Page 175 of Auctioned to the Cruel Highlander
It was quite damning that whatever he was trying to keep shut inside himself was being pressed harder each time they were left alone together, whether in a chamber, by a bed, or under open sky.
By the time the castle rose before them, Ava knew one thing with painful clarity—Ciaran was far from unaffected.
She had thought theSilent Deathwould have no fears, but it was clear that he was just as vulnerable as any other man.
She just needed to find that side of him.
And she most definitely would.
CHAPTER 15
Ciaran tookAva riding the next morning. It was the easiest way to keep his promise without showing her more tenderness than he could manage.
Their last outing had been a mistake, as he had been a bit too transparent regarding his feelings. This one needed to have somesemblance of structure.
A quick ride had shape and everything. There would be less time to ask questions and grow vulnerable, which was exactly what he wanted. He could place her on a horse, keep her beside him, speak when needed, and return to the castle with the obligation met and his thoughts still his own.
That was the plan.
Then Ava saw the horses.
The change in her came so quickly that he noticed it before he meant to. Her face brightened, and he could have sworn he saw what looked like a laugh on her face.
She was elated, but was still careful not to show it. A part of him wanted to ask what her deal was with horses, but that would be venturing into the very territory he had sworn to avoid as much as possible.
She stepped toward the mare set out for her with the kind of pleased surprise no one could fake well.
“She’s lovely,” she gushed, resting a hand against the beast’s neck.
Ciaran had chosen the mare for her steadiness and good sense. He had not expected to care whether Ava liked her. Yet some small part of him registered the joy in her words before caution could step in.
“She is.”
Ava turned and looked at him with a spark in her eyes. “Did ye choose her?”
“Aye.”
She ran her hand across the mare’s neck, and the beast leaned in for more. “She has better manners than most people.”
He should not have smiled at that, but he did, if only for a second.
By the time they set out, the morning was clear and mild, the ground dry enough for an easy pace.
The farther they moved from the castle, the looser the air felt. There were no walls, no servants in passageways or rooms too small for what sat between them. Only open land, a good path, and the quiet rhythm of two horses beneath them.
For the first stretch, Ciaran kept things simple. He spoke about the history of the land around them and how his father had become Laird.
Most of what he said, anyone could find in a history book. And something told him that a woman as restless as Ava would have consumed as much as she could about him and his family’s history. She did live with Isobel for over a decade, sosomepart of her must have been immensely curious at some point.
As he spoke, she listened with interest that seemed real enough, though not especially deep, and asked sensible questions when one arose.
Then the horses found a better stretch of ground, and everything changed.
Ava leaned forward slightly, not enough to lose control, but enough to show him that she knew exactly what to do withspeed. Her mare stretched into it. The movement suited her too well.
Ciaran watched her out of the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow, almost like he knew what was coming, “Daenae race ahead.”
Ava looked back at him with mock offense. “And who says I mean to?”
