Sample Saturday! – Lady and the Falconer

From my latest romance ebook, The Lady and The Falconer –

Suddenly, she was pulled up… into the arms of the falconer!  His gray eyes stared intensely at her for a moment, and strangely, the look calmed her racing heart.  Then, he pulled her after him, grabbing a large wooden half-barrel and dumping the water out as he moved.  Before she knew what was happening, he shoved her against a building and lifted the barrel before them as a protective barrier.  She jumped as an arrow slammed into it, its metal tip erupting through the wood inches from her face!  She stared at the sharp, deadly arrowhead for a long moment, fear closing around her heart in an iron grip.  She turned a terrified gaze to the falconer.