He sent her a confident smile. “I’m just going to the opening. I’ll be back soon.”
As Audrey waited for Levi to return, she had to do something to keep her worry at bay. She couldn’t leave yet with all the searchers out there. She’d have to wait for the cover of night.
She removed the contents of the two satchels—food, doctoring supplies, blankets, candles, the knife. She sorted the food atop one of them, using the leather as a counter space. Animals didn’t appear to be a concern inside this cave, so it might be fine to leave these rations out today to allow them to get what they needed easily. After all, each food item was still wrapped in leather.
She did the same with the rest of the gear, spreading it on the second satchel, including the blankets she’d wrapped around Levi’s feet. When he came back, she would show him all the items so he would know what he had to work with.
But when she finished, he still hadn’t returned. Maybe she should go ensure nothing had happened. Would he have been foolish enough to step out of the cave? Surely she would’ve heard sounds if he’d been caught.
First, she would check the tea, then if he still wasn’t back, she would go make sure all was well. It was likely that he found watching the searchers more interesting than sitting in the faint light of this cave.
The water in the pot had grown hot but not yet boiling. The longer the tea ingredients steeped, the more potent they would be.
At last, a faint noise behind her made her spin. Levi padded forward, nearly soundless as he stepped onto the fur.Her gaze dropped down to his bare feet, maybe because her kneeling position put her close to them already.
Once more, the sight of their angles and masculinity felt intimate—his feet, of all things.
She tore her gaze away, shifting her focus upward to his face to read from his expression if he’d seen anything of concern outside. He towered above her, but then he dropped to his haunches to bring them closer to eye level.
“I saw four people searching, two of them on this mountain but still farther back. One of those was the woman who dresses like a man.”
The odd description nearly brought a smile through her worry. “Brielle. She’s the leader of the guards and hunters. And my closest friend.” She tried to make that last part sound casual, but it came out more yearning than anything.
His gaze softened, his brows tenting in an earnest expression. “I’m sorry I put you in this position.” He looked as though he wanted to say more, but he didn’t.
What was there to say, anyway? She’d made the decision. Put herself in this position of her own accord. She tried to summon a confident smile. “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
His expression turned pained, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he glanced around and dropped his voice to barely more than a whisper. “Is the tea ready enough? I think we’d better let the fire go out.”
She nodded instead of speaking. Ready or not, he was right.
As she poured the drink into the only cup she’d brought, Levi lifted their fur mat and moved it beside one wall. Hesettled against the stone and took the cup she handed him, then tapped the pelt beside him. “Best to be still and wait.”
Sit still? At his side? Her body was sprung so tightly, she wasn’t sure she could sit and be quiet. Yet the chance to be near this man called to her.
She settled in where he’d motioned, the position nearest the fire and farthest from the cave opening. A place that felt safe and protected, as though no matter what entered the cave, he would act as a barrier between her and the danger.
If only she never had to face the repercussions that waited for her back in Laurent. She pushed the thought aside before it turned so strongly in her belly to call back what little food she’d eaten. She would worry about the consequences later.
As they sat, he took sips of the tea. She didn’t dare look over to see if his expression showed how bitter it must taste. She’d not brought honey to sweeten the strong flavors.
Instead, she sent her gaze everywhere else, searching for something to occupy her mind. Her focus locked on the supplies, and she motioned toward her carefully organized piles, keeping her voice to a whisper. “I spread out everything we brought so you can see what you have. The food is over there. I should have sent more meat, but I’m afraid it’s heavy on baked goods.” She sent him an apologetic look.
His eyes creased in a smile that didn’t cover his uneasiness. “I like baked goods. Yours especially.”
Heat warmed her neck, so she turned her attention back to the provisions and motioned to the second bundle. “Everything else is sorted there. Blankets. Candles. A knife. It was my extra, so it’s not as sharp as it could be, but I thought it better than nothing.”
The breath he took in echoed in the quiet cave. For longmoments, he studied the supplies spread out. Then he turned to her, his gaze more sincere than on any man she’d seen. “Miss Moreau, I don’t ... know how to thank you. You’ve done so much. So much more than I could have dreamed.”
Was that a catch in his voice? She had trouble holding his gaze with the intensity in his eyes. “It’s—” She almost saidnothing, but that wasn’t true. They both knew it. Instead, she concentrated on the real reason she’d helped him. “It was the right thing to do, keeping you from punishment when you haven’t committed a crime.”
But had her method been the best one? Stealing him away when the guard trusted her?
Lord, let this all turn out well, even if I ran ahead of your plan. And if I did sin in my actions, please forgive me.
She had a feeling that if she really analyzed the situation through the lens of Scripture, what she’d done would definitely be labeled as sin. But she couldn’t let herself examine it yet. Not when Levi’s safety wasn’t confirmed.
For long, long,longminutes, they sat in silence. Levi sipped from the cup until he’d drained it dry, then placed the empty container beside him. They needed to remain still and quiet in case the searchers neared the opening of the cave. The fire had faded to only a few glowing embers, but enough light still filtered from the opening around the corner.
