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All rights reserved, The Wild Rose Press
It was as if the breeze knew her anxiety and wanted to dispel it by pushing her to confront Rees. Just the thought made her shiver from her scalp to her toes. She put a hand to her chest. Automatically, her fingers encircled the antique brooch pinned to the underside of her blouse. She wore it religiously, always with the crest closest to her heart. Rees had given this to her on her sixteenth birthday—the last day she ever saw him. The day he and his sister packed up their parents belongings.
He'd been in his room standing in front of the window when she'd walked in and asked if there was any way she could help. When he turned, she saw his red rimmed eyes and dampness in the shadowy hollows beneath. The sight of him in so much pain wrenched her heart. “You can take this,” he'd said as he tossed a small jewelry box to her. “I don't want to see it anymore.”
Curious, Sienna had opened it to find a dazzling brooch, a circle of silver inlaid with gleaming brass. A series of spirals accented one side with intricate knot work on the other, and a decorative arrow-tipped pin crossed the middle. She'd never seen anything so extraordinary in all her life. “You want to give this to me?”