A warmth bloomed in my chest that I immediately snuffed out. “Well, surprise, I’m still here,” I said, folding my arms. “And it’s my turn to sleep, so move.”
Baron pushed himself upright, rubbing a hand over his face as if it would straighten out the last few hours. Then, as he glanced around the cramped space, some sense of propriety must have sparked to life.
“You can’t be in here,” he insisted firmly.
I raised an eyebrow. “Because…?”
“Because!” he sputtered, fully awake now, but apparently not fluent in sentences. “You’re a girl and I’m a boy.”
A laugh escaped before I could choke it back. “Defending my honor now, are you? And the last several months of sleeping together don’t count because…?”
His eyes widened in horror. “You’re making it sound like something happened. We were just keeping warm! We never… I didn’t… We were chained together! We had to.”
“Well, alright then, Mister Chivalrous,” I said with exaggerated politeness. “It’s your turn for watch. So, shoo. Go defend my honor from a respectable distance before my reputation is ruined beyond repair.”
Baron gave a resigned, flustered groan and crawled out of the tent, leaving me alone. I slid into his bedroll, still warm from the lingering heat of his body and still smelling of that intoxicating combination of forests and leather and campfire that I loved so much.
My heart gave one traitorous flutter that I did my best to ignore.
I adjusted the rolled blanket he had been using as a pillow, punching it into shape with more force than necessary. His scent stirred with each movement and for a moment I allowed myself to inhale deeply, imagining that Baron was still next to me.
Just infatuation, is it?the tiny voice in the back of my mind needled smugly.
I glared at the bedding as if it were personally responsible for my lack of emotional clarity. I had too much to do andtoo much to plan to be distracted. I needed to plan a jailbreak and figure out a way to rescue Father and the Merry Men, all while anticipating what the sheriff may do. I couldn’t afford distraction.
I rolled over and tugged the blanket around myself, eyes squeezing shut. But the problem with lying in Baron’s bedroll was that the memories seeped in with the warmth, from his steady breathing beside me for months, the way he’d instinctively reached for me just now, and the fact that he’d worried I might leave.
I forced my mind toward strategy, toward escape routes and contingencies. Anything but the gentle way he’d said my name earlier. Anything but the fear in his eyes when he thought I might be gone.
I exhaled slowly.Arm’s length,I reminded myself.
Even if those arms felt far too easy to fall into.
It was still darkwhen Baron called softly from outside the tent, “Laurel…we need to get going soon.”
When I crawled out, he already had a pan sizzling over the rekindled fire. The faint, savory smell of salted pork drifted up through the cold air. He handed me a plate, his expression half-hopeful, half-wary.
“Peace offering?” he asked. “Or are we still enemies?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” I muttered, though my stomach growled as I took the food. We ate quickly, doused the fire, and broke down camp, taking great care to cover up that we’d been there. When I finally examined the supplies he had hauled outwith him, I blinked in surprise. There was bedding, food, tools, weapons…everything we’d need for a long journey and jailbreak.
“Did you takeeverythingfrom camp?” I teased.
“No,” Baron said with a mischievous grin. “But more than a few of their weapons might have accidentally fallen off the cliff into the lake. There was also the unfortunate loss of the paddock’s lock snapping off. Most of their horses happened to get loose. They’ll be busy chasing livestock for awhile, but odds are they’ll blame you. I hope you don’t mind, but I left a trail for them so they will suspect that you got loose and caused mayhem. I thought you’d like that.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Well done!” I clapped him on the back?—
And Baron recoiled violently, drawing a sharp breath through his teeth.
I froze. “What’s wrong?” The alarm in my voice startled even me. I hadneverheard Baron make a sound like that, not even when I’d done my best to injure him during our fights early on.
“It’s nothing. Just…a few bruises,” he said, much too quickly. His tone tried for bravado, but there was strain in it.
“You’re lying,” I said, savoring the rare chance to throw his own words back at him. “Let me see.”
“Laurel, it’s?—”
“Take your shirt off,” I demanded, arms crossed.
