The closer he got to her, the more she had a hard time breathing.
“I could help, miss,” the other guard said, following behind Caspian.
“I think I’ve got it, Hopkins,” Caspian said without turning around.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve got it,” Caspian said, taking a step closer to her.
“He’s only trying to be helpful,” Sophia said to Caspian, who was now so close she had to look up at him.
He took a deep breath, staring down at her with his dark brown eyes. “Thank you, Hopkins. I can help Miss Sophia. Thank you for the duel.”
Sophia peeked around Caspian’s frame and smiled at Hopkins. “Thank you, sir.”
“Any time, miss,” he said, nodding his head to her.
As he turned and walked away, Sophia frowned up at Caspian. “You didn’t need to be rude to him,” she pointed out.
Caspian shrugged. “That’s how I am with him.”
Sophia shook her head. “I hope he doesn’t think he shouldn’t talk to me now.”
He reached out and brushed his hand down her arm. “If it would make you feel better, I’ll let him know you appreciated his offer.”
“Would you?” Sophia asked, allowing a smile to return to her face. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” Caspian said. “I’m sorry if I seemed rude. What can I help you with?”
In such close quarters, Sophia could smell the leather of his practice armor and a scent that was uniquely him. She’d been close to sweaty men before and had never found it to be a pleasant experience, but she had the urge to step even closer and sniff Caspian.
She took a step back to avoid such an embarrassing situation. “I was asked to bring the goats to clean up the woods to the north, but I can’t bring all seven by myself. Would you like to go with me? We can pack lunch.”
The mention of food was purely strategic, and she didn’t miss the way his eyes lit up.
“Absolutely. Let me get cleaned up.”
“I’ll get the goats,” she began.
“And I’ll grab some food and meet you in the courtyard in twenty minutes,” he said. “Does that sound like a plan?”
“Anything to avoid touching the goats,” she teased. He rolled his eyes, but he smiled. “You know I’m right,” she added when he didn’t say anything. “Yes, that sounds like a good plan. Twenty minutes.”
Sophia hurried into the barn to find the pack that she’d made for Ivy and put it on the doe, who twitched her ears in annoyance but held still long enough for her to fasten it. While Ivy seemed the most unlikely candidate for being their pack goat, she was the largest, and Sophia had discovered early on when trying to train them that she was least likely to try to get rid of it.
She added two flasks of water to the pack and put leads on all three of the does. Valley and Meadow probably didn’t need them, but she couldn’t wait to see Caspian’s face when she handed him one of them.
The babies followed eagerly as she opened the gate and let all of them into the aisle. She held tight to Ivy’s lead as they hurried toward the open door, and they burst into the courtyard with excitement.
They had only been there for a moment when Caspian came out of the kitchen with a bundle of food and a blanket tucked under one elbow. “I think this will be enough,” he said, showing her the large bundle in his hand.
“I think that’s enough food for an army,” Sophia said.
“Having been part of the Royal Guard for two years, I can tell you it is not.”
Sophia laughed as they put the food in Ivy’s pack. “Yes, I suppose you would know better than I would. Here you go.” She handed Ivy’s lead to him, and he grimaced but took it. Though she noticed the way he carefully avoided brushing up against any of the goats.
It made her giggle to think about how he could be a guard for two years and presumably get fairly dirty during his training, but even touching a goat’s lead rope made him grimace.
