A Treasure Beyond Compare (ThorinxOCxOC)

Chapter 2

I'd wait here a few hours for things to settle down before going home. Hopefully, I could sneak in and go to bed with no one noticing.

I bit a carrot off the prongs of my fork, enjoying my meal.

"Old Took! Sit yer arse down! None of us want to listen to that caterwauling a minute longer!" A hobbit shouted across the room to another who weaved unsteadily on his feet and toppled off the table he stood on.

The room broke into raucous, good-natured laughter.

I ordered another ale to kill some time.

A few hours later a barmaid took my empty plate and tankard away. "Can I get you anything else, miss?"

I shook my head and dropped a handful of coins on the bar, double counting to make sure I gave her the proper amount. Math was not my strong suit and I'd had to learn a whole new money system when I came to this world. I still made the occasional mistake. "No, I had best be going. Thank you for the terrific meal."

The hobbit smiled in gratitude, sweeping the coins into the side pocket of her apron before bustling off to tend to more customers.

A few of the hobbits in the crowd gave me a polite wave of farewell and I returned it on the way out the door. They may have accepted my presence among them, but none had gone out of their way to talk to me either. Bilbo was probably my only friend. I had not expected that, the loneliness. But I'd grown resigned to it.

Lifting a travel lantern to light my way, I started the climb up the dark desultory hill to the hobbit hole and bumped into someone.

We both went tumbling to the ground in front of the gate, landing in a tangled heap. The person, a male, let out a curse in a deep voice. I rubbed my forehead emitting a groan. Whatever I banged my head into was hard as a boulder.

"Would you get off of me?" The male demanded imperiously.

Cheeks flushing, I hurried to scramble off him and pick up my fallen lantern. "Sorry about that. I didn't see you. I don't have the best night vision."

Or any night vision at all really. My eyes did not adjust well to the dark.

"Apparently." The male tugged at his clothes with short jerky movements, straightening them. "You should be more careful, miss."

I lifted the lantern to see just who I'd bumped into like a doofus and swallowed hard.

The weak glow of the lantern illuminated a strong handsome face framed by long hair and a well-kempt beard. He bore a striking resemblance to Jon Snow from the GOT series, except he had blue eyes. It really was uncanny.

A fur-trimmed surcoat framed the dwarf's broad shoulders. He was slightly taller than my 5'2 but not by much.

Of all the luck to bowl over the leader of the company like a bowling pin.

So, this was Thorin Oakenshield.

It had to be him because I could hear the loud voices of several people in Bilbo's home. Thorin was supposed to arrive late in the story. So much for my plan to be unobtrusive.

The dwarf studied me in return, his gazing sweeping over me from head to toe and a faint shiver traveled down my spine under his hard scrutiny. "What is a human woman doing in the Shire?"

"Living." I couldn't help answering flippantly, mildly irritated by his rudeness. My life was none of his concern.

His eyes narrowed slightly at my tone, but he did not break out into one of his famous bellows. "Is this the residence of Mr. Bilbo Baggins?"