“I know what to do,” she said, staring hard back at him.
He chuckled and left.
She growled. “I’m not stupid, and he should know that by now.” She stomped down to the water’s edge. “Why does he always have to tell me what to do?”
She sucked in a breath. She knew why he was always telling her not to wander, to stay close to their camping area. He just wanted her to be safe, and she couldn’t fault him for that. In fact, she had to admit that she quite liked it.
Dipping her hands in the freezing wet, she laughed as she splashed it on her face.
Refreshed and feeling alive once more, Abby spotted nettle growing a small distance away. She quickly filled the cooking pot they carried with them with water and placed it on the fire. Excited about finally making a stew, she made her way to the nettles and, using her skirt over her hands, picked a good-sized bunch.
In no time, she had the nettle broth simmering perfectly, and she sat back, waiting for Iain.
Iain returned, but his hands were empty. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t find any rabbits.”
He looked so forlorn, it was all Abby could do not to jump up and hug him. Instead, she looked at the simmering broth and then smiled up at him. “That’s okay. We’ll just have to have soup. Do you like nettle soup?”
He visibly relaxed. Did he think she was going to be angry at him for not bringing meat?
He plonked down beside her. “I love it.”
More days passed. Sometimes they had rabbit, sometimes they had broth, and sometimes they had nothing.
The days weren’t so bad, and the hours fled when they talked about their homes, although Abby got the impression Iain kept his stories lighthearted because he didn’t want to share more with her. She, on the other hand, only spoke about the stuff that could happen in any time, no specifics, just generalizations. More than once, she caught Iain’s wary look. He must have known she was keeping things from him, but thank goodness, he never said anything.
Sleeping next to Iain was another thing, though. It was getting harder every night to lie there and pretend to fall asleep. She was waking more and more, trying to snuggle in closer to him, not for the cold, but for the alien feelings his closeness sent thrumming through her body.
She knew she had to be careful, but she also knew she was getting to like the man far too much. He was generous when it came to food, insisting Abby take her fill. He was protective, not letting Abby stray too far away from him. He was kind, both to her when he thought she was tired, and to the horse when he stopped to let it drink and eat. Each time, he cleaned its hooves and checked its legs.
It seemed the last few nights, all she could think of was kissing him again, and she’d come close to doing just that before she caught herself leaning toward him whenever they stood close together.
Smashing her lips together, she shook the thought of his lips on hers out of her mind and focused on their surroundings.
Iain kept the horse moving to the base of the mountains. She gazed up at the peaks. Snow still clung to the top of themountains, but Iain had said it was summer, so she guessed the snow would melt in time.
It was still cold where they were, but the sun shone more often. After a few hours, Abby spied another small stream.
“Look, water.”
“Aye, we’ll rest here for a bit.”
Once the horse had its fill of water, Abby found a grassy edge where she could sit. She took off her shoes and dangled her feet in the stream. It was still freezing but not as bad as previously, and she kept them submerged until she became used to the temperature. She wriggled out of the cloak and, scooping up handfuls of water, washed her face. Her hair would have to wait until they got somewhere warmer.
Glancing behind her, she saw Iain was still tending to the horse. He appeared engrossed with its hooves, so she took off her vest and undid the buttons on her shirt. Without taking it off completely, she washed under her arms as best she could. Standing up to use her skirt to dry herself, she half turned and froze.
Iain was watching her with a peculiar expression on his face. Was his eyes narrowed in admiration or confusion? No matter how long she spent with him, she couldn’t make out his moods.
“You stay there,” Abby said, spinning back to face the stream.
“Aye.”
She quickly dried herself and buttoned up her shirt. Once she’d put on the vest and cloak again, she turned around and came face to face with Iain.
“I am sorry the accommodations aren’t more suitable for a woman such as yerself.”
“They’re fine.” She ducked her head and moved to make her way around the tree.
Iain held her arm as she passed, and she stopped and looked up at him expectantly. Those weird tingly feelings started zinging through her body again.
