“Well…” she trailed off. “How long since ye have been back?”
“Finlay dinnae tell ye?” Caden frowned in surprise.
“Nay, I ken nothin’ about it. I didnae even see Joanna when she returned from yer aunt’s,” Ava admitted.
Caden’s shoulders tensed. She wondered if it was the mention of the past, Joanna, or Finlay never mentioning his return.
He sighed. “I’ve been back for four years.”
“Four years!” Ava gasped. “And ye never came to see us?”
“A guard at a warring clan doesnae have time for friendly visits.” Caden shrugged.
“I see,” she murmured. “Now, it’s yer turn, me Laird.”
Caden sat still, seemingly lost in thought. It gave her too much time to study him. Broad shoulders strained the fabric of his coat, and the strength of his thighs was unmistakable even at rest. The mask concealed half of his face, yet it only sharpened her attention to what it did not hide— how dark his brown eyes were, how sharp his jawline looked under his stubble…The strong line of his neck, the slow, controlled rise of his chest. She told herself she was only noticing what was obvious, yet her gaze kept returning at his lips, that had been so close to her own moments ago.
Finally, he looked at her. “What happened with Emma? How long has she been married?”
“Less than a year.” Ava frowned. “Our uncle married her off a few months after Pa died. I was heartbroken for weeks.”
“Ye must miss her,” Caden said kindly.
Ava nodded. “More than I miss breathing.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she wiped them away with the sleeve of her dress. To her dismay, more kept coming.
“I’m sorry. It’s just…Too much is happening in such a short time. This is unlike me.”
Caden leaned forward and wiped a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb without replying.
“At least she’s happy. Her husband is crazy about her. And they’re giving their little girl a baby brother or sister soon, so I should be happy for them too. I can miss me sister and still be happy for her, can I nae?”
Another tear followed, tracing a path down to her jaw. He caught it.
“Of course ye can,” he soothed.
Neither said anything for a few minutes.
Ava sucked in a deep breath, and some of the tension broke. She felt like she was coming up for air.
“How do ye like being Laird?” She asked after a while. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them.
“Likeisnae the word I would use to describe how I feel about me position,” he mused.
“What word would ye use then, me Laird?”
“It’s more of a lovely burden, if that makes sense.” He stared into the fire, as if lost somewhere in time. “I love helping people, but duty can sometimes be too heavy when ye are carrying it alone.”
“How?” Ava had seen her father struggle with his duties, but he had never complained once.
“For starters, when a villager dies, it’s very hard on the community, and I feel it deeply. I have to support their family while also grieving. I can never show them me true emotions, though. They need a strong, dependable leader. And then of course, I must ensure there is peace in me clan, and prosperity.”
Ava suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ye find me burdens funny, do ye?” Caden scowled at her.
“Nay, it’s nae that!” Ava held up a hand placatingly. “It’s just that I’ve managed to get under yer skin quite a bit, have I nae?” She wiped a tear of mirth from her cheek.
