CHAPTER TEN
Cora stabbed at the earth with a hoe, surprised at how hard it was to break up simple clods of dirt. Already, she was sweating with the effort, and her hands felt raw. To her surprise, though, she was enjoying the work. She was enjoying the simple freedom of knowing that if she helped, this field would eventually produce food for all of them there. She was also enjoying the knowledge that she was doing this because she wanted, not because some noble had ordered her to.
“You’re certainly getting the hang of this.”
There were other things to enjoy about life in Stonehome, too. Aidan was one of them. He was working a little ways away, muscles moving beneath his shirt as he broke up the ground. His blond hair would have fallen to his shoulders if he hadn’t bound it back with a s
