

“After begging you to put those garments on, they need to come off.”

His brows shot up.

“They desperately need to be washed. They smell of moth balls. It should only take an hour or so. Until then, I’ll loan you one of Eartha’s robes. I think the girth will be about right, but I’m not so sure about the length. Still, you can’t sit at the table half-dressed in a sheet or a towel. I don’t want to sit there smelling moth deterrent! I don’t know how you stand it.”

“It is a bit overpowering,” he amiably agreed as he wrinkled his nose. “My worries are small. Yours are more important!”

She smiled at his persistent desire to help.

“There is one thing I would like to ask,” he added.

“What?”

“Before eating, is there a place where I might freshen up? Windy showed me how to use your garden hose earlier in the day, but I’d like to clean my body a bit… better.”

Sky cleared her throat. “Of course. You can use my room. I’ll show you how the shower works.”

“Good, we have no such things in my realm. We bathe in crystal-clear ponds and lakes.”

“Sorry, a shower is the best I can do.”

She led him to her room, on the second floor.

The chintz pattern wall paper she’d chosen, to match the furniture, was a bit feminine. Especially with a man of his size and musculature standing in the middle of the room. He stopped and stared at his surroundings, as though he had never seen anything like wallpaper before.

“Very feminine. You have brought the garden inside,” he told her.

Ignoring the comment, Sky showed Rowan the bathroom shower and turned on the faucets for him. All the shampoos and soaps were within reach, as well as towels. “I assume you can manage?”

He leaned against the door frame. “What if I can’t? What if I need help?”

The playfully leering gaze he sent her almost made Sky happy again. But she pressed her lips together. “I’ll take your clothing down to the laundry room and start the washing. Then, I’ll come back up and wait for you to finish. If you need anything, I’ll be changing out of this suit. Just call out. I’ll hear you.”

“I will be fine, Sky. Don’t worry about anything,” he told her as he put one hand on her shoulder. “You aren’t alone. All things will work out. I promise.”

She sighed heavily and walked away. If only she could feel so optimistic.

He lived a life devoid of any needs whatsoever. His world must provide everything. Hers, however, most certainly did not. Not without a great deal of work.

She shook her head, to rid herself of morbid thoughts. I was still her birthday. At least she could act as if it was a happy one.

After depositing the dusty, moth insecticide-smelling clothing in the washer, and asking Eartha to put it in the dryer later, Sky made her way back up the stairs. When she walked into her room, however, Rowan was standing by the window, staring out at the garden.

“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be showering.”

He turned to her. “I long to be outdoors. Being under a roof, for even a short time, makes me feel as if I’m trapped.”

She slowly walked toward him. “Is your world so very different from ours? I’ve heard stories from Windy and Eartha, but their descriptions of the Fairy Realm were handed down from ancestors.”

“At one time, people of your world and mine sometimes exchanged places. I suppose that’s where someone from your reality might have gained knowledge about mine. But all that was long ago. Whatever stories you’ve heard have doubtlessly been exaggerated.”

She nodded. “I’d like to hear about your Fairy Realm. Is it permitted for me to ask questions?”

“Since you and your aunts practice helpful magic only, and pose no threat to us, I see no reason why you can’t ask whatever you like.”

For a moment, she stared at him. His green eyes were mesmerizing. Then she shook her head to get her bearings, and to get back on the subject of his shower. “Um, I’ll talk to you about it later. Why don’t we get ready for supper? Since it’s my birthday, I’m sure Eartha and Windy are planning something special.”

Sky quickly turned around as Rowan shed the sheet which covered the lower half of his body. Then she shrugged, laughed at her response, and turned to face him again. “Why am I suddenly acting coy? I’ve seen you up close and personal.”

“Very personal,” Rowan agreed. “I’m sure you must need a nice shower as well.” He paused, then smiled broadly. “Why don’t you join me?”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him no, but his next words forced her to think differently.

“This is your birthday, and it hasn’t been a good one up until now. Indulge yourself. You know I’ll do whatever you ask. In fact, pleasuring you could be my birthday gift.”

She chewed on her lower lip, greedily looked him over and nodded. “Why the hell not? It isn’t like there’s anyone in my life who’d care. After all, you won’t be here forever, will you?”

He held out his hand but had no response regarding her last comment. “Let me help you out of this confining clothing,” he offered as he gazed at her suit.

“Earlier, I thought the world as I knew it was ending. Now, things don’t look nearly so bad. And…I think that’s your doing, Rowan.”

He grinned as he helped her shed the business suit she wore, caressing her skin as more and more of it was exposed. “Your aunts and I simply pointed out options that, given your disappointment, were not on the top of your mind. Everything has a way of working out. You won’t lose your home.”

“I hope not,” she told him. “I’ve lived here my whole life. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

Before she knew what was happening, Sky was in his arms being thoroughly kissed and caressed. Though he seemed obsessed, Rowan’s hands were gentle. He slowly moved his palms over her stockings until they, and every other undergarment, were removed.

“Rowan, maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” she whispered, but held his body even tighter as the words came out of her mouth.

He moved slightly away, and gazed down at her. “I will do anything you ask. Anything,” he softly affirmed. “Including stop.”

“I don’t know…I don’t know what I want.”

“Your hesitation is due to fear of commitment…from my side. You think I only want a fling,” he told her. “Let me be clear, Sky. What’s between us is real. Neither of us can change it. This isn’t just sex.”

“Tell me you aren’t using magic. Please promise me this isn’t some Faun-induced spell.”

“It isn’t. You’re a powerful witch. I can sense the power in you. You are astute enough to know if I was using any Faun-magic. Besides, as I’ve asked you before, do I look like I’d need that kind of trickery?”

“No. No, you don’t.”

“Then let’s make love. No reservations,” he announced.

Sky smiled and looped her arms around his neck.

Rowan kissed her deeply again, then led her toward the bathroom. “I’ll show you what I’d do if we were under an enchanted waterfall in my realm.”

Sky never remembered turning the faucets on in the shower. She never remembered him stepping in beside her, but she remembered every moment that came afterward.

As the water poured over their bodies, he ran his hands down her shoulders to her hips and thighs, she made her own physical inspection of his Adonis-like body, and smiled wickedly at all the touching and caressing that came with the sexually charged situation.

Lathering and exploring bath scents was both heady and marvelous. She’d never engaged in such a wonderful sexual escapade. He made it seem quite familiar and comfortable. Every second was joy. He was a joy.

“This is part of your birthday gift. I’ll give you the other half tonight,” he whispered as he ran his hands over her back.

Somehow, all her angst sluiced away, like the soap going down the drain. He made her feel like anything was possible. All she had to do was dream.

“Every time you want me, and I’m not near enough to have, you’ll feel this way, Sky. You’ll need me. So, don’t be surprised if you have to find a private spot during the day. Don’t be shocked if your yearning leads you to feel a bit too sensual,” he whispered.

“I can think of worse things,” she breathlessly responded.

Finally, he ended the interlude by turning off the water; using the handles she’d showed him. He then wrapped a warm towel around her.

“Your aunts will be waiting for us. And I’m hungry as a goblin in winter!”

She grinned. “I’ll accept that as a description of real hunger!” Then, she sighed and leaned into him a moment longer. “Will I really crave you, when you’re not around? Were you making that up?”

“No. If you are frustrated, and there is any distance between us, that feeling will be mutual. I’ll feel what you feel.”

She actually stood on her toes and kissed him, as if he was the lover in her life. Then, she took a deep breath and forced herself back to reality. “Come on. We’d better get dressed and downstairs.”

* * *

He slowly reached for a large towel while Sky pulled on her robe. She then went in search of some garment of Eartha’s—a garment that his new lover insisted would fit him.

As he continued to dry off, Rowan gazed out into the darkness of the gardens, beyond the cottage.

“The queen will be furious,” he muttered.

There was nothing to be done about it. In the span of only a countable number of hours, he’d fallen in love with a woman from the mortal realm. While such mixed-world relationships had happened in centuries past, the results had often been catastrophic. The fallout of his actions would be terrible now unless he could find something to offer the queen; something in exchange for having forsaken some woman in his own world. The queen would try to convince him that he wasn’t in love. She’d ask how he could be after such a short time.

That was the way of Fauns and of many other denizens of his world. They loved fiercely and totally. They knew when someone was right for them. They knew in an instant.

He was still deep in thought when Sky returned.

She offered a floral robe to him. He let out a hearty laugh, but took the voluminous garment and slid it on. It not only fit around his frame, but covered him enough that Sky nodded in laughing approval.

“Eartha won’t mind. In fact, for the next few months, she’ll probably be bragging about you wearing her robe. She and Windy seem to think a lot of you.”

“I think on them quite fondly. They’re like my own aunts.”

Sky sat on the edge of her bed and considered him. “Tell me about your family.”

She was asking a dangerous question. If she knew who he really was, and his importance in the Fairy Realm, that fact could have her up in arms and on a new, urgent mission to see him back in his world. “They’re just plain folk like you and me,” he warily countered.

“I hardly think anyone in their right mind could refer to you as ‘plain folk’. Won’t they miss you?”

“Some of my family might. Most are altogether into themselves and their daily pleasures.” He held out his hand. “Let’s join your aunts. We’ll make plans for the future of your home. Afterward, I still have something in the garden I’d like you to see.”

Sky tilted her head. “What?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Sky took his hand and led him downstairs. Her smile grew broad when she discovered her aunts had baked her a birthday cake while she was at work. They had already planned to celebrate her turning another year older, not knowing about her loss of a job.

She seemed to shove reservations about the future aside, and gaily took up an air of celebration.

Rowan took their good-natured joking about his wearing Eartha’s robe in stride. He vowed to get to know them all much, much better.

One thing was certain. He wouldn’t leave this world. Though Sky thought otherwise, he was staying.

Regarding the decision, he knew of two things that would mollify the queen. One of them depended on Sky. The other depended upon all three of the women where were now sitting around the kitchen table.

He just hoped his quickly devised plans would be accepted by all those involved. Otherwise, losing their ancestral home would be the least of his companions’ worries. He was determined that, whatever he had to do, the queen would not seek vengeance against Eartha, Windy or Sky.

Bringing himself back to the present, and the plans the women were making for their home, Rowan threw his entire heart into their plight and, secretly, his own.