And she couldn’t forget that he’d threatened to slit a man’s throat.
The afternoon wore on. The track didn’t get any smoother and the cart bumped and rattled its way through the empty landscape. Her stomach rumbled loudly. It had been hours since she’d eaten her lunch and her insides felt hollow.
Kai raised an eyebrow. “Hungry?”
“No,” she lied, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “I’m fine.”
“Oh, ye willnae want this then?” From somewhere in the folds of his plaid he produced a shiny red apple and held it out on his palm. He took a bite with a crunch loud enough to make the horses flinch and munched on it happily. “Ah, delicious!”
Caitlin kept her expression carefully neutral, refusing to be baited. But her traitorous stomach rumbled again and Kai chuckled. There was no guile in his laugh, no forced jollity, or sarcasm. It was an infectious sound full of genuine joy.
Despite herself, Caitlin found herself grinning. “It seems my stomach doesn’t agree with me. It definitely thinks I’m hungry.”
“Ah well, we canna have that, can we?” He produced another apple from somewhere. “Here. Tell yer stomach that help is on the way.”
Caitlin took the apple from him with a wry smile. “Thanks. I’m sure it will be relieved.”
Kai’s gaze locked with hers. His eyes were the pale blue of a summer sky. Under his scrutiny heat suddenly flushed up her neck and her heart did a strange little wobble.
“Ye are welcome,” Kai said softly.
Caitlin tore her gaze away and bit into the apple, concentrating on that to distract her from the man beside her. Why did he have to sit so close? His thigh was still pressing against hers and she couldn’t move away without tipping off the end of the bench. The sooner they got where they were going, the better. Oh. Which reminded her—
“Where are we going exactly?”
Kai glanced at her then back at the road. “A place called Aberfeldy. We should be there in a few hours.”
A few hours. That was all she had to endure. She’d never heard of this Aberfeldy place but it might have a bus service or at least a phone she could use to call a cab. If she was really lucky, there might even be a police station. A few hours. She could do that, couldn’t she?
She was lost in her thoughts several hours later, when Kai nudged her shoulder. “We’re here,” he said, nodding into the distance.
Shading her hand against the lowering sun, Caitlin peered out and spotted a cluster of buildings at the base of a wood-covered hillside. Civilization at last! A wave of giddy relief washed over her.
But as they drew near, Caitlin’s relief began to turn to unease. This was not what she’d expected. The buildings were made of rough-hewn stone and had thatched roofs. Smoke rose from chimneys and she could hear the distant sound of voices. Far from being a town, this place looked like some peasant village right out of a medieval saga.
Kai brought the cart to a stop and jumped to the ground, holding out a hand to help Caitlin down.
“What?” she stammered. “Where are we?”
“Aberfeldy, as promised.”
In a daze, Caitlin took his hand and climbed down. Her legs were stiff from sitting all day and her backside ached from the hard wooden bench but she hardly noticed her discomfort as she stared at this strange place.
The buildings were arranged in a rough circle with a large open space in the center. People were busy going about their business, and they were all dressed as strangely as Kai and the others. Chickens and geese waddled through the mud streets and Caitlin caught sight of a goat in the far corner, tethered to a post.
Her insides tightened. She could feel that all too familiar sensation of panic gathering in the pit of her stomach. She had managed to keep it at bay during the journey, comforting herself with the thought that this would be over soon, but now?
Kai gave her a concerned glance. “Are ye all right, lass?”
“No,” she replied in a choked whisper. “No, I’m not all right. This is all wrong! All wrong!”
Kai put his big hand on her shoulder. “All will be well, Caitlin. Trust me.”
“Trust you?” she cried. “When you bring me to this...to this...Oh God! What the hell is going on?”
Kai studied her intently. “Are ye seriously telling me ye dinna know?”
“Know what?”
