Page 52 of A Virgin for the Stone Highlander
Edith nodded slightly.
Of course.
This outing was part of their arrangement. She could not allow herself to forget that.
She watched as Aaron reached behind the saddle and untied a small wicker basket she had not noticed before. He lifted it free from the cantle.
“Ye brought food?” Her surprise was evident in her tone.
“Did ye think I’d bring ye out here before breakfast to starve ye?” He glanced at her, and she blinked.
She had not expected him to be thoughtful enough to even consider it.
She peered into the basket as he set it down, and her brow furrowed in disbelief at what he had prepared.
Bread. Cheese. A flask of whiskey.
“This is yer grand effort?” she asked lightly.
Aaron’s mouth twitched faintly. “It will do.”
He spread out his plaid, settling down first before patting the space beside him.
Edith shook her head. She considered him for a moment before sitting next to him, keeping as much distance between them as possible without touching the grass.
“Romance is truly wasted on ye,” she scoffed.
Aaron laughed loudly, the sound startling her more than it should have. It was rare enough to see him smile and rarer still to hear him laugh.
“Ye expected roasted pheasant?” he asked.
She nodded, holding back a smile. “At the very least.”
“Before breakfast?”
“Aye.”
Aaron let out another laugh. “Yer expectations are unreasonable.”
“So I have been told.”
Edith broke a piece of bread and handed him the first bite.
A cool breeze rolled across the hills, carrying the scent of freshly turned soil. Workers moved steadily through the fields, their voices drifting toward them despite the distance.
Edith squinted her eyes a little as she watched a group of older men far ahead. “What are they arguing about?” she asked.
Aaron followed her gaze, leaning forward slightly. “I cannae possibly see that far, lass.”
She raised a brow in mock disappointment. “Truly?” she asked, as though his admission was unfathomable. “Then I was wrong to think ye have an extra pair of eyes.”
Aaron leaned back. His shoulders flexed beneath his tunic as he braced one palm against the grass behind him, tilting his head as he looked at her.
“And why would I?”
Edith averted her gaze. Her stomach fluttered at the look in his eyes, and she swallowed, feeling her traitorous cheeks redden. It was as though he was not aware of the effect he had on her.
A cart rattled past them, one of its wheels wobbling badly as it rolled over a rut. She pointed at it, grateful for the distraction.
