He set her down and shook his head. "Jasmine, there are no strings attached to this. You don't owe me anything." He looked over to Amy for support and saw her deep in thought.

He looked around. "Where are your things?"

Amy reached down and picked up a small backpack. "This is it."

Daniel looked at Jasmine. "That all you own?"

Jasmine nodded meekly. "Yes. The bathhouse owned everything else.

Except for a few clothes and personal things."

Daniel nodded. “That's okay. You have everything else you need here.

Come on, I'll show you to your room."

Daniel put on his spare clean shirt he had left hanging off a porch rail and led the way into his farmhouse. When he had bought the land, the house was already here. It had been small shack, but over the years he had added to it. It now boasted three bedrooms, a living room with a large couch and fireplace, a small kitchen with a small pot-belly stove and dining table, and a larder. He had even fixed up the outhouse and reworked the well stones. Outside, he had built a small barn to shelter his mule with an attached shed for his farming tools.

In the house, his bedroom was the largest, but he moved past that to an adjacent room. He opened the door and let Jasmine walk in first.

She stopped in the middle and looked around. Daniel had already built a straw mattress bed and a rough small dresser for her, but inside his magic bag, Daniel had discovered a variety of items. Eric had gathered many fine things as an adventurer. Now, the bedroom floor had a small wool rug, and a couple of tapestries covered the walls.

He had found drapes hung them on the window. Small pieces of art decorated the dresser he had made and the walls. He had placed a lovely lantern in the room for additional light. Best of all, Eric had liked more sensitive pieces, and the room felt very feminine. He was proud of how it all turned out.

Amy came in behind Jasmine and stood beside her. She was the first to speak. “By the Gods, Daniel. This is beautiful! Where'd you get all this stuff? This is expensive! Those tapestries alone are worth a hundred gold each!"

Daniel got a sinking feeling in his gut. He had overdone it. He did not understand how much these things were. Amy, the daughter of a trader, would of course know. He opted to keep his mouth shut.

Jasmine was turning toward him. Tears tracked down her face. She ran to him and collapsed into his arms. In moments she was sobbing against his chest. Daniel looked over her to Amy, who stood smirking.

What did I do? he mouthed to her.

Amy just shook her head and smiled and walked past him out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Daniel held Jasmine awkwardly and rubbed her back. "There, there," he muttered and heard a muffled snort from Jasmine.

She wiped her button nose on his shirt and looked up at him. “Dumb ass. I'm deliriously happy. I'm not upset."

Daniel started to let go of her, but Jasmine held on tighter.

"Kiss me, Daniel."

Daniel shook his head. "No, this isn't about sex. This is about me giving you a safe place to stay."

“I know that. Do you not think I could have gone to other places?

With friends? Instead, I come all the way out here to your farm expecting less than stellar accommodations. Why do you think that is?"