Page 22 of Hold Fast

“Believe me, Una, I didnae do it on purpose. We must have moved that way in our sleep.”

She snorted. “Pfft. A likely story.”

With another groan, he stood and folded the plaid, tucking it into the saddle bag. Calman rose as well, with as much grace available to such a large animal. Una felt herself losing control of her breathing. He’d been so close. He was so much bigger. He could have—

“Una,” he said and snapped his fingers. She shook her head, her eyes refocusing on him. “I promised I wouldnae hurt you, and Imeant it. God’s bones, Una. What kind of monster do you take me for?”

She wrapped her arms around her bent knees and glared at him. But he was right. Nothing had happened. Nothing at all except sleep. Sharing warmth. She watched Ewan press his forehead to Calman’s nose, speaking to the horse in a voice so soft she couldn’t make out his words. He scratched under Calman’s chin, the way he’d shown her yesterday.

“Catch.”

Una barely had time to register the command before an apple nearly hit her on the chin. But she did catch it, which made Ewan smile. She’d never seen him smile before. The fine lines around his eyes crinkled deeper, and though the reddish-brown stubble on his jaw had grown even more, it was not yet long enough to block a glimpse of his teeth. It was a warm expression. Her mother would have said he had a kind face.

He scratched his head and drew his hand away with a twig pinched between two fingers.

“We should go,” he said, tossing the twig aside.

“Aye,” she said, her voice shaky. “We must.”

“I’ll take the horse and dog to the burn for some water so that you can tend to your business.”

She recognized it for the kindness it was. He whistled as he left the cave, and Una watched Calman and Greer follow without being commanded, the dog bounding happily after him into the woods, darting between the sharp sunbeams piercing through the woods from the horizon.

Greer trusted him. Perhaps she could try too.

Una ducked behind the large boulder to relieve herself. As she walked back to the mouth of the cave, she combed her fingers through the tangled mess of her own hair, removing three twigs of her own. A comb would have been better, but her satchel was tied to the horse, and so she did the best she could with her hands before plaiting it into a long braid.

The trees were nearly bare, save for a few clinging, brown leaves. The ground outside the cave was blanketed with a brilliant snow that sparkled in the rising light. The sun, still climbing over the mountains, offered no actual warmth, but the sight of it brightened her spirits nonetheless. It was the first day of her new life, she thought, as she tied her braid with the same old strip of Cameron plaid.

She heard Calman snort in the near distance and turned to see Ewan climbing the hill, dog and horse close on his heels. His leine shirt was filthy, his knees scraped and scabbed, and from this angle, the bump where his nose had been broken before was more pronounced. Una couldn’t figure him out. What sort of laird ran his own errands? What sort of laird went out in public looking like he lived in the mountains and hadn’t seen soap in months?

He looked up and locked eyes with her.

For a moment in that quiet, early morning brilliance, they stared. Una sucked in a breath, feeling tingles rush down to her toes, making her shiver. She told herself it was the frosty morning. Nothing more. Certainly not the way his eyes seemed to be lookingthroughher.

Greer ran to her side, rubbing her sleek flanks against Una’s skirts. She bent down to pet the dog.

“Did you eat?” Ewan asked.

Una remembered the apple, which she had put in her pocket.

“Nay. Not as of yet. I can eat as we ride.”

He nodded and held out his hands, reached for her to lift her onto Calman’s back. But he didn’t touch her.

“May I, Una?” he asked.

She nodded and, with a squeak, found herself airborne. Though she was far more prepared for that sudden rise that she had been the day before and swung her leg over Calman’s back as Ewan hoisted her up.

“Verra good, Una,” he praised. “You’re a natural.”

Ewan grunted as he climbed up behind her, settling against her backside as he’d done yesterday, his thighs snug around hers. But she found that she didn’t feel the violent nausea this morning that such proximity had caused yesterday. Still, she tried to sit as straight as possible in the saddle to avoid leaning against him. She shivered again.

With one deft motion, Ewan reached into the saddle bag, extracted his spare plaid, and whirled it to wrap around them both. He tucked the ends around her, making an obvious effort to touch her as little as possible as he cocooned them both in the horse-warmed wool.

It was so tempting to remember how warm he’d felt at her back. That memory was almost enough to make her relax, ever so slightly, into that solid chest behind her.

Almost. But not quite.